What makes a tattoo custom?

A custom tattoo is drawn for you and only you. You bring the idea, the references and the reason it matters; your artist works out how to make it live on your body, at that size, in that spot, for the next forty years. Nobody else walks out with the same piece.

That is a different job from picking a design off a sheet, and it takes longer. There is a consultation, a drawing stage, a review, and only then a tattoo appointment. Most custom pieces take two to three weeks from first chat to needle, longer for large-scale work.

What should I bring to a consultation?

Anything that shows us what you are drawn to. Reference images are the most useful thing you can bring, and they do not have to be tattoos — photographs, paintings, album covers, objects, a screenshot of something you saved two years ago and never forgot.

It also helps to know three practical things: roughly where on your body you want it, roughly how big, and whether you want colour or black and grey. If you do not know, that is fine. Working it out with you is part of the consultation.

• Reference images — five strong ones beat fifty vague ones
• Placement, even approximately, and whether it needs to be coverable at work
• Colour or black and grey, if you have a preference
• Any existing tattoos nearby that the new piece has to sit beside
• Your realistic budget, so we design something you can actually finish

Who draws the design?

Your artist does, in their own hand. That is the point of choosing an artist rather than a studio: you are buying the way they see things. Squid, Dylan and Izzy all work differently, and part of the consultation is making sure your idea is going to the right one of them.

You see the drawing before your tattoo appointment and you can ask for changes. What we do not do is redraw somebody else's tattoo — bring a piece you love as a reference and we will build you your own version of it, not a copy of a stranger's arm.

How much does a custom tattoo cost?

Custom work is quoted per piece, not per centimetre. The price reflects the size, the detail, the placement and the drawing time before you arrive — a palm-sized piece dense with fine detail can cost more than something twice its size in bold traditional linework.

Small, single-session pieces are usually quoted as a flat price up front. Large-scale work — sleeves, back pieces, anything spanning multiple sessions — runs at the hourly rate. You get the number at your consultation, before you commit to anything.

How long will it take?

Most people underestimate this. A palm-sized detailed piece is a three to four hour sitting. A half sleeve is several sessions spaced weeks apart, because skin needs to heal between them. A full back piece is a project measured in months, not appointments.

We would rather book you a realistic run of sessions than rush a piece and have it heal badly. Your artist will map out how many sittings your design needs at the consultation.