Picking a tattoo design

Picking a tattoo design is no simple task. One must choose something they know they will feel comfortable and happy with. The main question one first asks themselves is “what to get and where to put it”? In order to finalize this question one must consider the factors that go into picking a tattoo design. Some of the things one would consider are how painful certain areas of the body are, the size of the desired piece, and ultimately ones individual taste.

A Tattoo as a Reflection of You: A tattoo is a form of self expression that puts an aspect of one’s life onto skin. A person’s design should be something meaningful and symbolic. It is vitally important that someone designs a tattoo using themes that they like and hold true to the individual. Some people like picking a tattoo design based on their past experiences, their loved or lost ones, places they have been, and designs that symbolize the transitions of life. When opening the common tattoo design magazine the centerfold will display elaborate artwork with some “outspoken” tattoos involving demons, horrific images, and sexually explicit tattoos. While the artwork may be amazing and beautiful it may not be the message you want to send out to the world. No matter what one chooses they must think hard about it and get a basic idea of the pattern so that the tattoo artist can help develop it later.

The Pain Factor: Something that everyone knows about tattooing is that there is a minimal to an excruciating amount of pain involved. This is something to consider when picking a tattoo design because one might want to alter the position or size depending on how painful a certain area is. The most painful areas for men are the abdomen, spine, and chest and the least painful areas are the buttocks, the arms, and the back. The most painful areas for women are the ankle, spine, and ribcage while the least painful areas are the abdomen, buttocks, thighs, and shoulders.

The Body Part: Deciding where to put a tattoo is just as important as picking a tattoo design. As mentioned above, the pain factors is important for deciding where to place a tattoo but there is a lot more to consider. The size of the tattoo should be sized appropriately for the body part. Many people getting tattoos for the first time pick a tattoo design that is too small and then regret not getting it bigger later.

Finding Artist and Tattoo Shop: Finding a professional artist at a reputable tattoo parlor is so important that it cannot be stressed enough. When one is picking a tattoo design they are also putting themselves at the mercy of the artist. If an artist does not have good credentials and is not trustworthy then it’s not worth the risk of being contaminated with blood borne pathogens or, at best, being left with hideous tattoo. Some artists are better known for portraits or coloring and shading. Find the artist that will help you express yourself best and will work with you to design a tattoo.

Custom Designing Tattoo: Since tattoos are a reflection of one’s personality, are permanent, and is an art form one should work with the tattoo artist to take the concept and turn it into a masterpiece. When picking a tattoo design one should stay away from “flash” and should only use it as a guide to help spice up the design in mind. A good idea to help the creative juices flow is to sketch a concept and think about its arrangement. A tattoo artist will probably take the sketch and will help develop it into an elaborate and well thought out piece of art that can then be tattooed.

Written Tattoos: Written tattoos in any form or in any language should be thought of for twice as long. When one picks a tattoo design involving written text they must be extremely careful and responsible to check, recheck, and then check again for errors. Misspellings, misquotations, mistranslations and any other typos are usually irreparable and might result in a cover up not to mention the fact the tattoo will look foolish. Another thing to consider with written tattoos is the type of font and if it will be solely text or if there will also be an image infused. Although it is blatantly obvious that getting names tattooed are not recommended, it should be mentioned again that statistics have shown that most name tattoos outlive the relationship with the person they were dedicated to. Think very very hard about whether or not putting a name or a sentence on your body is something that you want to carry with you for the rest of your life.

Reflection Period: Before getting a tattoo and after picking a tattoo design one should always take the time to think about how the tattoo will look and if it is the right size, place, and position. One should never settle for just anything but rather for the best. There are many tools one can use to help decide like the Virtual Tattoo Application. This application can help you take an existing image and place it over a picture to see how it will look. One should also consult their friends and the tattoo artist to ensure the best results.