Note: I keep this as up-todate as possible, but last-minute changes DO happen. If you are coming any distance, call or email first just to be sure I'll be in. And, even if i'm showing an appt., it never hurts to ask! I get last minute cancellations once in a while, so if your cousin is in town for one day, and wants a tiny tattoo, by all means, call the shop. You may luck out, or I can hook you up with one of my esteemed co-workers. . .
And please keep this in mind. . . the other artists will have no idea of my schedule,
so please don't pester them. . . check here!
A note about appointments: All appointments must be accompanied by a DEPOSIT (in person or via PayPal--but do NOT send one until you are sent an invoice!). Why are deposits necessary? Because--drawings don't magically appear from thin air...I can spend hours on a single piece. It is WORK. And, if you turn out to be a flake and don't show up for your appointment, that valuable time has been wasted, and you have precluded someone else from getting that spot. This inconveniences others, and costs me $$$. Deposits are NON-REFUNDABLE. Ever. Period.
If you do show up on time, the deposit counts towards your tattoo, it is not an additional fee. You only lose it if: A) you don't show up or are in excess of 30 minutes late (in the latter case, you are also not guaranteed a spot for that shift). B ) you change your mind as to the subject matter of the tattoo, requiring a new drawing (I don't consider revisions a 'new drawing', but if you wanted a pinup girl and now you want a unicorn smoking a joint, you have just lost your deposit).
If you show up for your appointment and expect a completely new drawing on the spot--it's probably not going to happen (unless it is quick and easy.) You will lose your deposit for the original appointment (see "B" above), and will have to leave a new one for the new tattoo. Harsh, you say? Not really, if you consider this: at that point I have dragged my ass all the way to the shop, spent a good amount of time on your artwork and prep, and possibly turned away others that wanted that spot. .. C)I don't hear from you for a really, really long time (6+ months).
I understand that things come up, and if you give me a week's notice , we're cool. Anything less, and you've lost your deposit. Sorry, but no more Ms. Nice Guy...If you really are serious about getting a nice tattoo that you'll be proud of forever, losing $50 won't kill you. You flaking out on an appointment can cost me a few hundred dollars. You do the math. . . other professionals of various fields charge for missed appointments. And I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts that they prep for you MUCH less than I do! You're not ordering a burger or getting a haircut. This is a somewhat important, adult decision-and will be treated as such!
Also--leaving a deposit does not give you ownership rights to any drawings.
You have merely paid a nominal fee for the time it took to produce.
I'll be damned if anyone is going to take my artwork to some unscrupulous douchebag to put on you in his garage or another shop because he works cheaper than I do. If he can't come up with artwork himself, doesn't that tell you something?
Or have it show up printed on a tee-shirt for their 'clothing company'. It's happened more than once. It WON'T happen again, if I can help it. I am a professional. I act like one. If you don't have a receipt for an appointment in your hand, don't show up at the shop and bitch if I'm busy. . .and I DO handle illustration jobs for various projects. I'd be happy to provide you with sample rates and current timelines.
In addition--if you have emailed me art for a price quote
--PLEASE BRING A HARD COPY WITH YOU.
My computer is at home, not the shop! I may have answered your email from my handheld. . .don't assume I've got the file. It's easier for you to keep track of your ONE piece of art than it is for me to keep tabs on the 20+ projects I've got going at any one time. . . I, of course, make every effort to be prepared, but my printer runs out of ink, my cable internet connection goes down, I get sick, my back goes out once in a while, and I do have an admittedly little bit of a life when I'm not in the shop. Keep tabs on your own stuff, please.
And if you happen to be lucky enough to
have my cell phone number--
please be informed that email is my preferred
and most reliable method of contact for future appointments.
DO NOT give my personal cellphone
number out (EVER!) or I will keel-haul you!!
*This has been the 'World According to Rachel'--
thanks for listening and letting me be cranky for a minute. . . ;)