I'm writing this after a few months of getting my tattoo with Anthony. Let me preface this by saying I got my first tattoo from here which is gorgeous, and was done by a professional artist. This is why I came back for my second tattoo and tried out Anthony since the other person was no longer there.
I gave Anthony references to a snake tattoo I wanted in our virtual consultation. He quoted me $1050, which was fine, considering I wanted the tattoo to be large and had shading. He said he would draw me something ORIGINAL, not exactly the tattoo I sent him. Sound good right?
The day I get there, he is over 40 minutes late, and the receptionist came over twice to assure me he was on his way. Why have an appointment time if he's treating me like a walk-in? That's when I should have just ran away (however, they made me pay before starting, which was highly unusual given that the first time I was here, I paid after I was satisfied with the work).
When he arrives, he apologizes for being late, no sweat. He proceeds to show me his design which was cute. He allowed me to add an element that I saw in advance was usable for the public (free moon design). The snake's shape was not particularly what I wanted, but I figured I was getting an original piece with elements I added, so I rolled with it.
Then, Anthony has me sit for over 2 hours while he draws!! INSANE. He laughed it off saying "haha, yeah I was drawing it in the cab over here." Again, I should have ran, but I was stubborn and wanted my tattoo after paying all that money. But why have the consultation if you're not going to draw in advance?! He also post-poned my original appointment for a few days later, so he had way more time. Sidenote: there are more people who have this same exact experience from Anthony if you scroll down. Wish I had known earlier.
He tattooed what I thought was the outline of the tattoo for 3 hours, and boasted saying "I should technically charge you more for this." That's when I started to get really annoyed with his professionalism. After he finished, I asked if we were starting the shading yet. He said "Huh? No shading." Are you kidding me?! Again, whatever, it's an original tattoo right?
WRONG. An artist from France hits me up on Instagram after posting saying I do not have permission to use his work. I was shocked and confused. I bring it up with the shop, who seemed concerned at first. Ultimately, they said they couldn't do anything without more information, even though I gave them the name of their Instagram and proof that it was taken off the internet (it was on freakin Pinterest!).
I let them know that I do love the shop based off my first experience with them, but that this is unacceptbale. They said they could add elements to the tattoo if I wanted. Great, is it complimentary? Nope! I would have to pay.
So not only did I not get the tattoo I wanted, it was STILL not an original work of art and you're asking me to pay MORE to fix it? Why did he not just tattoo the piece I sent him well in advance? Why pass a different piece off as his own saying he started drawing it in the cab over? Does drawing mean copy/pasting now?
Anyway, I covered it up with an actual experienced artist at Acqua Santa Tattoo. The artist there is a professional with over 20 years of experience, multiple awards, and has tattooed in over 24 countries to perfect his art. He drew my current snake freehand and tattooed me in 2 hours for only $450. He let me know that sure, the price per hour was acceptable at West 4th, but that it's not worth it in the long run because fineline fades more quickly. Additionally, that the artist was probably trying to get every penny's worth by dragging this tattoo out for 3 hours when it could have been done under 1 hour. Quite simply, he didn't want to tattoo the original snake I sent him, he wanted to do his own thing and capitalize. Two other artists I spoke with from two different shops gave similar advice to avoid this place if this is how they treat customers.
I am sure other artists are fantastic, just as my first one was in 2018. However, Anthony is unprofessional and, at least for me, did not have an ounce of original artwork to speak for. He is a hot-shot who can do whatever he pleases because the shop will back up his unprofessional ways.
I would very much appreciate my money back, but based on other reviews, this is a long shot. Hoping West 4th will do better in the future as clients are often giving their trust to artists, only to have it slapped in their face. read more