Tattoo Artists Shared the 30 Most Annoying Things Clients Ask For
When getting a new tattoo, you are putting your faith in the person marking your body, and trusting that they will do a good job. So it's probably wise not to piss them off. However, it turns out, plenty of tattoo shop customers have no problem being rude or presumptuous when they show up to their appointment (and that's assuming they show up on time or at all). In the above video from Inked, tattooists share some of the most common things thei clients do or ask for that annoy them.
The number one peeve? Quibbling or haggling over price. Apparently, for a large number of clients their first question is simply "how much?" rather than anything specific about the piece they want. Alexis Vaatete's pet hate is clients who show up asking for a deal. "Any way they come around trying to get that 'deal', that's annoying because it kind of downgrades what you're doing," he says.
Another nuisance is when a client comes into the studio assuming they're an expert in this specialized field, compared to an artist who has spent hundreds if not thousands of hours honing their craft over many years.
"The things that annoy tattoo artists the most are clientele-based," says Joe Capobianco. "With shows like Ink Master, you end up with clients who think they know more than they do, so they roll in with these crazy ideas, these thoughts that they know how long tattoos take."
This leads into one of the most commonly cited annoyances in the video: micro-managing. "When we get micro-managed, it makes the entire situation really stressful," says Anali De Laney. "It's not going to create the best outcome for the tattoo, and for the experience as well, the whole session."
Lalo Yunda agrees that a client with a bossy or entitled attitude can be hugely off-putting, especially when trying to create a work of art. "When I enter the studio, for me the most important thing in the room is not you, it's your tattoo," he says.
While it might be natural for a client to feel slightly nervous ahead of getting a big piece of work done, being overbearing towards the artist is not the best way to express that. "I feel like when you're looking for an artist, you see their work, you see if you like their style, and you have to give them trust in what they're giving you," says Deanna Smith. "So at that point, it's good to let go a little bit."
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