didar

is it bad etiquette to listen to music on earphones (to distract yourself from the pain, i guess) during a long tattoo session? just curious. i've never done this, but i've seen other people do it, and wondered how the artists feel about that.

i kind of just had this experience today. found out Chad Koeplinger was going to be in my city due to un-foreseen travel plan changes on his side. i always knew i wanted to get tattooed by him so i took this opportunity to make it happen, we figured out an appointment time this morning and we got it done this afternoon. to be honest, when i got to the shop, i didnt even know what part of my body i was going to get tattooed. i just want to say getting tattooed by him was such a awesome experience, i'm so happy right now. if im not shy i might just post a pic after it's healed a little.

ok i need a Tim Lehi tiger on my back

i wonder how many times he's been stabbed in the face before he decided to get that tattoo.

But on a more serious note though I don't think "serious" fits this thread but anywho....did any of the other fellow Oakland residents who are also familiar with helLA take note that homegirl says Oakland at the beginning but the video appears to be filmed in helLA. The brown street signs, the houses, fendi store, "Fairfax" street sign, .......

yeah, she's from Oakland but in the song she's basically making fun of girls who wear gucci fendi prada. ("basic bitches wear that shit so i dont even bother"). i guess that's why shes mugging around that street in LA where those stores are because a lot of girls there wear those brands. its funny how while she thinks shes making fun of the girls there, she doesn't realize that shes also setting herself up to be made fun of in so many other ways. ah hipster elitism and the teenage goons of today.

wow that horiyuki back piece is amazing.

i like that a lot, looks great!! looking forward to seeing the finished product!

alanna those are good questions and i am interested in hearing other people's opinions about this as well.

yeah i was thinking at least 15-20%. personally i wouldnt tip a tattooer a smaller percentage than what i would tip a waiter/waitress. thanks for the feedback.

hey everyone, i'm reviving a dormant thread with my first post. i've read through this thread and found some good info, some of it seemed like common sense but there is also some very insightful info in here. so i've been wanting to get tattooed for years now but before i go through with it i am the type of person who likes to research as much as i can about artists, shops, styles, etc. (fortunately i live in the California Bay Area and there's a lot of history and local talent). but one subject i couldn't really find much info on is tipping. the topic of tipping was brought up in this thread, but wasn't discussed too much. so here goes my question(s):

What is a respectful amount or percentage to tip the artist? for example, if i got a tattoo that costed me 400, what would be a good tip if i was happy with that tattoo?

i'm asking only because I want to make sure i exhibit good client behavior towards these artists i respect!