FAQ

Maya will give you a call to guide you through the process. Ronen, David, or Anna will listen to your story and help refine the wording. Gabriel will then dive into the details of your piece and craft your art, while Daniel will build a model of the "canvas."

By now, you’ve probably realized—this isn’t going to happen in 24 hours or whatever quick turnaround you’re used to with online orders. We’re not the amazon.com of Jewish ink.

The process will take a few emails and usually at least one, sometimes two, Zoom meetings.

Please come prepared with a little patience and flexibility—your vision might end up being even better in a slightly different form than you first imagined.

If you want the best result, the finest art, the most inspired version of me, i.e. if you want me to create something so compelling that MoMA might just offer you a wall, share your story with me and give me as much artistic freedom as possible. I know that’s not always easy, but the more freedom you allow, the better I can bring your ideas to life.

I typically avoid scheduling work more than four months in advance, which means there's usually a waiting list of about three to four months.

However, considering the process of finding the right wording, scheduling one or two Zoom meeting, and other details, it may take up to six months from your initial email until my art is on your skin. As noted in point No.1: bring some patience—you might need it.

Rest assured, you'll receive a clear estimate of the wait time before you commit, and once payment is made, you'll have a precise due date.

Each piece I create is a personal reflection on an individual’s story, which is why I never resell, redraw, recreate, or repeat any of my previous work—no exceptions. If you want my art on your skin, please take the time to share your ideas with me, so I can ensure your design is unique, yours alone, and will be only on your skin.

I know, an almost unbearable inconvenience in a world where we’re used to instant downloads and one-click purchases. But hey, the upside? You’ll have something so unique, it’s worth every bit of that suffering!

All works are provided as high-resolution JPGs [6469px by 6469px, enough to zoom in on the single drops of ink], and often 3D models and renders are included.

For a variety of reasons, we don't send physical copies of your art. If you want to hold my art in your hands, smell the ink, feel the paper, check out gabrielwolff.com. That's where my non-tattoo art lives

I’m often open to making small, specific adjustments if requested once the art is finished and sent. Keep in mind, these will be minor tweaks, not fundamental changes to the design, and only if they don’t compromise the art. For example, "Hey, could you bend that Lamed a bit more to the right?" might work, but requests like "Actually, I wanted a Mickey Mouse made from Genesis 1:23" or any major alteration in words or overall form are out. Similarly, "I don't like this, could you send me something else?" will not be entertained. In fact, that last question will quietly and automatically add your name to the Mossad’s hit list.

This is why we all invest significant time and effort upfront to conceptualize a cohesive, meaningful project, advising you on wording and tattoo possibilities—especially with calligraphy tattoos. We make sure we fully understand your vision before I sharpen my pencil, mix my ink, and start drawing.

You'll notice.

I’m aware that many artists send drafts for client approval. I don’t.

There’s an intimacy in the artistic process, and having someone “look over my shoulder” would disrupt that. It becomes even more intrusive when well-intentioned suggestions inevitably follow. That’s why I only send work I fully stand behind. In other words: the final artwork. If you’d like to request minor, specific changes afterward, I’m sometimes open to it. Check out point number 5 [alterations] about that.

It's been some time since I was able to draw every project I was asked to create. Rather than constantly pushing for more, I’ve chosen to limit myself to a select number of projects each month—projects I can fully dedicate myself to, ensuring their artistic integrity remains uncompromised.

So if your project doesn't make it to the drawing stage, please do not take it personally. It's in no way a comment on your ideas, much less on you as a person. Rather, it's simply a result of my desire to spend at least some time with my family and the annoying fact that a day has only 24 hours.

On that note, if you have any suggestions for fixing the absurd 24h/day limit, I’m all ears. I’ve been working on it for years without much success.

Since all of my tattoo art is commissioned, each piece is priced individually. Prices typically range from $750 to several thousand USD.

The cost generally reflects the complexity of the artwork. For instance, a roaring lion made from an entire Bible chapter will cost more than a simple three-word phrase.

The size you have in mind for the tattoo doesn’t affect the price of the artwork itself. While it will inevitably influence what your tattooist charges, the art I provide is fully scalable, so size is more of a virtual factor in our workflow.

The number of letters or words, like the size, also does not directly influence the price.

We know this process can seem a bit complex, but rest assured, you’ll have ballpark figures throughout. As the project evolves and becomes more defined, we’ll provide updated estimates at each stage, giving you a clearer idea of the final cost as we move forward. And of course, you’re not committed to anything until payment is made.

One last thing: please don’t try to haggle. Or, for those who ACTUALLY need a reminder: המחירים אינם נתונים למשא ומתן! יש?

All prices are in US dollars and include all taxes and fees. Any price offer is valid for 30 days.

The same applies to your spot on my list. If I’ve accepted your project, it means I’ve committed to creating your art. However, if payment isn’t made within 30 days, no hard feelings—I’ll pass your spot to someone else.

So, please don’t email me with, “Hey, I just paid this $25 invoice you sent when you were 23. When’s the art ready? I’ve got an appointment this afternoon!”

Nope, I did not just make this up.

(I wish I had, though)

All payments are required upfront—no exceptions. Since I can’t "unsend" a piece once it's delivered, nothing will be sent until full payment is in.

You can pay via PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, or credit card. For the crypto crowd, BTC and ETH are also accepted. If you'd like to split the cost, we’re happy to offer zero-interest installments—four equal monthly payments—when using a credit card. Sadly, we can’t do the same for PayPal, Venmo, or Apple Pay. That’s not on us, so if you're feeling frustrated, feel free to send some strongly worded letters their way!

The show must go on, and to keep it going, I regularly share my work on social media, blogs, print media, and more.

Now, if keeping your piece out of the spotlight is a priority [yes, I’m looking at you, celebs and limelight seekers from LA and Manhattan!], I’m usually happy to accommodate—though this comes with a 50% fee. And let’s make that 200% if you’ve recently headlined a major Hollywood production or have over a million followers.

That said, if you’d prefer I leave your name out of social media posts, or if you’d like to write the post yourself, just let me know. We understand privacy is key, and we’re flexible when it comes to these details to make sure you feel comfortable.

• I create the art.

• Your tattooist will bring it to life on your skin.

These are two distinct processes. I’m deeply committed to helping you find the best possible tattooist, and after 15 years in this field, I have an extensive list of trusted professionals in nearly every major city in the Western world, many of whom work in leading studios.

However, I have no affiliation with any of them. I do not receive any payment or commission for my recommendations. When I suggest someone, it’s solely based on the quality of your tattoo. Always. Without fail. No exceptions. Without deviation. Under all circumstances. Invariably. I swear on the honour of my mother.

Naturally, I can’t be responsible for tattooists I don’t know or haven’t recommended. So the best approach is to choose someone I trust, even if it means traveling to a bigger city or saving up for a bit longer. Helping you find the right tattooist is part of what you’re paying me for, and I highly recommend taking advantage of my experience.

At the end of the day, we’re both rooting for a tattoo that’ll make people say “wow” and not “what happened?” We’re on the same team here, right?

We’ll often ask you for references from my portfolio to get a sense of your preferences. But remember that point up there about not redrawing existing works?

Your piece will be unique, no matter what references you give us. Seriously. Please don’t expect your tattoo to look “just like this other work, but with my wording.”

Nope. It won’t.

Not even if you really want it to.

Or offer to pay extra.

Or ask suuuuper nicely.

It’s just not what I do.

And hey, let’s be honest—I’d be a pretty terrible artist if I did, right?

Just send us emails your mom would approve of.

Yes, we’re Israelis. And we know it’s a fast-paced world where firing off emails like texts is the norm. But here’s the thing—we’re not your annoying coworker, employee, ex, or some random service provider [who, by the way, also deserve respectful communication!]. We’re a bunch of people doing our best to create something beautiful. In fact, that’s why you’re here—for us to create something beautiful for you!

So, if you could take a moment to respond in actual sentences, maybe start with a “Hello David,” “Hi Gabriel,” or “Hey Maya” at the top, you’d make everyone’s day a whole lot brighter.

And here’s the kicker: doing so dramatically improves your odds of getting a response from "nope" to "yeah, absolutely." A big part of our job is communicating with you, and if that doesn’t at least bring a smile to our faces, well, we’d rather avoid it.

Bonus points for smileys, inquiries about how our kids are doing and about the weather [but only in summer—winter’s a sore subject for those of us in Berlin, Amsterdam, and New York]. We also welcome book recommendations, clues to Banksy’s true identity, recipes for your favorite cookies [2023 update: no more chocolate cookies, please—we have received and tried 247 recipes over the years and, though we loved most, we’re soooo done with chocolate], correctly guessing our birthdays, offers to name your next pet after one of us, instructions on how to train pigeons to deliver tattoo art, or convincing pitches for why we should abandon city life and start an off-grid cookie-baking commune on a tropical island.