Designing and Creating Custom Tattoos: The Complete Guide

A custom tattoo design can be anything that is unique to the person. This can be a meaningful tattoo, a symbol of something they love, or even an artistic design.

The word “custom” used in connection with tattoos is important because it means that the artist will use their own imagination to create something special for you. You will not get this type of originality with any other type of design, no matter how well-known it is.

There are many different types of custom tattoo designs to choose from, so there is something for everyone’s taste and personality, no matter what they are looking for.

A tattoo is a symbol that most people wear to show their personality, who they are, or how they feel. This article will cover the meaning behind tattoos with different types of designs.

What is a Custom Tattoo Design and Why is it So Popular?

A custom tattoo design is a tattoo design that is custom made for the person and not one that has been pre-drawn.

Custom tattoos are becoming popular nowadays because they allow people to get a design that is unique and special to them. They want their tattoos to be the only ones like them in the world, and this can’t be achieved through pre-drawn designs. Plus, people can also get a design that speaks to their personalities or interests, so it will also be something they will enjoy looking at every day.

Custom tattoo designs are personalized tattoos that are designed by artists for the customer’s specific preference. These tattoos usually include words or phrases representing memories, events, interests, etc.

Tattoos are a form of body modification made by inserting indelible ink under the skin to create an image. There are many different types of tattoos, and they can be inscribed with various meanings.

Almost everyone has seen or at least heard about the tattoo of the name of their spouse, lover, child, or pet on someone’s arm.

The Meaning Behind Tattoos

The meaning behind tattoos varies from person to person and may be different for every individual. Some people choose meaningful tattoos to celebrate life milestones, such as birthdays or graduations, while others have them because it’s their favorite quote or song lyric.

7 Tips on How To Draw the Perfect Tattoo

Tattoos have been a permanent fixture in society for a long time. People use tattoos to express their personality and individuality, and they come in all shapes and sizes. There are many different types of tattoos, with some being more popular than others.

In this article, we will provide seven tips on how to draw the perfect tattoo that suits your style and preferences best!

Some people get a tattoo to show off their personality or because they want to cover up something. Whatever the reason, there are many things that go into drawing the perfect tattoo. Here are 7 tips on how to draw the perfect tattoo.

1. Choose a design beforehand.
2. Find out about your artist.
3. Choose quality ink
4. Be patient
5. Finish work in one sitting
6. Get it done quickly if possible.
7. Enjoy your new body art!

How To Choose The Right Font for Your Tattoo Design

There is a huge variety of fonts that tattoo designers can use. It’s important to pick the right one for the design and the wearer. Nowadays, the most popular type of tattoo is the word tattoo. These tattoos are usually done in black, cursive fonts. There are lots of free downloadable fonts that you can choose from to give your tattoo a perfect look.

Designers should pay attention to how readable and recognizable a font would be at a small size. The font should also make sense with the initial letter of the name or word it is tattooing on someone, such as “E” for Evan, “P” for Paula, etc.

Different fonts evoke different emotions and reactions from people. Some may be more appropriate than others, depending on your specific design goal. For example, script fonts will have a more feminine look, while bold, blocky fonts will have a masculine appearance.

There are many factors that will influence your choice of what font would be best for your tattoo. Some people prefer to have an elegant-looking tattoo, while others want something more masculine. It all depends on what you want to represent with the words on your body.

The Different Stages of Your Custom Tattoo Design Process

A custom tattoo design process is not as simple as it looks. There are many stages that go into creating your own tattoos; if you want to know what these stages are, then read on to find out more information about how the process works!

There are many steps in the custom tattoo design process. These stages include:

1. First, you’ll need to find a design that’s perfect for you.
2. Next, you’ll need to find an artist who specializes in what type of art style you’re looking for
3. After that, the artist will start drawing your tattoo using ink or another medium.
4. You’ll have to go back for a few touch-ups.
5. Once the final touches are done, it’s time for healing.
6. The final step is finding a way to show your work to the world.

Custom Tattoos for Different Occasions

Custom tattoos have been around for a long time. In more recent years, they have been modified to fit the needs of a generation that is more concerned with its individuality and unique style.

The first step for a person interested in getting a custom tattoo is to search online for what they want. There are lots of websites on the internet offering custom tattoo designs, but it is recommended to do some research on their qualifications before committing to someone who will be doing the work as this could end up costing them more as well as giving them an outcome that they are not happy with.

Getting a custom tattoo means that you will be able to choose from any design that you desire and can even put your own little twist on it if you would like. Custom tattoos can also be one-of-a-kind, with each tattoo being designed uniquely for the individual.

The Importance of Giving Consideration to the Size of Your Custom Tattoo Design

Extra small tattoos usually don’t have any words on them. It is possible for people to get a small tattoo of their favorite symbol, but it’s not as common as getting a larger tattoo design.

The size of the tattoo is a factor that needs to be considered before getting a custom design. This is because if the design is too large, it will likely be difficult to keep it hidden from the public eye.

The Top 5 Uses of Custom Tattoos

Custom tattoos are all about you, your personality, your beliefs. The only limit is your own imagination. Custom tattoos are more than just body art; they are more like a mark of individuality or a way to commemorate a person or event in one sentence.

The top 5 uses of custom tattoos:

• Covering scars or inked mistakes
• Nighttime reminders
• Memorializing a loved one
• Celebrating a life event
• Building community

What Are the Different Types of Tattoo Designs?

Some popular types of custom tattoos are lettering tattoos, number tattoos, and tribal tattoos.

New School

New School custom tattoos are extremely popular. What is New School, you might ask? There isn’t one definitive look for New School, although most tattoo enthusiasts can call it when they see it.

As opposed to the old school design, which is traditional and has a certain color palette, and the same style made famous by Sailor Jerry, New School or New Skool is a tattoo style that uses bright, bold colors. It includes more modern designs that incorporate lots of whimsy and underground art and styles. Low brow artwork is also referenced in New School tattoo designs. Lots of blending and gradations are seen, along with the broad color palette.

After World War II, tattoos were generally associated with gangsters and delinquents. Unsanitary practices brought about an outbreak of hepatitis in the early sixties, which made tattoos even more taboo and forced them into the shadows, and it became more underground. After health codes were updated with new legislation being passed for tattoo practices, more people became interested in tattoos once again.

This younger wave of tattoo enthusiasts brought about the New School style more and more common today. Better technology and progressive art and ideas created these bold, fantastical, and colorful designs! Many New School designs use heavy outlines, as seen in graffiti art.

Want to get a custom New School design? Get it started by posting your custom tattoo design request!

Star Tattoos

Custom star tattoos are very popular. They are mostly requested by women, as they are feminine yet strong symbols. We have commonly seen nautical stars (which are also popular among men). Stars are seen in old school and new school designs. They are incorporated into portraits and memorial tattoos. The star is a shape that is appropriate for nearly any type of design.

Nautical stars are known to be on compasses. Compasses are, of course, are extremely important to sailors. Without the compass, a sailor may be lost out on the open sea. The symbolism of the compass is relatable to all human beings to have something they believe in and trust. It’s a guide to give them direction and bring them safely home.

Shooting stars are also a very popular custom tattoo theme. Shooting stars are, of course, known for making wishes come true. This is again hitting on the hope and faith, and whimsical quality that stars have.

Stars with swirls have become a very sought-after combination as it is very elegant and still playful. Swirls also can accentuate parts of a woman’s body better than just stars alone. Swirls and stars can be a very sensual design.

Many of these designs have more than one star as part of the design. Some people get multiple stars to symbolize different goals accomplished in their life. Multiple stars can be custom designed to symbolize the birth of their children (or grandchildren!). It can also be to remember and grieve over the passings of loved ones in their lives.

Have you been looking for the perfect star tattoo to represent something very meaningful to you? Post your custom tattoo request today and get it started!

Custom Sleeve Tattoo

The custom sleeve tattoo is one of the most intensive requests we get. A sleeve incorporates many elements into one cohesive design that will wrap around the arm, which is harder than creating artwork for a flat plane.

A sleeve tattoo really represents an individual’s personality and sense of self. It’s a perfect canvas to express yourself. Many images on a sleeve are meaningful and are very personal.

Other sleeves may have swirls or bold black patterns, some being tribal. Sleeves are popular with both men and women. There are a few different genres that are seen more often than not for a full sleeve. Here are some of them:

Floral Sleeve

Floral sleeves are very popular with ladies. Whether it’s realistic or old school or a floral mixed with the macabre (skulls, spiders, coffins), it’s a great way to express a woman’s femininity. Tattoos have an edge, and a floral sleeve is a beautiful way to balance the edge with a more delicate aesthetic.

Old school/Traditional

This style has been used for a very long time, back when tattoos were still taboo. Tattoos were not seen on many that were not carnival people or sailors. Sailor Jerry is a name that is synonymous with the genre.

Traditional old-school sleeves are amazing to look at and have very vivid colors and a playful and artful feel to them. Elements such as roses, skulls, pin-up girls, clovers, dice, anchors, horseshoes are all elements that are seen in old-school tattoos.

Other items can be created with the old school style, which makes for an interesting mix of traditional and modern.

Realistic

This style’s name speaks for itself. Realistic tattoos are extremely time-consuming and detail-oriented. This includes anything you can think of; portraits, floral, angels, animals… it’s limitless! A realistic tattoo can be very emotional and is a really beautiful way to create a meaningful expression for the collector. Finding tattoo artists who are masters in this genre are more difficult than any other.

There are other styles to get your full sleeve custom tattoo created in, but whatever style you choose, make sure you put some real thought into your concept.

Your tattoo should include personal elements, including lettering and script if you feel it helps express it. Include elements that make it unique to you as the canvas. Many talented artists can create the perfect sleeve for you.

Photorealism

Lately, we’ve been getting a lot of custom tattoo requests asking for Photorealism. Photorealistic art takes an amazing amount of skill and experience. The artwork itself is quite intense and time-consuming. It takes a truly classically trained illustrator to be able to draw at this level.

Requests for Photorealism include portraits of family members, spouses, friends, and celebrities.

Animals are also a popular subject for photorealistic requests, as they often symbolize or represent some trait that the tattoo collector has or portrays themselves to be.

Other photorealistic requests are for flowers, trees, leaves, and other elements of nature, where the collector wants the tattoo as close to real as nature can get. Famous landmarks and landscapes are also great subjects because they are historical and instantly recognizable.

Photorealistic tattoos are often viewed as a higher and more impressive type of tattoo. If you have ever seen a great photorealistic tattoo, it’s easy to see why! Do you want a realistic tattoo design for your next tattoo?

Milestones and Life Changes – Meaningful Reasons to Get a Tattoo

There are many reasons for people to commission custom tattoos. So many things happen in life that deserves to be celebrated by getting a tattoo.

Once you get that first tattoo, whether it’s to celebrate your eighteenth birthday, because you can, or you’re fifty-five and getting your first tattoo to celebrate the birth of your first grandchild, everyone who has gotten a tattoo knows that it can be addictive.

After the first one, you’ll want to get one for every meaningful event in your life! With meaningful tattoos to symbolize specific milestones or changes in life, a very well-thought-out custom tattoo is going to be needed to commission, not some flash art off the wall.

• The celebration of the birth of a child is an event that gets even the non-tattooed to get the itch to get a tattoo.
• Graduating from school is another great reason to get a tattoo. It’s a big accomplishment!
• Other ones like getting your dream job or buying a house are amazing reasons to get one.
• Even negative things, like a divorce, as hard of a life change as that can be, can be celebrated as a new chapter of life opens up.

Whatever your milestone or life change is, you are going to want a custom tattoo, unique and tailored to you and your specific situation. A tattoo is forever, and you don’t want it to be one of your life’s regrets.

The tattoo artists vary in style and experience. You have hundreds of artists to choose from. Whatever life event you are celebrating through a tattoo, you will be sure to find the perfect artist for it. It’s so much better to have hundreds to choose from than just a handful, don’t you agree?

Cover-Up Custom Tattoos

Cover-ups are some of the most fascinating requests seen. It’s interesting to hear each person’s story about their less-than-perfect tattoo. It’s always a great story, why they got it in the first place, what age they were when they got it (usually very young, oftentimes, right at 18!), if it was an impulsive decision to get some random flash art, they thought was “cool.”

Sometimes it’s because they didn’t do their research when selecting a tattoo artist. Or they got a “deal” from an inexperienced scratcher.

They may have entrusted their body to someone who did not know what they were doing!

Sometimes the tattoo art is good work, but the meaning is a painful reminder of something that has no place in their life anymore.

A big one is a tattoo that was meaningful in a relationship that no longer exists.

An ex’s name is covered up many times. An ex-wife or ex-husband, or even worse, their portrait, is a constant reminder of the pain of a divorce or the end of a relationship. Plus, it’s very awkward if that person is planning on or currently dating someone else. 

Cover-up tattoos take more planning than the usual custom tattoo design. The best artists to work with are experienced designers who have also experienced tattoo artists who have done a few cover-ups for their own personal clients, off-site.

They have the trained eye to look at the existing tattoo and to tell you honestly if a successful cover-up can be done. They can create the custom tattoo design just right to make sure that the old one is long gone.

Are you an experienced cover-up artist? Comment below and make sure you have examples in your portfolio to show. We get many cover-up requests.

Fantasy Tattoos

It takes a lot of skill to create beautiful custom tattoos in the fantasy realm. Fantasy tattoos can end up looking really cheesy, really fast, if not handled the right way.

There should be something whimsical and awe-inspiring in the design. If you are a fan of fantasy, this genre might be the way to go for your next tattoo. Here are a few topics that fall into the fantasy category:

Mermaids

These beautiful sirens of the sea have been in folklore for as long as there have been humans around water. Whether you believe them to be true or not, the idea of creatures who are half maiden and half fish is quite intriguing. They are a part of pop culture because of tales like “The Little Mermaid.”

The famous Disney movie and broadway interpretation helped their popularity as well. Mermaid tattoos can be absolutely breathtaking. Whether it’s a small black and gray mermaid on an ankle or an exquisite full-back ocean scene with many mermaids, it’s a perfect subject for a custom fantasy tattoo.

Fairies

Fairies have a rich history in folklore, especially in Ireland and England. With famous tales and movies like Peter Pan, fairies are also a part of pop culture.

Tinkerbell is probably the most famous fairy name out there. Brian Froud and Jasmine Becket-Griffith are also famous artists who have taken fairy art to the next level.

Fairies are depicted in many different types of environments with different personalities. A custom fairy design can be made to depict a strong trait in one’s character to make it even more personal to the wearer.

Mythology

Every culture has its own mythology. Greek mythology is probably the most well-known, but Asian cultures have very interesting stories within their history that would also make great tattoos.

The Greek god Zeus is often requested. He is a great and powerful icon and can easily make a great full-back tattoo or sleeve. Thunderbolts, stormy clouds, lots of black and gray values. It sounds like the perfect tattoo for men!

Fantasy Fiction also makes great tattoos! For all you LOTR and Harry Potter fans, you may have the perfect idea for your custom design right now! Want to get your request started? Go ahead and post your custom tattoo request and see what the artists come up with.

How To Get A Custom Tattoo Design – Let’s Get Personal

There are many ways to get custom tattoo design, so what makes our site so special? The active ingredient on Blufashion.com is the personal interaction you get with our artists. This is not just an online tattoo mill. 

The artists get to know you and your needs. They know how important this art form is. You are commissioning artwork to get permanently inked on your body! So it’s got to be exactly what you want. They want to know the meaning behind your tattoo idea and why this is so personal and special to you.

Using some unique format, you have conversations with multiple artists to figure out who you want to work with. The artists ask questions and really get personal to understand where you’re coming from.

We do not require artists to submit completed work to you before you decide who wins the request. How can the artist convey the feeling you want for your meaningful tattoo when you haven’t had a conversation with them?

We don’t feel that that is the best way. Here you are encouraged to speak to artists, see what they’re about, see who you connect with, and then hire the best one for you.

After you hire them, you work one on one with that artist until you get the perfect artwork for your tattoo. You get a very special piece of art, not to mention you’ve created a connection with an artist who truly gets you; what an asset to have, especially if you plan on getting more tattoos in the future!

If you’re looking for simple flash art, they can do that for you as well, but the true passion here is to connect you with the right person to create the best possible tattoo for you; with all the feeling and meaning that you feel, represented in the art.

How Do I Ask A Tattoo Artist For Custom?

When your request starts getting attention from artists, it can be very exciting! Make sure you take that excitement and respond to the artists’ questions and comments. This is the best way to keep artists interested and make your request a hot topic on the board.

It also ensures the best possible results for your custom tattoo design. The worst thing you can do is not comment or comment so late on your request that interest in your post just fizzles out. Here are some tips to keep it hot:

• Look at who’s currently bidding and look through their portfolios. Communicate with your favorites and let them know why you like their style!
• Answer any questions any of the artists may have. Even if an artist whose style isn’t exactly your cup of tea asks a question, it could be helpful for any of the artists on the board, including the ones you’ve personally invited.
• Attach samples of tattoos you like in your description. This is extremely helpful for the artists. Artists are visual, and this can sometimes be the boost they need to create exactly what you want.
• Rate sketches! There is a 5-star rating system. Rating sketches show the artists quickly and again, visually, which are your favorites.

Custom Tattoo Requests: Step-by-step

Are you new to tattoo design online? You may be wondering how requesting a custom tattoo works. Let’s run down a completed custom tattoo request from the first post to the completed design.

• The first step is to post your request. Post exactly what you want and be as detailed as possible. You can’t go overboard on the details! Artists need a good starting point, and this is the first impression the artists will get. For example, in this request for a tattoo design of girls with masquerade, Pradeep asked for: “Would like a half sleeve tattoo of the upper torso of a girl (maybe even two girls) with masquerade or heavy make up around the eyes… Would like the overall theme to be Gothic.” Cool request, right? Lots of artists thought so, too.
• The next step is completely optional but highly recommended. Fund your request with a deposit of at least 25% of your max budget. Our example request started with a 25% deposit of its $150 budget. Every successful custom tattoo design started with a partially funded request. This excites the artists and also lets them know that you are serious about finding the perfect artist for their design.
• This step is also optional, but again, recommended. You can browse artists by clicking on Tattoo Artists on a website. Browse the artists and invite the artists whose styles you like best to bid on your request. Most successful designs have had bids from invited artists. Invited artists don’t necessarily always get the win, but this ensures quality designs.
• Here comes the excitement! Receive bids and responses from artists. Make sure to answer their questions and give good feedback. The artists are interested in creating your perfect, dream-come-true tattoo design. Make sure you encourage and give them direction.
• Rate your favorite concept sketches using the 5-star rating system. You can rate every single one you get or just rate your favorites. It’s all up to you.
• Hire your artist! If you need to add funds to meet their bid amount, you will need to do so before hiring them. After going back and forth for a while with a few artists, you probably know which one you want to hire. So go ahead and hire them! You can wait until the request ends, or you can end the request early. Once you hire them, you continue to work with them on the comment board, back and forth, until you are happy with the final design.
• Once you are happy with the final design, approve it! Once you approve the design, you get the high res artwork files to take to the tattoo shop or your local tattooist. This also ensures that the artist gets paid. It’s a win-win! It’s easy, it’s fun, and it gets the best possible results. Pradeep said this about the final design, “Hey!! It’s perfect!! Thank you so much.” in turn, the artist, Itz230, said, “I had a great experience working with you, and I loved your concept…if you ever need another design or know anyone in need of work, please keep me in mind 🙂 I would love to work with you again and see the final ink work.” 

There are lots of unique custom tattoo sites that are mindful of the importance of remaining personal and truly connecting you with the artist. That connection is what they aim for and shines through each design.

Invite Artists to Bid – Tattoo Design Bids

If you already have a custom tattoo request published on the board, you may be asking yourself, “What do I do now?” Well, you can just wait for random artists to respond and bid on your request.

Many of the customers do this and get great results, but there is another optional step you can take.

If you want to be more proactive about your custom tattoo design, you can browse through the tattoo artists and designers and invite the ones you like the most to bid on your request.

It’s easy and fast! Just click on “Tattoo Artists” at the top right, and it will take you to the Artists Page. You will see thumbnails of artists’ work next to their name, photo, and information.

If you like their work, simply click the “Invite to bid” button. It will automatically inform the artist that you are interested in them and that you want them to be involved in your particular request. That’s it! This is the best way you can find artists whose styles you like and really zone in on what you want for your custom tattoo design.

To learn more about posting a great request and getting the best possible results, read on.

Fund to Get a Better Design. Faster!

So you’ve posted your custom tattoo design request. You’ve made sure to be very specific and add lots of detail to your description. You’ve done all you can to make clear to the artists what you want to be created. You’ve clearly put a lot of thought into your request. This is, after all, something you are planning on getting tattooed permanently onto your body, so it’s really important.

So why aren’t there a ton of responses? How do you make your request a hot topic?

Funding your request is the answer to this question. It’s optional, but here are some reasons why you should seriously consider it:

Get faster results

Funded requests get immediate responses from artists. Seeing a deposit on a request tells the artists that you are serious about getting the best design and are willing to pay for it.

Funded requests usually take only a few minutes to get valuable responses from interested artists. Unfunded requests can take days to get far fewer responses.

Why wait that long? You know what you want. You’re willing to pay for it. To fund your request now to let our community of fantastic artists know how serious a buyer you really are!

Get better results

Funding your requests means better quality responses from artists. Artists want to get paid for their work. They will be more willing to put in quality time and energy when there’s already money on the table.

The best artists do not have time to spend working on requests that don’t have funding. Attract the best artists to your request by putting a deposit of at least 25% down. You’re serious about getting a great tattoo design. Why not let the artists know that?

What You Need to Know Before Getting a Custom Tattoo Design

Custom Tattoo Design is a type of tattoo that has been designed by the artist in order to fit their customer’s specific request. It can include any design that the customer wants, which means there are no limits when it comes to what they can have on their skin.

If you are thinking about getting a Custom Tattoo Design, there are things you need to know before you go ahead with the permanent decision.

Getting a custom tattoo design is an excellent way to show your personal style. Contrary to popular misconception, the cost of getting a custom tattoo design varies based on the size of the tattoo and the complexity of the design.

It is important to remember that you will be wearing this tattoo for life, so it’s important that you take into consideration what you want to get and who will be doing it.

Getting a Great Custom Tattoo Design

Getting a tattoo is an involved process. The first part of making sure you are happy with your tattoo is getting the tattoo design you really want.

Since this is going onto your skin permanently, you shouldn’t settle! Some people can go on to any tattoo flash site and find something they’re happy with.

Most people I know aren’t that easy. They want something unique that nobody has. Some want something very meaningful to symbolize the birth of a child or the passing of a loved one.

These kinds of tattoo designs cannot be found on a tattoo flash site, no matter how long you look, no matter how many sites you go through.

If you decide to get a custom tattoo design, you will want a design that no one else in the world has. Your choices are limitless because you’re starting from scratch! You won’t have to settle for something that’s only close to what you really wanted.

There are a few different ways to get a custom design.

1. You can find a local tattoo artist to create a tattoo design for you.
2. You can ask a creative friend or a friend of a friend to create something for you.
3. You can do a random blind search on the internet and find a tattoo designer.

These three methods are very limited. If you choose a local tattoo artist or a creative friend, you are limited to only their one style. If their one style is exactly what you want, then lucky you! If it’s not exactly what you want, then you have to settle.

If you do a random blind search on the internet, you don’t really know the person you’re contacting. There is no way to know whether that person will be flaky or even take your money and not do the work. There are countless tales out there that are like this.

Tattoodo.com is a site where clients and artists can safely connect. On the site are hundreds of tattoo artists and tattoo designers from all over the world with different styles, skill levels, experience, and prices.

The site provides a safe way to connect with artists and be in direct communication with them. The site guarantees your art and transaction 100%. Funds are held safely by the site until the artist finishes the job. They are only paid when you approve the tattoo design. No flakiness or abandoned projects exist here!

On Tattoodo.com, you are able to set your own budget. Because they have artists of different skill levels, there are lots of talented artists who are trying to make a name for themselves who will work on a project even if the budget is small. It’s a great place for both experienced artists and artists who are just starting their careers because of its flexibility.

Once you hire an artist for your tattoo, you get to work one on one with them until you get your perfect custom tattoo design. Using Tattoodo ensures you don’t have to settle for anything every step of the way. It’s free to post a request, and you can fund as you go, starting with as small a deposit as you want!

Conclusion & Recommended Resources

In conclusion, Getting a custom tattoo design can be a very personal and meaningful decision for you.

When it comes to custom tattoo design, there is no one-size-fits-all. It’s important for your tattoo artist to know what you want your tattoo to mean, look like, and how you want it to physically feel.

This section will give you recommendations of books, videos, and websites to help you get started with custom tattoo design.

There are many resources that will show you the basics of custom tattoo design. However, this article is focused on more advanced resources that can help you get started with your own custom tattoo design.

Photos: Instagram/Pinterest