Dean Mitchell

No call, no shows for appointments that assume their deposit is still valid when they show up to reschedule, then put in a complaint to the BBB after being told the process starts over. We have a large readable sign that says deposits are non-refundable, yet 2 people in the last 10 years of being a BBB member have put in complaints, lowering our score. This is an inconsiderate and selfish as cruising 10 miles under the speed limit in the passing lane.

It's always beneficial to research an "artist" in the industry, as there is no quality control. Some people like to get tattooed by their friends regardless of the outcome and that's respectable in the sense that it is a personal decision and art is subjective. After getting my first tattoo I compared it to others on my friends and realized it could look better. Still being under the assumption that going to a tattoo shop meant a "professional" piece would be done I had it worked over. Disappointed again, understanding I hadn't figured it out the first time, I researched artists before having any thing else done. This was in '93, before the power of google. It's nice to not have to pay for the same tattoo 3 times. On a humorous note, when looking for Sean Degan in San Antonio at Perfection Tattoo in '94 to get something done well, I didn't know who Chris Trevino was. Because I didn't know who he was, and my previous disappoints, when he told me he had time to do my tattoo I told him, "that's okay, I'll wait for Sean, but thanks." haha!

5 1/2 hours of color blending on my neck by Will Lollie was brutal back in 2001. This was before he was killing it with scratch your eyes out cool Japanese stuff, back when "New School" was the big thing still. The longest I sat was with Damon Conklin back in 2000, 9 hours on my forearm. He's a lot faster now. It wasn't near as brutal, as I knew I was going to sit for a long time and ran 2 miles a day and drank a gallon of water every day for two weeks prior to be physically sound. The longest I worked straight through on a client was 10 hours a day, two days in a row. He was in town for 3 days only on holiday from his tour in Iraq and asked if I could do his sleeve in that time. The first day was planning and drawing. It was tiring on us both!, but like Calvin Sewell always said, "when the eyelids are heavy, the pockets are too."

I'm Dean Mitchell and Tattoo in Austin and San Angelo Texas. I've liked this site since I stumbled across it a year ago and decided to join, thanks!

It's always beneficial to research an "artist" in the industry, as there is no quality control. Some people like to get tattooed by their friends regardless of the outcome and that's respectable in the sense that it is a personal decision and art is subjective. After getting my first tattoo I compared it to others on my friends and realized it could look better. Still being under the assumption that going to a tattoo shop meant a "professional" piece would be done I had it worked over. Disappointed again, understanding I hadn't figured it out the first time, I researched artists before having any thing else done. This was in '93, before the power of google. It's nice to not have to pay for the same tattoo 3 times. On a humorous note, when looking for Sean Degan in San Antonio at Perfection Tattoo in '94 to get something done well, I didn't know who Chris Trevino was. Because I didn't know who he was, and my previous disappoints, when he told me he had time to do my tattoo I told him, "that's okay, I'll wait for Sean, but thanks." haha!

No call, no shows for appointments that assume their deposit is still valid when they show up to reschedule, then put in a complaint to the BBB after being told the process starts over. We have a large readable sign that says deposits are non-refundable, yet 2 people in the last 10 years of being a BBB member have put in complaints, lowering our score. This is an inconsiderate and selfish as cruising 10 miles under the speed limit in the passing lane.

Reference for tattoos on phones. this shit is gonna be on you forever, show some respect, don't be a cheap, lazy client. print that shit out so i can actually see your reference.

yeah that sucks...i think they should have etiquette classes in schools.

I hate when fools show up 15 minutes late and don't say SORRY. Give me a lame excuse and acknowledge you were late.

Not showing up for appt.'s. After 15 years of appt. only I've about had enough. Need to get a chunk upfront!

people who walk in on their phone and try to ask questions while STILL ON THEIR PHONE. or answer their phone as you're answering their question. i just walk away.
also, spoiled college kids who lay on our couches and put their feet up, and people who ask "so, what ELSE do you do?", implying there's no possible way i could actually earn a living tattooing!

Having much more work completed on my back now, I have sat for a large range of numbers. But no matter how long I sit, that last half hours makes me want to punch someone... and I am not a violent person.

Yeah, I'm cool for the first 3.5, but then I would really like a cold beer. We'll see how long I'm "cool" for on my rib sessions next month, though.

I also got my first tattoos from Rollo (in a motel in Austin back in 1992), and he certainly made a big impression on me.
At Skull & Sword, Grime has a Rollo original on the wall; it's a cobra and skull he painted in 1979. It might just be the toughest shit I've ever seen. It has lots of the cool trick elements people are using now--heavy whip shading, snakes with no eyeballs, hits of bright green--and he did that back in 1979. When I saw it, I felt so sad that I didn't have room for it.