Things to Consider When Choosing a Tattoo Design

Tattoo Location

tattoos are forever...

The location of your tattoo is important when deciding a design for many reasons. Firstly (and probably most importantly) how visible is the location? If you are planning to have your first tattoo placed in a very visible place on your body (like fore-arms, calves, ankles, neck, etc.) you may want to think long and hard before you decide to get a tattoo of something rude or offensive (or worse!). You should think about your job (present and future). How would your boss (or customers) like your tattoo? What about world travel? Some images may be very offensive to other cultures.

Secondly, the location of your tattoo can affect how much pain is involved when doing the inking. Some places on the body can hurt more than others!

Lastly, it may seem unimportant now, but you should think about how your body will age with your tattoo. Some areas of the body will change shape… and your tattoo will change shape with them! Belly tattoos will stretch as your waist does! Tattoos on a female breast will stretch as the breast begins to droop or sag in older age. Be realistic. Choose a design that will still be recognisable if the ‘canvas’ beneath it changes shape! There’s more information on this subject and on tattoo designs specifically for women in this amazing eBook.

Tattoo Size

The size of your tattoo has an affect on two main things. Time and cost. Since these two factors are related directly, it is easy to see why. Tattoo studios are not cheap! If you choose a full arm/shoulder sleeve in full colour, you could be looking at $4,000-$8,000! There is always time to get another tattoo later. Choose a design that suits your budget.

Tattoo Style

There are many tattoo styles to choose from. The best thing to do is look around at other people who have tattoos and start to decide which ones you think you like best. Then have a look at some examples of Tattoo Flash. There are many resources available online that have extensive collections of tattoo designs available for you to browse. Check out Wicked Tattoo’s review of Tattoo Design Sites. Some people love the edgy simplicity of a Tribal Style Tattoo. Others opt for the colourful and artistic Japanese Watercolour style. Recently, old sailor tattoos have come back into fashion. Whatever tattoo style you choose, make sure you have looked at enough designs to know you are getting a style that suits you!

Tattoo Meaning

This is a hard one to clarify. A tattoo design can have meaning to you as an individual, such as an image of a loved one or a familiar object. But a tattoo design can also have significant cultural meaning such as a cross or a Masons symbol. Research your design to make sure that it does not carry a heavy cultural meaning (like a swastika!) that you may not even have known about. A tattoo that is made up of words or characters can also have meaning. If you are planning to get a tattoo which is in a language you don’t understand or in a script that you can’t even read (such as Chinese or Arabic) make sure you have it translated properly! You would hate to spend the time, pain and money getting a permanent tattoo only to find out it said something completely different to what you thought – and it may even say something you really wouldn’t want on your body at all! There are many resources that can help you to translate your word(s) into other languages/scripts.

Here is a great site that can help you translate your Japanese Tattoo Design!

Tattoo Removal

If you are the unfortunate owner of a tattoo that you really don’t want anymore, there are a few different methods for removal including expensive laser treatments, creams and abrasive treatments (ouch!) and a fully natural method you can learn more about here.