Please reach out if you cannot find an answer to your question.
I will open my books as I am finishing up current projects and can see a significant number of open appointments on the horizon. This usually happens every 3-4 months but sometimes a bit longer depending on the size and scope of current projects. I will only be booking for the months specified during that booking window. I will send out an email to my mailing list as well as announce via Instagram @jocelynmcg. Ongoing projects will take priority but this system allows for a more consistent workflow and the ability to get the most ideas and clients onto the schedule. When booking is open, there will be a form on the contact page of this website that you can fill out. Books will remain open for 24 hours. Once my books are closed, I will go through each request and determine which projects I will take on. If I am able to take on your project, you will receive and email letting you know followed by an additional email with a booking date. Once an appointment has been scheduled & your deposit is paid, additional details about the design will be discussed and clarified as needed via email. Scheduling an appointment for a tattoo with me guarantees you a specific time and date to be tattooed. All other inquiries for this block of time will be turned away in order to keep the appointment scheduled for you. Because of the high volume of submissions I receive, please be absolutely sure of your availability for the date and time you agree to have the procedure done, and your choice of tattoo design. A deposit is required to book an appointment (more about deposits later on).
The exact date I open books to take requests will vary, so the best way for you to stay informed is to sign up for my email list. I take on 25 projects per round of booking. If they're all smaller, one session pieces... my books will re-open sooner. If everyone wants full sleeves and giant thigh pieces... it'll be a little longer. I never know what size or complexity of ideas will be requested so I don't know EXACTLY when I'll be finished. What I do know is: I never rush a project just to get done faster.
Please be patient! Depending on how many requests come in, it may take a while to respond to your email. Please do not message me the next day and ask if you have an appointment... it's the equivalent of asking a parent, 'Are we there yet?' for the 80th time while on the way to Grandma's house in Ohio. Reading through and organizing all of the requests takes time. Organizing requests and scheduling is all done by my wonderful assistant Kat. After she gets the schedule emails handled, I take over for the consultation & art process. Since I only book 3 months at a time, I will have a limit on the number of appointments I am able to book each time. Although I would love to tattoo everyone, as an artist I must take on the ideas and concepts that bolster my creativity and naturally align with the artistic and stylistic qualities of my work. Due to the amount of requests received, I may not be able to get to your request when you submit it. You are always welcome to resubmit the idea when my books open again. If I think your project would be better suited to the talents of another artist, I will often make a recommendation. Ultimately, you should get the best tattoo possible and if I cannot be that artist for you, I have many talented coworkers and an extended family of tattoo artists that specialize in various styles to recommend.
If you haven't already, check out my portfolio page on this site and my Instagram @jocelynmcg and look at the stuff I post. If you want something that looks stylistically similar to what you see there, chances are I'll be excited to do it. Developing my style and artistic voice is very important to me. I love creating pieces that fit and flow with the body and take into account the natural shapes of the figure. Please make sure you fill out the entire contact form, forms that lack vital information will be discarded. Be flexible! I get to play a super intense game of Schedule Jenga with your schedule, my schedule and the schedule of everyone else that wants to get tattooed. The more flexible you are with scheduling, the easier that makes it to get you in for an appointment *wink wink*
I have recently begun to communicate about a practice I call "Intuitive Tattooing". This process is not for everyone but for whom it resonates with, none have been disappointed. To read more about this, go here: Intuitive Tattoo Page
If you submit a request and I am not able to take on your idea at that time, you may absolutely resubmit in the next round of booking. I do, however, work with a very talented team at Old Republic Tattoo Company and I'm friends with other talented artists in Sacramento as well. If your idea is better suited for another artist or is something that I do not believe I am the most qualified to accomplish, I will try to recommend someone for you. After all, tattoos are art and every artist has their own specialties and talents. You wouldn't ask Picasso to paint the Sistine Chapel or Jackson Pollock to paint the Mona Lisa. ;-)
No. In order to keep your ideas fresh and further my artistic development, I take new requests and submissions every few months. This will allow for you and I to grow ideas together in a fluid creative timeline. Your ideas may change from one submission period to another so I want to make sure that I get the newest and freshest version of your idea.
A deposit is required to secure an appointment day and time. A deposit is a down payment for your tattoo. Your deposit will be applied to your final session upon completion of your tattoo. If you do not bring all the money necessary to pay for any appointment and your tattoo is NOT finished you will NOT be able to use part of your deposit. Deposits are non-refundable, and non-transferable to another person or design if you change your mind. You risk losing your deposit only if you do not follow the policies below. If you violate any of the deposit policies, you will need to pay another deposit to make or keep any future appointments. All deposits are $200 regardless of the size of the piece.
A 48 hour notice is required to reschedule any appointment and keep your deposit. This is to make sure I have enough time to fill your spot. Failure to keep your scheduled appointment may result in forfeiture of your deposit.
If you cannot keep your scheduled tattoo appointment, it is YOUR responsibility to notify me a minimum of 48 hours in advance by EMAIL ONLY.
If proper notice is given, cool! We can reschedule your appointment and your deposit will still go towards the final session. If you reschedule 2 times in a row (regardless if you have given a 48 hour notice each time) you will be given one last chance to reschedule but will forfeit your deposit. A new deposit must be paid before rescheduling.
If you cancel an appointment and do not reschedule, you forfeit your deposit.
No-call No-shows will result in forfeiture of your deposit and your remaining appointments will be cancelled.
Keep in mind a tattoo is a commissioned piece of artwork. It is the artist's interpretation of the ideas expressed by the client. If I've taken on your request, I'm already excited about the idea and I want to make it the best tattoo it can be. I take a lot of pride in being able to ask the right questions and get all of the information I need from each client in order to create the perfect piece for them. There is a satisfaction of unveiling what I get to create for you and discussing the finer details of the design in person. For that reason, I do not send out artwork ahead of time. I will have your artwork ready for you on the day of your appointment. Viewing the artwork on a tiny screen is not the same as seeing how it will fit on the body. Each piece is designed to fit and flow with the body and doesn't hold the same gravity until we see it sized out and placed where it will become permanent. Of course the final approval is yours and small changes can be made on the fly if necessary. I want you to love your design because it will be on you forever. If this process freaks you out... I totally get it. But if you like the work that you've seen from me, understand that this is the process that makes all of that cool stuff happen.
Another reason artwork is not sent to the client ahead of time is that, unfortunately, artwork does get stolen. It is an unfortunate reality in the tattoo industry that people do take custom works of art, designed by an artist for them and then disappear. If you take a design to another studio, this is considered theft and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
The design is the intellectual property of Jocelyn McGregor Graphic Tattoo.
Visitors are allowed during your procedure but please let me know ahead of time as we are trying to keep the number of people in the shop each day to a minimum.
Please do not bring children or pets to your tattoo appointment. Minors under the age of 18 are not allowed in the procedural areas of the shop.