Everyone gets tattooed for different reasons. Some pieces have deep meaning, some have sentimental value and/or memorial value and some are put on just because whoever’s getting it thinks it looks cool. Regardless of why you’re permanently marking yourself, it is in your best interest to take your design ideas to a well researched tattoo artist for a consultation. Tattooers know you have a vision, but they also know what makes a good tattoo. Certain fads come and go for a reason and without a good foundation of black and proper application – what once looked cool evolves into a faded ink blob.

Some people know exactly what they want and show up to consultations prepared with plenty of reference material, while others may need a little direction. If you’re lost, but have the itch for a new piece, your tattooer always has your back. Often, there are designs they have drawn and/or painted that they would like to do, and if nothing strikes your fancy, it always helps to at least peruse those designs to maybe spark an idea of something you’ve loosely had in mind all along. Most any picture, design, or idea can be turned into a tattoo. Sometimes, there may need to be a little reconfiguring that needs to take place to make a design “tattooable”, but for the most part, your tattooer has your best interest and the longevity of the tattoo itself in the forefront of the design process. The old saying, “Bold Will Hold” has been around for a while for a reason: Clean lines, bold black shading, and solid color lasts. Black pigment is the pigment that lasts longest in the skin and without black, a tattoo is more prone to fade and lose it’s shape over time. So bear in mind that each idea or concept will be approached with that fundamental principle.

No respectable tattooer is going to completely turn a client’s idea away, but it’s important to bear in mind that there may need to be some compromise in certain situations to reach a successful end result. See you at the shop!

Dustin Brown (Tattoo Collector )