Straight answers to the things that stop people booking a tattoo — from the first idea to a healed tattoo. Each guide points you at real, credited work in the catalogue, and health guides quote dermatologists who specialise in tattoos.
What does a Japanese (Irezumi) tattoo actually look like?
Designs with texture — florals, animals with fur or feathers, Japanese backgrounds, dark ornamental work — hide old lines well.
Styles built on layered shading and gradient — Realism, full Japanese pieces — take longer and cost more for the same physical size, because there's simply more work…
Bold outlining and flat color fill are usually a fairly quick, steady process — one of the more approachable styles for a first tattoo experience, without the long…
Nine stages from a vague idea to a healed tattoo. Every guide ends with a link to the next step, so you can read them in order — or jump straight to where you are.
The worries people mention most — and where the honest answer is.
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Health guides quote dermatologists who specialise in tattoos word for word. New to the words? See the tattoo glossary. How guides are written and corrected: editorial policy.