Did you know that during a tattoo session the skin gets pricked up to 3,000 times a minute? If you are going to spend a long time getting inked and letting your skin feel it every single second, you should be designing a tattoo that is meaningful and unique.
Getting a tattoo is a permanent decision. Although you can remove it, it is not worth going through the pain again.
Tattoos can be magnificently beautiful if they are done right. Then you can effortlessly cherish them for life and feel proud about the designs on your skin that tell a story about a person and their journey through life.
Here is everything you need to know about designing tattoos that will help you come up with the best tattoo ideas.
1. Research for Designing a Tattoo
Instead of walking into the first tattoo artist’s shop and flipping through a book of designs, it is always best to do some deeper research beforehand. Think of designing a tattoo as a fun and relaxed way of doing research.
Take some time and think about what you want to pay tribute to. Do you have a family member, friend, or pet that you want to get the tattoo for? If you want to use your new tattoo as a memory for someone, you should then think about whether you want it to be a symbol, location, or object.
There will be numerous designs to sift through online. However, the internet can be your best friend in this situation. You should spend as much time as possible browsing through art to feel inspired. Click here to learn about tattoo trends.
This is an excellent starting point if there is a blank canvas in your mind ready to be filled with color and beauty.
2. Decide Between Gray or Color
When you look through various tattoo design ideas, you should ask yourself if you want to go for a black and gray tattoo or one with many colors. Take a breath and look at the body part you want to get tattooed.
Do you prefer colorful details that will shine brighter in the sun? Or are you a bigger fan of bold black outlines and gray shades?
This can be a tough choice, so it is always helpful to look at more tattoo ideas to pick a style. The primary design and category will help the most.
Once you have a picture in your head, the rest will flow. Your primary design can be inspired by zodiac signs, pets, books, movies, and anything else you like.
After designing the “niche” you want to go for, you can then get the colors right.
3. Size of Tattoo
Thinking about the size of a tattoo can help you determine the right budget. If you do not want to spend too much, you should only go for a small-to-medium tattoo.
However, larger tattoos get more attention and are worth splurging the extra money. Most designs can be adapted to any size. These are things a tattoo artist is highly skilled for. They will have enough attention to detail to ensure that a tattoo can be made into any size.
Otherwise, they will inform the customer to spend a little more for a larger design.
4. Collecting Quotes
Not all tattoo shops are the same. It is always best to check out more salons than you plan to. Show every artist the exact same design you want and see what they quote.
You will notice that some tattoo artists will want to charge less or more. Then you should think about all these offers and narrow down which person can do the best job. Remember that spending less can compromise tattoo quality. However, the most expensive tattoo may also not be the one that blows everybody away.
It is always beneficial to study a tattoo artist’s portfolio to know what to expect.
5. Basic Editing
If you are struggling to come up with tattoo design ideas, take the pictures of the tattoos that inspire you. Then you can redraw and edit them to make your own design.
A tattoo does not have to be a professional sketch. You can freestyle with the dimensions, color placements, and outlines as much as possible.
6. Which Body Part?
Our bodies are a giant canvas. When getting a new tattoo, the hardest part is to decide where it should go. Body parts play a huge role in tattoo design. This is because some pictures may not look as good on an arm as they would on a leg.
For instance, a face portrait would look amazing on a flat area like your back or forearm, but they can appear distorted on body parts with curves.
7. Collect Multiple Designs
Avoid instantly discarding all the pictures you collect. This is because your tattoo artist can allow a combination of designs. They can create a custom design without having to pick one picture. A tattoo artist should be able to adapt and edit as much as possible to create the most unique design.
Tattoos on the fingers tend to blur and fade the fastest, so you might want to think twice about getting that rose design down your index finger.
And don’t be fooled by the pretty images you see online. “The problem is you can find a lot of these tattoos online and pictures of them are taken when they are fresh and have just been completed,” Marafioti says. “You rarely see photos of how these tattoos look when they are two, five, or 10 years old.”
Sadly, designs that look gorgeous right out of the tattoo shop may not necessarily stay that way, so ask your artist for some advice.
Tattoos Last Forever
This is a very important thing to remember when you choose a tattoo design. Tattoos are not pictures that can be wiped clean after a few months or years.
You are getting something permanent. Therefore, it should always mean a lot to you. Then you will feel proud to have it on your body for the rest of your life.
If you enjoyed this article about designing a tattoo, be sure to check out the rest of our site!
