FAQ

Hello! My name is Sonja Bow I work at ,Vintage Scarecrow in South Australia.
Thank-you so much for showing an interest in my artwork!

PLEASE READ EVERYTHING before sending an enquiry, almost all you need to know is right here for you!

I love creating one of a kind, custom tattoos for my clients and take the utmost care and pride in my craft. Please be aware that I am full body disabled (autism) and chronically ill which I do need my clients to be accomodating of, as I would be of others.

While I do my best at managing my health, sometimes I will have to reschedule appointments either due to my disability or illness.

– I ask for understanding and patience because of this
– To come in allergen free clothing (i am severely allergic to cats & dust mites, highly allergic to most dogs) they trigger my illness. (Wash 60ºC+)
– Please do NOT wear perfume as I am hyper sensitive
– Please do not rush me, it will cause me to highly stress
– Please bring headphones, I usually wear mine when working too

I am very passionate about my work and always put in maximum effort creating each design. A design might not be perfect right away, so sometimes I may need extra time to work on it, specifically if it is very large or complex,

With this type of work which can be quite taxing in our bodies and our mental health, I must be feeling well enough to put 100% effort into my work on the day of your appointment. Tattoos are special and I believe in putting extra care and attentiveness into each piece as it is something that will be on your body for the rest of your life.

If you are understanding of the above and feel that you can comply with these requirements, please finish reading my FAQ as it contains other important information and send through your enquiry if my books are open! Thankyou so much for the time and patience.

DEPOSITS

A deposit of $100-$500 is necessary to book in for your tattoo. The deposit is deducted from the cost of the finishing session. Your deposit is only for the booked concept, it cannot be used for a different tattoo.

The deposit will be forfeited if you:

– do not show up to your appointment
– give less then 48 hours notice to reschedule
– cancel your appointment(s)
– reschedule your appointment more than 3 times
– come in unwell, sunburnt, drunk, high
– make myself or any other workers or clients feel unsafe
– come in on antibiotics less then a week ago
– come in on omega 3s within the past month

DRAWING FEES

A drawing fee is required to book in your tattoo, this covers some of the design process. The drawing fee is only refunded if no effort has been made on the design.
The price varies depending on how much work is needed to create the art piece.

The drawing fee goes towards the booked concept, the concept cannot be changed.

I will often share a rough draft of the design to see if any small changes are needing to be made. Any changes after that may incur a fee.

My books generally open a couple of times a year for a short period. When known, I post the time and date they will open on social media and email to those subscribed.
They will only be open for 48 hours.

After reading my entire FAQ you can then submit your enquiry form on this website, please be as organised and specific as you can.

To schedule a large project, the client must be able to book multiple appointments until the piece is completed, please save beforehand. Every 3-4 weeks is recommend.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

Due to the amount of requests and projects I have to be selective, therefore not every request can be booked.

Generally I prefer to take on requests with less restrictions and ideas that I enjoy. Whimsical and fauna pieces are preferential amongst lots of other things, I also very much enjoy doing pet portraits and creating wholesome memorial pieces.

I am looking for dedicated clients to put the time and financial investment that is necessary for the project to ensure consistency and the best possible outcome.

CONSULTS

Consults are free but there are only a few free consult days a year.
If you do not show up or reschedule/cancel without 48 hours notice there may be a $50 fee to book in another consult.If you cannot make the free consult day then we may organise a time for you at the cost of $50 and must be a day that I am already at the studio.

Please be ready to pay your deposit and drawing fee on the day of your consult so that you can book your appointment. Please wear appropriate attire so that I can photograph the area.

Please do not be late to your consult, if you are late, you might miss out on your consult.

Consults are not required for all tattoos, only if I think it is necessary.

ALLERGIES

Allergic reactions to ink or adhesive bandage which can be short lived or for a long time.

Testing for reactions to adhesive bandage is available upon cost.

Testing for ink allergic reaction is not available as it need to be deposited into the skin.

It may be best to get a smaller tattoo first, all colours are different and often people may have a reaction to one colour and not the others.

Allergic reactions can be very minor, to raised and incredibly itchy in which a cream will be provided by a doctor which generally helps but can take time.

INFECTIONS

While I take as much effort and care to not overwork the skin and to keep a clean and sterile environment, the client must also do their best. Though rare in my experience, infections are most commonly from home, from items like shoes, pets hair or accidentally damaging the tattoo during healing.

After 3-4 days, if you experience extra redness and pain and/or the tattoo is looking very angry, please contact me with photos so I can consult further.

A fresh tattoo is an open wound, only touch with cleaning hands if necessary for cleaning & do not let anyone else touch! PLEASE contact me if you have any worries or difficulties with your tattoo.

CLEAR ADHESIVE BANDAGE

I. If you have second skin, you can keep it on for 7 days but no longer, peel off gently.

II. There’s no need to clean your wound when it is covered with adhesive bandage, you may see liquid build up underneath, this is normal and may even dry up in the bandage.

III. Please remove if your tattoo ooze leaks out, or if you break the bandage. Remove immediately if you have an allergic reaction to the adhesive.

CLING WRAP

I. Please remove cling film after 2-3 hours and wash well with a PH neutral or antibacterial soap.

II. Wash the tattoo gently but well 3 times a day until healed, let the tattoo dry before applying aftercare cream, do not use towels to dry your tattoo as they usually harbour some bacteria even when clean.

III. Apply a small amount of aftercare cream gently onto the skin, enough to cover but not too much to make it overly soggy.

IV. For 3-7 days I do recommend covering the tattoo with cling film for bed, keeping a tattoo moist enough can assist with the healing process, this also protects your tattoo from bacteria in the bed and from sticking to materials. Also Make sure that your bedding is fresh and clean.

V. You can cover your tattoo during the day if it works for you, it works very well for some clients and others not so much. If you are not wearing cling film, please keep your tattoo moisturised with your aftercare whenever it becomes too dry.

VI. The sun is your tattoos worst enemy! Keep your healing tattoo covered and out of the sun, otherwise I can fade very quickly! Once your tattoo is healed, it is recommended to cover or use sunscreen to protect your ink from the sun.

VII. No saunas, baths, spray tans or soaking your tattoo while it’s healing. And please keep pets away from your gorgeous new tattoo!

IX. Your tattoo may get very itchy in the later healing stages! Unfortunately this is normal, you may pat or caress your tattoo but do not scratch it or pick! Let it do its own thing and give it lots of love and care :).

HAPPY HEALING!

Thankyou for spending the time to thoroughly read my important information.