What happens after you submit an InkLiaison intake
What to expect after sending your tattoo idea, references, budget, timeline, and artist preferences.
The intake form is the quietest part of working with us, and probably the most important. It is where a vague idea becomes something we can actually act on. Here is what happens between the moment you press submit and the moment you hear back.
The intake itself exists for one reason: to give us enough context to be useful on the first reply. We ask about the idea, the visual references that pulled you in, the placement and rough size, your real budget, your timeline, and where you are based. None of these questions are filler. Each one narrows the field of artists we would consider, or shapes the design conversation we would start.
Once a submission lands, a real person reads it. We look at the idea first — what you are trying to say, not just what you are trying to draw. Then we look at style and placement together, because the two are inseparable: a design that works on a forearm rarely works unchanged on a ribcage. Budget and timeline tell us which artists are realistic to recommend. Location tells us how far you are willing to travel for the right hand.
If the idea still needs shaping, we will say so. Sometimes a reference is close but not quite right. Sometimes the concept is strong but the composition has not been resolved. In those cases, we suggest starting with custom design — a few rounds of sketching with us until the drawing is ready to be tattooed. Only then do we move to matching.
If the idea is already clear and what you need is the right artist, we move straight to matching. We pull from a private network of artists we have personally vetted and recommend one to three names, with a short note on why each one fits — style, temperament, pricing range, and city. One revised shortlist is included if the first recommendations are not a fit. From there, the conversation with the artist is yours to lead. We do not book the appointment for you, and we cannot guarantee any specific artist will be available; what we can do is point you to people we would trust with the work.
Follow-up usually happens by email within a few business days. The first reply is rarely a hard sell. More often it is a short note with our read of the project, one or two clarifying questions, and a recommended next step — design, matching, both, or occasionally neither.
A few small things make the process noticeably easier on both sides. Reference images that show what you actually like, not just what is popular, help us read your taste quickly. A budget you have actually thought about — not a placeholder — saves a round of back-and-forth. A timeline that reflects your real life, including travel and healing windows, lets us recommend artists whose calendars match yours. And a sentence or two about why this tattoo matters to you, even if it feels small, almost always changes the recommendation.
When you are ready, the intake form is the place to start. Take a few quiet minutes with it; we will take the same care on our end.