This FAQ page is currently up to date with the usual steps that go into my custom tattoo commissions. feel free to message me with questions if yours isnt here.

How do we get started drawing a custom tattoo?
to begin work on a custom drawing, i require an in-shop consultation, which you can schedule though an email to elize@thepaintedbirdtattoo.com or by calling the shop at 781-393-8282. at the consultation i take a $50 deposit that will go towards the price of the tattoo. if the tattoo is not claimed in 3 months the deposit is kept as payment for my drawing time. consultations take 10-20 minutes but really help me figure out face to face the overall size, design and location of the tattoo that i can't visualize through email. i also encourage you to email or bring in reference photos of things you'd like incorporated into your tattoo. these can be exact references (like animal or flower photos, or other things you want me to copy), pictures of other tattoos you like the style/colour scheme/placement of, or you can give me a sketch or design youve come up with yourself and just want me to finish and tweak. your other option (which i love doing) is just giving me a vague idea and trusting me to come up with something for you in my style. i recommend this last option strongly!

How long till we get started with the tattoo?
Custom drawings take at least 2 weeks for small pieces (less than 6"x6") and 3-4 weeks for larger pieces. i appreciate everyone's patience as i am usually bogged down with a pile of drawings and need to work on them in the order i recieve them, as well as fit actual tattooing into my workday. your drawing will require multiple drafts from sketch to finished design and i prefer to put alot of time into it! i will let you know when it's finished for you to come check out.

How much will it cost?
I will not know the price of your tattoo until i see you in person with your design on a piece of paper at the size that you want it. i cant give you a ballpark price, because itll probably be wrong, and one of us will be sad about that. for large pieces that will be taking more than two sessions i offer an hourly rate of $120, but can not garauntee an exact number of hours to finish it. let me reiterate that this rate is for multi-session pieces only and smaller 1-2 session pieces will be priced individually.

I dont live near your shop, but i like your work. Will you draw a tattoo design for me to get tattooed somewhere else?
no, unfortunately..  im so behind on drawings for real life people that i cant keep up with internet people too. sorry!

I want a tattoo, but i don't want any colour in it.
Why??!! are you afraid its going to look too AWESOME?! no, really though, i am capable of black and gray work, but i do my best work with colour peices. there are colour pallettes that good on everyone, even if your brown/black/tan/whatever. i dont know where everyone hears taboos about colour ink like that it hurts more, or will fade to nothing. these rumours are not true. adding a striking colour pallette to an already nice design will take your tattoo from "that's nice", to "WOWZOMGWTF!!!111" i'd also like to mention that i have a specific style that i prefer to work in, which im sure you've noticed. if you are interested in a style of tattooing that you see none of in my gallery, just send me a message and i can direct you to a coworker of mine who i think is better suited to what youre looking for.

I want a tattoo to encorporate multiple aspects of my life and personality, as well as my family's names and birthdays, and my dog's initials. and make it in the colours of their birthstones.
While there's nothing wrong with incorporating personal meaning or symbolism into a tattoo, i warn you sometimes less is more. clients often come in asking if i can "throw in some names" to their existing design, of "hide" writing into a tattoo design so its not seen my most viewers, but the wearer knows its secretly there. this is where we need to step back and look at how the tattoo will be perceived by other viewers. some clients try to justify impractical or unflattering design by saying "i dont care if people think it looks good, it has meaning to me". while ideally we'd like this to be true, we are all constantly being judged by our appearances, and a tattoo can make or break our apearances based on wether or not others "get" it's design. one overall visually appealing image, maybe accompanied by a few words is best. if you like guitar and soccer and star wars, it is best to devote a single image to put into one tattoo instead of mashing too many ideas into one small area. you can always use your other ideas in other tattoos and devote to them the time and skin they deserve.

I want a tattoo, but I want it really tiny so i can hide it.
If you are thinking this, you might want to reconsider if you really want a tattoo. I plan on giving you a really awesome tattoo that you will be proud of and want people to see. your tattoo should be recognizable from at least 10 feet away. you also need to think of the "big picture", what your body will look like with all your tattoos showing (like when youre naked!), a scattering of tiny tattoos here and there looks unfinished and poorly planned. your tattoo artist knows how to design tattoos to flatter your body, which usually incorporates the shape of an entire section of the body (like the organic shape of an entire muscle or limb) if you are ashamed/scared of what people will say, your parents will think, or about getting a job, remember this is the 21st century. Kat Von D has the word "FUCK" tattooed on her thumb, and makes more money than you or i probably ever will. Jobs do not discriminate tattooed people because they are tattooed. they discriminate against tattooed people that look trashy/scary and have shitty ugly tattoos. Your tattoo may turn out bigger than you first expected, but it will not be shitty or ugly. it will be a big, beautiful tattoo. Trust Me.

A word on memorial tattoos:
let me start off by sayng i do not usually like religious memorial tattoos. unless religion is a very big part of your life, or was a very big part of the life of the person you are honoring, maybe we can brainstorm of a more meaningful way of remembering them than a cross design or praying hands. while these can be beautiful designs, i feel like they do not always reflect the wearer's true feelings or beleifs, and in a time of shock and greif can simply be chosen as a bland overall "nice memorial piece", without much thought on the actual image you will be wearing everyday. how has this person impacted your life? what images come to mind when you think of them? did they have a favourite flower/animal/season/etc, that makes you think fondly of them when you see it? a memorial doesnt have to be writing of when this person was born or died. its not always the point to remember their death, but to remember how they lived and the impact they had on you. if a cross or rosary beads or wings and a halo work for you we can do that, but i have a feeling we can get to something more unique and personal.