@KingArmand All tattoo artists will have a collection of their art on the website. If they don't, don't trust them. You should be able to see what exactly their tattoos look like. I shopped around at maybe 2 or 3 parlors until I found an artist whose work I LOVED enough to trust them with my idea. If you don't feel 100% sold on what they can do, don't go there.

From there, reach out for a consultation. They will talk about pricing and designing the tattoo.

@KingArmand I'm not sure exactly how much tattoos cost where you are, but larger tattoos (i.e. spanning a forearm) will cost about $150+ minus tip. I always tip 20% but that's on you and your budget. You might be able to find cheaper, this is all based on what I've found.

I like my tattoos to be collaborative. I give them the idea and I like for them to design it the way THEY feel most comfortable. They should always show you a stencil/sketch before they start working. You shouldn't feel pressured into saying yes.

@KingArmand If at any point you feel pressured or not 100% happy, walk away. You will find someone who make it work.

Tattooing will hurt. Some places hurt more than others. Drink a lot of water BEFORE you go. This will make all the difference between it being unbearable or not. They will set you up in as comfortable as a position as possible. If at any point you feel uncomfortable, tell them. Don't feel bad about needing a break. My friend actually fainted because he got a giant tattoo on his back and didn't take any breaks or anything.

@KingArmand Also, tattoo machines are much louder and scarier than they seem. It's loud, but it doesn't hurt nearly as much as it SOUNDS like. You will be okay, I promise.

And last part is health. Do NOT let someone tattoo you if you don't see them UNWRAP the needles. You must be tattooed with clean needles. It is a safety hazard to not do so. When it is done, leave it wrapped for about an hour, then let it loose. Get an unscented jelly (like aquaphor or tattoo goo) to lather LIGHTLY. This will make it heal faster and itch less. Just don't scratch.

@guerrillarain thank you for all that information, very much appreciated!! I guess I'll start saving some money now, look a bit at parlours around here, I also need to decide to where on my bodyI am going to do it and what I am going to do (even though I have a good idea)

@KingArmand Mmm good luck! Here's a map of painful and least painful places. I got one on my forearm and I felt basically nothing for most of it. http://www.inkedmag.com/tattoo-pain-chart/

@guerrillarain Oh shit I was thinking of inside my left arm but might not be such a good idea after all haha. Thanks

@KingArmand One inch will be okay if you want it! During my painful tattoo sections, I just talked a lot until it was over and made it more bearable. I don't, however, recommend a 2 hour tattoo in that region on your first try though lol

@guerrillarain Sorry haha I am a bit worried because I don't psychologically mind the pain, but my body just doesn't stand it (like I found out on those piercings I mentioned, I was like “i don't care” but my body decided it was the last minute that I would be able stand up hahaha)

Anyway, you're definitely right. I'm just also thinking about the esthetical point of view, I guess small tatoos as such will look better either on the forearm or wrist or maybe upper chest, but I want to keep some space on my forearms for other things… IDKkkk sorry, thinking out loud. Thanks for all!!

@KingArmand not a problem!

@KingArmand et si tu as des questions ou j'ai omis quelque chose, lemme know 😊 j'adorrrrre les tatouages, donc je peux vraiment parler toute la journée sur ça

@guerrillarain d'accord merci beaucoup !!

@guerrillarain @KingArmand I might add for the price, it depends on the style, artist etc
here, mimum price is 80 euros and that's for small lettering stuff
when i went to glasgow with my bf, it looked like the prices there were the same as in france (he asked for his project and they answered the same range of price ~400/500 euros)

my first tattoo will be 500 euros for upper arm /shoulder only (but as i said, depends on the style. my bf wants one much bigger and it's the same price... i just have expensive tastes)

@Sapphaos @KingArmand Oh wow. My first tattoo was lettering on my hip for a whopping 20 USD. My forearm was 150 without tip and my entire thigh was about 300 including tip.

But I've also seen places try to charge $400+ for something the same size, so it really varies.

@guerrillarain @KingArmand wow 20 is really nothing O_o and even 300 for a thigh is nothing! lucky :p
maybe the material and ink is cheaper in the us? or they have less taxes?

@Sapphaos @KingArmand Possibly?? But also, this artist works out of her home, so she probably doesn't have to pay shop fees or anything to anyone. I think parlors may have inflated prices since they have to pay rent/taxes/etc.

@guerrillarain @KingArmand in France it's illegal for tattoo artists to not work in parlors (well some do but..) so that might explain it

@Sapphaos @guerrillarain In the US, you usually are expected to leave a tip because wages work differently that most european countries

@guerrillarain @Sapphaos I know that haircut were cheaper but like, leave some money for that poor guy/woman pls thanks

@KingArmand @Sapphaos that too! but I don't think your price range is unreasonable for something 1.5 inches in size.

@guerrillarain @Sapphaos I was expecting something between £50 and £90 for my first one, I want something quite small, about 1-1.5 inches to kind of “discover”, see if I can deal with the pain (I almost fainted when I got my helix piercings), because I have bigger projects (forearms)

@guerrillarain Oh wow I don't know anything about style if I'm honest but I think I get what you mean the name you're giving me.
There's a very particular artist whose style I absolutely love but I don't know if her style has name (her instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucidlines/)
It's one of those simple-looking tatoos you see more and more

@KingArmand I actually don't know if this is a particular style. Some of it looks a little traditional but also not, so that definitely opens up the possibility to more artists.