Secrets and tips for designing your own killer tattoos!

One of the most satisfying things about the whole tattooing experience is being able to design them yourself and seeing your original sketch come to life as a fully fledged tattoo etched in ink. There's quite a few things that you need to consider and work on when you are designing your own tattoos. First of all, you have to know the general idea of what you want to get tattooed, whether it be a ring of birds around your arm, a full back design, or just a simple symbol here or there. Next you need to work out where you want it to be, is it a design that will suit your arm, your back, or in a bit more of a discreet place?

One of the most important things is aesthetic consideration; Will the tattoo fit where you want it? Is it going to look good? Will you be adding to it in the future? Just as an example, that giant dragon you've designed might look great climbing up your arm, but would it look out of place on your torso or stretched across your neck? You also need to keep in mind that once it's there, it's never going away. It might be a fun idea to get a sneering evil clown tattooed on the back of your head, but just think, everyone that meets you for the rest of your life is going to take that as their first impression of you, "Oh, the dude with the bad clown tattoo. I've quite enjoyed over the years working out ways of peicing together existing tattoos, and building on ideas and designs that i started 5 or 10 years ago. In designing my own pieces, i always try and leave it open for additions and improvements, there's not really much point to getting your whole arm tattooed solid black in one go is there?

The best thing to do is work with your tattooist, just go and talk to them about what you want, give them a few rough sketches or show them a photo of the style you would like. Most tattooists are more than happy to play a part in designing a custom piece, because trust me, after designing that little kanji or tribal arm band 100+ times, anything new is exciting and they'll throw themselves into it with all their artistic passion. Some of the best designs I've come up with have been collaborations with my favourite tattooist, after working with her for so long we both understand each other's styles and really play off each other's ideas. Another great resource is online tattoo galleries such as Tattoo Eye Candy or It Tattoos, you can find some really really cool ideas and take them to a whole new place by modifying them to suit your wants and needs

Just remember it's going to be there for the rest of your life, so make sure you take your time with your tattoo design, and communicate with your artist constantly. Don't be afraid to tell them what you want, or more importantly, what you DON'T want out of your tattooing experience.