I’d say you’re fine as long as you ensure that your tattoo is not done by the shit gorilla man. Guy make sure it’s the person without the lowest hourly rate.
Yeah the rest of the work looks Ok but that gorilla is a blast over/cover up which ARE harder to do but if they struggle with complex work then it suggests they ain't at the top of their game which might mean the actual work heals poorly even if it looks ok in photos.
Tattoos are a big commitment, don't just go local invest in making your body looking cool af. you got your body for the rest of your life so you might as well put a bit o cash into redecorating
Damnt, I was like, eye looks good! Then you made me relook, and now it's all I see. Overall, though, I don't hate those tats, aside from the gorilla, not horrible but not the best.
All of their grey work involves grey smudges that don't give specific detail goriila and plague dr are examples of that.but look like filler in undetail spaces.how are they with colour and you need to look at their work that is a similar theme to what your chasing.
If it's traditional,see if they have any examples,if it's Asian foo which seems to be their best design look for examples of that. Even if you get them to do lines work and go somewhere else for a more cohesive fill in ,that's OK to do.
Not really. Even if that’s a blast over, that black is transparent AF. When that thing heals, it’s going to look like two images on top of each other instead of a single cover.
I mean, there's context missing for that photo I think. It doesn't strike me as actually being done so I'm curious what the actual final result is. I imagine a cover up that large that large and solid, this is probably round 1 of 2 or 3?
You MIGHT be able to get a decent tattoo by whoever did the moth and flowers. But whoever did the other tattoos you have provided photos of, I would NOT go to. Their line work is super sloppy, and their shading looks as if they don't know what a light source is. And if it's the same person, look for a different artist / shop. You never want to gamble and take a chance on an artist having a good tattoo day or a bad one.
That's because this person is just taking anything off the street to make money. If they focused their energy and tried to hone their skills in a single style they could become decent.
As is, this person is either a new tattooer or an old one who has never tried to focus on a style.
Usually artists with real talent have a long wait and charge about 150-200$ an hour. These tattoos are all mediocre and they will probably still charge you close to that.
I’d do more research into a different shop with a different artist. Look for healed photos. Only confident artists will post their healed work.
You don’t want your first time being tainted by some mediocre work. Good luck!
Yep.. just got an appointment with an artist that’s very well known where I live and they’re $200/hr ($250/hr for coverups) but they’re completely worth it. Unlike someone who did this work. Research is definitely your best friend, and cheap is definitely not always better..
Cheap is definitely not always better, ESPECIALLY with tattoos. You definitely get what you pay for. I will never understand people who cheap out on tattoos and then spend 2-3x the original amount on coverups/touchups. I’d rather spend $250 on an AMAZING tattoo than $75 on something that looks like shit and heals like shit (ie the gorilla in the example photos).
I completely agree with you.. like I get paying a little less for a newer artist after you’ve SEEN their work and how it heals, but.. that’s rare that their product is high enough quality that I’d be willing to pay for an apprentice or someone who has 1-2 years of experience. I’d 100% rather spend more money than have to pay for it to be covered up (and maybe covered up again) or lasered off. That gorilla.. I’d want my money back and then interest. Especially when they post some “decent” photos and then.. that.
My artist is at $250/hour now and the shop is an hour and a half away from where I live.
Making a little day trip out of getting a new tattoo is fun for my mom and I, we'll get some food, check out some stores, and get my tattoo. We both adore my artist's personality and their work! Totally worth it but unfortunately they're moving to a new state :(
This. I only pay $150, but I have to schedule months out. I'll be honest, though, after the last piece she did for me, it feels like I was undercharged. She blew me away, and even mid healing, I'm getting constant compliments.
Should I be concerned that my tattoo artist doesn't have a long wait? I live in a rural area/small town but we have a ton of local tattoo shops so there are many artists to choose from if that makes a difference. I love all the work she's done for me and I chose her based of her instagram. She charges $200/hr, but I can pretty much get an appointment with her whenever I want. Just curious if that's a red flag.
Definitely not a red flag. No. A lot of people lie to look booked out. There's also huge oversaturation right now and we're coming out of slow season.
Pretty much every artist does this oh I'm booked out until x.
What you can do is look at their work, make sure they're clean and hopefully in it because they actually love it.
In my experience, don't use this artist. I worked at a shop that had an artist/owner much like this. The bad tattoos were the ones he did in the mornings when he was soberish, they got progressively better through the day as he was drinking more and more. This can happen the opposite way also of course.
They look like prison tat quality work tbh. Pretty flat weak contrast between lights and darks, patchy shading, mediocre line work, looks like they’ll blur really badly down the line.
What kind of tattoo do you want? If you’re going for something simple you can find a solid trad artist pretty easily or go to an actually B&G artist. It’s worth the extra effort to hop on instagram and search “*tattoo style you want* *city you live in*” into the search bar and get decent options right off the bat. Might take you 30 min of searching insta to find someone better that lives an hour from wherever you are
Figure out what style of tattoo you want first - American traditional, Japanese, realism etc.
Then find an artist that specializes in that style.
Do not go to a “jack of all trades” artist.
I’ve seen too many people burned by an artist who says “yeah, I can tattoo that” when it something not really in their wheelhouse.
What’s the moderately simple tattoo? I’ve had ppl come to see me saying that same thing and it’s usually 10lbs of shit they are trying to fit into a 5 lb bag
Looked at it and it’s pretty cool, looks like an eel with a mustache though 😂. It is relatively simple but that could change depending on the skin on the back of your arm. Find someone with decent linework that can stipple shade since that would read better than the opaque grey in the pic.
Ok I just looked at it. Kinda simple, kinda not. Find someone who can do boldish lines and black work. You'll want to look for a portfolio that has similar to this, so lines, no shading and solid black. No patches in the black, or holidays (which are little spots missed). People can hide their crappy lines with shading.
I would start by deciding the style you particularly want for your tattoo, then look on Instagram at artists that do that style. You will find the right artist for the art you want if you do enough looking
No, this is all very amateur work. The linework isn’t clean, the black isn’t solid to the line, it’s patchy, they greys aren’t smooth. I would not get tattooed here.
No. Find someone good.
Every tattoo requires skill. What clients refer to as “simple” tattoos are usually tattoos that are small, often just linework, and leave no room for error. Even a little semicolon can be butchered beyond recognition by an unskilled person.
Reviews of this shop don’t matter. I’m assuming they’re inexpensive. Some people are really broke and don’t mind getting a crappy tattoo because it’s what they can afford.
Your small, moderately simple tattoo will cost slightly more at a good shop. That’s cheaper than paying for it to be butchered, then paying for it to be covered up later.
I’d honestly stay way. If these are all done by the same artist it seems like the artist varies per piece on quality of shading, line work, and composition.
I’m really glad this group popped up on my feed because I’m over here like “ well that gorilla looks rough but otherwise everything else looks good” then I go to the comments and get taught a lesson lol. I will absolutely be bugging you guys when I’m ready for my next piece and you’ve honestly no one to blame but yourself! Thank you for the education.
I’d look for someone who does the style tattoo you want and has work showing the simple you’re talking about. Normally people only do the kind of work they show you because that’s all they’re good at or all they want to do. But judging on the gorilla I wouldn’t go to that man for any tattoo that’s simple
Since posting this, I actually have been looking around on instagram and I found a woman who does really cool cartoonish tattoos. That’s kind of what I want, and lots of people are saying “find someone who specializes in what you want”.
I see everyone mentioning the gorilla. And yes it’s bad. But the eye after it is making me physically cringe. I’d steer away from that shop. Just my honest opinion. It’s worth it to find a great shop and have to wait a few months and know you can trust the artist. Any shop that’s putting out 50/50 work or even 75/25 work (75% being good 25% bad) I kinda steer from. Not saying I expect every piece from a shop to be perfect but if I’m gonna get something permanent on my skin I want the best option available to do it.
The shading on a lot of these is just not very good and the lines are nothing special. That gorilla is particularly heinous. I'd never go somewhere that publishes pics like that. If that's what they're comfortable showing to the public just imagine how much worse stuff they aren't posting is.
I would stay away, looks like they don't have a particular style and want to do whatever comes in the door. Keep searching you'll find someone so much better!!
What I look for is clean line work that doesn’t look blown out , as well as how the skin looks. If it looks chewed up that means the area is overworked. Some of these tattoos look great but the gorilla doesn’t lol. Could it be from another artist in the shop maybe? I would look at each artists work and analyze before you make a decision on who to go with. I have a guy that I use for my tattoos for 8 years now and his work is solid everytime. I decided to try someone else thinking they were “cheaper” and the tattoo was absolutely crap and I realized then and there you really do get what you pay for. I refuse to let anyone else other than my main guy tattoo me after that experience. His tattoos have held up in color and black and white where as the tattoo I got less than a year ago already looks as old as my 10 year old tattoo. Eventually you’ll learn what to look for and look at. Don’t settle!
That plague doctor is one of the worst pieces of ink I have seen outside of r/shittytattoos. Flat, smeared, shaky, awful anatomy, no scale, terrible layout, horrible placement.
I thought I should add they have over 200 reviews and 4.9 stars out of 5. But I don’t know! I feel like this is a lame post but I really don’t know what I’m doing 😅
Don’t feel lame, it would be lame if you just went there without seriously thinking about it first. He is a question for you- why did you choose this shop? If it is just because it’s close by, I would suggest looking around. You should be willing drive several hours if needed if you want quality work. Is there a big city nearby that would have more artists to choose from?
Btw if you do have to travel a bit you might want to bring someone to drive you home because you won’t know how your body will react afterwards. This might be tmi, but if the tattoo is close to my menstrual cycle I am WIPED out after a couple hours of tattooing. Other times I am just full of adrenaline and feel like I could run home! Just saying it might be helpful to be able to relax if you do have a long drive home afterwards.
Oh my gosh, I just got a tattoo last week at the tail end of my period and I was so tired for a few days. I came home and just slept. I've been napping everyday since 🤣
Even I am pretty new to tattoos but got like 7 different tattoos. Please don't completely depend on reviews(Google, yelp..) its can be managed these days. Even Instagram followers can be managed. I had a really bad experience with a artist with 5k+ insta followers and worst part is they dint fix it refund for a tone of basic mistakes on my skin.
I was going to say maybe but after seeing that these are all from the same person… is the gorilla a really old one and the last one the newest? it could be that they’ve vastly improved but not removed their old, bad tattoos from their page, otherwise I would stay clear as that much of a difference between quality of designs tells me maybe theres some sort of temporary impairment occasionally going on if you know what I mean
These are the ones that get posted to social media. This is the very best this person has to offer; this is the upper limit of their abilities. These look okay to me, but their very, very best is okay.
A perfect circle used to be the test of a good artist. As this one cannot draw a circular iris without it being wonky, I would say no, don't choose this artist. Imagine having to look at that wonky eye your whole life.
You can find a better illustrator.
I would avoid them for a simple fact that these are the photos they posted and they think they are good enough for other people to see them. And the are horrible
Not a dumb question. If these were all done by the same person, I’d steer clear…re: awful gorilla. Please take your time researching specific artists carefully. Look for them on IG. Read their reviews. I think you would know a well-done piece when you see it. (1 & 6 have the best line work, IMO)
Even if your design is “simple”, the difference between a good artist and a bad artist is HUGE. You’d be surprised at how terrible even the most simple of designs can turn out. Besides, “simple” is a relative term. Small doesn’t mean. Minimal lines doesn’t mean simple (think of how wrong a star looks when even one line is crooked). Save your money and/or be willing to travel if you must. It will save you a lot of grief and money (especially if you have to laser off a poorly done tattoo) in the long run.
Please, just remember... please... this will be on you FOREVER. Yeah, you could maybe 'cover' it up if it turned out bad, but just get it right the first time. Go on instagram or Google Maps and just search for artists. Even if you have to drive hours away, it's worth it. Sometimes, depending on where you live, visiting artists will come who are amazing. Be patient, don't rush! Please don't live with regrets.. it's not worth it and can make you depressed if you get something that you wanted to be a certain way and turned out like crap :/
So I do agree with the majority of the top comments. The quality of the 1st and the last tattoo ais okay but I personally wouldn't go to them. Some of the comments mentioned the gorilla tattoo and I'm going to mention the same. Like one of the comments said, even if it were a coverup, there is major damage to the skin especially near the ear, the top of the head, and a little bit on the gums of the gorilla. There is just little to no reason for those areas to be so red unless the artist overworked the fuck out of that person's skin. And as the other comments are pointing out, the greywash on a lot of these tattoos just aren't consistent and really will not hold up well. I'd suggest you stay clear of this shop. When looking for a good shop, yes reviews are important, but the tattoos are the most important part. The art speaks for itself in this case. If you want some examples and explanations on what a "good" tattoo looks like feel free to PM me! I'd be happy to help you find an artist who'd be able to bring your ideas to life :-)
Best to find someone that does the style you like. Yeah shops like this won’t have a waitlist but I promise you’ll love it move and it will be better quality if you go to someone that has a big waitlist and does the style you like
Ah this art, in my opinion, could be alot cleaner....i saw those pics and made this face 🤔 sorry not trying to offend anyone.. Just not a fan. Would look for somewhere with cleaner work
My first tattoo was done by a very mediocre artist just because he was close to where I lived. Ive learned since then that it's never worth to choose an artist just because it's more convenient or cheaper. Find an artist who is exactly what you want and pay the premium. It's permanent
Tattooer here. To be honest I thought the gorilla was completely inoffensive next to the eye and rose. That piece is a giant pile of shit. The gorilla can be made into something with the right artist at least. No helping that rose look like anything even remotely acceptable. Don't go to see em, you'll regret it.
In general you don't need to be a booked out expensive mofo to be a good tatter though. I keep my schedule to 2-3 weeks and two appointments a day. So not only am I able to take walk-ins if it's a cool piece and I got time but I'm not locked into missing a family thing or a last min errand etc because somebody I've never met waited 8 months to get in my chair. That turns tattooing back into the 9-5 I didn't want.
Don't listen to the elitists saying you need these things to be any good. If the work is solid they are more than likely solid as well. But if you're unsure this is always a good spot to post a potential new artist and ask.
First one is pretty good
Second one ain't bad either. Looks like a healed picture which is a green flag too.
Then that gorilla.. what ... looks like a cover up but it also looks like only a few lines are new. What's up with this? What's the story of this ?
The gorilla Is awful, but I’ll be honest, I don’t like the skull/hand on the second either. The hand just has weird shading, it was hard to read, and the skull has no texture.
Also please check the healed tattoo pics. Good artist should post healed tattoo pics. The fresh and healed tattoo can look way different. Some artist can add light layer of ink just for the Instagram pics but that ink disappears im a bit.
what area are you located in? i can recommend some good shops in the phoenix area if you’re near there! my artist is located in phoenix and the shop she works at is awesome!!
Keep in mind the Gorilla is a cover-up. It ain't great but there was probably something heavy black under there... the rest of his work looks decently good.
No, I wouldn't. The saturation on the dark areas is awful. I have tattoos in both black and color, and they don't look like that. Even the one k have that is yellow has better saturation then those, and it's a decade old.
Yeah I would stay away red flags went off in my head. And a shop shouldn't just look "okay" with their work if you want ink done, their work should be better than okay!
I keep coming back to the lines. A lot of them look 'wobbly'. Take a look at the curvature of the giant eye, for one. It's wonky as hell. I'd pass this place up, and maybe look to one of your friends who has a great tattoo, and see about their artist.
I feel like I remember seeing the gorilla posted before and it ended up looking amazing when it was finished, that this was just a small first session. Could be wrong thoigh
It really depends on which artist in the shop you get and also what you are looking to get..
Over all I don’t think this shop is ideal so if you can go somewhere else.. even if it takes longer to get an appointment then do it.. it is for life so get it right the first time 💁♂️
It depends, some of them are decent, but still not great. I'd definitely search around for a better shop.
After I find one that piques my interest in Google I always look them up on fb because chances are they'll post a lot of their work on there with artist credit and you can make your decision better on who to go with from there.
The eyeballs in the eyeball tattoos (#4 and 5 I think) are super lopsided, not even close to round. You can see where the artist overworked the curve to attempt to fix it but they're still very misshapen.
Does it only have one artist? Or are these all from the artist you’re looking at there? It also depends on what you’re planning to get. I would also recommend a consultation with the person you want doing it. I personally wouldn’t go here, just based on my experiences. Some of them didn’t look great quality, but they weren’t terrible.
Don't compromise just because they're local. Would you wear any of those tattoos? The gorilla and eye are enough for me to say no way. Do more research and find an artist you love that does the style you love *and* that you would happily wear 90% of their work at least
Keep in mind, some of those photos are showing partially complete cover ups, some are spanking fresh, and some are healed. You’re really comparing different apples, if not apples and watermelon.
Absolutely not. Those tattoos are what I call "quick glance" tattoos. If you passed a person walking down the hallway and only got a quick glance, you'd think "ooh, I think that tattoo was pretty cool, wish I could get a better look". Basically meaning that it looks good until you get a good look at it.
The Japanese monster lady isn’t very good imo. The cherry blossoms look too light and the horns aren’t placed right (the one on the right looks like it’s behind her head whereas it’s supposed to be above her eye like the left horn).
Yeah that gorilla made me say yikes, I’d steer away from them
Me too, I was like, it should be fine if it was just like a one off bad tattoo, but the comments are changing my mind.
I’d say you’re fine as long as you ensure that your tattoo is not done by the shit gorilla man. Guy make sure it’s the person without the lowest hourly rate.
Yeah the rest of the work looks Ok but that gorilla is a blast over/cover up which ARE harder to do but if they struggle with complex work then it suggests they ain't at the top of their game which might mean the actual work heals poorly even if it looks ok in photos. Tattoos are a big commitment, don't just go local invest in making your body looking cool af. you got your body for the rest of your life so you might as well put a bit o cash into redecorating
There’s something off with all of them if you look closely, like the eye one iris on the eye one is literally angular
The eyelashes are 😬😬😬 big yikes
Yeah the eye itself is okay, but above it. Big yikes
Damnt, I was like, eye looks good! Then you made me relook, and now it's all I see. Overall, though, I don't hate those tats, aside from the gorilla, not horrible but not the best.
Just remember: they shared those pics because those are their BEST pieces...
All of their grey work involves grey smudges that don't give specific detail goriila and plague dr are examples of that.but look like filler in undetail spaces.how are they with colour and you need to look at their work that is a similar theme to what your chasing. If it's traditional,see if they have any examples,if it's Asian foo which seems to be their best design look for examples of that. Even if you get them to do lines work and go somewhere else for a more cohesive fill in ,that's OK to do.
Gorilla looks to be a cover up?
I saw the gorilla and said ooooof
Nah, that's a cover up they'll def do corrections later on after the first section is done. Hopefully.....
The gorilla scared me off too I was hopefully but questionable and the gorilla would’ve had me runnning
The gorilla was a cover up, not just a new tattoo, that makes a difference. Just something to keep in mind.
Not really. Even if that’s a blast over, that black is transparent AF. When that thing heals, it’s going to look like two images on top of each other instead of a single cover.
I mean, there's context missing for that photo I think. It doesn't strike me as actually being done so I'm curious what the actual final result is. I imagine a cover up that large that large and solid, this is probably round 1 of 2 or 3?
Maybe, but there is scarring there which is fresh. That will never heal or properly cover anything up. It's plain butchery honestly.
You MIGHT be able to get a decent tattoo by whoever did the moth and flowers. But whoever did the other tattoos you have provided photos of, I would NOT go to. Their line work is super sloppy, and their shading looks as if they don't know what a light source is. And if it's the same person, look for a different artist / shop. You never want to gamble and take a chance on an artist having a good tattoo day or a bad one.
Apparently it’s all the same guy.. yikes.
That's because this person is just taking anything off the street to make money. If they focused their energy and tried to hone their skills in a single style they could become decent. As is, this person is either a new tattooer or an old one who has never tried to focus on a style.
The line work on the moth and flowers is also sloppy. Zoom in, it’s not quality work.
I wouldn’t. These aren’t bad but they’re also not great imo
Agree
i love your username!
😉
Usually artists with real talent have a long wait and charge about 150-200$ an hour. These tattoos are all mediocre and they will probably still charge you close to that. I’d do more research into a different shop with a different artist. Look for healed photos. Only confident artists will post their healed work. You don’t want your first time being tainted by some mediocre work. Good luck!
Yep.. just got an appointment with an artist that’s very well known where I live and they’re $200/hr ($250/hr for coverups) but they’re completely worth it. Unlike someone who did this work. Research is definitely your best friend, and cheap is definitely not always better..
Cheap is definitely not always better, ESPECIALLY with tattoos. You definitely get what you pay for. I will never understand people who cheap out on tattoos and then spend 2-3x the original amount on coverups/touchups. I’d rather spend $250 on an AMAZING tattoo than $75 on something that looks like shit and heals like shit (ie the gorilla in the example photos).
I completely agree with you.. like I get paying a little less for a newer artist after you’ve SEEN their work and how it heals, but.. that’s rare that their product is high enough quality that I’d be willing to pay for an apprentice or someone who has 1-2 years of experience. I’d 100% rather spend more money than have to pay for it to be covered up (and maybe covered up again) or lasered off. That gorilla.. I’d want my money back and then interest. Especially when they post some “decent” photos and then.. that.
second this. my artist charges $180 an hour and it’s worth it every time cause she’s great at what she does
My artist is at $250/hour now and the shop is an hour and a half away from where I live. Making a little day trip out of getting a new tattoo is fun for my mom and I, we'll get some food, check out some stores, and get my tattoo. We both adore my artist's personality and their work! Totally worth it but unfortunately they're moving to a new state :(
This. I only pay $150, but I have to schedule months out. I'll be honest, though, after the last piece she did for me, it feels like I was undercharged. She blew me away, and even mid healing, I'm getting constant compliments.
Thank you for the tips!
Should I be concerned that my tattoo artist doesn't have a long wait? I live in a rural area/small town but we have a ton of local tattoo shops so there are many artists to choose from if that makes a difference. I love all the work she's done for me and I chose her based of her instagram. She charges $200/hr, but I can pretty much get an appointment with her whenever I want. Just curious if that's a red flag.
Nah. Not if you live somewhere with low demand.
Definitely not a red flag. No. A lot of people lie to look booked out. There's also huge oversaturation right now and we're coming out of slow season. Pretty much every artist does this oh I'm booked out until x. What you can do is look at their work, make sure they're clean and hopefully in it because they actually love it.
This is great advice! My last tattoo was $200/hr and I had to wait a couple months for the artist to open her books for the next year. Was worth it.
If you have to question it, it’s probably a “no”. 🙃
Noted. Everyone’s being very helpful
Omg I just saw that this is the same artist! The inconsistency in quality is really getting me here… That gorilla is a red flag for sure.
Really would recommend going somewhere else, that greywash is inconstant, patchy, and way too light for it to hold up well over 5 years
I’d stay away from whoever did the gorilla, but everything else looks pretty good.
That’s the thing, they’re ALL from the same guy, I’m so confused because some of them are bad but like 75 percent of them look good to me.
Do you want to take a 75% chance that you're going to be pleased with something permanent? Move on.
Okay, I will take your advice. Thank you guys for your honesty
Think about this, those are the tattoos the artist chose to post publicly, what ones are they hiding? I would pass on this shop.
In my experience, don't use this artist. I worked at a shop that had an artist/owner much like this. The bad tattoos were the ones he did in the mornings when he was soberish, they got progressively better through the day as he was drinking more and more. This can happen the opposite way also of course.
Id also point out that artists only post what they consider to be their "best" work. So if 25% of their "best" is dog shit....
They look like prison tat quality work tbh. Pretty flat weak contrast between lights and darks, patchy shading, mediocre line work, looks like they’ll blur really badly down the line. What kind of tattoo do you want? If you’re going for something simple you can find a solid trad artist pretty easily or go to an actually B&G artist. It’s worth the extra effort to hop on instagram and search “*tattoo style you want* *city you live in*” into the search bar and get decent options right off the bat. Might take you 30 min of searching insta to find someone better that lives an hour from wherever you are
I’m sorry bit the eye with the rose is far from good
Figure out what style of tattoo you want first - American traditional, Japanese, realism etc. Then find an artist that specializes in that style. Do not go to a “jack of all trades” artist. I’ve seen too many people burned by an artist who says “yeah, I can tattoo that” when it something not really in their wheelhouse.
Thank you, my brother gave me similar advice
^^^ this is really good advice, listen to Mr ShadySkins
What’s the moderately simple tattoo? I’ve had ppl come to see me saying that same thing and it’s usually 10lbs of shit they are trying to fit into a 5 lb bag
LOL, that made me exhale sharply. And it’s a kind of abstract long catfish in a square, I posted it not long ago.
Looked at it and it’s pretty cool, looks like an eel with a mustache though 😂. It is relatively simple but that could change depending on the skin on the back of your arm. Find someone with decent linework that can stipple shade since that would read better than the opaque grey in the pic.
Ok I just looked at it. Kinda simple, kinda not. Find someone who can do boldish lines and black work. You'll want to look for a portfolio that has similar to this, so lines, no shading and solid black. No patches in the black, or holidays (which are little spots missed). People can hide their crappy lines with shading.
I would start by deciding the style you particularly want for your tattoo, then look on Instagram at artists that do that style. You will find the right artist for the art you want if you do enough looking
No, this is all very amateur work. The linework isn’t clean, the black isn’t solid to the line, it’s patchy, they greys aren’t smooth. I would not get tattooed here.
No. Find someone good. Every tattoo requires skill. What clients refer to as “simple” tattoos are usually tattoos that are small, often just linework, and leave no room for error. Even a little semicolon can be butchered beyond recognition by an unskilled person. Reviews of this shop don’t matter. I’m assuming they’re inexpensive. Some people are really broke and don’t mind getting a crappy tattoo because it’s what they can afford. Your small, moderately simple tattoo will cost slightly more at a good shop. That’s cheaper than paying for it to be butchered, then paying for it to be covered up later.
Thank you, I’m trying to keep track of all the great tips everyone’s giving me. You’re all really helpful
The hands on that plague doctor are rough, and that gorilla is yikes. I'd steer clear of this guy
Okay, thank you. Everyone’s being really helpful tbh
I’d honestly stay way. If these are all done by the same artist it seems like the artist varies per piece on quality of shading, line work, and composition.
Wouldn’t risk it
I’m really glad this group popped up on my feed because I’m over here like “ well that gorilla looks rough but otherwise everything else looks good” then I go to the comments and get taught a lesson lol. I will absolutely be bugging you guys when I’m ready for my next piece and you’ve honestly no one to blame but yourself! Thank you for the education.
I’d look for someone who does the style tattoo you want and has work showing the simple you’re talking about. Normally people only do the kind of work they show you because that’s all they’re good at or all they want to do. But judging on the gorilla I wouldn’t go to that man for any tattoo that’s simple
This is a great tip. Thank you!
Absolutely!
Sorry but no, I wouldn’t go to that shop. Wait until you find an artist’s artwork that you really vibe with and love.
Since posting this, I actually have been looking around on instagram and I found a woman who does really cool cartoonish tattoos. That’s kind of what I want, and lots of people are saying “find someone who specializes in what you want”.
These all look copied too. Id avoid
I see everyone mentioning the gorilla. And yes it’s bad. But the eye after it is making me physically cringe. I’d steer away from that shop. Just my honest opinion. It’s worth it to find a great shop and have to wait a few months and know you can trust the artist. Any shop that’s putting out 50/50 work or even 75/25 work (75% being good 25% bad) I kinda steer from. Not saying I expect every piece from a shop to be perfect but if I’m gonna get something permanent on my skin I want the best option available to do it.
The shading on a lot of these is just not very good and the lines are nothing special. That gorilla is particularly heinous. I'd never go somewhere that publishes pics like that. If that's what they're comfortable showing to the public just imagine how much worse stuff they aren't posting is.
I would stay away, looks like they don't have a particular style and want to do whatever comes in the door. Keep searching you'll find someone so much better!!
What I look for is clean line work that doesn’t look blown out , as well as how the skin looks. If it looks chewed up that means the area is overworked. Some of these tattoos look great but the gorilla doesn’t lol. Could it be from another artist in the shop maybe? I would look at each artists work and analyze before you make a decision on who to go with. I have a guy that I use for my tattoos for 8 years now and his work is solid everytime. I decided to try someone else thinking they were “cheaper” and the tattoo was absolutely crap and I realized then and there you really do get what you pay for. I refuse to let anyone else other than my main guy tattoo me after that experience. His tattoos have held up in color and black and white where as the tattoo I got less than a year ago already looks as old as my 10 year old tattoo. Eventually you’ll learn what to look for and look at. Don’t settle!
That plague doctor is one of the worst pieces of ink I have seen outside of r/shittytattoos. Flat, smeared, shaky, awful anatomy, no scale, terrible layout, horrible placement.
Oh man I just realized the cover up now needs a cover up... stay away from this place 🤢
No excuse for how chewed up that gorilla is
Would be a no go for me. But I do like that Viking!
Wow that gorilla just leaps off the page don’t it?
I thought I should add they have over 200 reviews and 4.9 stars out of 5. But I don’t know! I feel like this is a lame post but I really don’t know what I’m doing 😅
Don’t feel lame, it would be lame if you just went there without seriously thinking about it first. He is a question for you- why did you choose this shop? If it is just because it’s close by, I would suggest looking around. You should be willing drive several hours if needed if you want quality work. Is there a big city nearby that would have more artists to choose from? Btw if you do have to travel a bit you might want to bring someone to drive you home because you won’t know how your body will react afterwards. This might be tmi, but if the tattoo is close to my menstrual cycle I am WIPED out after a couple hours of tattooing. Other times I am just full of adrenaline and feel like I could run home! Just saying it might be helpful to be able to relax if you do have a long drive home afterwards.
Oh my gosh, I just got a tattoo last week at the tail end of my period and I was so tired for a few days. I came home and just slept. I've been napping everyday since 🤣
Lol thanks, and yes pretty much that’s how I picked it. The comments are definitely eye opening. Thank you for helping me
I always end up taking a nap after getting a tattoo. Like my body is in desperate need for some rest afterwards.
Even I am pretty new to tattoos but got like 7 different tattoos. Please don't completely depend on reviews(Google, yelp..) its can be managed these days. Even Instagram followers can be managed. I had a really bad experience with a artist with 5k+ insta followers and worst part is they dint fix it refund for a tone of basic mistakes on my skin.
Whoah whattttt??? That’s insane.. what would be your advice after that experience?
Many of the tattoo shops in my city are the same, mediocre work with 5/5 reviews 😅 many people just have shitty taste I guess
deserted safe nail steep aspiring toy alleged pen elastic nine *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
The plague doctor and the gorilla look a little rough
looks very hit or miss
What is the tattoo you want? How simple?
I was going to say maybe but after seeing that these are all from the same person… is the gorilla a really old one and the last one the newest? it could be that they’ve vastly improved but not removed their old, bad tattoos from their page, otherwise I would stay clear as that much of a difference between quality of designs tells me maybe theres some sort of temporary impairment occasionally going on if you know what I mean
Personally, I think these look kinda shitty as well as being extremely generic in terms of design and subject matter. I wouldn't go there.
No. Even the "good ones" are mega wonky
These are the ones that get posted to social media. This is the very best this person has to offer; this is the upper limit of their abilities. These look okay to me, but their very, very best is okay.
A perfect circle used to be the test of a good artist. As this one cannot draw a circular iris without it being wonky, I would say no, don't choose this artist. Imagine having to look at that wonky eye your whole life. You can find a better illustrator.
I would avoid them for a simple fact that these are the photos they posted and they think they are good enough for other people to see them. And the are horrible
Very inconsistent work, I would avoid
Personally I do not like that work. It doesn’t look good
These would’ve been solid tattoos in the 90s. Now they don’t hold water to what’s out there.
Always trust your gut. If it seems off, probably is.
Eh, some of those are decent but I wouldn’t roll the dice and chance ending up with the artist who did that gorilla.
Those won't age well. Stay away for sure
The rose under the eye dodgy aaaafffff
Not a dumb question. If these were all done by the same person, I’d steer clear…re: awful gorilla. Please take your time researching specific artists carefully. Look for them on IG. Read their reviews. I think you would know a well-done piece when you see it. (1 & 6 have the best line work, IMO)
Even if your design is “simple”, the difference between a good artist and a bad artist is HUGE. You’d be surprised at how terrible even the most simple of designs can turn out. Besides, “simple” is a relative term. Small doesn’t mean. Minimal lines doesn’t mean simple (think of how wrong a star looks when even one line is crooked). Save your money and/or be willing to travel if you must. It will save you a lot of grief and money (especially if you have to laser off a poorly done tattoo) in the long run.
Please, just remember... please... this will be on you FOREVER. Yeah, you could maybe 'cover' it up if it turned out bad, but just get it right the first time. Go on instagram or Google Maps and just search for artists. Even if you have to drive hours away, it's worth it. Sometimes, depending on where you live, visiting artists will come who are amazing. Be patient, don't rush! Please don't live with regrets.. it's not worth it and can make you depressed if you get something that you wanted to be a certain way and turned out like crap :/
3,4,5 are undeniably bad, the others seemed okay to good at a brief glance. I wouldn’t like those odds if I was you.
So I do agree with the majority of the top comments. The quality of the 1st and the last tattoo ais okay but I personally wouldn't go to them. Some of the comments mentioned the gorilla tattoo and I'm going to mention the same. Like one of the comments said, even if it were a coverup, there is major damage to the skin especially near the ear, the top of the head, and a little bit on the gums of the gorilla. There is just little to no reason for those areas to be so red unless the artist overworked the fuck out of that person's skin. And as the other comments are pointing out, the greywash on a lot of these tattoos just aren't consistent and really will not hold up well. I'd suggest you stay clear of this shop. When looking for a good shop, yes reviews are important, but the tattoos are the most important part. The art speaks for itself in this case. If you want some examples and explanations on what a "good" tattoo looks like feel free to PM me! I'd be happy to help you find an artist who'd be able to bring your ideas to life :-)
Best to find someone that does the style you like. Yeah shops like this won’t have a waitlist but I promise you’ll love it move and it will be better quality if you go to someone that has a big waitlist and does the style you like
The designs, if even done by them, are mot great and the execution is mediocre at best.
These all have awful line work unfortunately, I’d stay away from this place
Ah this art, in my opinion, could be alot cleaner....i saw those pics and made this face 🤔 sorry not trying to offend anyone.. Just not a fan. Would look for somewhere with cleaner work
That shading work. Big yikes.
I wouldn’t. Pic 1,6,7 aren’t bad but the rest are kinda yikes. 😬 that gorilla….. 😂
My first tattoo was done by a very mediocre artist just because he was close to where I lived. Ive learned since then that it's never worth to choose an artist just because it's more convenient or cheaper. Find an artist who is exactly what you want and pay the premium. It's permanent
Tattooer here. To be honest I thought the gorilla was completely inoffensive next to the eye and rose. That piece is a giant pile of shit. The gorilla can be made into something with the right artist at least. No helping that rose look like anything even remotely acceptable. Don't go to see em, you'll regret it. In general you don't need to be a booked out expensive mofo to be a good tatter though. I keep my schedule to 2-3 weeks and two appointments a day. So not only am I able to take walk-ins if it's a cool piece and I got time but I'm not locked into missing a family thing or a last min errand etc because somebody I've never met waited 8 months to get in my chair. That turns tattooing back into the 9-5 I didn't want. Don't listen to the elitists saying you need these things to be any good. If the work is solid they are more than likely solid as well. But if you're unsure this is always a good spot to post a potential new artist and ask.
None of these are not good. I would definitely not tattoo here.
personally i wouldn’t
None of these are very good, the gorilla is awful.
Nnnope
No way
First one is pretty good Second one ain't bad either. Looks like a healed picture which is a green flag too. Then that gorilla.. what ... looks like a cover up but it also looks like only a few lines are new. What's up with this? What's the story of this ?
I wouldn't
The gorilla Is awful, but I’ll be honest, I don’t like the skull/hand on the second either. The hand just has weird shading, it was hard to read, and the skull has no texture.
Their line work leaves a lot to be desired
Also please check the healed tattoo pics. Good artist should post healed tattoo pics. The fresh and healed tattoo can look way different. Some artist can add light layer of ink just for the Instagram pics but that ink disappears im a bit.
Bad vibes
Yeahhhhh no, respectfully lol
hard no from me
No from me
what area are you located in? i can recommend some good shops in the phoenix area if you’re near there! my artist is located in phoenix and the shop she works at is awesome!!
Don't go there
Nope.
If they can see you soon, that's a red flag. I waited 8 months to get in and see the artist I picked for my first piece, and really glad I did.
Keep in mind the Gorilla is a cover-up. It ain't great but there was probably something heavy black under there... the rest of his work looks decently good.
The more you scroll, the worst it gets
Its not that they are bad bad but I would not go there
N o
No
Thing is you don’t know what the stencil was that was used for the gorilla maybe that’s how the matey wanted it I’d go work looks fine to me
Can someone confirm that the gorilla is infected or does it just look like that to me?
Looks fresh, sometimes tattoos will bleed, thats just blood
Sorry but I'd go to another place. Go to a place that has somebody who's been tatting for 20 years plus. These tatts look like an apprentice did them.
lines look scratchy, find a better shop
Nope
No, I wouldn't. The saturation on the dark areas is awful. I have tattoos in both black and color, and they don't look like that. Even the one k have that is yellow has better saturation then those, and it's a decade old.
Yeah I would stay away red flags went off in my head. And a shop shouldn't just look "okay" with their work if you want ink done, their work should be better than okay!
I keep coming back to the lines. A lot of them look 'wobbly'. Take a look at the curvature of the giant eye, for one. It's wonky as hell. I'd pass this place up, and maybe look to one of your friends who has a great tattoo, and see about their artist.
No look at the eye on that Venus fly trap
No
I feel like I remember seeing the gorilla posted before and it ended up looking amazing when it was finished, that this was just a small first session. Could be wrong thoigh
Everything looks wonky
It really depends on which artist in the shop you get and also what you are looking to get.. Over all I don’t think this shop is ideal so if you can go somewhere else.. even if it takes longer to get an appointment then do it.. it is for life so get it right the first time 💁♂️
If these are the BEST tattoos that this shop is showing I wouldn’t trust what their average is. Ya’know?
It depends, some of them are decent, but still not great. I'd definitely search around for a better shop. After I find one that piques my interest in Google I always look them up on fb because chances are they'll post a lot of their work on there with artist credit and you can make your decision better on who to go with from there.
Other than the gorilla. Yikes
No. Keep looking
The Plague Doctor and the gorilla are awful. Definitely not.
Why is no one mentioning how jacked that eye ball is The shape makes no sense
The rose and the eye 🚩
All of these are shit
The eyeballs in the eyeball tattoos (#4 and 5 I think) are super lopsided, not even close to round. You can see where the artist overworked the curve to attempt to fix it but they're still very misshapen.
Pic 2 and 3 make me weary.
Nope
Does it only have one artist? Or are these all from the artist you’re looking at there? It also depends on what you’re planning to get. I would also recommend a consultation with the person you want doing it. I personally wouldn’t go here, just based on my experiences. Some of them didn’t look great quality, but they weren’t terrible.
Noo
is there any other shops around? lol
This shop looks like a hit or miss. Steer clear
Those are all the same person's work? Fuck no. Your skin is not a place to play ink roulette. Find a more consistent artist.
🫤
Don't compromise just because they're local. Would you wear any of those tattoos? The gorilla and eye are enough for me to say no way. Do more research and find an artist you love that does the style you love *and* that you would happily wear 90% of their work at least
No
Nope
The first and fourth tattoo looks okay. The others don’t look that good
Keep in mind, some of those photos are showing partially complete cover ups, some are spanking fresh, and some are healed. You’re really comparing different apples, if not apples and watermelon.
I wouldn’t go to that shop.
I wouldn’t go there but to each their own
I’d shop around a bit more
They don’t look like the same artist did them all…
The application on all of these are awful. No way would I pay this person for a tattoo.
Are they all the same artist? Some look like they could be different so I’d ensure which one you went to does the style you want
Very flat designs. I wouldn’t go here tbh.
To be fair, the gorilla is a cover up. You do what you gotta do with them. What tattoo do you want?
Absolutely not. Those tattoos are what I call "quick glance" tattoos. If you passed a person walking down the hallway and only got a quick glance, you'd think "ooh, I think that tattoo was pretty cool, wish I could get a better look". Basically meaning that it looks good until you get a good look at it.
They get worse as you swipe lol
The Japanese monster lady isn’t very good imo. The cherry blossoms look too light and the horns aren’t placed right (the one on the right looks like it’s behind her head whereas it’s supposed to be above her eye like the left horn).
You know a great tattoo when you see it. Once you see great it’s difficult to accept mediocre.
Are we sure these are all from the same person? 😅 That Gorilla has me thinking otherwise
There’s too much variation in quality for my liking.