The Custom Tattoo Approach

Does this sound like you?

• I really want something different than what other people have tattooed, but I also want to see a pretty good representation of the tattoo on paper (even if a few details are left out) before it hits my skin.
• I know of an artistically talented tattooist who I can trust and collaborate with or I’m artistic and can create my own design with some tattoo-friendly reference to work from and a knowledgeable tattooist to finalize it.
• I’m willing to spend a bit more time and money on my ink and involve the tattooist in a more in-depth design development process or do a lot of the initial design work myself in order to keep costs down.

Have you almost found the perfect tattoo . . . maybe pieces of several designs that could be combined into the perfect tattoo? Don’t worry; you won’t have to continue the search into your retirement days. By choosing a Custom approach, you can tap into your creativity (or the creativity of an artistically skilled tattooist) and combine several designs into one tattoo that really rings true to your original vision for new ink.

The first step is fleshing out that mental image of your perfect tattoo. What exactly do you want and how will you create it? If you’re not really familiar with the rules of creating tattoo-friendly artwork, it’s likely that the design process will involve some artistic collaboration with your tattooist. Whether they draw in a new element to your design or combine several different pieces of artwork together, it’s important that they have a good idea of what your ultimate design goal is.

“You have an image in your head and I need to get it out and put it on paper,” says Rachael Bardach, co-owner of Main Street Tattoo in Longmont, Colo. “For me to do this, I’m going to need some information. When you say ‘dragon’ do you mean oriental, medieval or fantasy? Does it have scales or is it smooth? Evil or good? Is there some type of background like a castle or any style elements like tribal or Asian-inspired design? And how big do you want the dragon, so I know how much detail we can have? If you can find some visual examples of the things you want, like or dislike, it’s going to really help me create something on paper that reflects exactly what you really want.”

Like Rachael’s client, most people will have at least a vague idea of their tattoo design and the trick is to get that idea first onto paper, then onto skin. But your idea of the perfect dragon (rose, dolphin or skull) can be hard to create from just a verbal description. The Customized tattoo approach is really a balance of creative control between you and your tattooist. If you aren’t prepared with design reference, your tattooist will have to take greater control of the creative process. And, depending on their artistic skill and ability to connect with your vision, you may or may not end up with the tattoo you had in mind.

By taking the Customized tattoo approach you avoid going rounds trying to verbalize your perfect tattoo design idea. Instead, you can find and provide your tattooist with tattoo-friendly design elements and references that accurately reflect the tattoo vision you have in your mind and ultimately want on your skin. By showing your tattooist visual references of exactly what you have in mind, you’ll help simplify the design development process and help the tattooist create the final design you really want. But it’s important to remember that not all design reference is tattoo-friendly. Tattooists will often get a variety of visual references, including images their client drew themselves, photos printed from the Internet and library books full of artwork — not all of which can be tattooed or will last over time. Your dependable design references will be artwork that’s created by an experienced flash artist, specifically intended to be tattooed and includes a stencil for easy application.

Potential benefits to the Custom approach:

• DIFFERENTIATION: You end up with a completely individualized and unique design. While no two tattoos are exactly the same, the Custom approach virtually insures that no one else will have a tattoo like yours.
• FLEXIBILITY: You can take advantage of the most adaptable design process with Custom tattoos offering the most flexibility of any approach. You can take on most of the artistic design development yourself or give varying levels of creative control to your tattooist. By incorporating multiple sources of design reference, you don’t have to find the “perfect design” and, instead, combine others and create your own.
• REPRESENTATIVE ACCURACY: The more you incorporate tattoo-friendly reference into your custom piece, the better sense you have of what the final tattoo will look like. Generally, if you work with an artistically skilled tattooist in the design development process, they will give you a fairly detailed (perhaps somewhat sketched) design representation on paper before they apply the tattoo to your skin.
• STRAIGHTFORWARD DESIGN COLLABORATION: You’ll be prepared for the design collaboration with your tattooist and, possibly, save yourself some money in the process. When you pay to get a tattoo, you’re generally paying for a tattooist’s time, whether in the chair or at a drawing table. Therefore, your level of preparation with design reference and stencils will usually have an effect on the final price.