How do you keep tattoo designs fresh and unique to your own perspective? There are the classic methods that are tried and true. Is it the type of design that falls flat or is it the design of the tat itself? Tattoos are often used as a means to express oneself as an individual. Yet, we see all of these examples, both online and in person, of people who get tattoos that have an overdone feeling to them. When a tattoo is designed, you might choose to do it yourself or have someone you know that is more artistically gifted to design it for you. In some cases, the artist may only be willing to tattoo something that they have designed themselves. It really depends on the artist and the design that you are going for. There are methods to really get to the heart of a truly authentic design though, so not all hope is lost if you aren’t sure where to start.
Guidelines for “Good” Design
The truth is that artists rely a lot on their personal reputation, so a lot of the more experienced tattoo artists won’t do work that they don’t feel comfortable putting their name and potentially their reputation on the line for. It is suggested that you figure out if something will actually look good in the location you want a specific tattoo before you get to your appointment. An artist may suggest that the design be moved to another location on your body, to go with the flow or symmetry of your body shape better. Being open to the possibility of critique can only help your experience. Finding Ink is a good example of an artist resource with high-quality artist designs. At Finding Ink, you can search for artists, shops, and tattoos.
Check Out Some Cool Art
Look around at those who have tattoos of their own, either in person or online. There are plenty of resources to give yourself some needed inspiration. Even though there are plenty of resources though, it might be worrisome with the number of typical designs they have floating around. Even though there are certain symbols and subject matter that have been done time and time again, that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to make them special. The butterfly tattoo is a good example of a design that has been done so many times before. Yet, people are always finding some cute and clever ways to really give the basic butterfly some added power, meaning, and personality by making a simple few tweaks to the base design.
The same thing applies to yin-yang symbols, birds, various flower designs, sugar skulls, stars, tribal, and wolves. As examples, these are each very overdone symbols on their own but give them some creative twists and you have yourself something personal to try out. People take to sites where images can be shared to get inspiration. Perhaps you have a favorite movie quote, scene, song lyric, or funky color scheme to add? Get creative, speak with a pro to help you format well, and there are no limits to the possibilities.
Location, Location
Think about the detail being used in your design. Consider also the subject matter. You will save yourself and your artist a lot of time and struggle since there are certain designs that tattoo artists will refuse to place in certain parts of a person’s body. This may be surprising to some, but there is a sort of science to where a tasteful design will be placed. You may be asking yourself why an artist would refuse to put a piece in a location that they deem unattractive or inappropriate.
The key to really good design definitely is being open-minded in collaborating with a tattoo artist. Many artists are particular with what they work on for the reasons pertaining to their reputation. Being able to be flexible to what they suggest will lead to the best design possible for you. There is no reason you can’t still include your individuality in the design just because an element or two might be changed. Any quality tattoo artist will only highlight the unique you in your design and be able to elevate it with any changes. This is precisely what will pull you out of the unattractive or mundane tattoo design and into something polished and worthy of your pain and investment.
