A design in progress. Which requests get a consult comes down to the size and type of the piece.
CONSULTS
No. Artists split: one consults on every piece, one uses a request form instead. One artist's list of pieces that get a consult is sleeves, large leg pieces, backs, chests and larger cover-ups. Two others prefer in person for big work and cover-ups, and skip that for small, simple pieces.
Two requests land the same night. One is a long message about a sleeve, with a Pinterest board and no size. The other is a flash piece from your page, with the spot, the size in inches and two dates. Your saved reply sends both of them to book a consult.
One letter a week, on the business side of tattooing.
Deposits, no-shows, pricing, and getting bookings out of the DMs. Free.
Do you need a consultation for every tattoo?
No. The few artists who give a rule go by the size and type of the piece: sleeves, backs and larger cover-ups get a consult, and a small, clear piece can skip the in-person one. The threads behind each line are in should you charge for a tattoo consultation.
Here is the sorting that comes out of them. It's ours, since no artist gave a table:
The request | Our sort, from what artists say |
|---|---|
Sleeve, large leg piece, back, chest | Consult first, on video if the client is out of town |
Larger cover-up | Consult; one artist prefers it in person |
Small, simple piece | Form or remote, no in-person consult |
Flash with a posted price | Book from the price (no thread discusses a consult for flash) |
Our read on why the line falls there: a wrong guess costs more on a big piece. The rule that limits the damage is the 27-upvote one: changes of ten minutes or less get done day of, and a bigger overhaul moves the session. On a small piece a miss is more often a quick change on the spot. On a sleeve it can mean a redraw and a new date. How to run the consult is in how to do a tattoo consultation.
On whether the number comes before the consult, the DM threads give two answers: one commenter (6 upvotes) only talks price in person, and another says to give a wide range for a sleeve.
A sleeve idea that's still a theme is the kind of request that gets a consult.
Is an in-person tattoo consultation better than video?
Artists split, and only a few voices speak to it. One commenter (1 upvote) says in person is necessary most of the time, except for something small and simple, and gives their reasons: you can read the skin, map the placement and see who you're dealing with. They add that clients they've met in person no-show less. Another prefers in person for a cover-up or something large, so they can see what they're working with, and uses Zoom to screen straightforward pieces. A third says online consults work best for them and they almost never get no-call no-shows to tattoo sessions.
The only time I don't do in person is if it's something small and simple that can't go wrong.
What's the difference between a tattoo consultation and a tattoo appointment?
The consultation is the talk before, with no tattooing. The session is the tattoo. One artist who tattoos a single subject runs a five-minute one, a Seattle shop's FAQ says 15 to 40 minutes, and a few artists spend 30 to 60. One artist does every consult by email so both sides can go back and review it.
Can a booking form replace a tattoo consultation?
For a small, clear piece it can, if it asks what you would ask. One artist says their request forms "ask all of the information I would do in a consult," with an upload for a photo of the body spot. In these threads what gets skipped is the in-person consult. The questions still get asked, by form, email or video. They're in tattoo booking form questions, along with where forms fall short.
When a form comes back thin on a small piece, artists say to ask for the missing piece and wait. On a big piece, it's the moment to offer the consult. Wording to adapt:
Love where this is going. A piece this size goes better if we talk first. I take consults on [video / in person]. Pick a time here: [link]. Send your references and a photo of the spot beforehand.
What do you lose when you skip a tattoo consultation?
A consult does three things, and you can cover each without one.
The terms. One answer with 27 upvotes says the terms get said at the consult. Without a consult, the same terms ride with the quote and the deposit link. My rule: the policy goes out in writing before the deposit, and paying it means they agreed. Wording is in how to do a tattoo consultation.
The rough sketch. Several artists draw a rough mockup while they talk. With no consult, the client first sees the drawing day of. The finished drawing waits for the deposit either way.
The filter. The artist who draws the line at a full day says a video consult also works as a filter. A Seattle shop's FAQ asks that consults be set by people "truly ready to get tattooed." On a quote-only booking, the deposit does that job: no deposit, no date.
A consult in front of every quote is also one more step, and nobody in these threads gave a drop-off number.
Do cover-ups need a tattoo consultation?
Larger ones do, in the one artist's list, and another artist prefers in person for a cover-up or something large. Ask on the form either way. One San Antonio artist's inquiry guide asks for notes on scars or existing tattoos in the area, and a photo of the old tattoo says more than a note.
No thread we read gave a rule for first-timers.
On a small piece, the drawing shown day of is where a miss gets fixed, on the spot.
Quick answers
Do you need a consultation for every tattoo?
No. The fullest list of pieces that get a consult is one artist's: sleeves, large leg pieces, backs, chests and larger cover-ups. Two others skip the in-person one for small, simple pieces, and one does a consult for every piece.
What's the difference between a tattoo consultation and a tattoo appointment?
The consultation is a talk before the tattoo, anywhere from five minutes to an hour, in person, on video or by email. The session is the day the tattooing happens.
Can a booking form replace a tattoo consultation?
For a small, clear piece it can, if it asks the idea, the spot with a photo, the size, references and dates. Big or unclear pieces are where you offer the consult.
Do cover-ups need a tattoo consultation?
Larger cover-ups are on one artist's consult list, and another artist prefers in person for a cover-up. Either way, ask for a photo of the old tattoo on the form.
Start with one. Write one sentence for which requests get a consult on your books, such as "anything over one full day gets a video consult, the rest books from a quote," and save it next to your first reply.
Checked October 2026. The sorting table is our method for deciding which requests get a consult; the pieces named come from artist threads on r/TattooArtists and r/TattooApprentice (2024 to 2026) and two shop or artist web pages (Seattle, San Antonio), and none of it is a survey. The list of pieces rests on a few artists, and no thread speaks to first-timers.
Read next
How to do a tattoo consultation: the order of questions: what to ask, sketch and say once you do book one.
How to answer tattoo inquiries in your DMs: the first reply that asks for the spot, size and references.
Gal, founder of Collabo.ink, the booking app for tattoo artists. For 15 years I booked sessions for dozens of artists, some of them among the best known in the world. Collabo.ink takes your bookings and deposits, so you can focus on what matters: tattooing.
Liked this? There's one a week.
Deposits, no-shows, pricing, and getting bookings out of the DMs. Free.