vertigovu tattoo

18+ Only / Individual Consent

 

• Clients must be 18+ to get tattooed. Minors with parental consent are not allowed. This is Illinois state law and part of professional tattoo practice policies.
   

• Clients must be able to freely book a tattoo at their own will without pressure or influence from others. The help of a friend or family member is welcomed if the client has disabilities and requires assistance. However, I'm not looking to work with any clients who will bring someone who will be micromanaging my tattoo process.
   

• If matching tattoos are being booked, all clients involved must be included in the correspondence and fully aware and consent to all decisions being made.
   

• I do not accept tattoo proposals submitted on another's behalf.
   

• A valid government-issued photo ID will be required at the tattoo appointment.
  
  
   

Pricing / Payment / Session Details​
 

• I do one appointment per day starting at 12:00 pm. They are available in half or full-day sessions. 
   

  • Half days are priced at a flat rate of $650. This covers anything that can be completed within 3 hours. Short breaks are allowed. Typically smaller tattoos falling into 4x6 fits in this price range and I typically do not work any smaller than that.
     

  • Full days are priced at a flat rate of $1100. This covers 4-5 hours with breaks.
     

  • Tattoos completed in between those hours will be priced at my discretion.
     

  • These hours will also include the time to place the stencil and any freehand work. 
     

  • Rates are subject to change at any time, however, I will honour the rate the project was booked at.
     

  • Guest spot tattoos will have their own pricing.
     

• Payment can be made through Zelle or cash. If neither of these options works, please discuss it with me beforehand. Payment for each session will be due at the end of the appointment.
   

• For Canadian clients, I accept e-transfers of CAD at the USD exchange rate of that day, cash or PayPal with an added 3.5% transaction fee.
   

• I'm usually able to complete tattoos in the timeline I recommend clients book and sometimes before, but I am not obligated to do so. Some projects may present unique, unforeseeable challenges, meaning an additional appointment may be needed. This ensures the project will be completed at the quality I’d like it to be at.
   

• Tipping: I don’t follow any standard tip percentage. If you decide to leave anything, I prefer it to be in cash.
  
  
   

Deposits / Booking

 

• To secure a tattoo date, I will require a deposit. ​It will come off the final cost of the tattoo. This can be paid via Zelle.
   

  • $200 for anything that will take a 1/2 day to 2 1/2 days.
     

  • $500 for anything that will take 3 or more full-day sessions.
     

  • Clients travelling in to see me or my guest spot clients booking single session projects need to pay 50% deposits.
     

• The deposit will be deducted from the cost of the final session.
   

• Deposits will be forfeited if the client cancels their appointment within 48 hours, is a no-show or is unreasonably late (30+ min) for an appointment. 
   

• Rebooking will require a new deposit + $50 rebooking fee (this fee does not come off the final cost of the tattoo)
   

• Deposits are non-refundable. No exceptions. This includes emergencies. My income relies on clients showing up for their appointments.
   

• Please see the rescheduling and cancellation section below for a more detailed breakdown.
   

• A free consultation appointment can be booked if the tattoo concept needs to be discussed further in person.
  
  
   

​

Rescheduling / Cancellation / Lateness

​

• All clients will receive emailed and SMS appointment reminders 72 hours beforehand. If you're still unsure when your tattoo appointments are, please ask me!
   

• If we've already booked a tattoo appointment, but you haven't heard from me close to the date, don't worry; our appointment is still on :)
   

• Lateness without notice of (30 min or more) will result in loss of the deposit and possible cancellation if it conflicts with same-day appointments. If there is more than one appointment scheduled, a new deposit (+ $50 rebooking fee) will have to be paid before the next appointment or it will be cancelled.
   

  • If you are running behind, please let me know! This can be done by email, or if I've texted you, you may also message me there.
     

• Advanced notice: Rescheduling notices that are sent at least 72 hours before the appointment is greatly appreciated. The sooner the better! There will be no loss of deposit in this scenario.
   

• Last-minute cancellations/ rescheduling: The client will lose their deposit if they cancel or decide to reschedule their appointment less than 48 hours before. No exceptions, this includes emergencies. 
   

  • There is also a three-strike system implemented for last min cancellations, in hopes they will never be a regular occurrence with any client. On the third one, I will not offer any future opportunities to reschedule or propose new projects.
     

• Constant cancellation and rescheduling: I am first and foremost a tattoo artist, not a personal handler. I'm not obligated to keep up with chaotic lives. I'd much rather dedicate my work time to working on designs and tattooing them. I understand life can be a rollercoaster, but if rescheduling becomes too much of a hassle, I will simply cancel any current bookings. The client may have an opportunity to reach out later when they are in a better place to commit to a tattoo project.
   

• No-shows: An absence with no explanations or communication could result in a client getting banned from any possibility of future bookings with myself and the studio.
  
  
  
   

Hand, Neck, Head & Finger Tattoos

 

• These kinds of tattoos are usually done when a client has a more substantial tattoo collection or project on their body, like a full sleeve. 
   

• I'm more apprehensive about doing these tattoos for clients who have very few existing tattoos. However, I ultimately leave it up to my clients to consider how visible tattoos could affect their lives.
   

• I will not be held responsible or liable for any repercussions these very visible tattoo placements may have on my client's work life, career prospects or any other aspects of life such as family, religion, self-image, etc.
  
  
   

Decisiveness

 

• I expect clients to have a good idea of what they want to be tattooed before they decide to submit a tattoo proposal. "Good" to me is the client at least knowing what the subject matter is, where they'd like to have it placed and what size.
   

• I will not design several versions for clients to choose from. If needed, a consultation can be scheduled to develop better and refine a tattoo concept.
   

• If a client's ideas drastically change close to the appointment, the project may be pushed further to accommodate redesigning time at the cost of a new deposit.
  
  
   

Reference Image Usage & Aesthetic

 

• I limit the use of other artists’ work to only references for general composition, placement or a general description, not so much style. Please include relevant examples of my work. I've had issues with clients expecting me to design work that will end up looking like someone else's work.
   

• I will only work in my style/aesthetic. What you see in my portfolio is similar to what you will get.
   

• I'm not interested in reproducing a tattoo that was made uniquely for someone else. If you want work by a different artist, please make an effort to book with them instead. 
   

• I'm also not looking to reproduce a tattoo I did for another client. I treat all custom pieces as unique work created for individuals and greatly appreciate that others respect them as that.
   

• I am open to discussions to refine tattoo concepts but do not thrive when being micromanaged. I do my best work when I’m allowed creative freedom and trust. If this is something you’re really not comfortable with, I’m not the right artist for you.
   

• If I accept a proposal to reproduce a living/contemporary illustrator's work, I'll l also require some form of written permission from the artist. Some illustrators and artists will have an option for clients to pay them for rights or purchase their work to be used for a tattoo design. 
   

• No colour! I'm choosing to keep my work in the black and grey wash realm with no plans to use colour in the future. 
  
  
   

Usage of Sacred / Religious / Ethnic Symbols

 

• Although it is pretty predominant in tattoo culture, I'm strongly against appropriating imagery and symbols that are of deep significance to indigenous peoples, cultures, and faiths for the sake of having a "cool" tattoo.
   

• The only time I will make exceptions is if the client has a very good understanding of the symbol/imagery, its history/background or is a practitioner of that faith.
   

• Examples of such things are Buddhas, unalomes, dreamcatchers, native headdresses, Jesus, the Virgin Mary, the crucifix, the Sacred Heart, Ganesh, Shiva, Kali, foreign scripts/languages, etc.
   

• I do not mind if we borrow visual inspiration from cultural artworks if it suits the project.
  
  
   

Drawings / Designs

 

• Drawings will be ready for the tattoo date and not before. This is why clients need to communicate what they'd like to have done on the application form or during the consultation.
   

• To reduce the chance of miscommunication and save time, I will only discuss changes face-to-face and not over email.
   

• There will be time for changes on the day of the tattoo. Although rare, if there is a need for a complete redraw and the tattoo cannot be done that day, a new deposit must be paid.
   

• For the protection of my work, I do not send out final stencil drawings; I am firm with this.
   

• Some projects and large floral pieces are mostly drawn on freehand with stencil markers and maybe some pre-dawn stencils to ensure good placement and fit (some of the large floral sleeve pieces I've done are freehanded. There is no rough draft for these tattoos.
  
  
   

Cover-ups / Rework 

 

• My tattoo is not always well suited to covering solidly shaded tattoos. I am very selective about what I can and cannot cover up or rework. Most cover-up requests will be turned down.
   

• I may suggest some clients get laser removal treatments to give themselves more options for new tattoo work. It's potentially a long process but well worth it in the end!
   

• Easier cover-ups are dainty tattoos, thinner line work, and very faded.
   

• The same goes for reworks, they are easier to do and turn out better if the original tattoo is entirely faded and not coloured.
   

 

​
 

Touch-ups

​​
 

• Once a tattoo is fully healed and settled; usually, after a couple of months, clients may book in for a touch-up if there is any unevenness or fading.
   

• Touch-ups are free if they take under 30 minutes to do. Beyond that timeframe, a small cost will be applied based on how much touching up needs to be done.
   

• It’s normal for tattoos to not heal perfectly the first time, especially with solid black and delicate details, so don’t be alarmed if you see this. Email me with a clear, well-lit photo of your tattoo, and we'll get it taken care of.
   

• If the tattoo healed really badly due to the negligence of aftercare, full-priced appointments may be required to rework the tattoo.
   

• Touch-ups booked over a year after the tattoo's completion may be subject to hourly costs.
   

• Tattoos are art created on a biological canvas, and no two individuals are alike; therefore, I do my best to treat touch-ups as fairly as possible.
   

• Adding more to the tattoo beyond touching up existing work will be charged as additional work based on a $200/hour rate or day rate, depending on how much work is needed.
  
  
   

If you still have questions, please inquire via email before committing to a booking :) 

 

​