Getting a full sleeve tattoo and have a few questions?

I am planning to get a full sleeve tattoo on my right arm soon. It will be a mix of tribal design with some text down my lower arm. As this will be my first tattoo, and will be a substantial size I really want to get it right. What should I do next? How much should I expect to pay? How many sittings will it take? My mates reckon I stick with black coloring however I really want to get full colors, will the color fade?

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