booking Information

Thank you for your interest in tattooing with me.

I operate a BOOKS OPEN system, usually on the 1st of every second month, for the appointment times I have available the following two month.
For example: 1st of May is when we’ll offer June & July dates.

IF YOU’RE COMING FROM OVERSEAS: please email my booker Jane directly at: deadbirdflying.ok@gmail.com
(please provide the same information requested below: answers to questions 1 to 8 so that we can understand the type of appointment you’re after)

All Australian applicants should please use the BOOKS OPEN process (explained below) to apply for an appointment. 

my process

My approach is that I work from the base of drawings I have - my work & subject matter are the building blocks of the composition/collage that we will come up with for your tattoo. 

I ask my potential clients to explore the drawings & tattoos on my site & instagram. In particular, my instagram stories contain the latest designs I’m constantly developing. I also have some you may have missed in my archives that I can show you in the studio during your appointment.

You’re encouraged to screenshot the whole pieces/ the elements of pieces that resonate most with you, the positioning on the body, or anything else that you relate to in my work. You won’t be held to any fixed idea - this is to give me an idea of the direction you’re thinking of exploring together. 

On the day of your appointment, you’ll bring along your selected images of my work. These are our start point. The more prepared you are, the smoother the process will be & the more you’ll be able to achieve in our time together.

I listen very closely to what you feel connected with & the journey you are on & then slowly we will get a picture of what will be the perfect marks for you. 

We will sit together & take the time to work through various options & to personalise your marks, in terms of size, combinations of elements, placement on the body, intertwined details, colour etc., until we arrive at exactly what you would like for your tattoo.

When we are happy with what we have come up with together we will begin to tattoo.

pricing

The way I work is difficult to price, I don’t work in the same way as many tattooists & the actual time tattooing is not an indication of what the piece will be priced at. I have had a few different ways of pricing in the past but I find the current pricing fair for myself & for clients. So here it is!

I have three general pricing brackets that my work falls within.Because we don’t know exactly what we will do together until the appointment, please keep in mind these Levels when budgeting for your tattoo. Note that 90% of the work that you see on my instagram falls in the ‘Level B’ category.

Once I have the approximate size & location of the tattoo you are thinking then I can give you an idea of the pricing that usually goes with a tattoo of the energy & size. My pricing is sliding scale within the tier levels.

Level A is $500 - $750
Level B is $750 - $1200
Level C is $1200 -$1800

So if it sounds like you will be a level B then you can pay as you wish between the minimum & maximum of that level. On the day, I will give you an indication where we are within the range, lower or upper to help you out but ultimately it is up to you. I hope to create a system where it works out for you the client & for the longevity of my ongoing practice within tattooing. (I don’t count the payment whilst you are there. I appreciate all my clients custom & the time we spend together.)

As far as timing goes, the body location/s as well as the size of the markings determines the energy & time it will take me to achieve the finished design. 

Level A & B are half day appointments - between 2 & 3.5 hours.
Upper Level B & Level C is most of the day - between 4 & 6 hours).

Following are visual examples of my work for each of the Levels:

‘As is’ concept pieces

I also offer new pieces, usually designed & drawn for a large position on the body - back/chest or thigh. Some pieces would also work on the stomach. For these pieces I am not doing them on side ribs locations or smaller areas such as lower leg or lower arm. 

I am happy for the piece to have small changes to either suit the location on your body placement or perhaps to add or take away colour or another small alteration but basically they are designed to be a ‘as is full concept’ piece.

In the lead up to books open, I will post the new ‘as is full concept’ pieces on instagram. Each piece is given a number & name to identify it. If you don’t use instagram & you’re interested in seeing the new offerings, please send this email through & we’ll send them out ahead of the 1st of the month: deadbirdflying.ok@gmail.com

For an ‘as is full concept’ we allow for an all day appointment, up to 5.5 hours, depending on the piece. 

Pricing is on a  sliding price scale of between $1000 to $1300 (Sliding scale means that you choose how much you would like to pay me within the scale. I don’t tell you what to pay. You can pay anywhere within the scale amounts.) 

If you wish to take up one of these concepts for your tattoo, let me know the identifying number of the work you’d like when you send your application email in.

appointment deposit

There will be a $100 deposit for a Level A or B appointment time.
For a Level C, or an ‘as is full concept piece’, a $200 deposit for the entire day will be due.
Jane will email you a link to pay this when your appointment time is confirmed.

The amount of the deposit paid will be deducted off the price of the tattoo on the day of your appointment.

Deposits are taken to secure your spot & cover our administration costs & are non-refundable. If you need to reschedule we are more than happy to carry your deposit over to your new appointment time. Cancellations of appointments will therefore incur the cost of the deposit paid.

my studio

After almost 6 years with Crucible Tattoo in Kensington, I’ve opened my own studio with Ash (@fabledexistence).  I’ve worked with Ash at Crucible so we know each other well… & we’re super excited to have you in our new space, starting end of December 2023.

The studio is a light filled & relaxed environment to tattoo our clients in, with currently just the two of us, so there is ample privacy with screens & distance. 

NEW STUDIO:

Located in The Nicholas Building
Level 8, Room 821
37 Swanston Street, Melbourne 3000

Full details of Studio accessibility, toilets, map & Public Transport & a recommended parking option are here.

how to apply when books open

All my bookings & enquiries are handled directly by my booker Jane. 

On the 1st of each month you can apply, via email to deadbirdflying.ok@gmail.com, to request an appointment for the next block of available appointments - typically in the next month or 2. 

Please don’t send it before the 1st as we won’t be able to process it.

If you have an enquiry not answered by the information here, please email us at: deadbirdflying.ok@gmail.com 

(Note also, that I am unable to respond to enquiries in my DMs.)

what your email request needs to contain:

1. Full name

2. Mobile number

3. The state you live in, & if coming from interstate on specific dates, when they are

4. If we’ve tattooed together before

5.‘Yes’ - you’re on board with both my process & pricing

6. Which body area/s you are wanting tattooed 

7. Whether you’re after a Level A, B or C appointment, or if you’re after an ‘AS IS CONCEPT’, please identity which one

8. Attachments of up to 5 screenshots of my work that you’re drawn to & interested in exploring together. Or, if you’re after an ‘AS IS CONCEPT’, just the image of that one.

If you’ll be using a deadbirdflying voucher as part payment, please also let us know the number of your voucher.

what happens next

We’ll process all applications & advise on instagram when we’ll be able to make the offers via email for the appointment times we have available (sorry we can’t be specific but it depends on the number of applications we receive).

Jane will respond to those we’re able to offer appointments to. 

If you’re offered a spot, you’ll get an email with the available dates & times we have - you reply with your acceptance & Jane will then email you back a confirmation of your date & time, along with the link for you to pay the deposit to lock in your spot.

if I don’t hear back, can I apply again next time?

Yes! Given the interest in tattooing with me & that we have a limited amount of appointments available each month, you may miss out in a particular round. The volume of enquiries we receive also means that we’re unable to reply to everyone...

If you do miss out, please feel welcome to re-submit your application next time.

cancellations

Of course, sometimes things happen. If you find yourself unable to attend your appointment, we ask that you email as soon as you can so we can fill the spot. 

When cancellations crop up, we’ll offer them out to others who have missed out on spots when applying & then we offer them out on instagram.

Thanks for taking the time to read through all of this - we know it’s a lot but hopefully, we’ve answered all your queries.