So you're thinking about getting your first tattoo or you've been wanting to get your next one for awhile. Are you struggling for ideas? While it’s nice to have a meaningful tattoo, it’s also just as amazing to get something that simply looks good! It's art and there aren't any rules or at least there shouldn’t be. So where do people get their ideas from?
1. Tattoodo
Tattoodo is a relatively new platform where you can find inspirations for your next tattoo. It’s dedicated solely to tattooing and is filled with amazing tattoo artists worldwide. You can search for tattoos, tattoo artists, tattoo studios as well as book appointments directly from the app, and a section where you can read info on tattoo styles, tattoo artists and so much more. Just like Pinterest, you can organise your favourite tattoos and tattoo designs into boards or collections using the Tattoodo app.
2. Instagram
Instagram is a huge visual platform and it's what most tattoo artists like to use to promote their work. Using hashtags is a good way to look for ideas as you can really get down to specifics using the following, #tattooideas #tattooflash #legtattoo to name but a few. You can save posts and organise them into collections with titles. You will find this feature under the top right drop-down menu on your profile page.
3. Blogs
More and more bloggers are writing articles on what tattoo designs are trending these days. To find them, it’s as simple as typing ‘tattoo ideas’ into Google, which brings up a list of blog articles containing numbered lists of tattoo designs specially curated for tattoo enthusiasts. Beware, some of these bloggers might not have any experience in tattooing and so some of their ideas might not be effective as tattoos, especially when a design is too detailed and too small.
4. Pinterest
Probably the most popular source of tattoo ideas is Pinterest. You will find thousands of ideas on this platform and it also allows you to organise them into boards or collections, keeping them in one place. While it seems to be the first choice of platform for gathering ideas and inspirations, it isn’t the best. You will see rehashed designs over and over again and some of them are ineffective as tattoos. For example, a super detailed dragon at 5 centimetres would not age well. Ink spreads under your skin naturally over time and if there isn’t room for the lines to breathe and spread a little, those lines will merge into one another. Eventually, the tattoo becomes unreadable, blurry and much like a blob so the bigger the size, the more detail you can have in it. This also means getting the best possible result and long term appearance of your tattoo.
5. Books and Magazines
Having the internet and millions or billions of images at your disposal is great but books and magazines are just as resourceful . Book illustrations could make cool tattoos and if your dad has left his Bird Watching magazine lying around, flick through it for inspiration for bird tattoos! Graphic novels, comic books, children's books, nature magazines, whatever you can get your hands on or whatever you already have at home, use them!
So you have all your reference photos ready, now what? You can send your very own doodles to your artist! Don't be shy or embarrassed no matter the quality as every little helps them see your vision . Keep in mind that most tattoo artists will not accept a design copied line for line from another artist or tattoo artist so make sure that you steer clear from doing so and keep it original. This is out of respect for other artists’ work, plus it’s always better to get a tattoo that’s unique to you. It is possible to obtain permission from the artist however, you must get it before contacting your tattoo artist to avoid wasting yours and their time just in case the artist declines. If you’ve never designed a tattoo before, not every drawing can be tattooed and there are a number of things to consider and factor in to make a drawing effective as a tattoo design.
Ultimately, the best thing to do is to choose your tattoo artist, submit your references over to them so they can advise you on how to move forward with your ideas. Tell them as much information as you need to in regards to your vision or how you want the tattoo to look and then trust your artist to draw up the final design. They will also need to know a number of other things including body placement and the size of the tattoo. Once you're ready to contact your chosen tattoo artist or tattoo studio, head over to our How To Email a Tattoo Artist Or Tattoo Studio article to find out how.
Thanks for reading!
- Pokeyhontas
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