When does an artist say no to a tattoo?

[leopardprints67]

What are the most unusual requests for tattoos you’ve ever gotten? How many of them did you refuse for being too over the top, too stupid, too controversial and just plain disgusting or disrespecting of either a racial group or tragedy?

I swear, I have been turning down more tattoos than I’ve been doing. I just had a guy email me with a request for a white power tattoo, complete with a Hitler portrait. Last week, it was a request for a woman being bound, tortured and stabbed..very gory and misogynistic. Tattoos that, if I had done, would have netted me a nice tidy $500 all together. I need money, but wtf…not this badly.

I think we as artists or budding artists, need to not lose track of our own values and just tattoo for the sake of the money.

[TexasPT]

I guess you should do what you feel comfortable doing. You could do 1,000,000 Hitler tattoos and you’d still play no part in creating a racist. He/She is already there. You can however double or triple your price and separate a jackass from his money. :)

I just don’t think I could sit and talk to someone like that for the three hours it may take to tattoo him.

[leopardprints67]

Good point, TexasPT. I just was squicked out by the whole thing. But you’re right. I should do it and charge him a shiteload.

[Viper65]

Personally, and we have had this discussion before, i would have refused to do it as well. And KUDOS to you for doing so!!

[leopardprints67]

@Viper65 wrote:

Personally, and we have had this discussion before, i would have refused to do it as well. And KUDOS to you for doing so!!

I thought long and hard about this and I decided absolutely NOT. For the same reasons I refuse to do gang tattoos but love to do gang coverups. 1. I don’t want to promote anything negative 2. I don’t want my name associated with any shit like that and 3. It’s against my values.

Thanks. I thought about doing it and sneaking in a Star of David or something of that ilk. But naaaw…not worth it.

[Viper65]

Ive done art all my life, painting mostly and have always stuck to what i wanted to do. My mother would always ask me why i dont paint a pretty tree or a flower, or sunset or something!!!! Even when i was selling paintings in galleries (New Orleans), i painted what “I” wanted to paint, no exceptions, if they didnt like it they didnt have to buy it, by the way, I did rather well in selling my stuff. I wish I was a better painter and could devote more time to it, there are so many talented undiscovered artists out there with some of the greatest and strangest ideas i have ever seen that rarely get discovered, its just a shame to say the least. I have no problem what so ever turning down something that i am not comfortable with whether its in my personal belief or not, if its my art work and has my name on it then i will be proud of it….PERIOD>! :twisted:

[leopardprints67]

@Viper65 wrote:

Ive done art all my life, painting mostly and have always stuck to what i wanted to do. My mother would always ask me why i dont paint a pretty tree or a flower, or sunset or something!!!! Even when i was selling paintings in galleries (New Orleans), i painted what “I” wanted to paint, no exceptions, if they didnt like it they didnt have to buy it, by the way, I did rather well in selling my stuff. I wish I was a better painter and could devote more time to it, there are so many talented undiscovered artists out there with some of the greatest and strangest ideas i have ever seen that rarely get discovered, its just a shame to say the least. I have no problem what so ever turning down something that i am not comfortable with whether its in my personal belief or not, if its my art work and has my name on it then i will be proud of it….PERIOD>! :twisted:

Damned right!!

[LetMeInkYou]

honestly, i’m only a 16 year old with a dream to be a tattoo artist. but i’m already sure that i won’t tattoo breasts, and i won’t tattoo a persons face unless i feel comfortable with the design, it’s relatively small, and the person already has plenty of tattoos. other than that, i wouldn’t tattoo things that are obviously gang related or racist. and i wouldn’t tattoo a foreign language until it’s been checked, double-checked, and triple-checkeed to be correct.

[jguzman89]

i hope you guys dont think im a bad person but i wouldve done all those tattoos. i love paul booths style and he mostly does some really sick and disturbing tattoos. As far as gang tattoos why not, it will be good practice with that east la style i like. that hitler portrait with the nazi symbols might have been pushing it but im latino so i doubt they would ask me anyways :D

[dave14jones]

Hey That’s really a good question……I think a good artist says no when he thinks he can not do justice with any design(and that’s very rare with them)……and a bad artist never says no… ;)

[LisaM]

I would say no if I didn’t feel comfortable with the design or tattoo area.

[LisaM]

@dave14jones wrote:

Hey That’s really a good question……I think a good artist says no when he thinks he can not do justice with any design(and that’s very rare with them)……and a bad artist never says no… ;)

Agreed. There are some things I would never do for the money

[KitchenWizard]

If I thought I could execute a design well, then I would not turn away money from something like a White Power tat or Hitler Portrait, after all, as pointed above, it’s not a reflection my personal opinions, but of the person wearing the ink, and that person is ‘already there’. However. In the past, I have done work on a couple who have turned out to be extremely unreliable with regards paying and still owe me money. If they ever contact me again and request work done, I will have to decline to do so. I would rather someone was walking round with a piece of my unfinished work (and the resultant hassle of having to go to a studio [or another Kitchen Wizard] to get it finished off) so they learn the lesson of not thinking they can treat me like a chump, and that they can get work done for cheap/for free, simply because I am a home artist, and they think they can weasel out of paying… The only work I would actually decline to do, would be something I felt I could not execute well, as I would not want to leave someone with a substandard tattoo.

[mussie]

i’m a bit stuck on the wire with this one, growing up in the UK nothing much bothers me (apart from peodphiles). i’m not sure if i would or would’nt tattoo the mentioned request from a customer? as already mentioned if the person is sick enough to want such tattoo’s your not going to stop them, and they will find a tattooist that will do it; so i guess it just depends on if you wanted to cash in on it or not.???? :/

[robroy289]

@dave14jones wrote:

Hey That’s really a good question……I think a good artist says no when he thinks he can not do justice with any design(and that’s very rare with them)……and a bad artist never says no… ;)

I am glad you said that!!! Alot of eager people will slap any design on someone!!! I myself have no problem doing gang,Nazi, or what else ever someone want’s so long as i am comfortable with design and layout!!! I mean who am i to tell someone what to wear on their body!! I do not promote it, advocate it, and don’t necessarily have to like it..It is all about the client and what they want.. But i will tell you from personal experience that most gang members have to be tattooed by another ranking gang member or in higher rank…

[FrancoLewis]

The artist will refuse when the designs is difficult to make it and the part that is will be placed.

[calquinn]

I totally agree, I would never do anything I didn’t feel comfortable doing, and gangs do their own tattoos don’t they ?

[Jester Ink]

i was recently approached to do a tat fer a guy that wanted a troublesome tattoo. don’t get me wrong, i’m no pro, (i say that a lot) i’ll do a tat of just about anything. this fellow wanted a tat of a child hanging like a pinata and people smacking the kid with sticks…at first i was like “wtf” then without hesitation said “hell no, find someone else”. twas the first person i’ve refused service and i really don’t care if it gives me a bad “rep”. i will not tattoo offensive, vulgar, child abuse, or peoples names (unless its a valid reason, like lost love one or child’s name or remembrance) i don’t know if it’s the right thing to do, but i did it.

[Ramenuzumaki]

i refuse any tattoo that is of a boyfriend, or girlfriend
i wont do a tattoo that someone will regret
love lasts until death, but tattoos last through zombification

i will also refuse any tattoo i deem wont last: ie toes, bottoms of feet, palms, tongue, etc

also anything i find is offencive, or that I wouldnt want my studio name on

[murai89]

an artist should say no also if the area they want it in isnt going to benefit their future or can make it harder for them career wise depending. i had kids 18 yrs old trying to get them to tattoo their necks face, hands, when they havent even realized what they wanted to do or become. they jump into getting all these tattoos just because famous rappers and celebrities what not have them. that you should say no to. or gang related tattoos and what not

[Ramenuzumaki]

when it comes to hand, and necks, and such i really try to deter them from doing it. the exception would be if they are obviously of age to know what they are doing, if their job will accept it, and if they already have a lot of tattoos, or already have hand and neck tattoos

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