How I Design Your Custom Tattoo
Consultation to healed piece — nothing traced, nothing rushed.
My custom tattoo design process starts long before any needle — and it doesn't use traced stencils. Here's what happens between your first message and a healed piece you're proud of, whether you're local or traveling for a tattoo.
Six steps, no shortcuts
Consultation
Free, in person or remote. Subject, placement, size — and an honest read on what will age well. If your idea needs to change to last, I'll say so here.
References & direction
You bring what matters — references, meaning, must-haves. I turn it into a direction: you pick from my sketches, and for some projects you'll get a simple sketch before your session.
Drawing on your skin
The part that makes my work mine: the design is drawn freehand, directly on your body, the first hour or two of the session. No traced stencils, no flash — a piece built for your arm will never fit anyone else's.
The session
Eight-hour days, 10am to 6pm. Drawing first, then tattooing — with the piece checked against your body's movement as it goes on.
Multi-session projects
Sleeves and back pieces run across full-day sessions with healing between them — planned as trips if you're coming from out of state.
Healed follow-up
The healed result is the real result. I ask for healed photos — it's how I've learned what holds over years, and why every piece is designed for how it looks in five years, not five hours.
Freehand, from drawing to done
The Design Process — FAQ
What happens at a consultation?
It's free, in person or remote. We settle the subject, placement and size, and I'll be honest about what will and won't age well — if an idea is too small or too detailed for the placement, I'll tell you and we'll adjust it together.
How does freehand on-skin drawing work?
You choose a direction from my sketches, then I draw the design directly onto your body — the first hour or two of the session. It follows your anatomy and moves with you, and you approve the drawing on your skin before any needle touches it.
How do multi-session projects run?
In full-day sessions with healing time between them. Sleeves run 2–8 full days depending on style and detail; back pieces start with two back-to-back outline days, then section-by-section visits. Out-of-state clients plan them as trips.
Ready to start yours?
Free consultation, in person or remote — bring the idea, I'll bring the process.