Designing

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Friday September 26th, 2008 @ 1:59 PM

Filed under: Tattoos

Hi BME

I have been to several tattoo shops around where i live and i am wanting to get this tattoo. I have a design in my head but i am no artist. What is the best way to get a design down on paper?

Also how do i choose which shops is the best suited for me?

thankyou.

Shops best suited for you:
The best way to decide this is to visit the shops around you or ask your friends for a recommendation. Walk in. Skim through portfolios. See anything that stylistically ‘vibes’ with what you have in your head? While most tattooists are versatile- it’s a great thing that the good ones have a recognizable “voice” when it comes to their work. If you’re thinking of something with a big ol’ bold outline with a basic colour pallet- the artist who’s book is FULL of amazing black and gray MAY not be the best choice for your piece. Does that mean they CAN’T do your piece? heck no.

But an artist’s portfolio is often a great starting place to see where their head is stylistically. They’re laying out this portfolio to represent THEM, so… read it like a Rorschach test. The person who’s work most speaks to you is the first one you should talk to about your design.

A word of warning though: Once you’ve started the process, that design will become a communal image that you two share. The likelihood of it 100% matching what you have in your head is almost impossible- unless you’re joined at the head with your tattooist. And that’s a GOOD thing! As my good friend BRHL says:

“Once I’m there, people tend to be a lot more open to imagery and approach, and I’m able to render something that may be a lot more appropriate to their objectives than what was in their head. I get it all the time, “It’s not at all what I was envisioning, but it’s exactly what I wanted.” I don’t take this as me being some astounding artist, I just listen to what’s behind a person’s words.”

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