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.
Classic choices are the sternum and underbust, the spine, the back of the neck, forearms and hands, shoulders and knees.
How to choose a tattoo placement: visibility, pain, how each area ages, working with body shape, and how size and placement go together.
Tribal tattooing is bold, solid black linework — sweeping curves, sharp points, and symmetrical patterns that follow and emphasize the shape of the body itself, wrapping around an…
Upper arm and shoulder
New School tattoos explained: exaggerated cartoon shapes, saturated colour and bold outlines - who they suit, how they age and what to look for.
Inner forearm, upper arm, shoulder, back and ribs hold fine work well.
What common tattoo symbols mean - animals, flowers, objects, mythical imagery - why context changes the reading, and real examples.
Japanese (Irezumi) tattoos: large-scale compositions of dragons, koi, tigers and waves - fit, sessions, cost and how to spot good work.
Watercolor tattoos: soft washes and painterly colour - the honest truth about aging, who they suit, cost and how to spot good work.
Realism tattoos: portraits and scenes that look like photographs - fit, sessions, aging, cost and how to spot a skilled realism artist.
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.