Pricing is the thing every artist figures out alone, badly, twice. Once when they start and undercharge, and again a few years in when they realize they've been scared of their own rates the whole time. Let's just talk through it like normal people.
The three numbers you actually need
Forget complicated pricing models. You need three numbers and the spine to say them out loud:
Your shop minimum. This is the price of you setting up at all — needles, ink caps, gloves, wrap, stencil paper, breaking it all down after, plus your time. Even a tattoo the size of a coin costs you forty-five minutes of real work. Most shops land somewhere between $80 and $150 for a minimum. If someone balks at your minimum for a tiny tattoo, they were never going to be a good client. Truly.
Your hourly rate. For custom work that takes sittings, hourly is the honest way to charge — nobody knows exactly how long skin will take. Where you set it depends on your city, your experience, and your books. Here's the only test that matters: if you're booked solid for months, your rate is too low. A full calendar isn't a flex, it's a price signal.
Your day rate, maybe. For big pieces, some artists just say "sessions are $X, we go 5-6 hours, we get done what we get done." Clients love the predictability, you love not watching the clock. Works great once you're experienced enough to know what a day of your work looks like.
Hourly or by the piece?
By the piece works for flash and small stuff — you know exactly what it takes, so quote it flat and everyone's happy. Hourly works for customs and anything multi-session, because "how long will my sleeve take" is a question with no honest fixed answer. Say that to clients exactly like that. "I charge $150 an hour, most sessions run about five, and I'd guess your piece is four to six sessions — that's an estimate, not a promise." People handle honest ranges way better than they handle a confident number that turns out wrong. (More on session estimates in the sleeve-tracking piece.)
Quoting without the sweat
The move that changes everything: write your quote down where you can both see it. In the DM, in the booking notes, wherever — "quoted ~$900-1200, deposit $150, comes off the final session." Not because clients are shady, but because four months from now neither of you will remember the conversation, and the person with the written note wins politely. If you log sessions with prices anyway (we're biased, Stencil does this), the running total answers "what have I spent so far" without anyone doing math in their head at the counter.
When to say no to a budget
Someone comes in with $200 for a $600 idea. Two good options: shrink the piece honestly ("at that budget we do this part now, and it's designed so we can add later"), or send them off warmly ("save up, the arm's not going anywhere, and I'd rather do it right"). The bad option is squeezing your work into their number — you'll resent the piece, they'll get a worse tattoo, and it'll have your name on it forever.
Your rate is just a fact about your business, like your hours. Say it plainly, put it in writing, raise it when the calendar says so — here's how to do that part without losing anyone.