Every inquiry goes to one artist.
Every inquiry goes to one artist and is answered by that artist, from their own inbox, in three to seven days. Nobody triages, nobody assigns, and nobody will offer you an earlier date with somebody else.
three to five Placement
specifically Rough size
in inches Any deadline
now, not later Who you want
or say you
are not sure
What to put in it
References, three to five, and say what you liked in each. Bring someone else’s tattoo as a reference and it stays a reference. We will not copy it. What your artist is reading for is the common thread across them, which is frequently not the thing you would have named.
Placement, as specifically as you can manage. “Arm” is four different answers with four different pain levels, scales and aging profiles. Inner forearm, outer bicep, back of the shoulder.
Size, in inches or against your own hand. Hold your palm over the spot and describe how much of it the piece covers. This is the field people get most wrong, in both directions.
The story, briefly. Not because anybody needs it to be meaningful, but because knowing why you want a heron changes which heron gets drawn.
Any deadline. Now, in the first message. Four to six months is the baseline and there is nothing anybody can do about a wedding you mention in week nine.
Who to send it to
Whoever’s work you like. If you genuinely cannot tell, send it to any of them and say so; redirecting an inquiry to the right person takes one email and happens a couple of times a month without anybody minding.
What will not happen is being moved to a shorter waitlist for convenience. If Auden is right for the piece, the answer is six months.
Send the idea.
Seven fields, including your reference images. It reaches one artist, not a shared inbox.
Asked before booking.
How long until I get a reply?
Three to seven days, from the artist rather than from a shared inbox. If it has been longer than seven, send it again; occasionally one gets buried and nobody here considers that a reason to be embarrassed about chasing.
What should I include in a tattoo inquiry?
Three to five references with a note on what you liked in each, a specific placement, a rough size against your own hand, the story briefly, and any deadline in the first message rather than in week nine.
Can I inquire with more than one artist?
Please do not send the same brief to all three at once. Pick one, or say you are not sure and let it be routed. Three people drafting replies to the same piece is a waste of two of them.
Is the consult free?
Yes, thirty minutes, in the studio or over video. The two hundred dollar deposit is taken at the end of it only if you are going ahead, and it comes off the final session.
Pick the artist first.
Three to seven days, and the reply is written by the person who would do the work.