CUTTY FAQ

I get a lot of common questions on my personal way of working, so wanted to include an FAQ section just for me! (and as I add more artists, I’ll have FAQ just for them too!)

I BOOKED AN APPOINTMENT AND MADE A DEPOSIT, NOW WHAT?

I typically only look at my schedule one week at a time, otherwise it gets way too overwhelming! A few days before your appointment, I’ll re-read your request, and type your name into my email to see all correspondences and references you’ve sent me. I’ll usually reach out to verify we’re still good for our appointment date and see if theres been any updates or changes. At that point we can go back and forth a bit so I’m really sure I know what you’re looking for. If there are any specific details you want, please make sure I know in advance! Otherwise, I’ll take all the thoughts and ideas you gave me, put ‘em in the old art blender, and have a drawing ready for you the day of your appointment.

DO I GET TO SEE MY DRAWING BEFORE MY APPOINTMENT?

I don’t usually show drawings in advance, and there are several reasons for that. The biggest reason is that for bigger projects, I usually draw your tattoo the morning of. This way, your drawing is the ONLY thing on my mind, I’m not thinking about anyone’s drawing but yours. I’ve found over the years that this is the best way for me to work, you get the best product possible because I am the MOST excited to tattoo something I’ve just drawn (the ADHD brain craves instant gratification).

The second reason is that, when you have your drawing in advance (not that it exists because I haven’t drawn it yet), you’re going to over think it. You’re going to show it to your mom and your sister and your third cousin and they’re ALL going to want to give you input because they all want to be a part of your tattoo. With art, you just gotta pick an artist you trust and let them do their thing. When too many people tear a drawing apart, it turns into a terrible frankenstein monster of a drawing, and you’re stressed, and I’m stressed, and it becomes a mess. If you trust me, you’re going to get the best possible piece from me if you let me do my thing (and that goes for most any artist!).

With that said, I’m happy to make accommodations for special scenarios. If you feel you NEED the drawing before your appointment, let me know and we can talk about options.

WHAT IF I GET THERE AND I DONT LOVE MY DRAWING?

Please PLEASE let me know! You will not hurt my feelings. I want you to love your tattoo. I usually only take one larger tattoo a day, so I can always revise if need be! As long as you’re clear in advance about what you want, I should have a pretty good vision in mind, and revising should be pretty simple. This is why its super important to let me know if theres any specifics! For example, I’ve had people say “I want a portrait of so and so with flowers, whatever flowers you think is best!” and I’ve drawn roses, because I thought they worked well, but then they were like “oh, I was hoping for daisies :( “. Or I’ve had someone say “I want a haunted house, do your thing!” and then I draw a cute haunted house and they get there and were like “oh, I was hoping for the Bates Motel :(“. If there are massive changes we need to make because you didn’t inform me of what you were looking for, we might have to reschedule you. To save time for you and me, please let me know in advance of any specifics!

DID YOU GET MY EMAIL?

Probably! If you email me about references or ideas for your appointment, unless your appointment is that week, I won’t usually respond. I try to focus on my appointments one week at a time so they get my undivided attention! If you have an appointment with me, feel free to send me as many emails as you want, and the week of your appointment I will type your name into my email and be able to see everything you’ve sent me.

If you have (or had) an appointment and don’t hear back from me, but need a response asap, please feel free to reach out again. My emails get buried so fast, and if I don’t respond to something immediately often times I will lose track of them.

If you DON’T have an appointment with me, I may not respond. Having to respond to so many emails can be really time consuming, which is why I open and close my books, so I don’t have to constantly be responding to requests about ideas or pricing. Please dont take it personally, it just consumes too many spoons, and these spoons are in limited supply!

HOW DO YOU CHARGE?

For single session work, I charge by the piece. I used to charge hourly, but I’ve gotten so fast that its detrimental to charge hourly. I’m always happy to discuss budget and price range before our appointment to make sure we’re on the same page!

DO YOU DO COVERUPS?

I USUALLY don’t do coverups, my style uses a lot of negative space and just doesn’t always do the best job at covering, but I’m always happy to take a look and see whats possible!

DO YOU COVER SCARS?

I am happy to work with scars! Scar tissue can be unpredictable, so we’ll have to take a look at your scarring and talk about whats possible, but helping you heal from a painful memory is one of my favorite parts of tattooing.

HOW SPECIFIC SHOULD WE BE WITH OUR REQUESTS? CAN YOU WORK WITH SOMEONE ELSE’S ART?

Anything that helps me see your vision helps! It really depends on how specific your idea is. If you have a VERY specific image in your head, then the more references the better. If you’re more open to the creative process, you can give me a loose idea and let me run with it. I’m totally okay if you want to send me images of other tattoos to help me see what you like or don’t like.

I don’t usually like to tattoo other people’s designs, but I’m happy to draw my own version for you!

WHAT ABOUT YOU PERSONALLY? ARE YOU A CHATTY TATTOOER, OR DO YOU PREFER SILENCE? IS IT RUDE TO WEAR HEADPHONES?

I consider myself an outgoing introvert, so sometimes I can be REAL chatty, and sometimes I’m pretty quiet. I typically follow my customer’s lead, if you’re chatty, I’ll do my best to engage, but if you wanna just zone out and listen to your headphones, thats totally okay with me too! I do have ADHD, so tend to bounce around from topic to topic or get distracted easily, or get hyper fixated in your tattoo and fall totally silent.

Whatever makes you comfortable, makes me happy!