Frequently asked questions

I tattoo by appointment at Art Realm Tattoo, in Austin TX, where I am also a co-owner. www.artrealmtattoo.com

Please email me through the contact form to receive information on submitting a request or scheduling your tattoo.

I do not draw tattoo designs unless I will be the one tattooing them, on a client with appointment booked and deposit paid. If you’re in need of a tattoo artist who’s geographically closer to yourself to both draw and do your tattoo, try searching on a database like www.tattoonow.com

Any travel appearances, guest spots, or conventions I'm attending are announced in advance on my social media (Instagram: @burningxhope) and through my email newsletter, which you can sign up for under the Contact header of this site.

If an event isn't announced via social media or newsletter, it means I'm either not attending, or am already fully booked.

I strive to maintain levels of cleanliness above and beyond industry standards. I stay updated on the best sanitation practices and preventative measures by taking seminars designed specifically for the tattoo industry. All of my tattoo needles are bought pre-made and sterilized by the manufacturer, and are disposed of in proper sharps containers after single use. My usual tattoo ink is Fusion Ink www.fusiontattooink.com. A Material Safety Data Sheet is available for download on their website. If you have any other questions about disease prevention and sanitation practices, please feel free to email me or ask during your tattoo appointment.

Less subject matter, at larger sizes, is the general rule for a successful tattoo composition. Success in this particular context means the ability to withstand the aging process by remaining clear, bold, and readable at a distance.

To achieve this, subjects within the overall design must be sized large enough to provide adequate space between details, in order to allow the tattoo to undergo its natural aging process.

As a tattoo ages it blurs out a bit, losing sharpness, and its colors fade a bit, losing contrast. So if it contains elements at too small a size, or too many tightly grouped details, the overall appearance becomes muddy and cluttered looking.

Therefore, to keep a tattoo looking great for the maximum amount of time, the artist’s design challenge is usually to “say more, with less.” Small elements and details must be used strategically.

All tattoos, whether big and bold or with small risky details, will age and deteriorate over time. Repeated exposure to lots of sunlight accelerates this process. The aging effects will simply be more quickly and easily noticeable on any tattoo with a busy design or tiny details. They’ll also be more quickly and easily noticeable on pastel colors than on bold primary colors or dark shades.

Whether you opt for big and bold, or small details and pastel colors, all tattoos can be refreshed and made new again with a re-work session after some time has passed. I attempt to design all of my tattoos to withstand 10-15 years of aging under ideal care conditions. Tattoos that are likely to need this maintenance sooner are any that see a lot of sun exposure, are composed of busy designs full of small elements and tiny details, or that feature lots of light pastel colors.

Designing complex, custom, large-scale tattoos presents more artistic variables to contend with than small or simple designs. This increase in complexity often makes it harder to predict how successful each aspect of the design will be on a 3-dimensional body surface. Therefore, what’s often needed is a multi-faceted and fluid design process, where pre-drawn concept sketches are combined with on-skin marker and pen drawing prior to starting actual tattooing.

With this more open-ended approach, the design is allowed to evolve as needed in response to challenges that arise. The artist is freed from the rigidity of a completely pre-drawn stencil to solve these challenges as they occur.

This means that the finished marker drawing on skin may be different than the pre-made sketches. It also means that the client will not be able to see an exact finished version of the tattoo on paper before starting, which requires more trust from the client, and more communication from the artist about what they intend the finished result to look like.

Even still, the client may form a different mental image of the finished result than the artist has tried to describe from their own imagination. This is just one of the accepted risks of most complex, custom tattoo projects, and should be understood by any client embarking on this type of work.

So in contrast to a complex custom tattoo presenting many artistic variables, a small and simple request placed on an area of clear skin presents almost zero variables or unforeseen design challenges, can be pre-drawn with an exact stencil, and thus involves very low risk and uncertainty. Ultimately, the client must decide how much risk or uncertainty they’re comfortable with and tailor their tattoo request accordingly. Likewise, a knowledgeable tattooer should be able to communicate to the client up front how much risk, trust, artistic freedom, or complexity is involved in any request.

Full healing instructions for all three methods I recommend — ointment, plastic wrap, and Tegaderm — are on the Tattoo Aftercare page.

Fresh tattoos are an open wound and getting them puts stress on the immune system. A stressed immune system has a decreased ability to fight off sickness or infection. Therefore, it’s important to care for one’s health in the weeks or days leading up to a long or intense sitting by eating nutritious foods, getting adequate sleep, and avoiding unnecessary traumas to the body.

Self-care is also important during the day of the tattoo session. Eating a large and balanced meal beforehand provides the body with nutrients to sustain energy and pain tolerance. It also maintains adequate blood sugar levels, which helps the body withstand the adrenalin rush that often comes at the beginning of a tattoo session. Without this boost, that adrenalin rush leads to a higher likelihood of getting light-headed, sick, and/or passing out. Bringing some food and drink to snack on later in the day, when energy and tolerance levels drop, can also make a long tattoo session easier.

Taking ibuprofen (non-aspirin) pain relievers before and during the sitting can help relieve soreness and swelling. While not eliminating pain completely, this may have enough of an effect to increase one’s endurance.

Topical pain-relieving products such as the brand BACTINE can also provide some relief during the later stages of a tattoo session, when large areas of skin are open, raw, and sore. These products are available at any well-stocked pharmacy or supermarket, with or near the other pain relievers. They contain a mild numbing agent, which can be effective for 20-30 minutes at a time on already broken skin. Most tattooers are happy to use this at the end of a long session if it’s been requested and supplied by the client.

Books, or videos and music from a tablet or phone can all provide some distraction from the discomfort of a long tattoo session. However, the age-old practice of meditation, relaxation breathing, or 'mind over matter' techniques is nearly foolproof, and ultimately provides the most lasting, simple, and effective way to overcome temporary discomfort.

Finally, healing a very large tattoo from a long session can be more intensive than a small area that’s undergone less trauma. So while it’s wise to implement a self-care regimen before and during the tattoo session, doing so afterwards is just as crucial. This helps the body thoroughly recover from the event, resulting in a better-looking tattoo. In extreme cases, Ibuprofen can be continued until swelling and soreness diminish, in addition to icing and elevation of the affected limb.

First, it’s important to change the mental focus of a tattoo experience from a negative concept of pain, which tends to carry a story of suffering, to a neutral concept of sensation, which tends to carry only observations. This simple shift in thinking can be incredibly effective in changing a mood of tension and nervousness into calm acceptance, or even curiosity. This is because a typical response to pain is the instinct to run away from it, or to push and fight against it mentally. In contrast, a typical response to merely observing new sensations is a feeling of openness and discovery. Once the decision to get a tattoo has been made, it’s simply a waste of energy trying to block out something inevitable and unavoidable, like physical discomfort. A more effective response instead, is a shift in attitude towards neutral acceptance.

The term acceptance refers to being willing to accept any physical sensations into the body, and then letting the experience pass through the mind as a momentary phenomenon. In doing this over and over again, any moments of discomfort remain temporary, which is their true nature. In this way they’re merely moving past, while the mind rests on a solid ground of peaceful, non-attached observation.

The simplest way to reach this relaxed state is to focus all thought upon one’s breathing, literally one single breath at a time, if needed. The brief pauses in the tattoo process, when the tattooer is dipping into their ink caps or cleaning their needle tips, provide frequent opportunities for taking a deep breath, releasing tension, and resetting one’s mental focus.

Imagine as you exhale air, that you’re releasing the uncomfortable sensation felt in that moment. Over and over again, in each passing moment, this technique can help remind you of your own strength and endurance.

Another factor one can experiment with is the frequency of tattoo sessions. Some people discover that making appointments at shorter, regular intervals helps them maintain their focus and motivation, whereas other people prefer a longer period of time between particularly grueling sessions, in order to regain the necessary willpower and stamina to continue with the project. Regardless of preference, working with the tattooer’s preferred scheduling frequency is often beneficial to the final outcome of the tattoo.

No matter which coping strategy is used, the most important thing to remember is that getting tattooed is almost all mental. One’s attitude and thoughts go a surprisingly long way in determining the level of enjoyment in the experience. While a tattooer can do certain things to attempt to minimize the dscomfort their process causes, it’s up to the individual being tattooed to choose the most effective thoughts and behaviors to manage any discomfort or unpleasantness that arises. Beautiful body art and a sense of accomplishment are the lasting rewards for doing so.

All of the tattoos you see on this website are one of a kind, custom pieces designed only for the person who received the original tattoo from me. They are posted to advertise my tattooing style and artistic capabilities to the public. Additionally they are offered as inspiration for other artists, tattoo collectors, or anyone who simply appreciates body art, but they are not meant to be replicated. Please respect the original wearer of the tattoo by not having another tattoo artist copy it exactly. Use them for inspiration and ideas only. This same concept applies to the other artwork on the website as well. It’s all property of either myself or the client/collector. Please do not reproduce any of these images without permission. Thank you.

Please contact me to inquire about purchasing any of the fine art originals listed as Available in my galleries, or to inquire about commissioning a new piece of art.

Any art listed as Private Collection has already been sold and is not available.

When available, limited edition prints or other products can be found in the website store.

I enjoy fine art commissions of all kinds when time permits. Please contact me to inquire about pricing and availability, or to discuss your idea. contact form

All paintings and other fine art shown on this site is property of either myself and/or the collector, unless specifically stated otherwise. Please do not reproduce any of these images without permission. Thank you.

All pre-recorded or written tattoo educational products I’m currently offering are featured in the website store.

I am available for seminar and workshop booking at tattoo conventions, conferences, and studios, where I can speak on or demonstrate a number of technical tattooing topics, including my comprehensive seminar on tattoo strategy, “The Holistic Approach.” Please contact me to discuss teaching at your event.

All pre-recorded or written fine art educational products I’m currently offering are featured in the website store.

I am available for seminar and workshop booking, where I can speak on or demonstrate a number of technical oil painting topics, or host paint-along workshops in the disciplines of classical still life painting, landscape painting, or life drawing. Please contact me to discuss teaching at your event or location, or to you privately, or your group.