If you've never been tattooed before and you're nervous about it, that's normal. I was nervous before my first one. Most of the people I tattoo are nervous before theirs. The nerves are not the problem.
Here's what actually happens. You'll show up, I'll offer you tea or water, and we'll sit at the desk for a few minutes and look at the final sketch together. If you want a small change — moving a leaf, scaling something down — now is the time to say so. Once we're both happy with the stencil placement on your skin, we start.
The first ten minutes are usually the hardest, because you're bracing for it. After that your body figures out what's happening and settles in. I work in passes — I do a chunk, you tell me how you're doing, we keep going. If you need a break, you say "break" and we stop. There is no extra cost for breaks, there's no judgment, and the work doesn't suffer.
Small pieces take about 90 minutes. Medium pieces, two to three hours. Big pieces I split across sessions.
Bring something that has caffeine and something that has sugar, even if you don't normally drink either. Eat a real meal before you come. Wear something that gives easy access to the part of your body we're tattooing.
When we're done, I'll wrap it, take an after photo, send you home with a printed aftercare card, and check in on you in a week. That's it. That's the whole thing.
