Healing Your Tattoo

Healing procedures vary from artist to artist. It is a good idea to follow the proceedure provided by the artist who did your tattoo. Until you get a large collection and may have perhaps tried the recommendations of various professionals, you will find out what works best for you and your skin.

I am personally a fan of interfering as little as possible with your bodies healing process and letting your tattoo heal naturally. Sometimes less is more! Here is how I heal my tattoos and how I have asked my clients to heal their own throughout the years:

- Do not touch, bump, scratch or rub your tattoo while it is healing! Scabbing is normal, let them come off on their own.

- Do not shower or get your tattoo wet for 24hrs and don't soak it in water until it is healed (about 2-3 weeks) and don't soak in any chlorinated pools or hot tubs for about 6 weeks.

- When you do shower after that first 24hrs, wash around the tattooed area with a fragrance-free soap and rinse lightly, allowing soap and water to gently pass over your tattoo

- Gently pat dry with a clean towel. DO NOT RUB

- In about 2 days, with clean hands, you may sparingly apply a fragrance free and cream based lotion 2 times a day which can help with itchiness and relieve some tension in tight scabs. NOT TOO MUCH

- Refrain from excessive sweating or exercise that causes a lot of motion in the area of your tattoo until it is healed.

Please follow these instructions.

If you don't, your tattoo may

not heal well :(

FAQ

How much do you charge?

My minimum is $150, and from there, it gets a little more complicated.

I charge by the piece, so the cost of my tattoos is determined by a number of factors such as size, detail, location, color etc. After taking these factors into consideration, I will provide you with an estimate, ranging between the absolute minimum I believe I could make a good tattoo for you and the biggest and most elaborate I can see the design potentially reaching, and the price will fall somewhere around this estimate. If you have a budget, let me know beforehand so that (if possible) I can work within or around it, or so that it can be properly broken up into multiple sessions. If there are any drastic changes (adding or removing content) the price will go up or down, depending on what is required.

Why charge by the piece? I simply find that it allows us to forget about the clock. Even if the tattoo takes longer than anticipated due to difficulties in the session, or that we are having a good time chatting and not tattooing half as much as we could be, you know how you will be looking fincancially at the end of the day.

If you simply MUST have an hourly rate, my rate is within the average rate in the Kamloops area, ranging between 180 and 200 per hour.

What is your design process?

Most of my work is designed the day of the appointment. I will typically have something very loose started before you arrive.

I prefer to work with my clients when designing a piece, hence me not usually havbing a complete design before you arrive. That way I have your skin and body available while I am making design choices, and I also have you there to answer any questions I might have, or to provide feedback on the design as its being created. This way we can work on it together and get it right in the most streamlined way possible. Nothing takes the wind out of an artist's sails like working for many hours on someones tattoo, and when the appointment day comes, they client doesn't even like it.

That is not to say that I never pre-design any pieces. Sometimes a piece simply requires it and if that is the case we will have a more in depth consultation so that I know 100% what it is I need to achieve design wise before the appointment day comes.

My tattoo is scabbing and it looks like it is falling off?!?

Scabbing is normal! A tattoo, in simple terms, is more or less like a clean series of scratches on your skin, and your body is going to creat scabs to protect the wound. It isn't going to be pretty, but while your skin is healing, the scabs will fall off and be replaced with some fresh new skin over your tattoo. Just trust the process, and your tattoo will come out on the other side looking great!

Is there anything you don't like to
tattoo?

Like any artist, there are things/styles I dont enjoy tattooing as much as others. It's not that I think your ideas suck, or that I think these tattoos look dumb, it simply comes down to that I don't enjoy doing them that much, and you would be better off being under the needle of someone who does!

- Tribal

- Geometric

- Minimilistic

- Anything that might be called "dainty"

- Cultural Appropriation: I think any artwork with cultural signifance would be better suited to an artist with ties to that culture and heritage.

What is your policy on Deposits?

A non-refundable deposit will be required to finalize and book your appointment and will go towards the final cost of your tattoo.

No-shows or cancelations with less than 48 hours notice will render your deposit forfeit and another deposit will be required to reschedule.

How do you go about touchups?

Being that my tattoo setups are disposable, I do not do free touch ups. I charge an $80 touch-up fee, but that price may vary on the situation. If there is a blatant mistake on my end, I will not charge you. If there were issues with the healing that appear to be caused by neglect and almost the whole tattoo needs redoing, I will charge you more.

Should I put sunscreen on my tattoo?

Only after it is healed! Doing so beforehand will compromise the healing of your tattoo. After it is fully healed, it is recommended to do so to increase the longevity of your tattoo.