booking info and Frequently asked questions
below you will find a detailed description of the majority of my process including booking appointments/consultations, pricing, designing tattoos, and the tattoo process
please read all of this page before submitting a booking inquiry
when and how can i book an appointment?
Madison appointments
After reading through this page, you can fill out and submit a form on the booking form page to inquire for an appointment
Please note that i will not be able to take on every project. please see the section below for details on what i am focused on tattooing right now
if I am able to take on your project, we will schedule an in-person or video-chat consultation to go over details and lock in a game plan
Available designs are always ready to book. they have their own booking form at the bottom of the available designs page
Travel Appointments
I will occasionally make announcements about booking for travel Dates separate from my normal scheduling
if you would like to keep up to date with my travel schedule, please sign up for my travel newsletter to be alerted by email for these potential appointments.
I do charge a slightly higher rate while traveling which you can read more about below
What are you focused on tattooing?
currently i am very focused on large scale work including full backs, chest/fronts, and bodysuit style work.
I also enjoy tattooing arm sleeves, leg sleeves, and smaller projects so please feel free to inquire for those. however, i typically receive a lot of inquiries for these so the larger you are willing to commit to, the more likely i will be able to take on your project. for example if you are interested in getting both arm sleeves, or both leg sleeves, or a sleeve and a back piece, etc.
On top of stand alone projects like back-pieces and sleeves, i am also very interested in working with clients on large portions of their body steadily over a long period of time to create large cohesive work that moves and flows well on a grand scale. If this prospect interests you, please make note of it in your booking form and we can talk more about how that would work.
i am interested in expanding my large scale geometric/ornamental work both as stand-alone geometric projects and as geometric work incorporated with certain subject matter such as skulls, snarling animals, and different cultural masks and relics.
In both cases i enjoying working with a geometric and ornamental style that is bold, aggressive, and high contrast like you can see in most of my current work
I understand that not everyone can afford a large tattoo that like i am describing. i think it is very reasonable to consider saving for a large tattoo as you will have it for the rest of your life and it does not need to be something that is rushed into. It is also worth noting that the payment will not be in one large lump sum and large tattoos take time. please see more specifics on total cost in the next question.
What are your rates and deposit requirements?
Madison Appointments
i charge a flat day rate of $1500/day (roughly 7 hours).
I find most of my Projects take at least one full day, if not several. in the rare situation that we tattoo for less than a full day, i work off an hourly rate of $300/hr.
For custom projects, I require a deposit equal to $200 per day that we estimate your project will take. this amount will come off of the final price of the project. the deposit is non-refundable and will be lost in the event of a cancellation or reschedule within 72 hours of the appointment and a new one will need to be left in order to reschedule
Please note that rates are subject to change in the future but you will be locked into whatever rate we book at for the duration of your project
Travel Appointments
For travel, My day Rate increases to $1600/day or an hourly rate of $325/hr
while traveling, i also increase my daily deposit amount to $300/day that we book that will come off the final price of the project
the deposit is non-refundable and will be lost in the event of a cancellation or reschedule within 72 hours of the appointment and a new one will need to be left in order to reschedule, if possible
Total COst
your project will not be paid in one lump sum but rather you will pay for each session as you receive it. most of my clients work on their projects at a rate of roughly 2-3 sessions per month or two. i often like to book large projects in back-to-back day blocks, usually 2 or 3 at a time. we can talk more about scheduling and options during the consultation.
i design the project as one cohesive unit and prefer to tattoo it like that meaning that I often outline the entire project before filling any of in it. this allows me to make sure the design will flow nicely between elements and result in the most cohesive end result.
for an estimated total cost on large scale coverage, i find that most arm sleeves take 4-5 sessions, leg sleeves take roughly 6-8 sessions, a full back (including butt) take roughly 6-8 sessions. this is not a guarantee as projects will depend on body size, design complexity, etc. but this should at least give you a rough idea.
WIll I get to see the design ahead of time?
for custom work, i do not send out designs or a sketch ahead of time. instead, i view the booking form and consultation as your opportunity to express all of your wishes and requirements for the piece that i will combine with my artistic input and experience to come up with a unique design customized to you
for most pieces, when you come into the shop on the day of the appointment, i will have a finalized draft of the design to show you (often mocked up onto pictures of your body). i am open to talking about any concerns or adjustments to the design at that point
ultimately i do request a lot of trust from my clientele and feel that i do my best work when i can be creative with the projects presented to me. i view my tattoo process as commissioning a piece of original and uniquely designed artwork as opposed to a fill-in-the-blank completely customizable order
As an alternative to this, I recommend to consider booking an Available design instead of a custom project as you will have a very clear idea of the design ahead of time
DO you do cover-ups?
cover-ups will be considered if it will be part of a larger overall project. for example, if you have a small tattoo on your shoulder but want a back-piece, we can talk about the best options for this.
it is important to understand the limitations of a cover-up. my works usually relies HEAVILY on negative space meaning that a pattern will usualy not cover up your tattoo well. usually the best option for a cover up is to black out that area.
Do you do color tattoos?
currently i am not taking on any color projects and exclusively work with blackwork and dotwork
Where are you located?
i am the owner of Sleepy reaper tattoo in madison, wi
We are located at 6901 Seybold rd. on Madison’s west side
please feel free to check out Sleepy Reaper’s instagram or website to see the other artists i work with and book an appointment with them
IG: @sleepyreaperwi