How to find great new and original tattoo design ideas

So it all comes down to this...the new tattoo design idea! What is your new tattoo actually going to be?

Let me start off by asking you this: Do you want the same butterfly or dragon tattoo that half the people in your town have? Of course not!

Tattoos are all about personal expression and even rebellion. Why would you want a canned tattoo design for the rest of your life?

That being said, it is also really hard to come up with an original tattoo design. It took me a couple years and and working with a professional designer to finally come up with a tattoo that I was satisfied with and actually got done.

But you want this tattoo NOW, right?! So what is the fastest and easiest way to come up with a great new, original tattoo design idea? The answer is in combining several different parts of pre-designed tattoos with your own ideas to create the tattoo you really want.

This offers a lot of great advantages. Many times, for me at least, there are people far more creative than I and they can come up with tattoo ideas that I would have never dreamed of. This allows me to leverage their talent to suit my needs. Then all I have to do is have an idea of what my new tattoo design will be and go find the parts to make it a reality.

That means you need to have access to a TON of high quality tattoo designs. Designs that you can take to a tattoo artist and have him/her meld into your own personal work of art.

For example, let's say that you envision a leg tattoo with a large Koi (Japanese fish) but with a Celtic design in the background. So you start by looking at several different Koi designs and you like the head of one, but the tail of the other. No problem, use them both!

Now for the Celtic design, you like a couple different designs but can't make up your mind. You then have the idea of combining them, using one design for the top half of the tattoo and the other design for the bottom half. All set! Just take these tattoo designs to the artist and make a proof and get 'er done!

This might not be the best example of creating a great new tattoo design idea, but you get the point. Now you are only limited by your ideas, not your artistic ability.

In addition, you can look at all of these art quality designs in the comfort of your own home because all the designs are online. Imagine being able to browse thousands of designs at your leisure instead of spending an entire day at the tattoo parlor and finally settling for a design just because you are tired of looking.

Here are a couple of sites that I recommend. You will have to spend a little bit of money to get access to their vault of designs but it is well worth it. In addition, you will also get a ton of bonuses that will help you with all aspects of your new tattoo design. You COULD surf around the internet for countless hours or just check out these tattoo websites:

Chopper Tattoo
Tattoo Me NOW

Best of luck coming up with new tattoo design ideas! It is a fun process and will be even more gratifying when you have a tattoo design that you can show off for the rest of your life.


UPDATE: I found another great source for tattoo designs...enjoy!

Chinese Tattoo Design Ideas and Translations

How to choose a great tattoo artist for your new tattoo design

If you don't already have a preferred tattoo artist, here are some tips on finding a great one:

• Browse the internet and look for actual tattoos from different artists around the world. Learn to distinguish between a good, mediocre and a bad tattoo. You are looking for crisp lines, great shading, true lines (not crooked or jagged) and tattoos that aren't too dark or too light.
  
  
• Find great local tattoo artists. Look at actual work or pictures from a particular artist. Get referrals from people that you see who have tattoo designs you like. If you can't find a great artist in your area, consider traveling.
  
  
• Look on online forums for suggestions on great artists.
  
  
• Go to your local bookstore and read some tattoo magazines to learn about artists and their work.
  
  
• Find out what a tattoo artist specializes in. Be sure that they are good at the type of new tattoo design idea that you have.
  

What to expect when you get a new tattoo design

If you already have a tattoo, you can skip this post entirely. However, if you are thinking about a design for your first tattoo and are a little apprehensive about the process this is what you can expect:

1. Of course you need a new tattoo design or at least an idea - See later posts about how to get ideas for a new tattoo design.
   
   
2. You need to choose a great tattoo artist - More information on this in later posts.
   
   
3. Make an appointment with the artist. If you already have a design, go into the shop and get a quote and meet the artist. If you don't have a tattoo design already but have an idea, go in and work with the artist to create a design you love. It is usually bad form to haggle with the artist about price. A great tattoo artist is worth the price, like commissioning a piece of art. If you can't afford it, smoke less crack and save that money or go somewhere else. Just remember, you usually get what you pay for.
   
   
4. Get the tattoo design! Depending on where on your body you get the tattoo and your skin sensitivity, it will hurt to varying degrees. For me it was a pretty painful experience. If you have a very low threshold for pain, I would suggest that you get a small tattoo with limited coloring. It took about 45 minutes for my design, but the pain was worth it.
   
   
5. If you really like the job the tattoo artist did, you should tip them of course. How much you tip depends on how much you like it and your financial situation. In any case, you should verbally express your satisfaction (if you like the tattoo).
   
   
6. Follow your tattoo artists suggestions on how to care for the tattoo. The instructions will vary from artist to artist but it usually entails putting an antiseptic cream on it for a couple of weeks and keeping it out of the water or sunlight until it heals. It will probably itch because it is a healing wound, so don't scratch it! Gently slap it or move the skin around to relieve the itch.
   
   
7. Design another tattoo!