Selecting The Right Tattoo Size For Your Body Shape

You’ve spent weeks searching through designs and eventually coming to a decision on tattoo location, colour, image and shade style,. Now comes the equally important decision on choosing the right size and scale of tattoo to suit your body shape. Everyone is different. One size of tattoo that looks great on one individual is not guaranteed to have the same visual effect on another. Remember, one tattoo size does not fit all and once you have decided on a body location it must be scaled correctly and not just inked on from a stock library image. Here are some key pointers for consideration:

Play with rough dimensions on your body and discuss with your artist before committing to the final size. Remember also that an image on a piece of tracing paper may look smaller than the actual end result tattoo. If in doubt it is worth the extra layout to get your artist to provide a temporary outline for you and then rescale accordingly.

Surf the web and visit tattoo gallery sites to gain a feel for what looks too large ,small or just right. Try and look for tattoo models with a similar body size as yourself.

Decide on how you would like the tattoo to follow your body contours. For example is it intended to flow over the back of a shoulder or sit neatly on the back of a calf muscle? On that basis will the tattoo you have selected need to be extended or reduced slightly to compliment best the location and shape of your body? Again before committing you should discuss with your artist and get them to guide you with overall ‘size’ and ‘scale’ of the finished tattoo.

Consider you future body shape. If you’re about to go on a crash diet to lose surplus weight then it maybe worth delaying having the tattoo done before you have reached your target weight. Are you about to undertake body building exercises to build your physique? Then any tattoos on expanding arm and leg areas are likely to stretch and may loose image quality depending on the tattoo design chosen. Again make sure you let your tattoo artist know of your future build intentions since again this may influence the final size selection.

Remember, doing that extra bit of research to help decide on a final tattoo size is as essential as choosing the actual tattoo design itself. There are loads of Tattoo Design Gallery resources available on internet to help you find that perfect tattoo. Many have member forums with people eager to offer free advice and share their knowledge on all aspects of tattoos including choosing the best size. There is no reason why your next tattoo shouldn’t be a perfect experience you can be proud of for the rest of your life.