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.
Is Old School a good fit for you?
Compared with Old School, it is the opposite philosophy: thin and subtle instead of bold and built to be read from a distance.
How do tattoos age? Why lines soften and colours fade over years, the role of sun and skin ageing, which styles and placements age best, and what you can do about it.
Someone who produces beautiful realism may not be the right person for bold Old School , and the reverse.
Style and detail Styles that need long shading or colour packing — realism , New School , full colour work — take more hours than linework at the…
A general idea or symbol with no single photo to match is a much better fit for a graphic style like Old School, Blackwork, or Tribal — styles…
Placement and style work together — some styles (like Old School or Blackwork) hold up well even in smaller or higher-friction spots, while detailed styles like Realism need…
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.