$6k Drawings & Tattoo Scam Courses: The TikTok Tattoo Gate

[@IsabellaLanter]

Oh ya'll today ive got an interesting one for you! I had no idea there was a crazy thing called tattoo gate happening on TikTok but let's talk about it. It's a wild story with scamming attached to it so lets get into the craziness!

[@alexp712]

As a lesson from all this, I hope everyone DOES NOT take legal advice from a cop. Consult a lawyer, she absolutely could have fought this in court.

[@PandaMonium92827]

He just said it to her so he could go home and not do his job. 90% of what they say they can't do is bullshit.....they are LAW ENFORCEMENT. They are to enforce the law.

[@StinkyFacePal]

I know this is >1y old, but I gotta underscore this. Cops are not lawyers. They don't know all the laws, and will make shit up.

[@hu6284]

I'd go straight to small claims court for this, she'd easily get back the deposit, and when the judge sees how dishonest she was be sure they would tack on additional fines, lawyer fees, etc.

[@IsabellaLanter]

It's so sad how this stuff happened! I think seeing the craziness with other clients really builds a strong story for her! She isn't the first but I hope she's the last to be scammed

[@nukhbaguloter]

i’m studying in law and from personal experience - a lot of people are scared of ACC because of the long wait time (at least a year) & also having to pay for a legal representative. she also may not be able to get all of her money back either. they’re also very nitpicky so she might not win either. i agree going to SCC would be a good idea but it just sucks how inaccessible they are.

[@PandaMonium92827]

​@nukhbaguloter I'm lucky to live in a state where you can get the fee waived based on your income or just add the legal fees to the list for reimbursement. Also the tattoo industry has a stigma with the rest of society where it's looked down on, thus its not regulated like it should be and consumers are treated like they don't have anything to be suing over.....like yeah I dropped 6k just to get screwed!

[@hu6284]

So true, unfortunately our legal system isn't blind to the dollar. If she can get former clients to provide affidavits, primary evidence, and willing to testify that is a case worth perusing imo. I'd say at least file a police report in the future event someone is defrauded/takes her to SCC. @@nukhbaguloter

[@Pynkfoxx_]

This is why I stay lawyered up over anything .! This tattoo scam was beyond me ! I don’t have a lot of tattoos but once she mentioned “fee for drawing a tattoo “ red flag 🚩! 6k i said yeah that artist going to scam her badly i feel bad.

[@JamesQMurphy]

Whenever there’s that much money changing hands, there should be a contract in place. Heck, we paid an architect a few thousand dollars for blueprints, and there was a contract that spelled out how much changes would be, etc.

[@IsabellaLanter]

oh absolutely!!!!! With super clear expectations. This was so messy

[@divitiae]

I was thinking the same thing. I genuinely don't understand how someone can get away with something like this without clear fees or a contract in place. I am guessing no one has tried suing her.

[@shawneeGoes]

For that kind of money I want the second coming of Christ to fly down and do my damn tattoo wtffffff

[@IsabellaLanter]

LMFAOOOOO I CACKLED AT THIS

[@angel.111tears]

i could not imagine paying over $3k for that shoulder piece and the deposit didn’t go towards the final cost?? i just paid a $250 deposit that DOES go to the final cost for something of a similar size. i just can not imagine paying thousands.

[@janewaysmom]

I feel so bad for both these clients. This artist was clearly trying to over-charge them both, and the lady with the birds never even got them covered. I think if I were her, I would have said, "Great, if that $850 goes towards my last session with you, this first session was my last, and I'll be going somewhere else to get this mess fixed, so use that $850 right now." This was extremely unethical by this artist.

[@StandishGladwin]

Am I insane for thinking that the idea of an artist limiting the number of changes you want in a design is inherently batshit fucking crazy? Like I know that artists, tattoo or otherwise, deserve to be well paid for their work, obviously, and obviously total reworks or whatever should be charged for separately, but like... the statement, "If you want more influence in the design," being tossed around so casually about a piece of artwork I have commissioned that will be PERMANENTLY SCARRED INTO MY FLESH is disturbing to me. It's like they think they're such a good artist that the canvas should be paying them for the honor of being drawn on.

[@zedetta6239]

Artists do limit revisions sometimes to avoid being strung along by commissioners, but it's definitely not to this degree

[@kaylanek1]

Yes I would say over 10+ changes is when things start getting charged. But under that I don’t really see an issue. That’s also coming from someone who sells art but not tattoos. So take it with a grain of salt

[@StandishGladwin]

@@zedetta6239 Oh, for sure! I have a number of artist friends who do commission work, and I've seen first hand how much time, care, talent, and skill goes into it. All artists deserve every penny of the money they make. Usually they deserve more. I'm just kinda weirded out by the implication these particular artists make that they get the final say in what they're tattooing on their clients.

[@StandishGladwin]

@@kaylanek1 That sounds more than reasonable to me. This whole situation just sorta blew my mind and briefly scared me off the idea of getting more intricate tattoos.

[@Angel-or8he]

I've been following this story on TikTok and it seems awful. The fact that the sketch is traced from work on Pinterest is genuinely a joke. The audacity, charging these fees and not even being able to have the creativity to make her own work...

[@kristinab8326]

Love seeing scammers get called out!Thank you, Isabella, for the great video :)

[@h0llasamantha]

i love that you’ve been branching out with your video topics! and all this upload schedule? work 👏🏼 horse 👏🏼💕

[@IsabellaLanter]

It's been a lot! I've been loving creating all of this new content, and I'm so hyped with where my channel is going. It'll offer so much more to you guys and I love it.

[@JaimeLeighArt]

My daughter and I got matching full wrist tattoos last year. The consult was free and the owner of the shop (who was also our artist) drew our design himself while we were there. He charged us $300 each and we left a $200 tip. I honestly would have paid more if he said to because the tattoos are awesome and we love them so much. So for that tattoo “artist” to charge that much for a shitty design is appalling!! What the hell was she thinking?? Completely unprofessional and scammy IMO

[@myfabulouslifewithlupus]

19:12 ......and **here** it gets messy?!?!? sis, I seriously thought this was **already** messy!!lol!!

[@IsabellaLanter]

hahaha its a pick up into more messy ;)

[@juliaship13]

The fact people were spending over a thousand dollars on these smaller tattoos plus fees on top of that blows my mind.. I feel like some of this is just common sense - literally no where else charges that high as far I know.

[@theBestElliephant]

I can see it happening. I had no realistic idea of what a tattoo would cost before I got my first one, I still have no idea if what I'm being charged is reasonable but I'm happy with the work so I don't especially care? This is kind of a tangent, but as tattoos get more socially acceptable, I feel like more of these scams are going to pop up because you have more people who never would've gotten tattoos a decade ago interested but kinda clueless. At least for people like the first lady. The second lady already had tattoos, she specifically mentioned covering some up, so idk if she just chalked the price difference up to better quality or something? Not tryna victim blame, cuz the artist was still 100% in the wrong, but seems like she had a few opportunities to spot some red flags ahead of time.

[@androidsheep]

​@@theBestElliephant But it's not like it's 1987 and you can only find out information about tattoos (or other information!) in person. Nowadays, there are Reddits, FB groups, Twitter threads, YT videos, et al done by professionals who are willing to disclose ranges, give feedback, and provide tips and tricks. There are so many other artists that do beautiful, unique work that also charge less - that are on Social Media.

[@Ellie_Bond]

@@androidsheep okay but do you understand that not everyone is fortunate enough to have been taught these things? on top of that, regardless of how unbelievable a scam is, the scammer should be held accountable. A scam is a scam, shit or not. As well as that, it is possible for a well known and talented artist to scam people. It is possible for someone who is top of their game, to drop their game. Anything is possible so instead of blaming the victim, blame the perpetrator.

[@kiterafrey]

Fun fact, if you live in Florida we have a "Slap Lawsuit" law. Which means if someone tries to sue you to a negative review (something you legally can post) as defamation, you can counter sue them for a slap lawsuit and actually make money off their action for time and damages. I work in class action and if put in a position in which someone tried to slap suit me I would 100% exercise my Floridan rights.

[@funsizedi88]

Florida is crazy with the amount of stuff u can sue someone for, I love it. My dad lives down there and man, he has won 2 lawsuits in the 8 yrs he's been there, from being hit and ran and then from being hit on his bike. He got over $10k both times.

[@kiterafrey]

@@funsizedi88 In Orlamdo the onlt billboards we seem to have are lawyers & real estate. But someone who works in legal seevices like me it's career heaven.

[@whitneyr.846]

I have many tattoos and paid a consultation fee once, it was $50 bucks and went toward the final cost of the tattoo.. it was for an artist who was really booked and so it just helped make sure her time was spent with people who were serious. This situation.. massive scam. I would never pay for a consult that wouldn't be applied toward the final piece. And the concept art is part of the process, paying extra just for a sketch is extortion!

[@tracyeric07]

This is downright despicable. Yes there is a degree/level of consumer responsibility to look into what you’re purchasing especially if you aren’t familiar with the process… anyone who has gotten a tattoo would tell these people this isn’t right and maybe save some of them these scams.

[@bunnyjanie]

My heart goes out to these ladies. scummy people suck!

[@IsabellaLanter]

I know I can't imagine an artist calling the police on something so bizarre. I hope they have a wonderful experience at the next tattoo shop they go to

[@mgxine]

OMFGGGG I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU TO COVER THIS!!!

[@IsabellaLanter]

here we areeeeee!!! Took me a second lol but got ittt!

[@theojjuiceisloose]

ah im SO HAPPY you covered this!

[@RabekahRandoms]

I’ve literally changed my mind on flower placement mid tattoo and it cost me nothing extra. I feel so bad for these ladies!

[@mykalaespinola]

Isabella, I just found your channel last month and have binged most of your content!! I just wanted to say I love your videos, and how you always bring a positive vibe while still presenting facts and showing scams. Keep up the awesome content 🫶🏽

[@Theflippingproject]

That is soo scammy. What the hell?? I cant believe she is even comfortable saying those prices how bizarre

[@Nallenator20]

Video hasn’t even started, getting all the likes ✌️✨💕 I know you always have the best content backed with facts!

[@IsabellaLanter]

Thank you so much, angel! Definitely doing my best to cover all of these stories!

[@the_ben_keen]

I have been getting tattoos for a years now. I'm pretty much covered minus my face, stomach, and back. I have spent plenty of money on my art that has been done in numerous shops around the country including a few from some big names in the industry but this whole thing is crazy to me. I understand making a nonrefundable deposit since the artist is blocking their time however if the artist bails on the client that is different. I've also never paid for a drawing separate from the overall tattoo work. To spend thousands of dollars for a drawing or even an outline is just insane. The advice I have for anyone looking to get a tattoo is to do your homework. Talk to several different shops before dropping any money. Getting a tattoo is a very personal experience. If you and the artist are not vibing go somewhere else.

[@nonnobissolum]

Thing is people need to start calling these people out when it comes to their threats for going to court etc. Because in my experience, every single time I've called folks out on their bluff, has turned out to be exactly that, a bluff.

[@PandaMonium92827]

Yeah people count on clients not knowing the law. Got someone threatening to sue me right now when it turns out they are on the vexatious litigants list in california😂 Means she abused people via suing them and now a judge has to approve her lawsuit before we can even get to court

[@BistrosHouse]

Here’s the thing. I’d actually be okay with this pricing model IF 1. The tattoo artist is truly phenomenal and 2. If the price actually included the tattoo or at THE LEAST counted towards the tattoo. But the artist has to be willing to make revisions, you cannot just force someone to get a tattoo they don’t like and that doesn’t even fit the description they gave you

[@DrScoobyStrange]

Ngl I literally emailed Deanna this story for her to cover it, I’m glad one of you did!

[@myfabulouslifewithlupus]

my backplate across my entire shoulder blades cost $450 (four hundred and fifty) dollars for angel wings and took 4.5 hours, no hidden/extra fees tipped 25% on top. big thank you to Brett at Pair-A-Dice Tattoos, Las Vegas, NV

[@sarahwoodward4094]

That’s insane !! I have two larger shoulder tattoos and they were $350 and $250. What a scam !

[@lisam3805]

I would take this person to court right away!

[@ThePopushi]

I love your content and I'm really happy you talked about this, I was super interested in the story. I guess I never noticed your tattoos! Honestly I would love a video where you talk more about them. Red flags, what to expect, basically a guide for first time people looking to get tattoos. I have always wanted some but I know that I lack experience and understanding for what real quality is so I would love a video like that from you.

[@christinasciabarra1216]

I have multiple tattoos - no legit tattoo artist is going to say you can't have some input into the thing being permanently put on your body. I have never been charged a design fee - mine aren't super complex, but she did draw them ahead of time and didn't charge me. We did a phone call to meet and chat, but she didn't charge me for it. This is really wrong and that pricing seems a sketchy as well. That's really high, even for a sleeve. I can't get past the idea that she isn't allowed to review the drawing or request changes - that option shouldn't exist. All the artists I have seen or worked with charge by the hours it takes, not a standard fee for a drawing. It's all very sketchy.

[@retrogirl2498]

Thanks for including the tattoo artists’ comments they all agreed that it was stupid

[@Catmesp]

This is so wild to me. I’m getting a tattoo next week. I paid $100 deposit which goes towards my tattoo and I was able to get the sizing and rough sketch drawn up for me included with that down payment. I was told I could make any changes the day of as well if it’s not what I like for no extra charge from my tattoo’s cost will be. Do not fall for this type of scam!

[@thezodiax704]

I've been following this for a while - SO excited to see you cover this!!!!

[@TattedBrunette]

Omg this is the last place I got my tattoo done and I can’t believe it actually made it to your channel 😮

[@anotherblonde2501]

I have a decent amount of tattoo's, including half a sleeve, and I have never been charged a "consultation fee" or a "design fee" my half a sleeve had several designs drawn up that we made adjustments to on the day. I paid for my two sessions that it was done in, no extra fees. This is insane

[@cg8713]

Not gonna lie... first few times you said "courses" I thought you said "horses." I was like WHAT??? THERES HORSE SCAMMERS ON TIKTOK??? 😂😂 Then I realized it's my poor hearing, not horse scammers. Lol. You're amazing, keep it up!

[@meganderus7830]

This honestly makes me SO angry. I am a heavily tattooed individual. I have been tattooed by probably 5-7 tattooers at several shops. I respect the craft and I am all about paying for the service. That being said this is just so predatory!! I know you always say anyone can be scammed and I agree, it just makes me sad that these folks didn’t have anything in writing or paperwork to document the process 😔

[@MeretrixTricks]

In Poland. where I was born, for 6 k of dollars you can have tattooed your whole back by top tier artist with custom high end design.

[@MeretrixTricks]

And probably two sleeves as well. Those prices are simply flabbergasting.

[@IsabellaLanter]

That's incredible. I know for a lot of tattoo work, it's gonna rack up quick. I'm just appalled that it would be $6k for just that fox drawing without any tattooing done. Hell no loll! I'll gladly drop $$ on an artist but I'm gonna get a decent about of body square footage covered loll.

[@MeretrixTricks]

@@IsabellaLanter I must admit that I was quite lucky with my tattoos. I used to work as a bartender during my student years and I had a lovely deal with great artist - he had open bar in my club and I got free beautiful tattoos made by him. Heck, I even presented my younger sister a tattoo for her 18 birthday in his studio as a part of our silent deal. The prices you mention in your video are shocking. They seem more expensive than treatments by top tier medical professionals. Oh, and I need to mention that I'm crazy in joy that you responded to my comment. It was such a pleasure, because I'm a huge fan of your work. Thank you dear! Sending loads of love xx

[@yamomma8560]

love u girl!!!! and all ur content i can listen u talk abt whatever

[@IsabellaLanter]

that makes my heart so happy omg

[@the_Sarahnator]

I have, like, 12 or 13 tattoos and the most I've paid is a deposit for them to draw up a design and that comes off of my final total. I get paying an artist appropriately, and have no problem with artists having higher fees. But this seems exorbitant to the extreme!

[@MonaLyssa33]

My tattoo that was 3 hours of work and had one personalized element (my late cat) and some generic elements (typewriter and globe) was only $500 (I think, I honestly can't remember the price, but it definitely wasn't in the thousands). My tattoo looks exactly like my cat and I was super happy with it. If I had the same experience these ladies did, I would have been so disappointed and likely would never get another tattoo. This whole "pay system" definitely feels very scammy and predatory.

[@MaoRomdoul]

This is wild and this artist is grimy as hell. Threatening the police?!!! Call them, friend because you didn’t provide the service either.

[@kiterafrey]

Since starting work in law I have learned one thing for sure, ALWAYS GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING.

[@nonnobissolum]

Thanks!

[@bridgettebaldwin4372]

Hooooooly smokes! That second womans story! That would have financially crippled me.

[@mobyythicc]

People need to get contracts. A lot of tattoo artists don’t have something like this in place so you as the person spending all this money need to say look this over and if you’re not comfortable with signing it, I’ll go to another artist who is. Something similar happened to me and I felt so stupid for it, granted, I only lost 500 bucks from the deposit, but money is money. I was too scared to say anything because he’s a well-known artist in the area but at the end of the day he’s known for treating people like shit and I should’ve spoken up. Nobody should be afraid to speak up against terrible service whether they’re afraid Other tattoo artist are going to back them up or not who cares. There’s no reason for them to back them up for simply being a tattoo a artist. At the end of the day I understand that these are artists, but it’s also a service being provided to a customer, and while I don’t agree that the customer is always right, you need to be 100% transparent about your grades what you charge everything needs to be laid out during that first consultation. No surprises. I would’ve told this chick when she told me about her daily fees to eat shit. Then I would’ve taken her to small claims court. Some of these people need to realize that they’re not all that and you can easily get a better tattoo from somebody who is not gonna treat you like a complete fool and scam you. Point blank. There’s always another artist out there and one who’s not a bad person. Edit- to the artist that did the work for free since she had already been scammed out of so much money, you’re a real one. Didn’t have to clean up after the other artist but you did an awesome thing for another human. Kudos ❤

[@nukhbaguloter]

“she’s not doing anything technically illegal” this is what sucks. anyone who scams knows their ways around the law and how to avoid legal responsibility. it’s horrible.

[@Ellie_Bond]

What’s worse is the fact that the states clearly allow this to happen. Such a money hungry country that it actually baffles me how little trading standards are required to run small businesses. Surely not by not advertising full potential costs and not providing written confirmation of an invoice, how can the police hold up what is owed? This all seems so illegal?

[@TheFlashBat]

My tattoo cost $350 (AUD) and it took 5 hours to do with shading, colour and the lot, what an absolute scam...

[@allieanderson4783]

My tattoo artist is a retired rockstar and he still pauses the timer (by which he calculates the cost) during breaks. Don't trust these shady fucks.

[@amandapanfil7219]

My mouth DROPPED at these prices for tattoos! Taking total advantage of ppl. :-( I have a beautiful half sleeve that was $250 with no drawing fee. UGH 🙃

[@Peaches_H_Nyce]

The FIRST she requested a large ridiculous sum of money I would have moved on.

[@mars4697]

I hope she contacts her bank and issues a chargeback for services not rendered. She would likely get her money back.

[@CassieLRodgers]

Pleaseeeee cover the Duggar’s!!!

[@IsabellaLanter]

Coming tomorrow 😉

[@Pocket_Sized_Satan]

As an artist not a tattoo artist I’ve never heard of anyone even when getting tattoos paying for a consultation or paying for a sketch usually when you Do a consultation and a sketch within not just artistry in general you get a free consultation Then a free sketch then ask if that was an OK design if it wasn’t what you wanted get free changes Within reason and move on to the next step Either they finish the design and send it to you or you go and get your tattoo it’s really really not that expensive maybe the image itself is expensive or the tattoo itself is expensive but the consultation changes and schedules are always free

[@ladymsoaps]

We are owners of a small business and we are actually having to sue someone who as stolen, defrauded, lied about never receiving said products, and sold the stolen goods. We even have photo evidence of my products on her page on facebook and people who have bought from her showing my products being what they bought, giving her kudos for how great they are. And she is also claiming that she made all of that herself by hand. This was over $2,300 in product. After the last seven months of attempts to contact her and acquire the payments, she has proceeded to threaten to press harassment charges on me for trying to collect what is owed and then proceeded to block from every possible source of communications. Come to find out this woman doesnt have a legal taxable business entity, and shes does this BS to others.

[@reyprzz]

girl is scamming HARD. not a tattoo artist, I paint custom clothing and shoes but i have never charged for an initial mock-up design and my designs are detailed af. before I start the project, I continue altering the mock-up design with my client until they’re happy. i don’t charge until my paint touches the product! she is 100% right when she says it’s the artists responsibility to clarify - some clients have no idea how to describe what they want but they can see it in their head and it is up to the me to bring that vision to life. this artist is wild 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

[@fancydeer]

I have two fairly large tattoos and I spent $400 all together to get both of them at two different reputable shops from two different professionals. I am very happy with both of my tattoos and I would recommend both artists and both shops to anyone in the area looking for a tattoo. What this artist is doing should be illegal she's making the profession look sketchy when it already has a bad reputation in some people's eyes. There should be some kind of legal action that people should be able to take against her.

[@mewmedic]

The cop said it was legal but I don't see how? You can't just tack on hidden costs for a service job like that.

[@sophieterry8175]

I would have definitely disputed the charge because that’s horrible artwork.

[@deleanorw]

I find this so ridiculous, every artist I’ve been to has always checked multiple times whether I’m happy before they start etc. This is something that is going to be on someone for the rest of their lives (unless they pay to get removed & covered) it’s common practice to check they are ok with the design. Especially when you’re charging so much… Never been charged for a design and no tattoo. Only a deposit to secure the date and prevent wasting the tatto artists time etc and then the cost of the tattoo. This artist has created the issues for herself by having a complex booking to tattoo system which isn’t common practice which then arises suspicion🤷‍♀️

[@chelsea_Xxo]

At this point she could just as well made a design of a fox terrier dog with how much she cares about what her clients want

[@bugaboo_daisy9000]

Its insane for an artist to make you pay a "design fee" to SEE a design ahead of time or have any input. All of the successful tattoo artists I know include custom design time as part of their normal deposit fee, and these are people who do extensive and expensive work.

[@steph678]

Don't ever ask police about the law they have no clue

[@Pocket_Sized_Satan]

I don’t think tattoo should ever come with a no refund policy concerns so damn permanent

[@katrinathecatlady]

I don’t have an issue with the 3-tiered concept in theory. I have a decent amount of tattoos including a 100% freehand sleeve and the art work he did on my arm he could sell if it was on paper. It’s amazing and I tipped extra large each session because out of 6-7 hour sessions he would only charge me for the 4-5 he was actually tattooing. So i think tattoo artists that spend hours upon hours on giant works should be charging for that time. Do I think that just any tattoo artist should be doing it for all their tattoos and charging this much. Hell no! She is fully scamming people who don’t know better or have no other options. You wouldn’t get away with this in a big city where there is lots of shops.

[@themonochromaticplanner4351]

I like to watch another channel that talks about about different tattoo related topics (celle_tattoo) and she has a couple of videos talking about this. It turns out that fox sketch was TRACED!!! She charged $1500 for a sketch that was not even her original creation. Wow!!

[@jmeg7412]

Seriously? That is so sad! I’m not a lawsuit person, but if I were scammed like this, I would go to small claims. Ripping all these people off is sad. Then gaslighting them about it? Wild!

[@brooklynnwhite5243]

Cake gate coverage when? Lol

[@mgxine]

frrrrr

[@ZaeBae98]

Can you talk about these annoying KZbin ads talking about AI “personal injury lawyers” each 1 someone is showing a check $20,000 and up. I feel bad for real lawyers

[@RabekahRandoms]

Also draining every person who comes in your path does not create repeat customers and is not a good business move IMO

[@Polluticornnn]

I would be so pissed if this happened to me because I work really hard for my money and this is just skeezy and scammy

[@carlastone3937]

I hope she goes to small claims court. The sketch of the fox is worse than the leprechaun news story sketch.

[@toxic.forest]

5:21 too many "option" when a legit artist will only give you one, which is a deposit that will go to the final cost. I would have runnnnnnnnn

[@misspinka4292]

I was listening, not really watching while I was doing dishes and 😭it took me way too long to realize you were talking about Russ’ COURSES and not HORSES 😭😭😭 ngl my interest was piqued at the mention of “Tiktok horse affiliates”

[@Cloudpoolio]

Usually a custom piece already costs more per hour/per piece to reflect the fact that it’s custom so I think it’s outrageous to have any extra fee since the cost of the tattoo should cover it based on how the artists prices their custom work

[@beetothetee]

It is WILD to me that any reputable tattoo artist would be fine with taking that much money and not even allowing the person to make changes. Like, *flash* tattoos are cheap and meant to be done as-is; anything more expensive should be something that the person getting the tattoo is 100% comfortable with.

[@throwaboat7891]

so I only have a general idea of the process of getting a tattoo goes, but I'm pretty DAMN SURE the avg person is not spending thousands of dollars for a full sleeve tattoo without at least seeing and approving the design the tattoo artist designed. So no, a design consultation is not optional. It's thousands of dollars being spent, why would they want to go in blindly on the design?!

[@ScarlettMaraxa]

So from the research I did online, it does seem like sleeves can cost up to $6,000, but that's at most and that's the price for the actual tattoo, not this consulting nonsense that isabella's talking about in this video. I think the price depends on a number of things, like the amount of color is used, how much detailed the tattoo has, how long it takes, the artist hourly rate, etc. Also I'm pretty sure it doesn't cost over $1,000 to make a sketch. I imagine they do these designs digitally like on a tablet, so the only thing they're really losing is their time which isn't even though that big of a deal because they're going to be paid for the tattoo they're about to do. I won't pretend to understand how tattoo artists work because I'm definitely an outsider to it, but I know what makes sense to me, and charging over $1,000 for a sketch sounds absolutely ridiculous to me.

[@rawlahiabetes6969]

I'm an artist and I would of just charged 300$ for a finished drawing for a tattoo design. All of it. Max

[@German_Mutt]

Man I had a design fee for my sleeve, but it was $80 and I could make all the changes I wanted. It was pretty complex, so I didn't mind paying the fee. I feel like paying over $100 for a sketch is insane

[@beapallares502]

I have purchased some courses about nutrition and sports, I know I could just look in KZbin but its easier when someone gives you a structure to follow. Just pointing it out bc of what you said about not purchasing courses

[@steph678]

I would be out for blood if that's the tattoo I got for $4,000 it is so ugly and you can't even see the detail

[@Beccalb818]

Wow. I got a 10in color tattoo that took 6 hours for $800

[@_Laura.Marie_Sierra.Destiny_]

I wouldn’t even want someone that horrible tattooing me. I wouldn’t want that nasty negative energy being basically put into my skin. No thanks.

[@_Laura.Marie_Sierra.Destiny_]

She could AT LEAST send the effing deposit back. This is a COMPLETE scam. My artist is amazing, I pay for the tattoo and the sketch is included. As well as, as many changes as I want (to an extent, not 50+ changes, which is common sense. At least to me, although she’s never told me there was a limit on sketch changes) she always says it’s permanent on YOUR body. Make sure it’s completely perfect and how you like it. They’d rather have to change the sketch than get a bad review or have to fix change or cover your tattoo. They’d rather do it right the first time. I paid around $350 for around 4+ hours of work. (Firt tattoo, and a big one on the whole top of my foot) Granted she was my GFs ex step sister so she did give a bit of a discount, normally $150 an hour I believe, but still. The point is she always let me make ANY changes I wanted as many times as I wanted. Which I only made 1 or 2. Thankfully her execution is amazing, she also does a consult and draws in front of you, then you get the tattoo. And can make any changes the day of. This stuff this girl is doing is unheard of and insane. Also my girl is booked out for 2 years straight. So she’s an amazing artist.

[@funsizedi88]

Iva paid $50 for a deposit and to have the artist draw up my tattoo, which is a huge dragon that goes around my entire waist from my hip bone up to my ribs. That $50 was put towards my deposit for my 1st session. In total i paid $250/sitting for 6-8 hrs, 10 sessions, so $2400. One of those sessions was 6 monrhs later to hsve him touch it up after it healed, which he inssited on, to make sure it was perfect, which was only 150, not 250 for the 6-8 hrs.

[@rashmivenkatarama9849]

Also, the sketch of the fox was found out to have been stolen from another artist!

[@S-R-H]

This pisses me off so bad. This is a contractual disagreement. The cops had no business being involved. It's a civil matter, not a criminal matter, and that's what the cop should have said.

[@gciccone2754]

i paid a consult fee for mine but it was $50 then that was subtracted from the total of my tattoo later

[@PandaMonium92827]

I also found out she tried to scam an APPRENTICE!!°

[@ann-sophieboivin7614]

The most i paid beforehand for a tattoo is 100$ and it was deducted from the final pricing

[@ambersouthey1651]

Can’t she take them to civil court ? This just seems crazy

[@theBestElliephant]

Yeah, there's no way they should be getting away witht this. I think the most I've paid for a 4hr session was $800 with tip, I'll give some wiggle room but those prices are ridiculous, especially for just a design. I did pay a $200 fee at the very first consultation, but it was a deposit and I can put it towards the cost of any session or keep it as a deposit for future sessions. I'm also kinda curious, like if you don't wanna pay for the design, was she ok with just doing a design by someone else? My artist was chill with that for one of mine but idk how common it is. Mine was kinda a niche request though, I'm a sucker for retro style travel posters and my sister did some digital art in that style of the beach our family always went to growing up, so it would've been hard to ask for him to do that on his own.

[@jenniferawelch]

I do believe Russ had a point. I think that the design collab prices need to reflect the work going into it. There are design collabs worth thousands, very large and intricate work. I think he was saying the tattoo gate artist was out of line for charging for the basic traced sketch. I agree with a lot of what you say but I don’t think he was wrong; he was not defending her and I think there is a place for his pricing.

[@dogsbelife]

You cant delete google reviews! Always take it to google! They can report your review to google but as long as it doesnt violate their policies, google wont take it down. As far as I know!

[@meaganblack1529]

I am mad at that man! And the way he rewrote the actual story of a tattoo consultation that HE WASN'T PART OF. F U, dude.

[@dogsbelife]

I could understand paying a consultation fee if it included a draw up of the sleeve. In essence paying for a draw up. Not to just discuss the tat. I have never.