Trouble finding a top artist who will do a rework

I was wondering if anyone had any tips on how to go about finding a top artist who is willing to rework a piece. It seems as though most of the people I have contacted about it, refuse to do it. Is this some sort of unwritten rule among artists in the tattoo community? Also... if someone schedules a appointment to get work done at the Paradise Gathering, are they required to purchase a collectors pass?

Hey there, Many top notch artists have their choice of skins, and may prefer fresh skin, or at least easily coverable skin. some like the challenge. you might ask your favorite artist who wont touch it if they would if you laser it a few times... theres no unwritten rule, we cover stuff all the time, but sometimes if a client want a artist to just rework something they think is jacked, they might pass, especially if there are a lot of other projects they want to work on presenting itself. Yeah, its $20 a day to get into the gathering. That includes access to a discussion panel on friday and saturday. Is there a way to post what you have and what you want to do?

Hey man, Thanks for replying. Lots of helpful info in there. I can def understand why some artists would prefer not to do reworks. They must be challenging to do sometimes. The piece im looking to have reworked is a pretty decent sized one, and it doesn't help that its black and Grey. It's not awful... but im not happy with it either. I think some of the features need serious work, and I would like to really bring it to life with some color and background/fill work around and over the top of it. You can see it here.. http://www.flickr.com/photos/39852239@N05/3663337637/in/photostream/ (The ink looks lighter than it actually is in the pics because the flash on the camera (Shitty camera)). Let me know what you think. I appreciate the advice.

Actually, the black and gray actually works in your favor if you're planning on lasering it. Black comes out much easier and is much better as far as healing goes. Considering the size of it, I would definitely have it lasered, as reworking it is likely to end up in a bigger mess (and will be an even bigger pain in the ass to laser). You should get in touch with Jack Morton from Rethink Your Ink. He's great at what he does and he's surprisingly affordable.

Tx for the tips Heather... I've actually considered the downside of oversaturating the area and making it worse than it already is. Just as I said to most of the artists I contacted about it, im not even sure if it's possible to have a good rework done with this piece. It's just so damn big. If anyone else has experience with lasering... how many sessions am i looking at before it will be broken up enough for someone to work over it without it being too much of an issue?

Shameless bump for anymore input.

You'll notice a pretty significant difference in the shading after the first session. I can't really give you much advice without seeing it in person. I've had a couple of lasering sessions so far. I'm lasering off a half sleeve, some of it color and some of it black and gray. After 2 sessions, most of the shading in my B&G is gone, and the lines are finally starting to break up (koi fish with lots of scales, completely lined with a 9). I still have a ways to go though. If I were you, I would email your photos to Jack directly. He'll be able to give you much better advice than I can! [email removed]

tx for the advice Heather. Your awesome. Out of curiosity... how much does Jack charge per session?

Hey, Jack is a hundred to two hundred a session. Id hit it a few times to bust it up and then I bet someone bad ass would go after it...