Coming up with a tattoo idea is not one that should be taken lightly. After all, this will be a permanent part of your body for the rest of your life. But there are things to help you in the quest for the perfect ink that were not available just a few short years ago.

A tattoo should be something that you will wear on your body with pride from now until the end of your time but don’t feel overwhelmed by the process of finding the perfect tattoo design for you. Believe it or not, you CAN over-think your tattoo design.

The truth is that “perfect” will mean different things to different people. Many people have gotten tattoos as spur of the moment, instant gratification decisions and have been really happy. However, MOST people want to give it a little more thought.

None-the-less try as hard as you can to decide what you want for yourself. Don’t let opinions sway you either way. If you want a style of design you have seen a dozen other places on other people, don’t let the so-called “lack of originality” stop you. Get what you want if its really what you want and speaks to you. And, remember, there are always ways to tweak a design to personalize it.

Research, the assistance of the right tattoo artist, and other options at your disposal should help decide what to get as your first tattoo and where to place it, a choice that should make the process fun and much less stressful.

Tattoo Inspiration and Ideas

Experts will tell you that choosing a tattoo is a very personal thing, and it should not be influenced by anyone. If you allow yourself to get a tattoo because “all your friends are doing in,” the odds of feeling big-time regret is virtually inevitable.

Start With What Has Been Important to You for Years

The best place to draw inspiration for your first tattoo is from your life and/or interests. If you have been interested in unicorns for years and you don’t see that changing any time soon, you stand a safe bet in making some sort of a unicorn tattoo your first foray into ink a good one.

Think About Commemorating the Life of a Loved One Thought Your Ink

Another solid choice for your first tattoo is to commemorate a loved one, past or present, in your life. You can choose their name, an important date, or a symbol that reminds you of them.

DO NOT misunderstand. A boyfriend or girlfriend is NOT what we are talking about. Though you may feel your feelings for them could not be more accurate, this could quickly turn into one of the greatest regrets in your life.

This should be a choice concerning a family member such as a parent, grandparent, sibling, or a dear friend.

If you DO opt to go for a boy/girlfriend or husband or wife, take a fool’s advice, and make sure that it can have multiple meanings, just in case.

Don’t Go With A Fly-By-Night Phase

Remember that what you are crazy about today may NOT be what you are crazy about 10, 20, or 30 years from now.

So, going with a tattoo that commemorates your favorite TV show, movie, or band may be ok for your right now. You may love it when you are 25, but will you STILL love it when you are 50?

Picking a Tattoo Out of a Book or Off the Wall

While many people go with this option as their first tattoo, sometimes it becomes their least favorite tattoo. As you become a more experienced tattoo collector, you will probably opt for more personalized tattoos, but as an entry into the experience, pre-drawn designs can get you started and there are actually a lot of fun ideas you can find for inspiration.

These are things to think about when opting for that first ink. However, by choosing something to commemorate the life of a loved one, it is a safe bet you will still feel as passionate about your choice even when you are 92 or older.

Ask for a Professional Opinion

A tattoo artist is a great resource to help you determine what to get for your first tattoo. They can often incorporate your ideas and turn them into something extraordinary for your first taste of ink.

If you are utterly clueless about what you might be looking for, they can often help you think about things you never dreamed would make a good option for your first tattoo.

Tattoo artist Monica Snyder even goes so far as to say, “tattoos don’t necessarily have to have meaning. If you like the way it looks, go for it.” She is just one of the multitude of artists out there to help you determine what ink is suitable for your first time.

Is a Tattoo Generator the Way to Choose My First Tattoo?

After viewing the things a tattoo generator has to offer, The options seemed a little sketchy. That being said, there are a few that could be a good place to start just to get the creative juices flowing.

After playing around with a tattoo generator called Tattoo Maker, I thought, “This is a good place to start but shouldn’t be the end of the story”. The software allows you to combine a wide selection of pre-made designs in various arrangements. This could be a good way to start playing with various ideas and compositions but you should be prepared to take your idea to a qualified tattoo artist who can re-envision it into the artistic expression it really deserves to be.

An interview with Dallas area tattoo artist Jeremy Seay supported this theory. Seay, a tattoo artist with close to 30 years of experience, said, “going with a tattoo generator, you are guaranteed to get a cookie-cutter tattoo that will be much worse than getting one off of the wall.”

Thanks, Jeremy. The lesson here is, use it to START the process of generating ideas, but let an artist create something truly beautiful.

One Semi-Impressive Tattoo Generator

Ok, there is one tattoo generator that impressed us a LITTLE. It was called Skin Motion. With this, you can turn the soundwaves of a loved one into a unique tattoo. The soundwaves can be different colors, and this does sound like a pretty creative idea for a first tattoo if you’re not sure what to get.

Is There an App That Can Design My First Tattoo?

The simple answer to that question is “yes,” there is an app out there that can design your first tattoo. Using an app to create your first tattoo is really no different than opting for a tattoo generator to design your first tattoo.

That app knows nothing about you as an individual, and it has no idea about whether or not you will like that tattoo past this weekend, much less the rest of your life.

If you are in that big of a hurry to make a decision that will impact you for the rest of your life, going into a shop and choosing one out of a book or off of the wall helps you to stand a better chance of picking one that is aesthetically pleasing, at the very least.

What appears to be the best app available to design a tattoo is called Virtual Tattoo Maker - Ink Art, with a near-perfect rating out of about 5,300 ratings. You can change up the colors and fonts to make the designs more “you.”

While it would be a good starting place, taking the design from here to your local tattoo artist will help determine if the tattoo you designed will work for you in the long run as your first fore into the tattoo community.

Is There An App That Shows How a Tattoo Will Look On Me?

Anyone who has a tattoo will tell you that choosing the right artist to meet your needs is the key to getting a tattoo that you will fall in love with every time you look at it.

Your tattoo artist can draw up the exact tattoo that you want and place it in the precise spot you want it, giving you a preview of how the tattoo will look on you for years to come.

An app can give you an idea of how the tattoo will look in a particular spot. Seay says that “if it is not coming from a human’s brain, it is meaningless. You are simply letting an algorithm decide what is best for you, and that is not the way to do it.”

However, we looked at a few of the apps available to see what is out there.

INKHUNTER app seems to have a reasonably decent reputation among the other apps available, receiving an almost perfect score out of 19,000 reviews.

According to the app’s description, you can try stock tattoos or even a design you have created. You can try them on different parts of your body and at different angles, and it offers a photo editor that makes the faux tattoos look real.

As far as an app is concerned, it gets a thumbs up here for allowing you to upload your personal tattoo to see how it may fit.

How Do I Come Up With a Unique Tattoo?

While many of the ideas presented in the earlier part of this piece show different ways to develop a unique tattoo, there are others.

Collaboration Between Client and Artist

We’ve said it before, and we will say it again, the best things you can do if you are unsure what type of tattoo you should get as to your first tattoo, according to Seay, “is to have a collaboration between artist and client.”

A professional artist has the artistic ability to help your creation to come to life. If you are unsure what that creation is, they have ways to talk with you to help draw that information out of you to make a very memorable first tattoo for you.

Where Should I Get My First Tattoo

This is a two-pronged answer. “Where” can mean the physical place you go to get it or where on your body you should get it. Let’s talk about both.

Where is the PHYSICAL BUSINESS I Should Get My First Tattoo?

While this should be a “no-brainer,” it is not. Yes, it’s tempting to save a few bucks by going to your friends garage to get a tattoo, but you are taking a TERRIBLE chance with your health.

You have a one in four greater chance of contracting Hepatitis C when you do not get a tattoo at a tattoo studio. Hepatitis C can lay dormant in your body for DECADES, and by the time you realize you have it, it may be too late to save your life. It IS NOT a pretty death.

This is because tattoo studios are sterile environments regulated by the state, and tattoo artists have to undergo extensive training concerning blood-borne pathogens.

I wrote an article all about the process of finding a good tattoo shop that you can read by clicking here!

Where ON MY BODY Should I Get My First Tattoo?

Our resident tattoo expert, Jeremy Seay, again suggests first speaking to a professional artist to make that determination, as there are many factors to consider, such as:

The size of the tattoo. For your first tattoo, bigger is not always better.
The tattoo’s visibility. This is something you need to consider, as some jobs do not allow for visible tattoos.
Exactly how much pain you will be able to take. This will also determine the tattoo’s location and how many sessions will be needed to complete it and place it in a comfortable spot. Newbies are not recommended to get tattoos at the tops of their feet, the bend of their knees or arms, or their ribs, among other VERY uncomfortable places.

What is the Most Popular Tattoo People Choose for Their First?

This is a question that varies depending on the artist you ask. Jeremy Seay, a 30-year tattoo vet who has worked at multiple shops, believes that “skulls or roses” are the most popular first tattoo.

However, Monica Snyder, a 3-year vet who works in more high-class tattoo establishment say “there is no right answer to these questions. It is too wide of a topic to able to narrow it down without statistical information to back up the claim.”

It would seem that Snyder tends to be correct here. The decision of the subject matter of your tattoo varies by things like:

Age
Sex
Socioeconomic status

What is the Advantage Of Choosing a Tattoo Artist for Your First Tattoo?

Especially if you are a novice in the tattoo arena, you might think that all artists are created equal. Nothing can be further from the truth.

Most tattoo artists specialize in a particular genre. While they CAN do tattoos in virtually any style, it is crucial to understand what type of tattoo you want for your first tattoo, and then research to determine what artist will be the best fit for your needs.

This is a painstaking task; however, once you have completed your research, you SHOULD know the exact tattoo that will be right for your first one.

The easiest way to begin is to start researching the different studios in your area. There, you will be able to go through the online portfolios of the artists at that studio. Don’t stop until you find one that meets your aesthetic. If artists at one shop do not meet your needs, move on to another shop.
You should continue this process until you have found both a shop and an artist that meet your needs.
From there, it is advisable to set up a consultation with the artist. At that time, the two of you can sit down and discuss your wants and needs, and the odds are, you will be able to come up with the PERFECT first tattoo for you that will exceed your expectations.

Your first tattoo is nothing to take lightly or leave up to chance. You really should know precisely what you want from a tattoo, where you want to put it, and make sure that the tattoo’s placement is not too ambitious, ensuring that you will be able to take the pain that the tattoo will incur.

While tattoo generators can help you design a tattoo, the tattoo will not be as personalized. Apps can help you place the tattoo, but you cannot be sure that the tattoo’s placement will be correct for you.

The best option for a tattoo newbie is to do a bit of research into an artist before you decide to take the plunge into one of the most important, life-changing events of your existence. A professional can help you to find the right tattoo for you.

Unlike a piercing, a tattoo is forever. While you CAN have your tattoo regrets laser-removed, why go to that pain, cost, and trouble? Preventing tattoo mistakes when you’re young will save you money in the long run. This includes having to have them professionally covered up.

Being patient, doing some research, and meeting with a tattoo artist, can alleviate a lot of the woes associated with your first tattoo. You want to make sure that you have made the best-informed decision available to ensure that you love your tattoo as much the day you get it as you do 30 years down the road.