How long and how much- generally speaking

Answer 1

That is difficult to answer specifically because it depends on what you want, where you want it, color or just black/gray, how good the artist is as well as where you live.

In my area most shops have a $50-$80 range just to open the sterile equipment up so something small will run about $100 or so if just black ink. If you get something customized like sleeves or full back then you are talking $$$$$ and lots of time spent. I have paid $450 for a large shoulder/back piece, $350 for the other shoulder but the artist has only been tattooing for 3yrs so he isn't as expensive. I have paid as little as $50 for a wrist tat that took about an hour.

Anyway, long story shorter, you get what you pay for if you do your homework and don't just walk into a tattoo shop and pick "Flash" off the walls. You might not get a great tattoo unless you research what you want, color or not, and please, please - check out your choice of shop to make sure they are licensed and how good the artists are, look at examples of their work. Any reputable tattoo shop/artist will have no problem talking to you, showing you samples of their work and talk prices.

If they do - WALK AWAY!

Here is an article about flash and also a picture of my latest tat and ran me $350 and had about 4 hours invested between 2 sessions. You usually pay it 1/2 and 1/2 as you get the work done.
I hope this helps :)

http://womensink.blogspot.com/2009/12/to-flash-or-not-to-flash-that-is.html