My design process for large tattoo projects
Most of my tattoo projects happen over the course of several weeks or months…with researching , sketching, and brainstorming taking the majority of that time. The actual inking takes around 4 hours to sometimes 14 hours in one sitting, with some larger pieces even being 3 months of inking (outline ink, healing, shading, healing, etc.).
I like designing abstract art and pieces that have a balance between aggressive and calm elements, masculine and feminine vibes, soft and hard edges, and incorporating plants and natural elements as well.
I usually come in with an idea, sketch, or moodboard of what I want the piece to look like. I have different elements that I'd like to incorporate and a vision or story of what I want the piece to convey, then work with the tattoo artist to bring it to life.
Research and understand the different styles
There are so many different styles of tattoo. Japanese, realistic, black and grey, traditional, color, fine line. It goes on and on. Knowing what style you like will allow you to narrow down who you want to work with, as most tattoo artist specialize in one style.
Research tattoo artists you like
Determining who you work with is the most important part. Building a relationship, understanding their unique style and finding someone that can understand your vision takes a unique skill, and everyone has their preferences or ways to go about designing art so find someone you can talk to and collaborate with. Instagram, Yelp, and online tattoo communities are a great place to start discovering artists.
Understand placement, positioning, perspectives, and negative space
Your body is the canvas, but understanding how you see it as well as others is important.
Large areas like your forearm, shoulder, leg, etc. should give way to prominent larger pieces, especially if you decide to get more tattoos later on.
How you see your tattoos is very different with how others will see your tattoos. Consider placement and orientation (is the tattoo upside down to you or to others? Is it facing left or right? Does it have balance with the other tattoos around or next to it?) You can do this by printing out the sketches and placing them on your desired location and then viewing it from all perspectives (from your point of view, in front of the mirror, far away, closeup, etc.).
Negative space is huge when it comes to tattoo designs. Having more is better, and balancing that out with the elements and how you shade certain designs will bring forth other elements.
Collaborate, iterate, and collaborate again
Always be open to changing your ideas in collaboration with the tattoo artists you're working with. The best experiences are when you both are exchanging ideas and designs that will make the piece better overall. This is why it's very important to first research who you want to work with, and get a feel for how their style is and how they work.
The fun is not the actual inking process! (that actually hurts a lot). It's in the process and journey of creation, seeing the design finally come to life that, and the friendships you make along the way.