Tattoos Charged by the Piece vs. Flat Rate vs. by the Hour
When you begin your tattoo artist journey, your mentor will likely ask you if you want to set yourself and your business up to charge by the piece, flat rate, or by the hour. There are pros and cons to all methods, but I truly believe that there is a happy medium between them. In this article I uncover why I, as a tattoo artist, quote and charge by the piece rather than an hourly rate for most projects. I also discuss when it’s best to quote tattoos that require multiple sessions in flat-rate or day-rate fixed rates.
Pros for Charging by the Piece or by the Session
- Clients know exactly how much money to bring.
- Artists know exactly how much money they will make.
- Clients can save/budget their money accordingly.
- There is complete transparency and no room for confusion.
One of the biggest reasons why I advocate for charging by the piece is transparency for the client. It is very challenging for a client to know who to pick as the “best artist” for their piece if they see a very wide range of artists with similar skill sets who charge different hourly prices. Just because an artist charges a $100/hour rate, doesn’t mean that the artist will be cheaper than an artist who charges a $150/hour rate. The artist who charges a $100/hour rate may take 4 hours to complete a project ($400 total). Whereas an artist who charges a $150/hour rate may only need 2 hours to complete a project, because they tattoo faster and have a higher skillset ($300 total). Again, two artists may charge the same $200/hour rate, but one may take 5 hours to complete a project ($1,000 total), and the other may take 10 hours to complete a project ($2,000 total).
I’ve received a ton of feedback from my clients who appreciate that they know exactly how much money their tattoo will cost, are able to save/budget accordingly, and can sit back and relax during their session. They do not need to worry about watching the time, and they are not confused about if they are being charged from the moment they step in the shop, or the moment the tattoo starts. There’s no worry about getting charged for the amount of breaks they take, or if they need to move the stencil 2-3 times. The client and the artist both do not feel rushed/pressured to finish the piece faster/slower. The client’s peace of mind makes the whole tattoo experience lighter and easier on both of us.
For larger, multi-session pieces, the flat-rate/day-rate method seems to work best for me. I use the half-day/full-day fixed rate for large-scale tattoos. I’ve noticed in my career that the average client will hit a threshold where they can no longer tolerate receiving tattoo pain at around 3-4 hours of tattoo time. This is where I estimate my half day rate to fall. Clients who are outliers to this pain threshold can usually sit for 5-7 hours of tattoo time before hitting their wall. Always quote multi-session pieces broken down by how much you can accomplish in each sit. For example, if you know a full forearm piece will take you two half days, it is safe to assume, you could probably also do that tattoo in roughly one full day. By offering half-day or full-day rates to your clients, they have the option to pick the number of sessions that will both fit their budget, as well as their pain tolerance. You as an artist will be able to book your calendar accordingly, with each session 6-8 weeks apart. You will then have more set-in-stone appointments, rather than scrambling to continuously fill your schedule with small work. The client will also be able to gather more income between each session so that they are not completely draining their bank account to complete a big project. It’s a win-win for everyone.
There are a few outliers to charging by the piece, where it would make more logical sense (to me) to charge hourly tattoo rates. These outliers include: large-scale tribal/Polynesian, blackout, most freehand drawn pieces, and clients with low pain tolerance. The reasons I believe these should be charged by the hour is the amount of time and dedication needed to a) get a solid black tattoo; b) map/draw a design to fit a body, and then tattoo it without a stencil that can easily be reprinted; or c) clients who cannot tolerate the pain of getting tattooed more than short bursts of time. By allowing clients who have low pain tolerances the option to do short, hourly sessions, the artist is more likely to win big in this scenario. The client with a low pain tolerance may end up paying more for a piece based on the number of sessions they need to complete their project, however, they will not be kicking, screaming, crying, and squirming in the chair making it harder for an artist to do their job. As a tattoo artist, we all know how challenging it is to achieve our goal when clients do not sit still. This is why I highly recommend offering small hourly sessions for people who truly love and want tattoos but absolutely loathe the pain of getting them.
Picking if you will charge/pay by the hour, by the piece, or a flat rate is up to both the artist’ and the client’s discretion. Artists must decide what is fair for them to get paid for a project, and clients must decide what they are willing to pay for their tattoo. Sometimes it works out easily where a client likes a listed price for a tattoo design on an artist’s available flash. Other times, the client wants to go to someone else to get a custom piece for what they feel is fair wages. Not everyone is a great pairing for skill set, pricing, number of hours necessary to tattoo, number of hours wanted to be tattooed, or budget. This is why online consult forms and in-person consultations are extremely beneficial to both the artist and the client to get a clear project scope and to provide the best, most accurate quote possible.
For clients looking for clear pricing on premade tattoo designs, check out my available premade designs. All pricing is listed below each piece, along with the recommended placement, and approximate size. For all clients who want to get quoted for their next tattoo project, please fill out my free online consultation form, and we will communicate through email to determine the most accurate quote for the size/scope of your custom project. For any artist who needs assistance in estimating their own tattoo quotes or help with price raising best practices/techniques, please contact me individually through email (in the footer of my webpage). Happy tattooing! 🥂✨