First, know what you want, and don’t want.
I have seen many customers entering my tattoo shop not knowing what they want. “I want a tattoo on my arm” is a popular answer when the tattoo artist asks “What’s your project?”.
There are different cases. You can have a very precise idea of what you want, it can be a symbol, a sentence, something you found and that you want exactly like it is, or almost exactly, because some things can’t be done.
Here are is an explanation. When it comes to tattooing, some details that you have on paper cannot be tattooed exactly the same on the skin. Well, technically it’s possible to tattoo really small and detailed things the same way BUT if there are too many lines in a small spot, meaning if there‘s not enough space inbetween lines (not enough skin), the tattoo is going to age really bad. The lines that you can see and define right after the tattoo are gonna merge in less than 2 years if the proper space between the lines isn’t there.
Trust your tattoo artist on this one, when he/she says that the drawing you want is gonna go bad in few years, let them modify and refine it so it lasts a lifetime.
So, if you come up with a design that’s already done, be prepared that maybe your tattoo artist will need to change it a little bit.
There are other cases, when your idea is getting something more “vague” such as an animal, an object, or even a concept.
That’s when my second point is: find the proper artist for you.
With all the different tools we have nowadays, it’s easier to get an idea of what each tattoo artist do without having to go to the tattoo parlour. Instagram is my favourite, Facebook works too but the Instagram hashtags are more relevant and helpful in my opinion.
Let’s say you want a lion, when you go on Instagram and research #lion or #liontattoo you’re gonna have a lot of different pictures, often posted by the artist himself. Find what pictures you like, or the photographies of lions that you like if you're thinking getting a realistic tattoo for example, and also keep in a folder what you don’t like. Then, if you don’t really know what style it is, between realistic, geometric, traditional etc, try to find in the picture hashtags what’s written. Most of the time you can find like #realistictattoo, or #traditionaltattooartists etc, that is gonna give you an idea of the style you like and want.
Each tattoo artist have its own style. You don’t want to end up with a cartoon tattoo when you were looking for a realistic one. Doing this research before is going to save you a lot of concerns and headache. When you contact your tattoo artist, it’s going to help if you bring pictures that you saw you like, and like I said pictures that you don’t like. It will speed up the process and the tattoo artist is going to see what style you want, either drawing it himself or redirect you to an other tattoo artist who’s more likely to tattoo the style you like.
When you know what style, or two styles, you want, because there are a lot of tattoos that mixes up two different style too, you can search the artist you need.
If you already found the perfect tattoo artist during this step, know that artists with a strong style will most likely want you to bring an idea and let them draw your design. Tattoo artists are people who draw before even being tattoo artists, so they will appreciate that you put your trust in them and let them create your design.
That’s why, you want to find the good artist so you will know what their style is and you won’t be worried of the result.
That brings an other point, about the placement.
You can have some ideas of where you want your tattoo, but sometimes, depending on the design, your artist will find a spot better than another.
What I always do is try to fit the design with the shape of the body, so it evolves with it better. There are some beginner mistakes to avoid for a tattoo artist, for example if you want a side facing portrait on your upper arm, it’s common sense and better looking to put the portrait in the direction facing forward, not looking towards your back, which creates a weird and disturbing effect.
There are also some spots to avoid if you don’t have a lot of tattoos, for example the knuckles, fingers or hands in general. Depending on your job, how often you wash your hands, the products you’re in contact with, your habits, or just your skin, it’s an area where sometimes tattoos don’t stay entirely the first time. You will need to go back for a second session and touch up the missing spots. Know it before you decide getting a tattoo there, it can be frustrating and more expensive for you.
Always take the time to do your research before contacting your tattoo artist, especially when it come to large designs. But never be afraid to ask questions, it’s part of the job too to make you feel more comfortable.
And you, how was your experience when getting a tattoo?