Tattoo consultation form: the questions to ask before you draw
A tattoo consultation form collects what an artist needs to know before they say yes, quote a price or start drawing. A good one saves you a string of follow-up messages and helps clients think their idea through. This article lists the questions that matter, the ones you can skip, and how to keep the form short enough that people actually finish it on a phone.
Request form, consultation form, consent form
Three forms are often mixed up:
- Request or booking form: the first contact. What the client wants, where, how big, and when.
- Consultation form: the details you need to design and quote. Often filled in before or during the consultation.
- Consent form: signed on the day, confirming the client understands the procedure and aftercare and answering health questions.
Many shops combine the first two online and handle consent on paper or a tablet on the day. This article focuses on the request and consultation questions.
The essential questions
About the idea
- Describe your idea in your own words
- Reference images: two to five, with a note on what they like in each
- Style: fine line, blackwork, traditional, realism, or "not sure"
- Colour or black and grey
- Is this a cover-up or an addition to an existing tattoo? If yes, a photo of the area
About placement and size
- Placement on the body
- Approximate size in centimetres, or a photo of the area with a rough outline
- First tattoo? A yes changes how you explain the process
About the practical side
- Preferred artist, or "no preference"
- Budget, as a range
- Availability: days of the week, or "flexible"
- Contact details: name, e-mail, phone
That's about a dozen fields. It's enough to judge most requests without a follow-up.
Questions you can leave out
- A long list of yes/no health questions at the request stage; keep those for the consent form on the day
- Full address and date of birth before you've even accepted the request
- Open "tell us about yourself" fields that nobody fills in
Every extra field reduces the number of people who finish the form. Ask only what you need now.
Health questions and personal data
Some health information matters for tattooing, such as skin conditions, allergies, pregnancy or medication that affects healing. That information is sensitive. Good practice:
- Ask health questions only when they're needed, usually on the consent form on the day
- Explain why you ask
- Store forms securely and limit who can see them
- Keep them only as long as you need to, according to the rules in your country
- If a client mentions a medical condition, advise them to check with their doctor
In the EU and UK, health data falls under stricter privacy rules. This isn't legal advice; check with your industry association or an adviser what applies to you.
Make the form easy to complete
- Use clear labels and examples: "e.g. inner forearm, about 10 cm"
- Let people upload images directly instead of e-mailing them later
- Make most fields short; use a few dropdowns for style, colour and artist
- Say what happens next: "We reply within a few working days"
- Show your deposit rules next to the form
Test it yourself on your phone. If it takes more than a few minutes, cut something.
A sample form, field by field
Here is a compact form you can adapt:
- Artist: dropdown with names, plus "no preference"
- Your idea: text field, with the example "A fine line peony with a small bee"
- Style: dropdown (fine line, blackwork, traditional, realism, other, not sure)
- Colour: colour, black and grey, or open to advice
- Placement: text field, with the example "Outer upper arm"
- Size: text field in centimetres, with the example "about 12 x 8 cm"
- Reference images: upload, up to five
- Cover-up or addition? Yes or no, with an optional photo
- Budget: a few ranges to choose from
- Availability: weekdays, weekends or flexible
- Contact: name, e-mail and phone
Add a short note below the form with your deposit rules and when clients can expect an answer.
Use the answers well
A complete request lets you decide quickly: yes, no, or "yes, but slightly bigger". Reply with a clear next step, such as a consultation date, a quote or a deposit link. If the request doesn't fit your style, a short, friendly no with a suggestion helps the client and protects your reputation. We wrote about the whole flow in tattoo booking software and about preventing missed appointments in tattoo no-shows and late cancellations.
The consultation form on OnlineTattoo.art
Every OnlineTattoo.art site includes a tattoo booking request form that covers the essential questions above: artist, idea, placement and size, colour or black and grey, reference image uploads, budget and availability. Requests go to the right artist. Online deposits, per-artist calendars and reminders are in development as the Bookings add-on; see the add-ons on the pricing page. Digital consent forms are not part of OnlineTattoo.art today.
Where the form belongs
Put the form on your own website, linked from every artist page, your flash page and your social media bio. A form on your own domain looks trustworthy and keeps clients with you. If your current site makes this hard, the OnlineTattoo.art tattoo website builder includes it from the start.
Checklist
- Idea, references, style, colour
- Placement, size, cover-up or addition
- Artist, budget range, availability, contact details
- Health questions only on the consent form, with care
- Short, phone-friendly, with image upload
- Clear next step and visible deposit rules
Photo: Mayara Caroline Mombelli / Pexels
