First Tattoo Questions - Full Back Tattoo

Hi.

I'm going in over the next few months to start the process of having a full back tattoo. It's going to be fairly detailed, and will probably require at least 48 hours ( Eight 6 hour session days).

This will be my first ever tattoo. I've been holding out in order to get something of meaning, and this is a project which has been in the mind works since I was a little kid. The artist is really keen on the idea, and he says he'll make a custom design which will take around 2 months (since he's quite busy) - he charged me a £40 custom art fee.

I have some questions about the whole process in general, which I hoping you might be able to help me with:

1) The artist charged me £40 in order to complete a custom artwork design he says will take 2 months (since he's quite busy). Is this usual? I mean the £40 for a custom design.

2) Is £400 for a 6 hour day session a good price? It comes to around £66 per hour - is this the usual price?

3) The artist didn't actually quote me how much the whole piece would cost... he said it could be 6 sessions, or 8, or 10 or even more... Now this could be a difference of about £2k. Should I definitely get a quote, or estimated duration from the artist before any work starts? Is it possible for artists to say with some level of certainty how long a full back tattoo will take to tattoo once the design can been agreed? This leads on to my next question.

4) I'm very paranoid. I hope this isn't going to be the case, but what do I do if I feel like the tattoo artist is taking an excessively long time to complete the work, in order to prolong the sessions and gain more money? I can't rush him, but he could easily turn 6 sessions into 12 sessions if he wanted to...

5) What do you do during the tattoo? 6 hours is quite a long time. Are there usually breaks every couple of hours or what? My pain threshold is ridiculously high, so I'm not too bothered about the pain (I actually think I have something wrong with my nerve endings...)

6) What is the etiquette about tipping the artist? How much do I tip? Do I tip after each session, or after the work is complete?

7) Any tips about the aftercare? I'm going to have my partner help me out with it.

8) Is 18 days enough to heal from a tattoo? I work as a Fire Fighter, so I wear tight clothing (tight t-shirt) which obviously rubs on my back while I'm carrying out my duties. I'll be getting tattoo'd the first day I'm off on leave, which will give me about 18 days before the start of my next work shift. Will this be enough time to heal? Or at least get to the stage where I can wear a tight t-shirt and work out my back without me turning into an inky version of Carrie?
9) My tattoo artist said that he prefers to tattoo from the bottom up - literally from the bottom starting, then ending at the top near my neck. Is this really unusual? I thought all artists did major parts of the design, then sort of fitted them together? If that doesn't sound...stupid.

Thanks!

I've never heard of an artist charging for a design. Both of my tattoos were custom designed to my specifications and I wasn't charged extra. it's a bit weird, but if it's taking him a long time then I can kind of see why. It might be a thing, just not with any of the artists I know.

The price sounds about right. Artists all charge different prices, and you tend to get what you pay for, but £400 per day is in the right ballpark.

I would ask for a quote. They shouldn't prolong the work for extra money, but you also need to know how much t's going to cost you beforehand. You don't want to get 3/4 of the way through the tattoo to find out it's going to take a bit longer than expected and you can't afford anymore.

Maybe you should've taken a bit more time to choose an artist. It sounds like you don't trust this guy very much.

You can take breaks when you wish, and the artist will probably want a couple. They may be a smoker, or may just need to rest their hands. Getting tattooed, especially on that scale, can be really tiring. Bring some sports drinks with you (no energy drinks!) and maybe a sandwich or something should you have the time to eat it.

While you're getting tattooed, you'll just lie there and your artist will tattoo you. You'll just chat about stuff, but there's not really much to do. You might be able to mess on your phone depending on the position you're in, but chatting to the artist is about the most excitement you'll get.

If you want to tip, I'd just do it after the piece is complete. You can't know if you're really happy with it until it's done, and you don't want to add even more money to the massive amount you're spending when you don't even know how much it will cost overall.

For the first couple of weeks, keep it away from direct sun and wear loose clothing. Keep it nice and clean, and don't scratch it. Use the aftercare instructions your artist provides you, and be sure to follow them. They might seem a little over the top, but it's important that you follow them. Such a big piece, you really don't want to get infected. It'll look bad, and could turn out quite serious. 18 days should be enough time. I was able to wear socks and loose shoes okay on my foot tattoos about 10 days afterwards without any issues. After 18 days it should just be dry and flaky. It shouldn't feel tight or anything anymore, and shouldn't weep blood or ink, so you should be fine. I was okay returning to my normal activities after mine, and my dad is a firefighter and was able to return to normal duties very soon after having all of his. Be sure to keep up with using balm or anything if you're going to be particularly vigorous with it, but it should be fine.

Different artists do it different ways. It really depends on the piece. If it's black or black and grey, they may be able to do lines and shading in one sitting. If it's colour, they'll most likely go for lines first, then colour. Each artist has their own process, and just discuss with them about how it'll look healing at different times after different sessions if you're worried