So you’ve got a space thats looking a bit bare and you want a tattoo, but what to get? The possibilities are endless and you just don’t know where to start.

Studios offer custom designs and free consultations but you should give some thought to what you want your tattoo to look like, its going to be on you forever and your artist wants you to love your piece of art as much as they will love it.

So book in your consultation and get looking for something that inspires you.

Find Inspiration:

Consider the reason and inspiration behind tattoo. Creating a custom piece is a personal process. It doesn’t have to be a literal representation.

Perhaps you want to commemorate someone special to you. An option would be creating a custom drawing of the images that bring back great memories.

Maybe you have a space that needs filling or a bigger piece is missing a bit of something.

Gather Reference Material

It’s important to gather reference material to provide your tattoo artist with some visual examples.

The reference material merely serves as a visual guide to help the artist create an original drawing. There are countless sources for reference material, and they do not all have to be tattoo related. While the most obvious sources would be from images of tattoos that have already been designed, you can also use sketches, illustrations, photos or anything you see out and about, anything you see will help give your artist an idea of what you like.

With the popularity of tattooing, there are now lots of websites you can visit to help you. Google, Pintrest, tattoo magazines, the list goes on.

Have a Design Consultation

Your ideas don’t have to be images or what you actually want on you, they can just be used as a reference, you just need to give your artist a real feel for what you like.

Come in for your consultation appointment with all your material, whether this is on your phone, or printed out or sent over email etc before hand. Remember that the best custom tattoos result from a collaboration between the client and artist. Remaining open to the modifications necessary to translate your abstract design into one suitable for tattooing on the area you want.

You just need to give your artist a real feel for what you like.

While you have a concept of what you would like your tattoo to look like, your artist brings years of artistic and technical experience. Be open to suggestions and potential design modifications, but don’t be afraid to ask for changes or additions during this process.

Important technical concerns to consider and discuss with your tattoo artist include:

• Location: Consider the body part on which the design will be tattooed. The design should fit that area of the body and complement the body’s natural curves.
• Number of elements: Avoid trying to incorporate too many elements into a single tattoo design.
• Size: One of the biggest technical considerations in tattooing is the size of the piece. Detailed pieces will need to be bigger to help keep them looking clearer and lasting longer, a good tattoo artist will consider what the tattoo will look like in the future and try to size the piece to look good for many years to come.

Once you and the artist have reached an agreement, he or she will be able to create a drawing of the design.