CUSTOM APPOINTMENT Pre-booking INFO
Seasonal Considerations
Consider your future plans. The healing process requires 2-4 weeks, and it’s crucial to keep your tattoo clean, protected from sun exposure, and to avoid swimming/prolonged water submersion. I cannot tattoo sunburned skin, so take care to wear sunscreen leading up to your appointment.
How do custom appointments work?
You are commissioning me to draw and tattoo a custom design exclusively for you to wear.
Consultations may be required for complex or large scale designs, or we may be able to work out your details over e-mail for more straightforward requests. I do not send designs prior to your appointment date, but if you would like to come meet me in person and chat about your tattoo ahead of time, we can arrange a consultation at the shop. Let me know if you’d like to do this!
You’ll need to send me any references and all design specifications as soon as possible after booking and no later than two weeks prior to your appointment so I'll have a reasonable amount of time to draw for you. If there are other tattoos in the area, it is important to send a photo of the area to be tattooed. Even if there are no other tattoos, a placement photo can help me draw a design that best compliments your body. If you can, have another person take the photo from a straight-on angle in a relaxed position.
When you arrive for your appointment, I will have a drawing for you to look over. We can make minor adjustments if needed. If major adjustments are needed, we may need to reschedule with a new deposit to compensate for my time spent working on your design. This is why it’s important that you provide me with all of your references, specifications, and placement photos in advance!
Deposits
Deposits for custom appointments are $100. Deposits are non-refundable in any circumstance, as they help ensure I am compensated for my time spent researching, gathering references, and drawing your design. Deposits are applied to the final cost of your tattoo. For multi-session projects, the deposit is rolled forward and applied to your final session cost.
Once a deposit has been paid, proposed design changes are at my discretion. Small alterations with plenty of notice may be acceptable, but please understand that a significant change from your original proposal may be refused and the appointment canceled.
Pricing
For custom designs, I tattoo at an hourly rate of $200.
As of January 1, 2025 my rate will increase to $250/hour. This applies to any appointment booked for 2025.
The booking minimum is $300 for custom appointments.
For general reference; a 3x4" tattoo could take from 2-3.5 hours. A 4x6" tattoo could take around 4 hours. Larger scale projects are more difficult to estimate and naturally require more budget flexibility.
Size is only one factor in the length of time it will take to complete your tattoo. Other factors include level of detail, condition of skin, how you sit for the tattoo, and the chosen placement. For the above reasons, any time estimate is a rough estimate-I’m not able to state exactly how long any custom tattoo will take to complete.
Please let me know if you have pricing questions or budget constraints, I’m happy to talk about what’s possible within the range of your budget.
Session Lengths
Single sessions are usually limited to three hours of tattooing. If I am able to work on your tattoo longer than three hours, we will discuss and agree to this ahead of time.
If a tattoo cannot be completed within 3 hours, it will likely require another session. This is a boundary meant to maintain both our well-being and the quality of my work.
I offer a flat rate full-day session for $1,000. This includes at least 4 hours of tattooing and more general flexibility for large projects or travelers.
Appointments for continuing work are prioritized and may be booked in person at the end of your first session.
Studio Info
Icon Tattoo, 813 N Russell Street, Portland OR 97227
Payment is cash only at Icon. I can accept Venmo if absolutely necessary, but there is a 3% service added to your total.
Street parking only, be sure to give yourself extra time to find a spot if you are driving.
Reschedules and Deposits
If something comes up and you need to reschedule or cancel, please do so with as much notice as possible. Your deposit reserves my time for your appointment and helps to compensate for my time spent drawing designs for you to choose from. With more than 72 hours notice, we can reschedule and transfer your deposit to a new appointment. With less than 72 hours notice or more than 2 reschedules, a new deposit is required.
If you are more than 20 minutes late for your appointment, we’ll have to reschedule with a new deposit of $100.
There’s more information you may find helpful in the links below, but you are also welcome to ask questions in your appointment e-mail thread.