Why touch-ups aren’t touch-ups and why they aren’t free.
It’s all too common for artist’s to be asked if their
artwork is guaranteed for life. If their client will receive endless touch ups
as long as they keep coming back. While any experienced tattoo artist cares
about the way their art will look for years to come, they take that into
account while designing and even during the tattooing process. It is one of the
many reasons that artist’s will make recommendations for your tattoo long
before beginning the process. Such as suggesting a more defined outline, or
going with black and grey because it holds up longer than color. These are just
simple examples of how an artist will show that they care. Another example is
planning on doing a follow up appointment after the tattoo is healed. This
allows the artist to go over every aspect of their work and ensure that the
tattoo is the best that it can be.
The human skin is the largest organ of the human body, many
forget that your skin is just as alive as you are. It heals, it sweats, it
moves, it stretches, and bends. One of the biggest factors to healing is client
lifestyle. What they eat, drink, and their overall health. All of these things
can be a factor during the healing process and how a tattoo might turn out. An
artist only has so much control over that tattoo. Once they are finished, they wrap
it up and send you home with care instructions. They don’t know if you are
going to follow said directions or listen to your friend who “has a lot of
tattoos so he must be an expert”!
Depending on the design, artists can spend countless hours
and even days designing and preparing your tattoo. They put in this dedication
because they are designing a one of a kind, handmade piece of art that you get
to take with you wherever you go. Anyone who collects handmade items knows that
they aren’t perfect. If they were, they would be manufactured by a machine and
massively reproduced. Having a unique custom piece made just for you is the
reason why you searched for your artist.
With all of that in mind, a quick “touch-up” doesn’t exist.
It costs on average $60.00 just to set up properly for a tattoo, plus the
tattoo artist’s time. While we know that no one likes to work for free, tattoo
artists are no exception.
