I have heard people say way too many times, "I didn't tip my tattoo artist" or "I didn't know that I was supposed to tip my tattoo artist." Honestly, it's a statement that I have never truly understood. I guess if you genuinely just didn't know that people tip the artists who work hours to perfect the artwork on their skin then I can't be too upset. If you are new to tattoos and were unsure, okay. But here I am to say:
Yes, you are supposed to tip your tattoo artist.
Yes, you should tip your tattoo artist.
Yes, your tattoo artist deserves to be tipped.
Just today I heard somebody say "You don't need to tip your tattoo artist, they overcharge you to begin with."
What? Please explain to me what you mean by this. Tattoo artists create artwork that will permanently be inked into your skin. It is artwork that you will carry around forever, yet some believe that their shop minimum of $60 and $100 dollars an hour is too much. They are taking their time to create something beautiful; You can't put a price on good work.
You also need to consider the fact that your tattoo artist very rarely gets the total amount that they charge you. Most of the time, they only get a certain percentage of that. Also, a lot of times they pay for their own materials. So they are using their materials and giving their time to do what they love for you. Respect that and give them what they deserve.
We tip waiters and waitress whose jobs are to wait on us. We tip our nail technicians whose jobs are to do our nails. We tip our hair stylist whose job is to do our hair. All deservingly so. So, why do some believe tattoo artists don't deserve a tip for creating artwork for us?
They just do. It is that simple.
On average, when tipping a tattoo artist it is said that you should tip anywhere from 10-20 percent, just as you do for most other fields. This means even if your tattoo is as much as $2000, you shouldn't cheapskate your artist. Please, give them what they deserve.
Tattoo artists do everything that they can to create an image that we set out for them. They work hard to make the art that we desire, and most of the time they do a great job at that.
This is their job. This is what they love and they work hard at it. We should reward them for that. If we are willing to tip others for their jobs, we should realize that it isn't any different for our tattoo artist.
So, the next time you get a tattoo, tip your tattoo artist. If you have never gotten a tattoo but plan to, please keep this in mind.
Our artists deserve it.
