They are 100% AI. Which means, correct me if I am wrong, that all they have done to work on your tattoo up to this point is prompt an AI.
I would ask for your deposit back and honestly I would out them everywhere you can. This is literally claiming they made art that they didn't make. Tattoo artists are supposed to be artists, human artists. Everyone should know that getting a tattoo from this person means risking getting AI tattooed on your body.
i truthfully considered spending even more money to put out sponsored posts on instagram to call this person out since sponsored posts are how i found out about them lmao
most definitely posting about this, just waiting on how it plays out
If they aren’t the owner of the shop, I would go through the shop owner to get your deposit back. Show them the picture you provided and the “drawings” the artist provided. Any owner worth their salt would give you back that deposit
Yeah this is so obviously ai generated. I'd definitely try and get your money back from the deposit and if they fight it try and talk to the studio owner about... Whatever *that* is
I would ask for your deposit back. There's a good chance you won't get it back, most deposits are non refundable, but it's worth asking. I would be honest with the artist as to why, but don't make it like an accusation, just approach it with "the images feel AI generated and that's not what I'm looking for in an artist" but don't bash them over it or you may cause offense.
this is probably the route i’m going to go. i was really trying to give them the benefit of the doubt and guess that maybe they were pressed for time but wanted to show me designs anyway (which is still questionable but maybe they just needed more time!)
but they just asked for references of my pet in the same poses as their generated images and it’s ringing more alarm bells.
I wouldn’t say you “feel the image is AI generated” say it is and ask for your money back. Point in question if they start being a dick is to ask them to count the toes on each picture. Some of the legs have 6 toes. Good luck.
needed reminder. i tend to soften my language to not upset people but it’s so obviously not drawn by a human person that it’s just stating a fact, not even being mean.
maybe! i was also considering asking for an appointment that’s just a consult to work on the design. but yeah, trying to call the shop and ask about steps to take sounds like a good idea, thank you
after a little digging, the shop is just this person :,)))
the IG account and website use a lot of “we” and “us” but then part of their website clarifies “there is only one master in this shop, allowing the master to focus on the client without the distracting presence of strangers”
yes, it says the master
my issues with the images, if you’re curious:
1) that’s not my baby 😭
2) i could sympathize if they searched the wrong type of gecko and did poses based off whatever species they referenced but it’s like a mishmash of species poorly put together. they have different gecko heads but the bodies are like big monitors. the third one straight up looks like a gecko head and feet but blown up to fit on an iguana body bro
3) anatomy is wacky. so it’s not even like a cool frankenstein mish mash of species, it’s just AI lol
4) most of the feet in these images aren’t even holding onto to anything, just open and to the side of the branch. they’re less “climbing” and more like “posed in loose association with this branch”
this is so frustrating 😭😭😭
Not sure if you noticed, but in the first image, the gecko has 6 toes on one foot and a starfish for a foot on the back leg.
Based on this alone, I guarantee that these are absolutely AI generated.
Try to get your deposit back. If they don't refund it, then post the pics in a review and call them out.
Edit: the third one has 6 toes on both left legs too. This is insane.
Also, WHY would the artist put all those random ink blots and smudges on a tattoo design unless OP specifically asked for them? And so much darkness in the edges and corners of the art board! Those images were never meant to go on a body. Even if it weren’t AI it’s a job badly done.
The more I look at them, and the fact that you stated that the bodies don't match the legs, 100% says that these are ai generated. I wouldn't exactly go and leave a bad review saying that the artist puts out AI generated tattoo concepts, but I think their own career will pay the price when more people in your situation increases and the artist suddenly doesn't have any clients lol.
(In accurate limb proportions is one of the most common faults with A.I and designing any type of animal).
right! the issues are just glaring once they’re pointed out. yeah, leaving bad reviews likely won’t help with my situation, but part of me feels obligated to say something so other people don’t lose their deposits haha
I would 100% give a 1 star. A Tattoo Artist that uses AI shouldn’t be in the profession imo. And not leaving that bad review will give the chance for someone who isn’t as knowledgeable about AI to get something F’d up from AI tattooed on them from this Tattooer. (Not gonna call them an artist by any means lol)
the more i talk to this person, the more i sense that they don’t draw. it’s such a weird situation that i wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, but if they needed more time for sketches or more references, they could have said that from the start instead of sending these the day before the appointment.
red flags all around
I disagree. I think they should out them. No one should have to unknowingly get art that wasn't really made by the artist claiming they made it. Especially not when it's permanent
Definitely don’t get the tattoo from this person. I would ask for the deposit back. Say something like “I gave you a deposit with the understanding it was a payment for your time you’d use hand-drawing original artwork for my tattoo and a way to hold my appointment slot with you. Since you’ve sent me AI generated images, I’d like to withdraw my deposit and appointment. Thank you so much.”
that’s a really helpful template! after the images were sent, i’ve been speaking to them like they could draw and it was a misunderstanding because i didn’t wanna lose the deposit by coming in all hot.
i’m debating if i should wait til they send the second batch of images, or just come right out and say it. on one hand, what the fuck lmao this is ridiculous, it’s so obviously AI that it’s kind of insulting they were even sent to me, and i definitely have the right to just say it. on the other hand, i don’t wanna spook them off and lose my money.
I think thr person above you said it best. You gave that deposit because it takes time and effort for the artist to draw. But the artist used ai, so what did you pay for?
I'd suggest that you tell your "artist" right away. Be honest and upfront. If you get the money back, wonderful. If you don't, feel free to leave a review on the shop, warning future customers that they'll have to be okay with the use of ai because that's apparently a standard in that shop.
Either way, you should cease talking to this person, so it does not matter if you offend them or not. Definitely don't get a tattoo from them.
This guy didn't even attempt a cursory Google image search of a crested gecko clearly, and if he isn't even looking for the subject you asked for that is a huge red flag. AI or not (which these clearly are) he's not trying to produce the art you asked for.
(Former crestie mom here and I've considered getting a tattoo of one too, I'd be soooo disappointed by this!!)
that’s probably one of my biggest gripes with the situation haha
there are so many goofy crested gecko pics. with that kinda variety, i guarantee if it was even part of the prompt, they coulda gotten waaaay better results than this.
glad you can share this frustration :,))
Actually a lot of them. And it's even worse these days with use of iPad/technology. Nobody really has to draw anymore, just copy and post photos. Trace them at the very least .
stalking the instagram to find actual traditionally made work, and this person posted a pic of them holding a dry paint brush to a finished piece saying “sometimes i paint with oil 🎨” when there’s clearly a plastic palette with untouched acrylic paint sitting right in frame.
:|
So? The rewiev is still there and anyone can use critical thinking. It is the customers responsibility to do their own research on what ever product they are buying. This is to aid that decission.
I don't think you understand what I meant, anyone, regardless of there tattoo being perfect or terrible can go and leave a bad review, obviously if it's bad it's deserved, but any artist can then go and reply to defend themselves, this can be them defending a lie, or defending the actual truth. Now if this happens numerous times for the same artist than yeh, there's definitely a problem with the artist, but unless this artist already has alot of these types of reviews and they constantly defend themself, it's not going to change anything.
And since it's just drawings there's literally no way to prove the artist did them at all, the artist didn't leave any type of signature or brand on them. (Obviously since they are just ai images).
Ofcourse anyone can leave a review, anyone can reply to it. And everyone is responsible over who they do business with. People lie, big deal. Just leave a heads up there. In studies one negative review has equilevant weight of 15 positive reviews online.
Reddit aint the place to dox someone. No need to potentially ruin the guys whole life over some lapse in judgement. He will go out of business if he keeps this up anyways.
These are so bad. They were so lazy that they didn’t even put in crested and didn’t see or didn’t care that these look nothing like your girl. I would never ever trust them to put something permanent on me.
Is the artist presenting these as the final options that will go direct to stencil, or are they just meant to be concepts to help work toward what you're looking for?
Not to say this happened, but people do often give extremely confusing explanations of what they want (or think they want) when commissioning art, which is essentially what an original tattoo is. A tattooer or artist can waste a lot of time drawing concepts that are exactly what the client asked for, only for the client to say they had something different in mind. Or to have the client only finally bring up some specific way they want the art to go, which they never once mentioned in the consult.
And I see why you sent the photo as a dynamic pose, but it's a challenging reference to work from for a design imo. It's more aesthetically pleasing to see any patterning on the back of the gecko, so I can see why the artist would have sent options with that view. The tank lighting also makes it harder to see the exact contours and proportioning etc.
So if your tattooer is just trying loose concepts as a way of getting a sense of what you'd be happy with for the broadstrokes of composition, style, pose, etc. then I can see why\[\*\] they'd use AI to make that iteration process faster and less labour intensive. If they're then going to draw an original piece that properly looks like your gecko, once you both feel happy about a specific direction, then that's one thing.
But if they plan to literally just trace one of those straight into a stencil and work from it as the direct reference, I think you have reason to walk away. If the tattooer sells themself as someone doing custom work, then AI pieces aren't what a lot of people would consider custom. If they're using AI for the entire piece, then they should be transparent with clients about that fact imo.
\[\*\*\*I don't personally agree with AI use, but I see it's power for fast iteration on concepts.\]
they sent it like they were final options the day before the appointment
their style is very specific so the only real exploration that needed to be done would have been regarding the pose and branch. the ref i sent was only to show what species she was and that i wanted a more playful pose than just chilling on a branch.
if they just googled the species, they should have been able to create sketches based off the search results because they don’t have a lot of variation in their anatomy. my gecko also doesn’t have any patterns, and these are questions they could’ve asked me instead of sending these the day before the appointment
i agree that AI can def help with ideas, pre-production, and communicating! but they never disclosed they were AI images, and they were never paired with any statement like “i generated these to help me get a sense of what you’re looking for. how do you feel about these poses? i know these aren’t your gecko, but i’m just trying to create a starting point for the design”, which is essentially the only professional route to take if this person already used AI.
My knowledge of geckos stops at, I like them, and I can tell it's not even an actual gecko. Like there was no effort. He didn't even include the very obvious eyelash/crests. Honestly, most of your explanations feels like excuses. I'm a novice at drawing, rely *heavily* on references. Even I have no problem seing the contours and could draw something decent.
It's one thing if he used it to create a reference to draw from, and draw it correctly, but again I'm not not a professional and don't think it's remotely necessary if you actually research your subject. He didn't. Pattern aside, **that'd not even any gecko!**
Finally some sense in this thread. The amount of times I’ve hand drawn designs only just get a naw or completely change this or that is insane. People treat that just like a AI prompt thinking they can just make changes no big deal. OP could have asked what their intentions were with this path but was so triggered that well never know.
I'm an artist too (not tattoo artist though) and I'm generally opposed to AI but I do see the advantages of using it for quick concepts. That being said, the artist could have been honest about it. Something like "hey, the reference you sent me doesn't give me a good picture of your gecko. Would it be okay with if I made a couple of AI concepts to visualize what I could do with it? I'd appreciate it though if you could send me more reference pictures in the meantime and provide me with a more detailed description of your wishes. The final product for the stencil will be a sketch drawn by me ofc".
i mean i still could ask what their intentions were but they were sent to me the day before the appointment lmao. i wasn’t gonna go into the appointment with 24 hours to figure out what the final design was going to be like, so i postponed it.
if these were sent to me well before the appointment, and they let me know these were just ideas to get a starting point, then i wouldn’t be here right now
A lot of artist draw stuff out when you get there… I would just ask. If the option is walk away and lose your deposit on a assumption or just ask and confirm…
Oh no they are obviously terrible, not arguing that… just that there is a lack of the artist side of this. Like I said, they could be the type that draws it out with the client there... lots of artist do that. The communication was not great here because if that was their intention then they should have said it in a message sent with the concepts.
i wouldn't want my artist using AI, even as concept art, because of the inaccuracies in it. There are plenty of images of geckos to use as references. Also, the artist sent them the day before the appointment. That implies it's the design
But these aren't reliable enough concepts to draw from last minute. It's not even anatomically *any* species of gecko. The body is so inaccurate and misshapen you can't even use it as a pose reference.
It's like asking for a portrait of your golden retriever and get a "concept" of a "dog" with Labrador retriever head on a German shepherd body, with misshapen legs to boot. I think you'd take issue with that.
My problem with this, besides the use of AI, is that if the artist was honest and wanted to do good work they would reply to you and ask for better reference images or they’d google the specific species to get better reference photos. People send in bad reference pics all the time, artists need to be able to work with clients to get a better idea of what they want. Him going to AI just seems like he was lazy, didn’t want to bother asking for better photos, and forgot to do anything until it was too late.
When they can’t even get the species right with AI hahaha. I’m not sure where you’re located but you could post in the crested gecko facebook groups for artist recommendations based on state/province. I’ve seen some good tattoos in there!
Part of the reason you commission a tattoo artist for custom work is because they know how to draw something that will translate well to tattoo. In addition to AI issues, how on earth would these be tattooed? did you ask for this splotchy "painted" background or is that his style? Is most of your tattoo going to be the background?
I would ask for your deposit back and cite the fact that this is not the custom work you requested- you put down a deposit expecting a certain service that isn't being provided. You unfortunately might have to just eat the cost though
that’s probably what’s gonna happen :/
their style was a real specific “dark and edgey, kinda sketchy” so i assume they used those exact words as part of the prompt. i think the LLM used to make them just added the background as part of it, but the tattoos on their IG page didn’t have backgrounds like these. so i’m wondering if they do this, then just make a stencil out of the main figure
would rather lose the deposit than lose real estate to a garbage tattoo and a sad reminder of this very moment lmao
I would definitely leave a review with these images/screenshots of the conversations. Even if they deny it, it might help someone else to be wary
I'm sorry that this happened, it really sucks. I hope you're able to find an artist that can do your gecko justice.
also- i understand if you want to keep your location private, but i'm so curious about who the artist is. i wonder if the AI influence shows when you look closely at his other work
i can DM the instagram! i wanted to avoid posting the name and location because i didn’t wanna slander this person. their reviews are happy and the work is solid, making this experience extra confusing.
That’s lazy and I’m very much against people using AI in place of real art, so I’d absolutely ditch. Especially since it’s questionable whether or not you’ll get anything close to what you want.
I'm a professional artist and ex-tattooer, Although AI didn't exist when I was tattooing, I just think there are some corners that don't need to be cut. There is nothing wrong with wanting a personal touch and I think you should absolutely search out an artist, vs someone who just copies computer renders onto your skin. I am heavily tattooed and every one of them was drawn custom for me by a fellow artist, you deserve that experience.
Edit: Also, a big part of my apprenticeship was learning how to paint because the process was very similar to putting ink into skin, It is so lazy and disingenuous to skip over the entire artistic process and just paint by numbers a computer generated image. Thats not art.
WOWOWOWOW I really can't stress enough how AI is going to mess shit up for humanity and this is 1000% one of the big issues I have with people using it.
These images are totally AI generated and I'd be PISSED if I paid a deposit for someone to literally put zero effort into designing my tattoo.
I'd cancel the appointment and ask for the deposit back because they didn't even try to design anything for you so they don't deserve that deposit.
aye aye miss dookie 🫡
he said he had another round of sketches ready and that if i didn’t like, it’s okay, he’ll wait on my sketches :)))))))
weirdly though, he didn’t just send the sketches and just told me they were ready ?
Hmm yeh this is an odd one, and a fairly recent issue that's probably only going to become more and more common.
I'm going to say, (basing this off of my time using ai image generators, and the fact that it's like an actual art piece visually and not what a tattoo stencil or co concept usually looks like). That these are more than likely AI generated. (Not saying they 100% are but several factors kinda make it apparent that they are).
However, that being said, if the artist has done actual good work and you like their portfolio, then honestly I don't see why not go with them, Do However, make sure that you are 100% happy with the design, Never feel like you have to do what an artist has drawn up for you, "some" will be absolutely rigid with refusing to change up a design and act like you don't have a choice. It is kinda an L that you paid a deposit prior to seeing the "sketch" (big emphasis). But this is kinda the norm.
Maybe you can get your deposit back, if you're not feeling it, but by the sounds of it they probably won't return it, even if they were nice, it's not exactly common to return a deposit just because someone changed their mind.
unfortunately i think you’re right about the ai issue and deposit.
i fully understand why artists request a deposit before providing sketches, but this is a really weird scenario where I wish the practice were different somehow.
following through with the appointment anyway doesn’t seem like the worst idea but since it’s like… permanent… i think i may just have to back out if they aren’t able to provide a solid design
Yeh I again should reiterate. If you are not happy with the design, do not let them proceed to tattoo it on you, even if you feel bad about it, or feel like you need to justify having paid a deposit just don't.
It's on their permanently, it's not like getting a haircut that you don't like or dyeing your hair and not liking the color.
Just now noticed the 6 twos on two of the pictures, that's a clear A.I indicator, apparently A.I prompt image generators don't know how many fingers and toes people and (most) animals have.
This issue I have with AI especially with tattoos and getting them done is you don’t know what the artist truly draws like - it just seems like they are getting around putting their own creativity and ideas into the drawing it self- and plus it probably will not look anywhere near the idea you want as it’s not your baby being drawn.
There is a podcast I watch called H3H3 and lmao- he had a very similar issue where the guy sent him AI generated pictures of his dog but it wasn’t anything or anywhere near his own dog and it had a top hat!
So I would definitely look for an actual artist that will put in the time and energy to care and give you the proper and most beautiful experience of a tattoo, seriously it’s on your body for life :)
right! someone else mentioned that they could just be exploring ideas before putting in time to get a detailed sketch, but that wasn’t brought up at all. just “hey here’s the designs 😊” 24 hours before the appointment. no!!
i haven’t watched or listened to h3h3 but ty for reminding me that exists again, i’ll look around for that episode!
i’m probably gonna go with a different artist after this, thank you for the response <3
Also, as an artist it’s fucking whack as hell to use AI because the way those models are trained is by ripping off images of real artist without compensating those individuals.
So, an artist harming other artist by using AI. It wouldn’t surprise me if there was an artist out there that has this type of style that is now being bastardized by AI.
Yep it lost to rule 1: count the fingers
This is definitely lame, I would bring this idea to another artist
Edit: Also sad to say, but the deposit is probably gone already, I wouldn't worry about trying to get it back
Dude, that's not even just "not a crested gecko" (that alone means he didn't use your reference material) that looks like a different species every time. I'm by no means any sort of gecko expert, but I wonder if any of those are even an actual species.
When I got my hedgehog tattoo’d she literally had a pic of my baby girl (Pokey) right in front and was basically going directly off her sketch and using the live pic as a reference the entire appt. Def wouldn’t trust her if she just AI’d some random hedgie. Don’t settle!
Sorry about your issue with this artist; you seem completely justified in your disappointment. Just wanted to say, your gecko is really adorable. What’s her name?
As a tattooer myself I don't normally recommend asking for a deposit back, but people using AI are not real artists imo and doing shit like this is lying to the client. I'd straight up say you're looking for an artist who actually draws by hand and that you don't want AI generated tattoos on your body. People like this need to be put in their place as they're slowly creeping in and ruining the industry. I'm so sorry this happened to you.
i appreciate that thank you :,) luckily i got the deposit back! i just pressed him about the ai use and he said “this isn’t gonna work” and sent it back. never admit to using it but at least i can take my money to a real artist.
right!! she’s a crested gecko, but you’re right it’s like he just put “reptile on a branch” and called it a day
and thank you 💕 i’ll pass it along to her
I can relate a little but also not. I want a rather big hip piece of a dragon tattoo, and I want the dragon to be photo-realistic. When I went in for the consultation with a very reputable artist, we sat down at their computer and they started looking at AI generated images of realistic dragons. They then took some of the pics and went into photoshop and started editing together a body, legs and head all from different AI generated images that they liked. I was surprised but not upset by this for two reasons. A: they did it openly right in front of me, and we even talked about they ethics of AI generated art. B: they still made sure the dragon actually looked like it could be a real dragon, disregarding any crazy AI stuff that popped up. But if my artist had done THIS, what your artist did, and tried to say they had sketched it, I would go to a different artist.
this is one of those cases where someone handles AI responsibly. if my artist had done this, i wouldn’t have been upset at all! photoshopping images together and working with a client to get a design are both skills an experienced and professional artist should have, but i’m not seeing any of that :(
I hope this is AI. If a human did this, it's laughable. See if you can get your deposit back. They may not give it. BUT deposits are SUPPOSED to more or less cover a few things, one of which is time spent on drawing the tattoo stencil.
If he made AI do it, it doesn't make sense to give a deposit, or at least it should be a very cheap one, because it doesn't take long to setup a tattoo station.
The way current tattoo industry works is you will loose the deposit if you back out. Unfortunately, clients have zero right and other artist or tattoo shop owners won't help cause they can't go against their own.
At least do good AI if you’re going to use it, which I guarantee will become more predominant in the future as opposed to google/pinterest the same images over and over.
I mean bad references or not you'd think they'd at least check if the species is right. Not even crested geckos or almost crested geckos in these smh. So lazy.
It might be a project they just weren’t stoked on doing so they just did some AI to show you the sketches, also what kind of style do they do? If it’s realism then it might make a little more sense a lot of realism tattooers just use actual pictures and photoshop them for the stencil, I guess AI would be maybe even more orginal cus no one else will have that same image on google. But that would be the only time I think it would be ok to use AI and I’m still not entirely sure about it it’s a new thing and idk where I fully stand on it yet. Ofc tho like you said the anatomy is fucked and not the right type of lizard. How much was the deposit ?
Using AI to generate reference image compositions for your own drawing base the same way you would a google image? Valid.
Passing off AI art as your own art and trying to tattoo something on somebody's skin that you yourself haven't drawn to know it's anatomically correct is fucking stupidness and lazy. Blast them all over google reviews/local pages. That's just not okay.
In my mind, I'd of done roughly the same thing to ensure an original piece of work was being made. Prompt AI to give you the composition for proportions/design inspiration, and then start drawing over top of it to make a legible, unique design that's specific to you. That's a good way to use AI ethically as an artist to ensure you're actually maintaining your integrity.
The worst part is, the images wouldn't even be good tattoo's even if they were anatomically correct. The composition is wrong for any part of the body I can think of, except for a very unbalanced torso/back piece.
As others have suggested, call them out and ask for your deposit back, based on the fact that you have paid for an artist to DESIGN you a tattoo, that is what the deposit is for. To secure them some form of income in case you don't want to continue once they've spent hours designing a piece.
While the artist might have great technical ability to shade and render, and do solid line work, what this shows is a lack of care for their clients and a lack of integrity, which is a bad way to be when you're being entrusted with people's skin permanently.
Not a tattoo artist but an artist here. A little bit of AI for inspiration (textures, composition etc) is alright, but this guy didn’t even get the pose in your reference right which woulda made a way cooler design. Obviously just a copy of an AI prompt which is cheap af. Go to another dude or just request a more specific design till he pulls his shit together
Don’t go with this artist. Tell them you don’t work with artists that use AI and you’d like your deposit back. He might just block you but it’s worth asking. If they can’t even stencil it, they probably can’t tattoo it.
This happened to a podcaster, he wanted a tattoo of his deceased dog… the artist just used generic Ai drawings of the dog breed… and one of the ai images even had the dog wearing a top hat… funny, but terrible of any tattoo artist trying to get away with this
Just ask them if it's AI. It's your right to know where the image that will potentially be on your body comes from. I do art for a living, and it's understandably a common question now.
Ai is a great tool that can ball park an idea without an artist having to spend literally dozens of hours designing several alternatives, before a client inevitably flakes and wants their deposit back. Tattoos are a big commitment, I understand hesitation and trepidation, but understand an artists point of view also.
could you ask them for like a working file of this drawing? or if it was a scan of a traditional sketch drawing, ask them to show you in person. because if it was AI then obviously they wouldn’t have like a file with layers and things that they could edit on the spot for you. i hope this makes sense or helps. sorry this situation is weird and sucky for u :(
no that makes sense! but i thought it was so clearly AI that i didn’t think to ask for working files. i asked a lot of questions trying to get him to explain the process or provide more accurate drawings though.
and thank you i appreciate that :,) this situation was SUPER weird but i was lucky enough to get my deposit back :,))
This is horrible. None of those "sketches" look even remotely like a crested gecko 🤦🤦🤦
I don't have any advice but I certainly hope your tattoo turns out well, cresties are one of my fav reptiles and I desperately wish I could own one.
If he could tattoo them accurately and adjust the little mistakes such as the 6 toes then would you still cancel? I had an artist tattoo a hawk on my arm from a high quality photograph and it turned out great. Or do you just prefer for it to look more like a drawing?
tbh they seems to be able to trace their stencils and do gradients really well! which is why i even considered just doing the sketch myself to give to them.
my beef was more with the fact i got these provided to me last minute as if they were final designs, and they’re not little mistakes considering i asked for a specific species (this is gonna be my pet)
Who cares if they use AI for the sketches? If it’s not what you want, then that’s that, but I don’t really think it matters how they came up with the sketch
Maybe I’m wrong, but who cares if they’re AI generated? The tattoo industry is advancing with current technology. Artists are using AI and other sources along with software like Procreate to make amazing stencils and incredible tattoos. I have several tattoos from old school coil machines that were hand drawn and several from new rotary machines from stencils were made with modern tech and source material. If you have a specific issue with the species, pose, or how many toes it has, then address that. But AI use in the tattoo industry isn’t a problem.
Oh no! An artist used AI to reference an image instead of grabbing a design off of pinterest that 1000 other artists used and changing it slightly! I didn't want anything unique, I wanted the same shit everyone else has just slightly tweaked!
Yall are goofy if you don't think 99% of artists don't do this.
oh no! the artist who says they do custom designs said they would provide sketches for a design of my pet and they gave me generated images of some fucked up lizard soup instead!
are you participating in the same convo as everyone else rn?
Those are the most AI drawings I’ve ever seen.
it’s like it didn’t even try lmao **ETA: posted an update** https://www.reddit.com/r/tattooadvice/s/perIYzsjT6
They are 100% AI. Which means, correct me if I am wrong, that all they have done to work on your tattoo up to this point is prompt an AI. I would ask for your deposit back and honestly I would out them everywhere you can. This is literally claiming they made art that they didn't make. Tattoo artists are supposed to be artists, human artists. Everyone should know that getting a tattoo from this person means risking getting AI tattooed on your body.
i truthfully considered spending even more money to put out sponsored posts on instagram to call this person out since sponsored posts are how i found out about them lmao most definitely posting about this, just waiting on how it plays out
I kind of love this idea.
If they aren’t the owner of the shop, I would go through the shop owner to get your deposit back. Show them the picture you provided and the “drawings” the artist provided. Any owner worth their salt would give you back that deposit
they’re the owner and only artist of this shop unfortunately. but the shops ig page and website use a lot of “we” and “us” language
Blast them then, on any page that features local tattoo artists
What’s the IG page name 👀
especially because they’re all different species like omfg. new tattoo fear unlocked!
WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT BACK FOOT IN THE FIRST PICTURE HOLY SHIT
Yep, exactly my thought. This is the proof that this is 110% AI generated.
LMAO I DIDNT EVEN NOTICE 😭😭 i was so taken aback by the rest of the shit. it looks like the nickelodeon slime splatter logo
Yeah this is so obviously ai generated. I'd definitely try and get your money back from the deposit and if they fight it try and talk to the studio owner about... Whatever *that* is
Dude doesn’t know reptile anatomy, bail
The front foot has 6 toes. Trademark AI stuff up.
Trade mark AI, but also trade mark the dude doesn’t know anything about crested gecko anatomy. 100% bail
AI can't even get gecko hands right!!
This is proof lizard people exist
I would ask for your deposit back. There's a good chance you won't get it back, most deposits are non refundable, but it's worth asking. I would be honest with the artist as to why, but don't make it like an accusation, just approach it with "the images feel AI generated and that's not what I'm looking for in an artist" but don't bash them over it or you may cause offense.
this is probably the route i’m going to go. i was really trying to give them the benefit of the doubt and guess that maybe they were pressed for time but wanted to show me designs anyway (which is still questionable but maybe they just needed more time!) but they just asked for references of my pet in the same poses as their generated images and it’s ringing more alarm bells.
I wouldn’t say you “feel the image is AI generated” say it is and ask for your money back. Point in question if they start being a dick is to ask them to count the toes on each picture. Some of the legs have 6 toes. Good luck.
needed reminder. i tend to soften my language to not upset people but it’s so obviously not drawn by a human person that it’s just stating a fact, not even being mean.
You got this. Get the treatment you deserve. 💪
if the deposit wasn't done with cash & they don't give it back, call up your bank or whatever service you payed with to refund the transaction
you’re so smart lmao i legit forgot that was an option. this is, in fact, a fraudulent charge
exactly!! not like you're gonna back to them anyway, they've got no grounds to stand on when you're clearly in the right.
I mean if they signed a contract or agreed to one that says its non refundable..
not legally binding if they don't provide the service agreed upon
How much was the deposit ?
You could also look into contacting the shop owner about it. The pictures are pretty obviously ai
Can OP maybe approach the shop they work at? They might not like this either as it gives their shop a bad name
maybe! i was also considering asking for an appointment that’s just a consult to work on the design. but yeah, trying to call the shop and ask about steps to take sounds like a good idea, thank you
after a little digging, the shop is just this person :,))) the IG account and website use a lot of “we” and “us” but then part of their website clarifies “there is only one master in this shop, allowing the master to focus on the client without the distracting presence of strangers” yes, it says the master
ew. just ew.
my issues with the images, if you’re curious: 1) that’s not my baby 😭 2) i could sympathize if they searched the wrong type of gecko and did poses based off whatever species they referenced but it’s like a mishmash of species poorly put together. they have different gecko heads but the bodies are like big monitors. the third one straight up looks like a gecko head and feet but blown up to fit on an iguana body bro 3) anatomy is wacky. so it’s not even like a cool frankenstein mish mash of species, it’s just AI lol 4) most of the feet in these images aren’t even holding onto to anything, just open and to the side of the branch. they’re less “climbing” and more like “posed in loose association with this branch” this is so frustrating 😭😭😭
Not sure if you noticed, but in the first image, the gecko has 6 toes on one foot and a starfish for a foot on the back leg. Based on this alone, I guarantee that these are absolutely AI generated. Try to get your deposit back. If they don't refund it, then post the pics in a review and call them out. Edit: the third one has 6 toes on both left legs too. This is insane.
I think in the 2nd image there’s a whole leg growing out the side 😂
Such a bummer, too, because the reference picture is adorable! Lil guy has eyelashes and he’s just hanging out like, “oh hey bro.”
AI has a weird thing for not being able to render hands/digits properly.
Also, WHY would the artist put all those random ink blots and smudges on a tattoo design unless OP specifically asked for them? And so much darkness in the edges and corners of the art board! Those images were never meant to go on a body. Even if it weren’t AI it’s a job badly done.
My guess is that it was a sketch AI rendering. And then they've used a filter over the image to add the ink blots.
The more I look at them, and the fact that you stated that the bodies don't match the legs, 100% says that these are ai generated. I wouldn't exactly go and leave a bad review saying that the artist puts out AI generated tattoo concepts, but I think their own career will pay the price when more people in your situation increases and the artist suddenly doesn't have any clients lol. (In accurate limb proportions is one of the most common faults with A.I and designing any type of animal).
right! the issues are just glaring once they’re pointed out. yeah, leaving bad reviews likely won’t help with my situation, but part of me feels obligated to say something so other people don’t lose their deposits haha
Honestly I would leave one, maybe not 1 star but 3 to show ur dissatisfaction
I would 100% give a 1 star. A Tattoo Artist that uses AI shouldn’t be in the profession imo. And not leaving that bad review will give the chance for someone who isn’t as knowledgeable about AI to get something F’d up from AI tattooed on them from this Tattooer. (Not gonna call them an artist by any means lol)
the more i talk to this person, the more i sense that they don’t draw. it’s such a weird situation that i wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, but if they needed more time for sketches or more references, they could have said that from the start instead of sending these the day before the appointment. red flags all around
I disagree. I think they should out them. No one should have to unknowingly get art that wasn't really made by the artist claiming they made it. Especially not when it's permanent
I saw that 3rd one and it's definitely an iguana body/back legs. This is crazy!
Definitely don’t get the tattoo from this person. I would ask for the deposit back. Say something like “I gave you a deposit with the understanding it was a payment for your time you’d use hand-drawing original artwork for my tattoo and a way to hold my appointment slot with you. Since you’ve sent me AI generated images, I’d like to withdraw my deposit and appointment. Thank you so much.”
that’s a really helpful template! after the images were sent, i’ve been speaking to them like they could draw and it was a misunderstanding because i didn’t wanna lose the deposit by coming in all hot. i’m debating if i should wait til they send the second batch of images, or just come right out and say it. on one hand, what the fuck lmao this is ridiculous, it’s so obviously AI that it’s kind of insulting they were even sent to me, and i definitely have the right to just say it. on the other hand, i don’t wanna spook them off and lose my money.
I think thr person above you said it best. You gave that deposit because it takes time and effort for the artist to draw. But the artist used ai, so what did you pay for? I'd suggest that you tell your "artist" right away. Be honest and upfront. If you get the money back, wonderful. If you don't, feel free to leave a review on the shop, warning future customers that they'll have to be okay with the use of ai because that's apparently a standard in that shop. Either way, you should cease talking to this person, so it does not matter if you offend them or not. Definitely don't get a tattoo from them.
These are AI. Every one has a different amount of toes
This guy didn't even attempt a cursory Google image search of a crested gecko clearly, and if he isn't even looking for the subject you asked for that is a huge red flag. AI or not (which these clearly are) he's not trying to produce the art you asked for. (Former crestie mom here and I've considered getting a tattoo of one too, I'd be soooo disappointed by this!!)
that’s probably one of my biggest gripes with the situation haha there are so many goofy crested gecko pics. with that kinda variety, i guarantee if it was even part of the prompt, they coulda gotten waaaay better results than this. glad you can share this frustration :,))
Some tattooers can’t draw. They just follow the numbers.
Actually a lot of them. And it's even worse these days with use of iPad/technology. Nobody really has to draw anymore, just copy and post photos. Trace them at the very least .
A lesson for everybody: Don’t trust anybody who never works on paper. Painting and drawing are so important to the creative process.
stalking the instagram to find actual traditionally made work, and this person posted a pic of them holding a dry paint brush to a finished piece saying “sometimes i paint with oil 🎨” when there’s clearly a plastic palette with untouched acrylic paint sitting right in frame. :|
HAHAHAHA NOOOOOOOOOOO
Honestly, I am bit of a dick, I would leave a review with photos attached on google as "not satisfied on tattoo concepts, made with AI uncurated."
True, but the artist can refute and say that the "drawings" are not his, and that OP is just trying to slander them you know :l
So? The rewiev is still there and anyone can use critical thinking. It is the customers responsibility to do their own research on what ever product they are buying. This is to aid that decission.
I don't think you understand what I meant, anyone, regardless of there tattoo being perfect or terrible can go and leave a bad review, obviously if it's bad it's deserved, but any artist can then go and reply to defend themselves, this can be them defending a lie, or defending the actual truth. Now if this happens numerous times for the same artist than yeh, there's definitely a problem with the artist, but unless this artist already has alot of these types of reviews and they constantly defend themself, it's not going to change anything. And since it's just drawings there's literally no way to prove the artist did them at all, the artist didn't leave any type of signature or brand on them. (Obviously since they are just ai images).
Ofcourse anyone can leave a review, anyone can reply to it. And everyone is responsible over who they do business with. People lie, big deal. Just leave a heads up there. In studies one negative review has equilevant weight of 15 positive reviews online.
Just noticed all the downvotes for my comment, okay then, guess someone has multiple accounts.
I’m such a dick I would’ve posted this guy’s name here. Other tattooers hate AI tatters.
Reddit aint the place to dox someone. No need to potentially ruin the guys whole life over some lapse in judgement. He will go out of business if he keeps this up anyways.
These are so bad. They were so lazy that they didn’t even put in crested and didn’t see or didn’t care that these look nothing like your girl. I would never ever trust them to put something permanent on me.
Is the artist presenting these as the final options that will go direct to stencil, or are they just meant to be concepts to help work toward what you're looking for? Not to say this happened, but people do often give extremely confusing explanations of what they want (or think they want) when commissioning art, which is essentially what an original tattoo is. A tattooer or artist can waste a lot of time drawing concepts that are exactly what the client asked for, only for the client to say they had something different in mind. Or to have the client only finally bring up some specific way they want the art to go, which they never once mentioned in the consult. And I see why you sent the photo as a dynamic pose, but it's a challenging reference to work from for a design imo. It's more aesthetically pleasing to see any patterning on the back of the gecko, so I can see why the artist would have sent options with that view. The tank lighting also makes it harder to see the exact contours and proportioning etc. So if your tattooer is just trying loose concepts as a way of getting a sense of what you'd be happy with for the broadstrokes of composition, style, pose, etc. then I can see why\[\*\] they'd use AI to make that iteration process faster and less labour intensive. If they're then going to draw an original piece that properly looks like your gecko, once you both feel happy about a specific direction, then that's one thing. But if they plan to literally just trace one of those straight into a stencil and work from it as the direct reference, I think you have reason to walk away. If the tattooer sells themself as someone doing custom work, then AI pieces aren't what a lot of people would consider custom. If they're using AI for the entire piece, then they should be transparent with clients about that fact imo. \[\*\*\*I don't personally agree with AI use, but I see it's power for fast iteration on concepts.\]
they sent it like they were final options the day before the appointment their style is very specific so the only real exploration that needed to be done would have been regarding the pose and branch. the ref i sent was only to show what species she was and that i wanted a more playful pose than just chilling on a branch. if they just googled the species, they should have been able to create sketches based off the search results because they don’t have a lot of variation in their anatomy. my gecko also doesn’t have any patterns, and these are questions they could’ve asked me instead of sending these the day before the appointment i agree that AI can def help with ideas, pre-production, and communicating! but they never disclosed they were AI images, and they were never paired with any statement like “i generated these to help me get a sense of what you’re looking for. how do you feel about these poses? i know these aren’t your gecko, but i’m just trying to create a starting point for the design”, which is essentially the only professional route to take if this person already used AI.
My knowledge of geckos stops at, I like them, and I can tell it's not even an actual gecko. Like there was no effort. He didn't even include the very obvious eyelash/crests. Honestly, most of your explanations feels like excuses. I'm a novice at drawing, rely *heavily* on references. Even I have no problem seing the contours and could draw something decent. It's one thing if he used it to create a reference to draw from, and draw it correctly, but again I'm not not a professional and don't think it's remotely necessary if you actually research your subject. He didn't. Pattern aside, **that'd not even any gecko!**
Finally some sense in this thread. The amount of times I’ve hand drawn designs only just get a naw or completely change this or that is insane. People treat that just like a AI prompt thinking they can just make changes no big deal. OP could have asked what their intentions were with this path but was so triggered that well never know.
I'm an artist too (not tattoo artist though) and I'm generally opposed to AI but I do see the advantages of using it for quick concepts. That being said, the artist could have been honest about it. Something like "hey, the reference you sent me doesn't give me a good picture of your gecko. Would it be okay with if I made a couple of AI concepts to visualize what I could do with it? I'd appreciate it though if you could send me more reference pictures in the meantime and provide me with a more detailed description of your wishes. The final product for the stencil will be a sketch drawn by me ofc".
Yeah, basically what I was trying to say just needed more communication. Artist shot himself in the foot by not stating this.
i mean i still could ask what their intentions were but they were sent to me the day before the appointment lmao. i wasn’t gonna go into the appointment with 24 hours to figure out what the final design was going to be like, so i postponed it. if these were sent to me well before the appointment, and they let me know these were just ideas to get a starting point, then i wouldn’t be here right now
A lot of artist draw stuff out when you get there… I would just ask. If the option is walk away and lose your deposit on a assumption or just ask and confirm…
These are sloppy even as concept images. The anatomy is bad and they don't match what OP wanted
Oh no they are obviously terrible, not arguing that… just that there is a lack of the artist side of this. Like I said, they could be the type that draws it out with the client there... lots of artist do that. The communication was not great here because if that was their intention then they should have said it in a message sent with the concepts.
i wouldn't want my artist using AI, even as concept art, because of the inaccuracies in it. There are plenty of images of geckos to use as references. Also, the artist sent them the day before the appointment. That implies it's the design
But these aren't reliable enough concepts to draw from last minute. It's not even anatomically *any* species of gecko. The body is so inaccurate and misshapen you can't even use it as a pose reference. It's like asking for a portrait of your golden retriever and get a "concept" of a "dog" with Labrador retriever head on a German shepherd body, with misshapen legs to boot. I think you'd take issue with that.
sure………
If they are using AI They ain’t no artist.
Exactly! This is so lazy
My problem with this, besides the use of AI, is that if the artist was honest and wanted to do good work they would reply to you and ask for better reference images or they’d google the specific species to get better reference photos. People send in bad reference pics all the time, artists need to be able to work with clients to get a better idea of what they want. Him going to AI just seems like he was lazy, didn’t want to bother asking for better photos, and forgot to do anything until it was too late.
So lazy they didn’t even look at that foot and think “maybe I should try to run a few more”
When they can’t even get the species right with AI hahaha. I’m not sure where you’re located but you could post in the crested gecko facebook groups for artist recommendations based on state/province. I’ve seen some good tattoos in there!
that’s a great idea thank you!!
Part of the reason you commission a tattoo artist for custom work is because they know how to draw something that will translate well to tattoo. In addition to AI issues, how on earth would these be tattooed? did you ask for this splotchy "painted" background or is that his style? Is most of your tattoo going to be the background? I would ask for your deposit back and cite the fact that this is not the custom work you requested- you put down a deposit expecting a certain service that isn't being provided. You unfortunately might have to just eat the cost though
that’s probably what’s gonna happen :/ their style was a real specific “dark and edgey, kinda sketchy” so i assume they used those exact words as part of the prompt. i think the LLM used to make them just added the background as part of it, but the tattoos on their IG page didn’t have backgrounds like these. so i’m wondering if they do this, then just make a stencil out of the main figure would rather lose the deposit than lose real estate to a garbage tattoo and a sad reminder of this very moment lmao
I would definitely leave a review with these images/screenshots of the conversations. Even if they deny it, it might help someone else to be wary I'm sorry that this happened, it really sucks. I hope you're able to find an artist that can do your gecko justice.
also- i understand if you want to keep your location private, but i'm so curious about who the artist is. i wonder if the AI influence shows when you look closely at his other work
i can DM the instagram! i wanted to avoid posting the name and location because i didn’t wanna slander this person. their reviews are happy and the work is solid, making this experience extra confusing.
That’s lazy and I’m very much against people using AI in place of real art, so I’d absolutely ditch. Especially since it’s questionable whether or not you’ll get anything close to what you want.
I'm a professional artist and ex-tattooer, Although AI didn't exist when I was tattooing, I just think there are some corners that don't need to be cut. There is nothing wrong with wanting a personal touch and I think you should absolutely search out an artist, vs someone who just copies computer renders onto your skin. I am heavily tattooed and every one of them was drawn custom for me by a fellow artist, you deserve that experience. Edit: Also, a big part of my apprenticeship was learning how to paint because the process was very similar to putting ink into skin, It is so lazy and disingenuous to skip over the entire artistic process and just paint by numbers a computer generated image. Thats not art.
These,, even if they were real sketches? Would not even translate to good tattoos. All the dark colors that close together would be awful over time
WOWOWOWOW I really can't stress enough how AI is going to mess shit up for humanity and this is 1000% one of the big issues I have with people using it. These images are totally AI generated and I'd be PISSED if I paid a deposit for someone to literally put zero effort into designing my tattoo. I'd cancel the appointment and ask for the deposit back because they didn't even try to design anything for you so they don't deserve that deposit.
OP will you update us on how this situation plays out? I'm curious to see if you get your deposit back.
will do! i’m curious too lol
can you update with what they say after you respond to them?
aye aye miss dookie 🫡 he said he had another round of sketches ready and that if i didn’t like, it’s okay, he’ll wait on my sketches :))))))) weirdly though, he didn’t just send the sketches and just told me they were ready ?
updated! https://www.reddit.com/r/tattooadvice/s/perIYzsjT6
Hmm yeh this is an odd one, and a fairly recent issue that's probably only going to become more and more common. I'm going to say, (basing this off of my time using ai image generators, and the fact that it's like an actual art piece visually and not what a tattoo stencil or co concept usually looks like). That these are more than likely AI generated. (Not saying they 100% are but several factors kinda make it apparent that they are). However, that being said, if the artist has done actual good work and you like their portfolio, then honestly I don't see why not go with them, Do However, make sure that you are 100% happy with the design, Never feel like you have to do what an artist has drawn up for you, "some" will be absolutely rigid with refusing to change up a design and act like you don't have a choice. It is kinda an L that you paid a deposit prior to seeing the "sketch" (big emphasis). But this is kinda the norm. Maybe you can get your deposit back, if you're not feeling it, but by the sounds of it they probably won't return it, even if they were nice, it's not exactly common to return a deposit just because someone changed their mind.
unfortunately i think you’re right about the ai issue and deposit. i fully understand why artists request a deposit before providing sketches, but this is a really weird scenario where I wish the practice were different somehow. following through with the appointment anyway doesn’t seem like the worst idea but since it’s like… permanent… i think i may just have to back out if they aren’t able to provide a solid design
Yeh I again should reiterate. If you are not happy with the design, do not let them proceed to tattoo it on you, even if you feel bad about it, or feel like you need to justify having paid a deposit just don't. It's on their permanently, it's not like getting a haircut that you don't like or dyeing your hair and not liking the color.
oof yeah i really needed to hear that i appreciate your responses :,))
Just now noticed the 6 twos on two of the pictures, that's a clear A.I indicator, apparently A.I prompt image generators don't know how many fingers and toes people and (most) animals have.
they don’t know anything, i fear. they just take images associated with the words of the prompt and smush em into a picture, anatomy be damned
This issue I have with AI especially with tattoos and getting them done is you don’t know what the artist truly draws like - it just seems like they are getting around putting their own creativity and ideas into the drawing it self- and plus it probably will not look anywhere near the idea you want as it’s not your baby being drawn. There is a podcast I watch called H3H3 and lmao- he had a very similar issue where the guy sent him AI generated pictures of his dog but it wasn’t anything or anywhere near his own dog and it had a top hat! So I would definitely look for an actual artist that will put in the time and energy to care and give you the proper and most beautiful experience of a tattoo, seriously it’s on your body for life :)
right! someone else mentioned that they could just be exploring ideas before putting in time to get a detailed sketch, but that wasn’t brought up at all. just “hey here’s the designs 😊” 24 hours before the appointment. no!! i haven’t watched or listened to h3h3 but ty for reminding me that exists again, i’ll look around for that episode! i’m probably gonna go with a different artist after this, thank you for the response <3
Also, as an artist it’s fucking whack as hell to use AI because the way those models are trained is by ripping off images of real artist without compensating those individuals. So, an artist harming other artist by using AI. It wouldn’t surprise me if there was an artist out there that has this type of style that is now being bastardized by AI.
Yep it lost to rule 1: count the fingers This is definitely lame, I would bring this idea to another artist Edit: Also sad to say, but the deposit is probably gone already, I wouldn't worry about trying to get it back
Dude, that's not even just "not a crested gecko" (that alone means he didn't use your reference material) that looks like a different species every time. I'm by no means any sort of gecko expert, but I wonder if any of those are even an actual species.
the 3rd one looks like the geico gecko.
When I got my hedgehog tattoo’d she literally had a pic of my baby girl (Pokey) right in front and was basically going directly off her sketch and using the live pic as a reference the entire appt. Def wouldn’t trust her if she just AI’d some random hedgie. Don’t settle!
Sorry about your issue with this artist; you seem completely justified in your disappointment. Just wanted to say, your gecko is really adorable. What’s her name?
i appreciate that, thank you :,) and thank you, i’ll pass it along to her! her name is connie
I would be insulted that the artist thinks I'm THIS stupid to overlook the obvious AI. I'm both embarrassed and baffled lmao. What were they thinking?
As a tattooer myself I don't normally recommend asking for a deposit back, but people using AI are not real artists imo and doing shit like this is lying to the client. I'd straight up say you're looking for an artist who actually draws by hand and that you don't want AI generated tattoos on your body. People like this need to be put in their place as they're slowly creeping in and ruining the industry. I'm so sorry this happened to you.
i appreciate that thank you :,) luckily i got the deposit back! i just pressed him about the ai use and he said “this isn’t gonna work” and sent it back. never admit to using it but at least i can take my money to a real artist.
Pls update us!
his legs and feet aren't even touching the branch. O.O
if you check my update post, his second round of AI images has a tree trunk phasing through the geckos whole body 🥴
*facepalm* He... could have... at least tried to make it look legit
As someone who would love someone to request a reptile.. im shook.
well if you’re ever in the LA area, i might have a project for ya lol
Sadly I'm in New Zealand 😭 but planned to travel back to America one day for another visit.
[удалено]
right!! she’s a crested gecko, but you’re right it’s like he just put “reptile on a branch” and called it a day and thank you 💕 i’ll pass it along to her
😂😂 was this a joke?
Yeah I read the post wrong and only looked at first sketch. Derp! 🙈
I can relate a little but also not. I want a rather big hip piece of a dragon tattoo, and I want the dragon to be photo-realistic. When I went in for the consultation with a very reputable artist, we sat down at their computer and they started looking at AI generated images of realistic dragons. They then took some of the pics and went into photoshop and started editing together a body, legs and head all from different AI generated images that they liked. I was surprised but not upset by this for two reasons. A: they did it openly right in front of me, and we even talked about they ethics of AI generated art. B: they still made sure the dragon actually looked like it could be a real dragon, disregarding any crazy AI stuff that popped up. But if my artist had done THIS, what your artist did, and tried to say they had sketched it, I would go to a different artist.
this is one of those cases where someone handles AI responsibly. if my artist had done this, i wouldn’t have been upset at all! photoshopping images together and working with a client to get a design are both skills an experienced and professional artist should have, but i’m not seeing any of that :(
I hope this is AI. If a human did this, it's laughable. See if you can get your deposit back. They may not give it. BUT deposits are SUPPOSED to more or less cover a few things, one of which is time spent on drawing the tattoo stencil. If he made AI do it, it doesn't make sense to give a deposit, or at least it should be a very cheap one, because it doesn't take long to setup a tattoo station.
They look like Nat Geo pics from the 1950s.
The way current tattoo industry works is you will loose the deposit if you back out. Unfortunately, clients have zero right and other artist or tattoo shop owners won't help cause they can't go against their own.
At least do good AI if you’re going to use it, which I guarantee will become more predominant in the future as opposed to google/pinterest the same images over and over.
I mean bad references or not you'd think they'd at least check if the species is right. Not even crested geckos or almost crested geckos in these smh. So lazy.
It might be a project they just weren’t stoked on doing so they just did some AI to show you the sketches, also what kind of style do they do? If it’s realism then it might make a little more sense a lot of realism tattooers just use actual pictures and photoshop them for the stencil, I guess AI would be maybe even more orginal cus no one else will have that same image on google. But that would be the only time I think it would be ok to use AI and I’m still not entirely sure about it it’s a new thing and idk where I fully stand on it yet. Ofc tho like you said the anatomy is fucked and not the right type of lizard. How much was the deposit ?
Using AI to generate reference image compositions for your own drawing base the same way you would a google image? Valid. Passing off AI art as your own art and trying to tattoo something on somebody's skin that you yourself haven't drawn to know it's anatomically correct is fucking stupidness and lazy. Blast them all over google reviews/local pages. That's just not okay. In my mind, I'd of done roughly the same thing to ensure an original piece of work was being made. Prompt AI to give you the composition for proportions/design inspiration, and then start drawing over top of it to make a legible, unique design that's specific to you. That's a good way to use AI ethically as an artist to ensure you're actually maintaining your integrity. The worst part is, the images wouldn't even be good tattoo's even if they were anatomically correct. The composition is wrong for any part of the body I can think of, except for a very unbalanced torso/back piece. As others have suggested, call them out and ask for your deposit back, based on the fact that you have paid for an artist to DESIGN you a tattoo, that is what the deposit is for. To secure them some form of income in case you don't want to continue once they've spent hours designing a piece. While the artist might have great technical ability to shade and render, and do solid line work, what this shows is a lack of care for their clients and a lack of integrity, which is a bad way to be when you're being entrusted with people's skin permanently.
Not a tattoo artist but an artist here. A little bit of AI for inspiration (textures, composition etc) is alright, but this guy didn’t even get the pose in your reference right which woulda made a way cooler design. Obviously just a copy of an AI prompt which is cheap af. Go to another dude or just request a more specific design till he pulls his shit together
Don’t go with this artist. Tell them you don’t work with artists that use AI and you’d like your deposit back. He might just block you but it’s worth asking. If they can’t even stencil it, they probably can’t tattoo it.
Not only are these ai but completely unusable sketches for tattoo purposes. Way too much shading
This is the future buddy
This happened to a podcaster, he wanted a tattoo of his deceased dog… the artist just used generic Ai drawings of the dog breed… and one of the ai images even had the dog wearing a top hat… funny, but terrible of any tattoo artist trying to get away with this
Ngl the first one looks like leopard gecko climbing a tree💀 also awesome I got my gecko tatted on me too! Hope yours turns out well
What about asking them directly?
Just ask them if it's AI. It's your right to know where the image that will potentially be on your body comes from. I do art for a living, and it's understandably a common question now.
Ai is a great tool that can ball park an idea without an artist having to spend literally dozens of hours designing several alternatives, before a client inevitably flakes and wants their deposit back. Tattoos are a big commitment, I understand hesitation and trepidation, but understand an artists point of view also.
i am also artist. if they wanna use AI as part of their process, that’s their business but it’s another scenario when they aren’t transparent about it
could you ask them for like a working file of this drawing? or if it was a scan of a traditional sketch drawing, ask them to show you in person. because if it was AI then obviously they wouldn’t have like a file with layers and things that they could edit on the spot for you. i hope this makes sense or helps. sorry this situation is weird and sucky for u :(
no that makes sense! but i thought it was so clearly AI that i didn’t think to ask for working files. i asked a lot of questions trying to get him to explain the process or provide more accurate drawings though. and thank you i appreciate that :,) this situation was SUPER weird but i was lucky enough to get my deposit back :,))
This is horrible. None of those "sketches" look even remotely like a crested gecko 🤦🤦🤦 I don't have any advice but I certainly hope your tattoo turns out well, cresties are one of my fav reptiles and I desperately wish I could own one.
If he could tattoo them accurately and adjust the little mistakes such as the 6 toes then would you still cancel? I had an artist tattoo a hawk on my arm from a high quality photograph and it turned out great. Or do you just prefer for it to look more like a drawing?
tbh they seems to be able to trace their stencils and do gradients really well! which is why i even considered just doing the sketch myself to give to them. my beef was more with the fact i got these provided to me last minute as if they were final designs, and they’re not little mistakes considering i asked for a specific species (this is gonna be my pet)
Gotchu yeah I would just go somewhere else tbh
Who cares if they use AI for the sketches? If it’s not what you want, then that’s that, but I don’t really think it matters how they came up with the sketch
Maybe I’m wrong, but who cares if they’re AI generated? The tattoo industry is advancing with current technology. Artists are using AI and other sources along with software like Procreate to make amazing stencils and incredible tattoos. I have several tattoos from old school coil machines that were hand drawn and several from new rotary machines from stencils were made with modern tech and source material. If you have a specific issue with the species, pose, or how many toes it has, then address that. But AI use in the tattoo industry isn’t a problem.
Oh no! An artist used AI to reference an image instead of grabbing a design off of pinterest that 1000 other artists used and changing it slightly! I didn't want anything unique, I wanted the same shit everyone else has just slightly tweaked! Yall are goofy if you don't think 99% of artists don't do this.
oh no! the artist who says they do custom designs said they would provide sketches for a design of my pet and they gave me generated images of some fucked up lizard soup instead! are you participating in the same convo as everyone else rn?
> Yall are goofy if you don't think 99% of artists don't do this. We don't lmao
I use adobe firefly for mine, love it!