Planning a tattoo, but don’t know where to go from your idea? Everyone has a preference for how they do this, but here is the way I plan my tattoos that might help you get started.
1. The Idea
Whenever I have even a moderate interest in a tattoo idea, I write it down on my phone. I have a Google Docs list full of ideas that I flesh out as I think about them more. I just start out with a few keywords, plus the month and year so that I know how long I’ve been actively or passively thinking about this tattoo idea.
Even if I’m not totally serious about it, I still write it down because I might come up with a better version of it later. Or it can inspire another similar, but distinctly different tattoo design.
This is what the middle part of my Google Doc looks like. It’s more detailed because I’ve had these ideas for quite a while. My most recent ideas are not as detailed. I added an extra entry at the bottom to use as an example. Coffee!
2. Tattoo Placement
Portrait and rose tattoo on the same arm by L.D.
Two of the most important factors in tattoo design are placement and size. In the end, it depends on your personal preference and what you’re planning for the future.
But the general rule of thumb is to save big spaces (back, chest, thigh, upper arm, etc.) for big pieces rather than small designs, which can get in the way of future larger tattoos. Again, it comes down to what you want in the end. It’s your body.
There are certain shapes that fit certain parts of the body better than others. For example, your arms and legs are great for long, straight pieces, such as swords. However, you also can’t forget about the tattoos you already have.
It’s hard to visualize what would look good or awkward on our bodies, so that’s when I use Pinterest. I search my tattoo subject and see where people are placing their tattoos and I take a mental note of the tattoo’s shape. You can do this on Instagram too, but what I like about Pinterest is that I can search multiple keywords.
In this case, I searched “coffee plant tattoo” and got a ton of results showing a coffee branch crossing someone’s arm at an angle. I also saw some on the calves when I scrolled down. That tells me that the arms and calves are some potentially good spots for a coffee plant tattoo.
Pain is probably something you want to consider too. There’s a lot of information out there evaluating relative pain that you can go check out!
Iron Ink: Where Does It Hurt Most and Least to Get a Tattoo?
3. Choosing a Tattoo Style
Realistic Coffee Plant Tattoo by Nonlee
Black and Gray Coffee Plant Tattoo by Modern Inkiz
Fineline Coffee Plant Tattoo by Gil
When you’re thinking about styles, take color into consideration. Do you want black and gray? Color? Mostly black and gray with colored accents? From there you can narrow down a lot of styles and artists.
On my Google Doc, under the tattoo idea that I jotted down, I list a few styles that I’m considering. If you Google “tattoo styles,” you can find a treasure trove of information on this topic. Along the way, you will find artists that you like. You can search for artists that do this style through Google or hashtags on Instagram.
Here are a couple of blogs that I think do a great job of summarizing some of the major tattoo styles. Of course, they’re non-comprehensive as there are countless styles out there waiting to be discovered, but this is a good place to start. The only downside is that these are more focused on Western preferences and trends.
Tattoodo — A Beginner’s Guide: Popular Tattoo Styles Briefly Explained
Tattoo Wizard — Ultimate Guide to Tattoo Styles: Popular styles explained with Images
4. Flash or Custom Tattoo?
Flash tattoos are pre-drawn designs that the artist has made ahead of time for the customer to choose from. They’re typically much quicker to get done and are generally cheaper than custom tattoos. Tattoo artists and studios display them in flash books, on the studio’s walls, or on the artist’s social media.
For Korean tattoo artists, you will most likely see their flash tattoos on their social media. After all, their studios are not usually open to the public due to the legal situation with tattoos in South Korea.
Custom tattoos are exactly what they sound like. They are tattoos that are tailored to your ideas and preferences with the artist’s spin on them. If you’re getting a custom tattoo, make sure you know what you want!
5. Finding a Tattoo Artist
Bonus: Visualizing the Tattoo Design
This is totally optional, but personally, I like to sketch out the ideas of my tattoo and try to imitate the artist’s style (in this example, I’m not trying to copy anyone though). If you hate drawing, even a rough outline is fine just to get an idea of the general shape. It can be a good way to check your placement as well.
However, I always keep in mind that the artist’s final design is not going to look like my drawing. This is more for me to adjust to the idea.
Another thing you can do is set your drawing as your background. After all, you need to see this tattoo every day for the rest of your life, so might as well make sure you like the idea, right?
I usually try not to rush this part of the process, because I want to find the artist that I think will bring my idea to life the best. Whenever I find artists that I like, I add their name and Instagram username to my Google Doc under the tattoo I potentially want them to do. That way, I can easily look up the artist again later.
When searching for Korean artists, you can go on Instagram and look up a hashtag with your city name and “tattoo.” For example, I would search “#seoultattoo” and a map will appear with… well, more options than what’s showing at the moment. You can scroll through the trending posts below the map. For copyright reasons, I cropped out the search results.
I wrote a more in-depth post about Korean hashtags you can use to find the artist you want. Instagram is really the way to find tattoo artists in South Korea.
When you find some artists you like, make sure you look at their portfolios very carefully. This is so important! Just because an artist can draw one subject really well, does not mean they are comfortable with every subject or even color scheme.
For example, I would not get a colorful landscape piece from a blackwork portrait tattoo artist unless I can see many recent examples of beautiful colorful landscape tattoos in their portfolio.
When you choose an artist, make sure you’re happy with their style the way it is and have no intention to ask them to change it for your custom tattoo. If you feel the need to change their style, then they are probably not the right artist for your design in question.
Also, when you choose a Korean tattoo studio or artist, keep in mind that they are unlikely to accept walk-ins. Again, due to the legality of non-medical tattooing in South Korea, it would be very risky for their business to just have anyone find their studio and come in.
Some do allow walk-ins, but my general rule of thumb is to assume that you need to book an appointment even if the tattoo you want is small. If you do find a walk-in studio, they will likely only do something small or a flash tattoo.
So these are the five main steps I take whenever I plan to get a new tattoo. Feel free to use or not use any of these tips. Good luck on your tattoo journey. I also made a post about contacting a Korean tattoo artist and booking an appointment with them.
