Pricing a tattoo: hourly, day rate, or by the piece
Three honest ways to price your work, when each one makes sense, and why the argument usually starts when you mix them mid-project.
By BLKTIDE ·
There are three honest ways to price tattoo work — hourly, by the day, and by the piece. None of them is wrong. Most money arguments start when an artist quotes one way, works another, and the client hears a third.
By the hour
Hourly is the default for a reason: it is fair on pieces that grow. The sleeve that was "probably four sessions" and became six does not turn into a discount you never agreed to give.
- Best for large, evolving work — sleeves, backs, ongoing projects
- Easy to explain: your time has one price
- The catch: fast artists earn less for the same result, and clients watch the clock
The day rate
A flat rate for the chair, usually with a session minimum. Clients know the number before they sit, and you know the day is paid for even when the outline goes slow.
- Best for booked-out artists who run one or two sittings a day
- Pairs naturally with a deposit that holds the date
- The catch: short pieces do not fit — keep a separate minimum for small work
By the piece
One number for one design. Flash, small script, anything you have drawn and priced before the needle touches skin. It rewards speed and experience — the piece costs what it costs, whether it takes you ninety minutes or three hours.
- Best for flash, small custom work, and designs sold from your profile
- Clients love the certainty; there is nothing to renegotiate at the chair
- The catch: underquoting is on you, so know your hours before you promise a number
Whichever you pick, say it early
The real rule is not which model you use — it is that the client hears the model, the number and the deposit before anything is booked. Put it in your booking replies, put it on your profile, and let the deposit do the enforcement: date held when it lands, released when it does not. Money conversations at the chair should only ever be about the tip.
Run your books like a studio — BLKTIDE is free for solo artists.