10/07/2026
Apparently, someone in a group is being shamed for asking about payment plans on tattoos... My husband and I own Which Craft? in Troy. I am a multi-award winning tattoo artist with about 25 years of professional experience, and I can tell you that tattoo artists have ALWAYS accepted payment plans on ink, so trying to shame someone for asking is a little weird. 🤷🏻♀️ Quality, professional tattoos are NOT cheap, and pay-as-you-go options make them available to everyone, regardless of their tax bracket. Hell, every tattoo artist I've ever known, including myself, will even work for trade if it's something we want! I don't speak for all artists; just my own experience and people I've worked with.
Now, when you're talking about a $5,000-$15,000 full sleeve or back piece, MOST people are NOT dropping that all at once. By accepting payments, I'm leveling the playing field so that I can offer the same quality work to BOTH my multi-million dollar NFL clients, who CAN drop that much at once, AND the local college and blue collar crowd who might end up taking a couple of years to complete their work because they're paying over time. At the end of the session, they ALL have high quality art that will last them a lifetime.
We will always find ways to afford the things we want - no matter how bad the economic atmosphere is. Here are some tips to work out payment plans and save for the ink you really want, so that you don't feel like you have to settle or sacrifice:
1. DON'T set a budget in your head and then ask your artist the cost, hoping they'll hit your imaginary mark. Instead, approach your artist with NO expectation of cost and ask them to price the piece low-end to high-end. Then ask them to explain the difference in detail/quality between those two points. That will give you an accurate and realistic amount to set as your goal when budgeting. The more you want (size, detail, color, complexity), the more it will cost.
2. Many clients choose to make payments every so often leading up to their actual appointment time so that it's already paid for by the time they sit. By dividing the total amount by number of weeks/months before your appointment, you'll know exactly how much you need to pay each period. That way, you'll know how far out to set your appointment.
3. Some people will work overtime, offer to cover other people's shifts, pick up some extra deliveries, and even offer odd jobs to friends and family for extra cash. All of the extra money goes towards the tattoo fund.
4. Breaking pieces down into sessions also makes them more affordable, and you have control over how far apart those sessions are. For small-medium sized pieces, we can dedicate the first session to the outline, the second sitting for shading, and the final session for color. This extends the process, but makes it easier to sit for and easier to pay for. The artist may increase the price a bit to compensate the extra supplies spent.
5. Large pieces will typically require multiple sessions regardless. Talk with your artist to see how many sessions it can be broken down into so that it's both affordable to you and acceptable to them.
6. Skip Starbucks, carpool, pack a lunch instead of eating out, skip the 6 pack after work, and cut out any other unnecessary expenses, just long enough to reach your goal.
7. Some clients even budget their tattoos into their bills as an ongoing monthly expense. They'll tap into it more often for small work and less often for large work.
Many of these suggestions can also be applied to whatever else you want/need, but I hope this helps people feel a little better about moving towards their tattoo goals without feeling ashamed or embarrassed, because honestly, it's such a silly thing to try to make someone feel bad about! 😅
Another thing: don't let people tell you how you "should" be spending YOUR money. 🙄 It doesn't make YOU look bad, it makes THEM look insecure, bitter, and pretentious. The only person you have to answer to is yourself, and if it's worth it to YOU, then the opinions of others don't matter. We all spend our money on stupid s**t, and we all have our own definition of what "stupid s**t" is. What some might call a "waste," others would call an "investment." Do what makes YOU happy. 💜✌🏼
