Tattoo Fixing Etiquitte

So I got the tattoo on my wrist done (the Buddhist Eternity Knot) before Thanksgiving and I went in today to get it fixed because the more I look at it, the worse it looks.

So today between my two classes at school I went down to the shop and had someone look at it, "Yeah, it does look pretty bad," the guy had said with a nervous laugh (not the same guy who did it for me). "But, you'll have to have the original artist fix it...it's sort of policy."

Was this a cop-out? Does every tattoo shop have this policy? If the guy screwed it up the first time, why would I want him to fix it? Who's to say he's not going to make it worse?

*sigh*

 

Uh, no.

I would say "either a competent artist fixes this or I am taking this and all further business elsewhere."

 

talk to the owner. if he says the same thing, take irongoth's advice.

 

the guy that did it should fix it,but i would have someone eles do it

 

Well, it depends, I guess, if it was a case of a holiday here and there, let the guy that did it touch it up.

But if it's badly or incompetely done, well, though the studio would APPRECIATE having the person you PAID do it for free rather than have someone else pay time or money out of their pocket, it's your skin.

 

I mean, I'm sure this guy didn't fuck it up on purpose...but...sheesh...how hard is it to draw a straight line???

I guess I'll go in another day and demand it gets fixed...preferably by someone else...

 

Now that I think about it...I've had tattoos touched up before by someone else who didn't do the original at the same location.

What a bunch of jerk-offs.

 

i've never heard of such a policy. tattoo artist fix others work all the time. i have found though in my history with Tattoo artists, they are assholes!!! 99% of the ones i have met have all be dick heads.....they seem so elitist and never really want to help you....in my experience they always try to make things harder than they should be....that why you need to find a good tattoo artist who has a good personality and you trust.....too many people go get it from some random fuck head and they botch it....thats what happened with my first tattoo....lesson learned....

 

Nah...my dad touches up for other people all the time...maybe its just that shops policy...though im not sure why...

 

Well my regular tattoo artist (who has done three of my four tattoos) recommended this other artist to do this piece. He said Jaymz would do a better job than what he could.

I took his word for it. It's been the only tattoo I've been disappointed in.

 

go back to your regular guy and tell him since he recommended this artist then he should fix it.. thats what i would do.

 

let us know how this works out

 

Will do!

 

whats so wrong with it? do you have a pic? im curious now as to how it looks.


my very first tatoo was totally fucked up. I had it done when i was 15 and the guy who did it didnt even ask me my age but i didnt care about anything then except getting the tatoo that id wanted since i was a little kid. i had it done over at 16....my mom came with me and signed the papers.

 

hahahaaa - they're not welfare workers, they are in it for the MONEY honey. usually the more you want for free or cheap, or the more you act like you know all there is to know, the less likely they are to give you any respect. but yeah, i agree with ya that a lot of em can act like complete assholes - mostly cuz they can be, and can get away with it - lol!!!

annie, they should fix it up for ya - you didn't say if you spoke with the manager, the counter person, or another tattooist. the money they take is split between the artist & the shop, so for a different artist to do the touchups which are usually free means artist #2 doesn't get anything out of it. talk to your regular guy, & the manager, and let em know you don't want this guy fixing it.

 

You should definitely ask for someone else, if the guy screwed it up why on earth would you want him sticking more ink on you??

 

Is the tatt on the inside of your wrist? I had a VERY simple all black om symbol done on my inner wrist and it healed terribly and looked like hell afterward. At first I though the artist just sucked (not my normal guy), but after I asked a few other artists about it, they all agreed that the inner wrist is a pain to work on. The skin is pretty thin, and its always moving or rubbing on something.
After some thought, I went back to the original artist and he fixed it for free. He also apologized for the state of the tatt in the first place, and basically told me what all the other artists did-inner wrist work is tough! That was about 3 years ago and its still looking pretty good, just a little faded from the sun.

 

The one I need fixed is this one...you can see I've circled some of the mistakes the artist made. Some of the ink is thicker in blotches, some lines don't match up, and some sections are skinnier than others.

I didn't speak with a manager at the time. I took the guy working there's word for it...but after thinking about it...I should have said something...

 

wow, now that you've posted that pic i can really see the mistakes. the one right in the middle is gonna be impossible to fix as is, yer gonna probably have to thicken up all the lines to even it out. the guy did this from a stencil, right? how could he mess it up so bad? do you still have the stencil? take it with you when you go back, or at least your original drawing.

my hubby did a tat not too long ago that just about drove him crazy... the girl wanted it to look like it was drawn on with a sharpie, uneven and everything. he did it, she loves it - but he musta told her 50 times that she had to tell everybody that she wanted it that way...

 

Yup, he totally did it from a stencil and like you, I can't figure out how he messed up so badly! Most people...unless I point it out, don't really see it, but I see it...and that's what matters.