With more and more tattoo enthusiasts preferring to wear custom tattoo designs, the popularity of online contests means that they now have a huge following. Websites that provide this kind of platform are top of the rankings on search engines. More and more artists, from newbies to experienced designers, are up for the challenge of creating unique custom tattoo designs. Below are the criteria to consider in improving your design in order to come up with a winning piece.
Creativity: If you are a true artist you do not need to copy someone else’s work. Providing an original piece of work could really get the attention of the host of the contest. An original piece shows the individuality of the designer, so be creative and innovative with your design.
Size: In a custom design tattoo contest, the host usually provides the size of the design itself. You must come up with a flexible design that can be enlarged or compressed in size. Sizes vary from large (more than six inches but less than 10), medium (from three to six inches) and small (within a three by three-inch area). It is also better that you know the size of the part of the body where the tattoo will be inked. In this way, you will know how big your drawing should be to suit the host’s needs.
Location: Not all tattoos can be inked just anywhere. There are tattoo designs that are based on location. Find out which part of the body the tattoo will be placed to come up with a specific style design. Categories of body parts are classified as: the back, which could be the entire back, only the upper back shoulder, or lower back; the leg, with designs that are meant to cover the entire leg or just a portion of the leg; the arm, and tattoo designs can cover part or all of it, a partial portion or just a small part of the upper arm; the shoulder and a shoulder design usually covers the whole shoulder; the whole of the neck or just a choker type necklace tattoo; the stomach and head, but usually only just a part; and of course there is an overall body tattoo. All of these should be taken into consideration for the kind of design you are going to make.
Design and Style: With so many designs and styles that fall into different themes and categories, you should know the type of design your client wants you to draw. An environmental style is different from a military or tribal tattoo design. As an artist, you should have knowledge of the technical details of each style and theme. Although some artists have their own specialty, it is sometimes better to be versatile.
Color: A good artist knows about color. Some tattoo designs have a single color; others require multiple color varieties. Although the contest is freestyle in form, meaning you have control over the color mixes or type of color from vibrant to monochromatic ones, you should take into consideration the skin color and skin texture of your client. Suggest something that would look good on your client’s skin, not just create what he or she thinks is best. Your image may not look good in the long run if it is inked on incompatible skin color as this may have disastrous effects.
Custom tattoo designs benefit both the artist and the host. Just make sure that if you are the host, you provide the appropriate details required for your tattoo design. Give feedback and recommendations to the artist; more often than not, these designers are open to making modifications to their design to fit a client’s needs. If you are a tattoo designer, just follow these guidelines to come up with a unique design that may gain your global recognition, and of course, bring you a lot of income.
Ramon Wells (born 25 February 1988) is a Fitness Trainer, musicologist and ethnomusicologist. He is a National Fitness Trainer the in Indonesia, and University Professor Emeritus of the composition and theory department the College of Music of the University of the Jakarta Indonesia.