Finding the Best Tattoo Artist in San Diego

First and foremost, your search is over as if you're reading this, you’ve found the best tattoo artist not only in San Diego but in the entire world. And as the author of this article, there is definitely no bias whatsoever; in fact, I'm completely outraged that you would ever think there would be. But in all seriousness, what classifies someone as the “Best Tattoo artist”? This is subjective, of course, but here’s how to find the best tattoo artist for you. To be honest, there are tons of really good artists and shops. If this is the first time getting a tattoo in San Diego or your first tattoo ever, there can be some trouble finding the right one for you. However, you're in luck; I'm going to tell you the best way to search and find the best artist that fits your needs.

Pricing for Your Tattoo Artist in San Diego - Let’s clear this up: I have a boss; I do not get to keep all of the money you pay me for the tattoo. Unless you're getting tattooed by the owner of a place, your tattoo artist is paying someone a monthly fee or a percentage of every tattoo they do. So, if you think all tattoo artists in San Diego are just greedy, we’re not. We have families and also live in San Diego just like you do. Okay, here we are, the part no one likes to talk about: what do you charge per hour, do you flat rate? Let’s just start with this: good tattoos aren’t cheap, and cheap tattoos aren’t good. Like with most things in life, if you go with the cheapest option, it’s going to show in one way or another. This is true on the opposite spectrum as well; just because your artist charges $5000 an hour doesn’t mean they're the best; however, they're probably the best at marketing and branding. Generally, in the middle, is a nice place to start. Call around and get a hold of what tattoos cost. So, what do you charge per hour gets brought up a lot and I have some issues with that. The longer a tattoo artist works, the faster and more efficient they get. So, it would only be natural that an artist working for 10 plus years tattoos faster than someone who just started. So, a tattoo artist that charges $150 per hour might take significantly longer than someone who charges $250 an hour. It’s always good to get an estimate of what the overall tattoo might take. Generally, tattoo artists are good at giving a rough time frame of what it might be. Flat rating a tattoo is as honest as it gets; this tattoo this size on this part of the body costs this much. Everyone knows what they're getting themselves into, and how long the tattoo takes is besides the point. I personally will flat rate tattoos under the 3-hour mark and will reserve an hourly rate for longer and more complicated tattoos.

For the Love of God, Look at the Tattoo Artist's Portfolio - Just look at the tattoo artists portfolio; all you're looking for is that lines are clean, color and shading is solid. Lots of artists are proficient in many types of styles, so ask them what they like to do. Some San Diego Tattoo artists specialize in one particular style; that’s great for them and you can get great work done. But keep in mind, a well-rounded tattoo artist can give you just as good or even better results as a specialized tattoo artist.

Beware the Butcher - A butcher is a tattoo artist who is basically a con man. They talk fast and tattoo like crap. Believe it or not, there are tattoo artists out there that never draw anything; they will pick artwork off the internet and represent it as their own. So, don’t believe everything you see and if something seems off, it probably is. It’s pretty evident that by looking at someone’s work by the shaky lines, beat-up skin, and bad black and grey shading and color transitions. However, don’t put it past the butcher to straight up photoshop or even use someone else's tattoo artwork as their own. The Butcher is notorious for gaslighting clients into believing the overworked skin is their fault, and remember the butcher's true talent is in their silver tongue and lack of human emotion and empathy.

Getting Tattooed Should be Fun - Getting tattooed isn’t just about getting tattooed I know that seems weird to say out loud but; it's more than that. You should like your tattoo artists and overall have a fun and enjoyable experience besides the fact that you just got stabbed for a few hours. It baffles my mind when a client has a sleeve by a tattoo artist and they can’t tell you the name of the artist that did the tattoo. I love tattooing, don’t get it twisted, but I also love the human interaction. I’ve tattooed all walks of life and 99% of people are cool as Fuck. I’ve had clients become legit friends and it can be a huge bummer when you finish a sleeve or a large tattoo because you don’t get to hang out or see them again. And hey, if you're not a talker and you just wanted to get tattooed and pop your headphones in, that's no problem but heads up you're missing out on a magical experience. Lastly, you should like your tattoo artist. I’ve had people come in and have great work by someone but they immediately will talk trash about how their artist was a huge jerk and their never going back.

Are You Cheating on Your Tattoo Artist? - Yes, you are, if you even think about getting tattooed by someone else you should be immediately ashamed of yourself! I’m clearly joking, you're an autonomous person and can do whatever you want. However, if a client gets a bad tattoo from someone else, I'm more mad at the other artist for messing up so bad. I’m a firm believer that if you like someone and the services they offer, then supporting those people goes a long way and it’s definitely not forgotten. No worries if you get a bad tattoo from someone else, no hard feelings; we’ll fix that garbage tattoo right up or work a sick cover-up plan!

Conclusion - If you made it through this whole article, congrats you're like 1% of people who can actually read something without going on TikTok every 3 minutes. So first book an immediate appointment with me because you’ve come to the conclusion that yes I am, in fact, the best tattoo artist in the world and I was just being modest in the beginning LOL. But anyways an extra $50 bucks here and there, it’s probably worth it in the long run if you're price shopping tattoo artist in San Diego. Look at a portfolio stupid, and definitely in person if you're doing a walk-in. Beware the butcher and hey if you do get scammed by these scum of the earth, a legit tattoo artist will be more than willing to fix up the trash of a tattoo that’s been on your arm for way too long. Have some fun, live a little, and if you like your artist, return business is much appreciated.