well i want to open up my own little parlor when i get outta highschool, but my parents are freaking out saying i cannot make a living being a tattoo artist? any hints, help advice? thnks so much!
2007-10-12 12:15:47 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Beauty & Style ➔ Skin & Body ➔ Tattoos
As with any business, before opening your own, you should have a great deal of experience in the field in which you are interested. If you wanted to sell cars, for instance, You would first work for an established dealership to gain experience. You would actually be able to get a first hand look inside of the business, instead of a look from the customers perspective. After doing this a while, you may come to find out the work isn't what you want to do.
In any business, the first priority is to make money. Without making money, there is no business. If you do gain experience and decide you are ready to open your own shop, you must decide if you are going to be a self employed person, or a business owner. If you only want to work a Tattoo gun, and give people beautiful ink, then you will need a business manager. If you are self employed, as with any other employee, you must establish a salary for yourself. But remember, the business comes first. Rent, Insurance, manager salary, electrc bill, water bill, other bills, and last comes your salary. If you pay yourself first, and there isn't enough for the business, again, there is NO business, so you would be out of a job.
Talk to people in the business. Ask a seasoned tattoo artist how he decides how to charge for a tattoo. Does he charge by the square inch, or by the hour? Does he charge extra after the first 2 colors? Ask him if you can assist him for free on the weekends so you can understand the business.
I hope that this will help you. Even if this doesn't answer your question directly, I hope it has given you more than one perspective.
gaberepp@yahoo.com
2007-10-12 13:38:02 · answer #1 · answered by Gabe TX 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Typically $90-$160 per hour. it's different with every artist and shop though. Some shops are "street shops" meaning they mostly cater to walk-in clients who haven't scheduled an appointment. Those people usually pick a piece of flash from a book or wall and get the pre-made design tattooed on them. The tattoo artist will either decide what he/she wants to charge for the piece or the shop may have already designated a price. Others are Custom shops (like on the tv shows), they are usually by appointment and the tattoo artists will draw up the tattoo, ask for a deposit and then charge their hourly rate. The more demand for their work, the more they can charge!
If you are talented you can make a good living. You have to be able to draw. There is no such thing as a good custom artist that can't draw and even if you're just doing flash you still need to be able to draw. So if you like drawing constantly and talking to people it would probably be a good job for you and if you are a good artist and friendly you certainly can make a good living. The down side is most tattoo studios don't offer their employees any kind of benefits.
2007-10-12 14:18:21 · answer #2 · answered by Atilla the Han 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Tattoo artists make more money over time. The more experiened you are and the larger your portfolio is, the more you get paid. It also depends on how popular your shop is, how many tats you do each week, and what you charge for them. Some artists never charge less than $100 an hour, others go lower with their repeat customers. Also, if you run your own shop you'll definately make more money. Most artists have to pay the owner a fee (usually half of the price of each tattoo they do) for the convience of the owner letting them use their shop.
2016-04-08 05:56:30 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
it really depends on how talented the artist is and what the demand is for high quality tattoos in the area. a talented artist can definitely make a lot of money. i know of artists who make $300 an hour and are likely booked to work about 6-10 hours per day 5 days a week and are booked a year in advance. that is a lot of money. but those are VERY talented artists who have spent years perfecting their craft. there are probably other artists who only make $50-100 a day which is not the greatest but is still more than some people make. tattooing can be a lucrative career but it can also be a dead end job, it all depends on your talent. are you an artist? can you create custom drawings? that definitely determines how much an artist can make.
good luck!
2007-10-12 16:02:50 · answer #4 · answered by somebody's a mom!! 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Instead of opening your own shop at first, why don't you start out working at someone else's place. Then you can see what kind of revenue you will bring in. It takes a lot to run a business. You have to get licensed, get a mortgage or rent out space, pay bills, pay employees, pay for advertising. The list goes on.
2007-10-12 12:19:27 · answer #5 · answered by Kimbo Bimbo 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I heard it was about $150 an hour
2007-10-12 18:18:37 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Their salary varies on things like their reputation and client base, location, etc.
Good luck. If you have talent, and if you get your name out there, you should be OK!
2007-10-12 17:38:52 · answer #7 · answered by country_girl 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
watch LA Ink on TLC
http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/la-ink/la-ink.html
2007-10-12 12:19:23 · answer #8 · answered by charmedone019 2 · 0⤊ 5⤋