TATTOO PRICING
Brian works on a project-based flat rate, rather than charging by the hour. This approach is designed to give clients a clear, upfront understanding of what their tattoo will cost before an appointment is scheduled. For pieces which may take multiple sessions, Brian prices per session and will give you an estimate of how many sessions the project will take.
Flat rate pricing reflects the custom nature of Brian’s work and the many variables that go into creating a high-quality tattoo. Rather than using a one-size-fits-all hourly rate, Brian considers each project individually, ensuring that pricing is tailored to the complexity and effort required. This model also benefits clients by prioritizing the quality and outcome of the tattoo over the time spent in the chair.
Each tattoo is priced based on the specific characteristics of the project, including size, placement, and complexity.
To reserve your appointment, a $500 non-refundable deposit is required. This deposit goes toward the final cost of your tattoo and confirms your spot on Brian’s schedule.
Larger Projects Pricing (Multiple Sessions)
Brian's pricing reflects more than a decade of work refining both precision and speed. That combination is what allows him to produce world-class, technically precise realism without dragging a project out longer than it needs to be. However, speed is never the priority; every tattoo he puts into the world has to be something he's proud to have his name on, and pieces covering significant real estate on the body require several sessions to meet his standard.
For reference, one of Brian's signature ~4-inch pet portraits typically runs 5–6 hours of work, a full day session on its own.
Brian only takes one client per day, so that day belongs entirely to your project.
Larger pieces are built one full day at a time, across multiple sessions.
What Affects Price
Subject matter. Brian prices more favorably on projects where he has creative freedom and can lean into subjects he specializes in: realism portraits, faces, animals, versus highly restrictive concepts.
Placement on the body. Some areas (sternum, ribs, etc.) are significantly more demanding on the artist to execute at a high standard than others (back, arm, leg). Placements that are harder to access or sustain precision on for a full session are priced accordingly.
Panels vs. Sleeves
A sleeve wraps all the way around the limb — front, back, and sides are all tattooed, with the design flowing continuously around the arm or leg.
A panel covers a defined, flat section of the body — like a chest panel or back panel — without wrapping around a limb. Panels are typically scoped and priced closer to a half sleeve, since they cover a comparable amount of surface area, but the design considerations (flow, framing, how it reads on a flat plane vs. a cylindrical limb) are different from a sleeve.
Estimated Starting Pricing (Multiple Sessions)
Project Timing Starting around
Arm panel 3-5 sessions $3,900
Leg panel 4-6 sessions $4,900
Full arm sleeve 5–8 sessions $5,900+
Full leg sleeve 6–10 sessions $6,900+
Chest panel 4–7 sessions $5,900+
Full back 6-10 sessions $6,900+
These are estimates, not fixed quotes, since every body and every design is different. When you complete a booking form, Brian will review the project and offer an estimate of how many sessions it will take, and price per session.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sleeve tattoo pricing depends on whether it's a full or half sleeve and where it's placed. With Brian Parrillo, a full arm sleeve typically starts around $6,000 and a full leg sleeve starts around $7,200.
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A full arm sleeve with Brian typically starts around $6,000 and takes 5–8 full-day sessions, depending on the complexity of the realism work and where it falls on the arm.
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A half sleeve generally runs about half the sessions — and half the cost — of a full arm sleeve, since it covers roughly half the surface area.
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A full leg sleeve with Brian typically starts around $7,200 and takes 6–10 full-day sessions, depending on design complexity and placement on the leg.
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A chest panel typically starts around $6,000 and takes 4–7 full-day sessions.
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A sleeve wraps continuously around the limb — front, back, and sides all tattooed as one flowing piece. A panel covers a defined flat area, like the chest or back, without wrapping around a limb, and is priced and scoped on its own terms rather than as a sleeve equivalent.
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Black and grey realism — especially portrait-level detail — demands a level of technical precision that takes years to develop and hours per session to execute well. Brian's pricing reflects over a decade of refining a combination of precision and speed, which allows him to produce technically accurate, gallery-quality realism without needlessly dragging out a project.
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Yes.
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Two factors move price the most: subject matter and placement. Projects where Brian has creative freedom to work in his specialty — realism portraits, pet portraits, faces — are generally priced more favorably than highly restrictive concepts. Placement also matters: areas that are physically demanding to tattoo with precision, like the sternum or ribs, are priced differently than easier-to-access areas like the outer arm or leg.
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At Ethereal Tattoo Gallery in downtown Durham, NC, full sleeve tattoos with Brian Parrillo start around $6,000 for a full arm sleeve and $7,200 for a full leg sleeve, priced per full-day session and scaled to the project's session count.