When it comes to choosing a design, you have several options:
- 1. Create Your Own
- When creating your own design, there are a wealth of sources where you can generate ideas. Printing photos from the internet, clipping images from magazines and hand drawing pictures are all options. However, remember that the artist must reproduce this image, and depending on his or her skill level, your drawing/idea may be too complicated to enlarge or reduce in size. For example, I had to get my tattoo larger than expected because of the intricate lines that make up the majority of the design. Be prepared to be flexible with your design.
- 2. Custom Work
- Similar to creating your own deisgn, you can commission an artist to come up with an original deisgn for you. This can take a few days and the artist will need some examples and descriptions from you to guide the creation of the design. Note that this can be expensive, and often an artist will charge half or full price beforehand to avoid making a design for nothing. Tattoos are permanent though, so make sure you get the design YOU envisioned.
- 3. Buy A Design
- TattooJohnny.com is an example of a site that sells Tattoo designs. They are relatively inexpensive, and you can just print the design you ordered and bring it to the artist to sketch a copy.
- 4. The Artist's Collection
- Notice those big books full of pages and pages of designs that are likely stationed in the front of the tattoo shop? You can easily choose from these design catalogs as well. I would recommend thumbing through some of the books before your scheduled tattoo session to avoid feeling pressured for time.