Bringing in Your Own Tattoo Design
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- Опубліковано 5 лип 2024
- This video discusses the common topic of bringing in your own tattoo design to a tattoo shop for tattooing. In this video I talk about different situations where this is a normal and acceptable practice for clients, as well as some situations where it might be something you may wanna reconsider.
Keep in mind that the information in this video is from my perspective as a custom tattooer, which means that I prefer to design all of the tattoos I do myself. I tried to cover all bases so that the information is as close to universal as possible, but naturally I am inclined to advise clients to let their tattoo artist handle the artwork and design. There are a lot of different ways that tattoo artists do business, and there is really no right and wrong in my mind when I think about the big picture. Either way, I hope that this info is helpful in clarifying how a professional tattooer might feel about this subject.
For tattoo inquires, visit www.jameswithee.com/
To keep up with my latest tattoo work, follow @jameswitheetattoo on instagram.
Check out the other artists at my shop by visiting darkhorsetattooco.com/
I brought in a rough sketch (I can't draw) for an Egyptian half sleeve because there were no tattoos I found online that looked like what I'd pictured in my head. My artist literally used my "sketch" only and came up with a work of art that fit what I wanted exactly. Total professional!!
Thats the type of artist i want. one that sees my idea and can either make it reality or at least give me an idea that fits me and is just an overall cool person.
This guy has such a cool aesthetic and the advice is given is so direct and no bs. Really deserves more subscribers.
Would definitely be interested in an in-depth video about tattoos and originality! Awesome video
My dad is an artist, but not a tattoo artist, so I want to bring in one of his drawings which is a cute little dragon character. In this case, I REALLY want it to look like my dad's drawing. Hopefully that is something the tattoo artist would be willing to honor.
One of the reasons I haven't gotten a tattoo yet is because I'm an artist myself, and I got this bug up my ass, "If they can't draw better than me, I don't want them tattooing me". I know drawing/tattoos are totally different, but I still want to see how well they can work on paper before they go HAM on my skin.
I have some tattoos I designed and I want done and they don't have to be verbatum, but I still want them to be correct because they're anatomical sketches that I want on my body and I don't want a lot of "creativity" on something scientific.
I had the same problem so I finally just bought a machine and started tattooing myself LOL
@@JSG-mw4qr That's a bad idea you can fuck up tattooing yourself on certain parts of your body..
Street fighter vs Xenoverse not true
@@haileyadkins8412 yes it is true..
Exactly like me if you’re an artist yourself, not a tattooist, but if the artist cannot draw better than you it makes you kind of back out
Some people argue with me about tattoo copying. I would love to see a video about your thoughts. Great video, thank you!
Bro it's my skin being permanently marked. My say should be the most important.
But also the artists reputation is on line.
Imagine hiring Claude Monet and not giving him any artistic freedom and telling him to paint exactly what you told him to but still expecting a high quality Monet. It’s not. It’s a shitty design by a random person that’s not an artist and Monet just happened to do it. There are all kinds of tattoo artist out there that will copy work. Bitching about a CUSTOM tattoo artist not copying work for you is hilarious.
@@MC-nm7kr It's a permanent mark on my body. I can bitch as much as I please.
Tru, but if u came to me and say u wanna sexual pose of ur 10y old niece im a rip that skin right out of u.
Depending what it is. The tattoo artist should be looking out for their clients as well as trying to make good and original art on peoples bodies but obviously the client has to be okay with it otherwise they need to find a different artist who maybe does things differently
I personally tell my artist what I like and let him show me ideas and then I pick my favorite and let him do HIS magic. I think it's important to understand and respect each artists unique style of tats. I'm very open minded with my tats perhaps bcuz my ex hubby did tattoos and I saw first hand all the bs he went thru with so many clients. So I guess I just never wanted to be that pain in the azz lol 😂...
This is what I wanna do but I dont have a solid idea. I just have like "I want to include *this this this and this." But that's all I have. I trust that whoever artist I pick will make it beautiful
I feel like tattoos always turn out the best when you let your artist do it in their preferred style because that's what they thrive at. Just gotta find an artist whose style you fuck with and then you're good
Hey man, love your videos. The introduction, topic discussion and conclusion format makes things very clear. Keep it up!
Love your videos! Thanks for all the info! I have no tattoos and I'm getting more and more confident about the whole process.
I really love the collaboration process and letting the artist do something she likes & specializes in. I bring in pictures from her own Instagram that feature techniques and subjects I like & a placement area idea and just chat with her. Vibing is so important to me, and like you said in another video, I want the artist to be just as excited about the piece as I am. Getting another one Monday!
Another great commentary - Thank you for continuing to produce these videos. They're good and there's nothing else like them. You're a talented speaker.
I'm so glad I drew the concept I wanted and gave the artist his creative freedom, both of us are proud of the tattoo so far
Great advice. As an artist myself (not a tattoo artist) I’m always wanting to design my friends’ ideas, as well as come up with my own. Every question I had was answered bro amazing content and detail 🙌🏼
Clear and concise man! Keep it up!
Your videos have been so helpful. I got my first tattoo recently and am planning on a Matrix-themed "ripped open" tattoo and a geometric half sleeve in the next couple of years. Your videos help me feel more confident in my search for an artist and styles.
Lol I learned a lot from my first tatoo. I was honestly scared that they'd mess it up. After that I learned how much artists want your tattoos to look good. I love how it's a almost like a bond between them and the artist a little give and take ❤
My new favorite UA-camr, can’t wait to get a piece done by you!
I think another thing that should be considered is whether the design has meaning or not. For example, a friend of mine wanted to get a tattoo of his family's crest, but the artist didn't like the design of the crest and wanted to change it. Doing so would have completely removed the meaning of the tattoo so I think it was perfectly reasonable to want an exact unaltered copy of the design.
As a hobby drawer i had. To get one of my own drawings inked on me, but after i got it i loosened up and get tattoos in the same style or traditional. If you go to one artist i dont see a problem bringing in some of your own and getting some of their designs.
I have a lot of drawings that I like to do when I’m bored and they aren’t exactly high quality but they aren’t bad either. This really brings me peace of mind because what I want to do is bring them to an artist willing to tattoo original art but who will make changes and let me know what will and won’t fit. I understand my 2D art probably won’t work on skin without adaption and I’m so glad that tattoo artists are exactly that - artists. It’s a wonder people like you can take ink and needles and make a work of art on someone’s moving and alive skin!
Jeeeeeeze alot more involved than I thought ..interesting and glad I watched ✌️❤️
I got my degree in Fine Arts and all my friends thinks that means I'm a tattoo designer. This video is super helpful because if I do make something for them I don't want the artist cursing me in their head hahahah. I'll also instruct them on what to expect after I make the tattoo
I love your videos man, so informative. My first tat i wanted was an owl from an already drawn picture when i showed the artist he wanted to change it i was kinda against it till i saw the what he came up with wich was 100 times better... back then at 18 never thought of originality, or not understanding why a tattoo artist wouldnt just copy it.... now im getting my second tat in may booked my tattoo artist in January and giving him allllll the creative vision
I love all your videos !! So well spoken and educated.
With your art background I’d be interested in what you thought about people getting famous paintings tattooed on them. I see a lot of people getting the Picasso line drawings tattooed
lillian girvin he should totally do a video on this topic next !
It shouldn't matter what other people think, if you want it them get it.
I'm generally in the center. I know exactly what the subject matter is and the general style and color. I leave it up to them for the exact size, positioning, and any design tweaks to make it look better. My last tattoo consultation went fantastic: He asked for a few pieces of reference material and we looked over them together pulling out the elements that worked. My final tattoo was similar in style to the other three but still a unique piece. I like being an active part of the design process for something going on me.
I'd bring in my own design and have the artist to improve.
Love your videos, they're very informative I'm new to tattoos (I'm 19 and only have 2) keep up the good work!!
I so much prefer to let them do what they do. When Steve Byrne did my chest piece, I literally was like "what are you into right now?" and let him go for it. And it's AMAZING... (Like all of his work is, lol.) My husband tattoos me usually, and hes amazing, like everyone else in his shop... But I'm definitely a fan of collecting pieces from different people who's work I follow. Letting them kill it with what they do best makes for amazing work.
i agree that letting the artist run with it is the best way. this becomes more true with artists that have a higher skill level. my girl does the same thing as you. i do most of her work, but she also gets tattooed by world famous artists like phil garcia and tony ciavaro when she comes to conventions with me. she doesn't have one bad tattoo on her body. i envy her for that.
@@JamesWithee I've got a couple basement bangers from before my husband 😂 I envy your lady too, lmao! If I'd have known I would marry a killer artist I would have never done that to myself as a kid, omg. And we met SO YOUNG... a couple of years and I would have been good, but nooooo. I HAD to get tattooed before I turned 18 🙄Thankfully they aren't anywhere super apparent. Love your vids my dude!
Ooh! That's an awesome approach! I'm going to try that next time!
WouldYouJust _ youre getting someone elses shit on your body permenantly you goddamned fool
@@37H662 maybe she tattooed herself. Like she said she was young and wanted a tattoo. She obviously knew what she was getting into and at the time she probably liked it and over time after she got other amazing tattoos she probably realized how not great that original one was
Great video man, love the honesty
What if your the artist (me)? Like I design a clean ass painting and I want it on me and bring it in would they be mad??
Start a podcast. You’re perspective is 🔥
I love these videos and how in-depth you go. This has def helped how i approach getting mine. It’d be cool to get your take on what tattoo styles you think age the best , ex: realism vs traditional.
You have made me a better tattoo client 🙌🏻🙌🏻
Love how you chose your shirt for this vid where you're going to hold up the same "three" symbol
Hey James, love your vids man. Very informative. I was wondering if you would have any interest in doing a vid on coil machines vs rotary machines, the pros and cons of each, which ones you prefer and why. Just curious.
I took my own plan into my artist because I liked his style of work (strong black line work) so I asked him to simply use the mascots &items I gave him and put his spin on it . I got a great half sleeve out of the experience 🙂
So basically if I bring in a bunch of pictures of tattoos from the internet (That have a similar theme) and tell the artist that "I kinda want this theme but beyond that, you do you" I should be good to go right?
That's what I did with my artist. I was clear about the theme, vibe and elements that I wanted in it (eg Koala Carebear and semicolon, traditional inspired style, strong and feminine). Then I found reference photos of things that I liked and was specific about what I liked in each on. Then I let her do her own thing.
The tattoo artist that I trust told me during the process of getting my first tattoo “don’t bring me a piece and expect me to copy it, if you want a work of your own put on your body then bring me an inspiration and we can draw up from there”
He has a very nice style and I’m glad that he’s not someone who will just copy a design
I have three designs that I did. One was done exactly as I drew it. The other two were changed only slightly. All three were original drawings not tattoo copies. I had no problems getting them done and I still love the tattoos. They are pretty simple though, just black & gray.
Respect. I just got commissioned to design a forearm sleeve for someone else. I’m here trying to make sure I’m not stepping on toes. Thanks for the info.
Always quality content
Love and miss your videos, please make more :) Anything tattoo related is fine by me haha!
Your give such great detail bigman keep it up
So I've been thinking about a certain tattoo for a couple of years now, and I'm definitely going to keep contemplating all the different pros, cons, all the general information I can for it. But I really like your videos I've just recently found because it answers a lot of questions that I've had for a really long time, but I don't really have people to talk to about it. So I've just kinda stayed in the dark about it. lol So really appreciate all the information you include in your content!! Anyways onto a question if you do happen to read this, with what you mentioned with someone bringing in their own work, and it possibly not having a professionally made appearance to it, do you mean it would cause to many issues in trying to draw it out in a tattoo, being overly difficult or impossible. Or is more the quality of the work is not something you would engrave because you as an artist would not be proud of it, or have people associate the work with your own? I'm mainly curious not just for myself but I've also heard of lots of cases where a seemingly "scribbled down by a kindergartener" looking tattoo was actually something from a child who had passed away, or with something that holds extreme sentiment to the person themselves and not necessarily any possible on-lookers who may see it? I would really be interested to know what your opinion specifically on this would be if your reading this! lol Sorry about my lousy typing I'm half awake writing this.😂
I generally bring with me a drawing or picture but am open minded about letting the artist improve on it.
Again, thanks for keeping it REAL. HAVE A BLESSED DAY. 👩🎨🎨🖌🍀🌺🦓🌈Liz
Thank you for your video and info
This was a really informative video. For all my tattoos I have brought in the drawings myself and got the exact tattoo I wanted, so it was interesting hearing that seemingly most artist wouldn't be okay with it. But I am also an artist and I though if I end up disliking the tattoo it will be my own fault so I cannot blame anyone else. I just gave them my linework and the only thing they added was the shading.
Anyway: for me it worked out great. I even got my 4 hour piece for half the price because my artist liked the design so much and had a lot of fun doing it. So I guess even though I am stubborn it worked out nicely.
In the future I will definitely get the original artwork of someome else, but the artists I want to design sth for me are way more expensive and further away so I gotta save money first..
Great video! Thanks for the info 😊
I have a question. If I had a design(detailed) I wanted at the consultation but then change my mind with a different design(less detailed) at the appointment can I do that? Will the artist be upset with me? I don't want to upset them
Sometimes though a particular design has such a deep meaning that it shouldn't be changed or changed very little. Hence a design I drew up. It was suggested by my daughter and I am open to some changes what a few "artists" wanted to change took away meaning. So I said thank you for your time and have a nice day. If they told me that my art sucked I would laugh and walk away to find an artist worthy of doing my design with their style and not completely change it.
Thank you for the great information.
"Where you draw the line as a tattoo artist" nice
Love your videos bro. Top notch .. 🤘🤘🤘
I thought it was a common thing to be honest ..I have gone to book my first tattoo today but have to go back and he said he will work with me on what I want design something really cool ..his words ,I did tell him what I sort of wanted but itsy first time so I expected to just pay deposit and book it but haha not that simple and listening to you I see why,well I hope he can do what I want ,I've not seen what I want anywhere just came to my head but does involve some symbols quite a few actually so hope he can still do what I want ,but if not I guess there will be good reason ✌️❤️
I'm just curious, but how do tattoos over stretch marks work? I'm thinking of maybe getting them covered.
I would love to hear your opinion of who are the best artist in their respective types (realistic,traditional,lettering etc) and where do you see yourself , what are trying to improve day after day on your art.
You have earned a suscriber yo😎👍
What makes a good tattoo, "good"?
Ive often wondered. Sometimes id look at tattoo competitions and the tattoos that i thi k was the best often times dont win. And other artists pick a tattoo that looks "meh" to me. What do you actually look at?
art is subjective
Does it become more helpful, if i bring my own drawing in a high quality psd file as well? Layers and everything.
What if I commissioned a specific artist that I really like the style of for a drawing of my pet that I want tattooed?
I've got a question and hopefully someone could provide me with an answer- Can I bring in a temporary tattoo such as one from either inbox or etsy and have them trace it, or would that affect it/ get in the way more as opposed to just bringing in an image?
Man I need a tat by you fam. Dope work
thanks buddy i appreciate you watching
I love my tats other than 3 all of my tattoos are original, its also why I dont post them too social media
What I usually do is bring in my own design to help the artist understand my thought process and a concept of what I want. Then I basically let them come up with their own design by taking my design and looking at all the source material. I can't draw like I used to so I know it's not professional but my intention is to help convey the general vicinity of what I'm looking for with the artist free to change or complete make from scratch.
i went into your shop and showed matthew a simple reference that only had a picture of an aztec warrior and a pyramid, and he somehow turned that into a half sleeve. its good to bring references and trust the artist rather than bring a full blown design.
was this just a couple weeks ago? if so i remember the design. matt is a great artist
What if you're an artist yourself and you give them your design? How much credit does the tattoo artist get?
Honestly, I was worried cause I want a small outline of a heart on my wrist for very personal reasons. And I know that some people don't like to exact design. But now knowing that's their dream situation I'm not so worried
one tattoo design i showed an artist he said that it is not possible to make it look good as a tattoo because it has too many small details so i learned not everything can be a tattoo
I’m artist and I want to design my own tattoo.I do Traditional art and have been doing art my whole life.I want to recreate it myself.I wonder how that would play out because I’m an artist as well.I agree for what you said for beginners or people who not as artistic.Im an artist myself so I do wonder!
Thank you so much for these videos. Now that I'm looking for more specific things instead of some flash or something I found on the internet it's always good to know about my reference pictures.
Question though: have you ever talked about how much you should pay your tattooer if you give them an idea and they create a tattoo for you because that is their artwork that they're putting on your body or is that included into the price?
If you have already done this video please let me know so I can go and watch it.
tattoo artists don't charge for designing. they just take a deposit to get the process started. i have a video about that if you wanna watch it
For my first tattoo I used another tattoo as a reference to give an idea of what I wanted expecting the artist to do their own version. Is this taboo?
I bring my own design. Not because I want that spesific design, but because I can easely include the elements that I like to give the artist a better idea of what I want. Of course the design is going to be changed to fit the body better and to fit the artists style, but I defenetly feel that there is more comunication and understanding when I can just draw my crazy ideas so they make a little sense.
I live in arizona i hope to get my 1st tatto at you're tatto shop
I pick mine on my own personality
I’m really motivated to draw some of the tattoo ideas I collected from a search engine to make it my own. I haven’t done sketches in a couple years and although my doodled have always been amazing, my confidence is pretty fragile if someone bluntly talks shit. That being said, I would absolutely be open to the tattoo artist taking my art and making it more compatible with what they need to do.
I'm pretty confident in my art, and that's because I've been drawing as soon as I could hold a pencil. I also took countless art classes in highschool, and my art teacher let me do whatever basically because I took my time on my art and she loved what I was doing. So I have a really nice design I drew up, and I want it tattooed, but theres a part of it that I'm going to me flexible with changing because I dont think I did the best job on. Next time I'll go in I'm going to ask about it, so hopefully I can find someone willing to tattoo it on me
I was wondering this too im having s friend draw me a design 1. To make me a visual to see if I want it and 2. Something to show the artist and 3. Something that is MY/her own design. But I don't want their style tattoed on me I want the artist style that I choose think that be ok and also should she include the water coloring in the picture or should I wait and have the artist free design it on me?
So like what I was gonna do was bring pictures of what I want for my leg sleeve tattoo like i want them to make them a little more realistic and put the pictures together so my question is can I do that?
What is your opinion on getting a tattoo over spider veins? I am planning a large tatto but realize I have a lot of spider veins all of my body. The veins don’t bother me... I think it’s genetic.
Love your videos!
I'm not sure if you have done any tattoos on diabetics, but that would be an awesome video idea
ty for this video
You should do a video about piece work sleeves vs fully planned sleeves
& I'd be interested in hearing about tattooing unconventional placements (armpits, lip, eyelids, palms, etc) i love how in-depth you go
Can you make a video about aftercare for tattoos
I need to know this information because since I have ADHD one of my issues is I have to have a visual representation of what I want because sometimes when I try to explain what I want the words don't come out of my mouth correctly to display what I want as a tattoo and I know it's probably rude that I do but I have to do that for the thinking process in my mind I have to have an idea in my head I have to have the capability to make that visual imagery on a paper or a digital and me putting the effort in allows my brain time to be able to think do I really want this on my skin forever and I know it's probably very disrespectful to be bringing in my own design but I let them know that this is just a rough idea of what I want you're allowed to clean up the lines crisping up the colors you know make it look better but keep it as that design because that was the design that I put my mindset in and that's of how I do my thinking process when it comes to my ADHD most of the time is have to have something visual or else I can't physically think about it properly and so I tend to just design a bunch of random images and have just a bunch of random art in my phone
I'm an artist (digital artist), and the way I try to figure out what exactly I want, is by drawing it, it is way too detailed (because I like doign it that way) I've been wanting to get the design im working on, im somewhat inbetween, I would like it to look somewhat similar, (don't mind it simpled down) most the designs I have made are inspired by other tattoo art, and then mixing a few ideas together, and then seeing what i like. But the thing im most worried about is that im scared to say that I don't like the design they come up with based on the design I came in with, i'm scared to waste peoples time in those regards, I'm okay with it being redrawn for a better tattoo, but what is the best way to comunicate through such a situation? but is it also okay to draw inspiration from other tattos, such as poses, etc?
What's your opinion on people who get handwriting/ drawings and such of a loved one tattooed on themselves? Is there any tattoo etiquette on it?
nah not really, we do stuff like that all the time. most of the time if there is an issue it's because some of the loops in cursive writing are too narrow and we advise the client that they will probably close up over time. but when i've done that i've left the choice to the client on whether or not they want to proceed
In Brazil people do that a loooooot. Artistically speaking, I think that a tattooer that does that doesnt value Art itself just getting paid for a job. Black and Grey specially is something that I've seen tons and tons of copies, and most of them are real scratchy work.
Would it be wrong or not the right way if I was to find an artist that I like and like there work to send them an email and maybe send them a picture or describe my idea of what I want and ask them if they can customize it and just let them mix it up before I get the tattoo to see what they can do with it
Love the vid.
Curious how you feel about tattoos that are based on same images? From Pinterest or wherever they get the images, like that ONE lion that EVERYBODY always uses. The tattoo itself can be solid and perfectly executed but the originality of the clients gets me to me!
Man.. I go off about this shit all the time when I'm chatting with other tattoo artists. I do a lot of realistic tattoos and I'm getting hella bored with an the lions and clocks. There's only so many references out there and I can't go to the zoo and just take my own pic like I could with a skull replica or a rose. Pretty soon here I'm gonna start turning down any subject matter that is like that if I've already tattooed it once or twice. Just gotta make sure I don't shoot myself in the foot cuz at the end of the day still gotta make money lol. This is one reason why I've been pushing illustrative tattoos more than in the past
how do i get someone to design a complex tattoo. i want to do a coverup
Great video
Is getting tattooed by different artists still considered taboo?
I have a few tattoos all done by the same person but anytime I go in and ask to modify something they just want to take the design already brought in and put that exact thing on my skin. I completely understand if that’s exactly their style but I also want to have them modify it at least a little bit.
Because of this I’ve been considering finding a new artist and working with them on bigger pieces I want tattooed. Don’t get me wrong I love my artist but I just want a little more flare or creativity there as well
Definitely go to another artist if yours isn't working for you!
Could one go into a tattoo shop with just a description of what they want drawn? For example: I’ve been thinking of getting a tattoo of Achilles, which is accurate to mythology, but all I can find are tattoos of Brad Pitt Achilles.
I’m completely new to this topic, so forgive me if this is a foolish question
So it's okay to come in and say I like this style and I want to include 'this' and 'this' and leave the rest up to the artist to come up with the design?
I showed my tattoo artist a couple of pictures of Halloween Koya and she showed me her design and it turned out WONDERFUL I’m so happy with what I got but do a lot of research. I made sure I could find someone who can do it exactly like how he looks cartoon style and I wasn’t disappointed
I know what i want and i find an artist who specialises in that style of art. Anyone who doesn't have multiple consultations for a tattoo obviously doesnt care about the outcome. I would never ask somebody to tattoo me in a style they are not comfortable with and will always find the best artist for the job (thats always someone i can work my ideas out with and have seen examples of excellent work they've done in a similar style). You would have to be crazy to let a stranger with no experience in that style permanently draw something on you. Tattooists wont like to admit this but they aren't great at tattooing everything.Thats a fact. Shop around, be prepared to wait and be prepared to pay.