PATRICK CARROLL
Chicago, IL
PRICING GUIDE
Single Session | Tiny
$100 - $200
This price point is for tattoos that take roughly 30 minutes or less. This could be a few words, single-line symbols, an abstract element, etc. If you are getting multiple tattoos of this nature, the price only goes up incrementally per tattoo. Appointments for these tattoos are only available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
Single Session | Small
$250 - $500
Small tattoos are considered "palm sized" - about 4x4 - 5x5 inches. Most tattoos this size tend to stay closer to $250-350 for black illustration-style tattoos, and $350-500 for color tattoos. Expect a slightly higher rate if the tattoo is a cover-up or placed on a challenging part of the body.
Single Session | Medium
$500 - $800
Medium tattoos are normally a little smaller than a standard letter-sized (8x10") sheet of paper. This would typically be a piece that takes up all (or nearly) the entire front or back of the forearm, or one side of an average-sized person's chest, etc. Most tattoos this size tend to stay closer to $500-600 for black illustration-style tattoos, and $600-800 for color tattoos. Expect a slightly higher rate if the tattoo is a cover-up or placed on a challenging part of the body.
Full Day or Multi-Session | Large
$800 - $1,200+
Heavily detailed tattoos that are larger than a letter-sized sheet of paper; usually half-sleeves and larger. Black illustration-style tattoos tend to stay closer to $800-900, and color tattoos most often require multiple sessions. Full day sessions are typically only available on Fridays & Saturdays, and for these appointments I work an extended day: 12pm-8pm rather than 1pm-7pm. The discounted 8-hour full day rate is $1,200.
The estimates above are loosely based on a billing rate of $200 per hour. Cover-ups and challenging placement are billed at a rate of $250 per hour. The final cost of each session is determined by combination of size, amount of technical detail, and overall how much time is required to complete the tattoo. Black illustration-style tattoos tend to end up on the lower end of each price range, and color tattoos at the higher end.
A tattoo is a lifelong commitment and therefore a financial commitment as well. If you have budgetary constraints for the tattoo you have in mind, you are encouraged to be transparent about that. Breaking large projects up into smaller sessions is always an option to make the process more affordable. For large-scale multi-session work such as sleeves, the full day rate is the most cost effective option (a $400 discount).