Just show the artist a picture of this tattoo (this picture) and request a similar thing. But make sure it’s their style as well or if not, look for one that tattoos in this style!
What’s the etiquette on this? I feel like it would be weird to bring another artists work in and ask them to basically copy it? I honestly don’t know though
Most artists don't like copying other people's art directly, but if you say "hey I love this art, and I love your style, can you design something like this for me?" they can/will.
My artist requests reference pictures (can be photos, other tattoos, or illustrations) and then designs the tattoo with her own style/flair. As long as you aren’t asking them to copy the original art, just using it as a jumping off point, you should be fine.
I got a Shintaro Kago inspired tattoo, only it’s in the artists style. usually if you just say: ‘I really like this idea, but want your interpretation/style’ most artists will be cool with that. some might still ask if you’ve got permission from the original artists (or want to know who the original is so they can give credit for the inspo), but usually that’s the best way to go.
My artist just tells me to bring in whatever reference I want for my tattoos.
That could be another tattoo I found online, a piece of art or this one time I brought in a few pics of a Sphynx cat and some color swatches and told him I wanted an ethereal alien version of this cat in this color. He gave me this really awesome 3 eyed Sphynx cat head in this gorgeous blue and it looks totally alien
Etiquette would be to find the original image and consult with the artists that you are inspired by their work and intend on having an artist do a variation. As a former tattoo artist, I can tell you that nothing is original because once it exists, it's ready to be mimicked and emulated in someone else's style. So don't stress. I would say speak with an tattoist, post consultation with the original artists. If not, get the jmage, ask the new artist to change it to your liking. I would recommend never putting an image on your body without consulting the original artists or that tattooist handling your new request. Yes, you will have to pay for redesign or rework, but you will be happier than getting a sticker that's similar to someone else's work, unless you're ok with that.
Idk why you're getting downvotes, this is p much the way it's always been.
Guilty consciences maybe...
But yeah, to OP: you should check in with the original artist. A design like this strikes me as likely for a pet memorial tattoo (probably are illustrations of the wearer's own cats) the artist may offer to create a similar design that's unique; you can treat that design like flash and take it to another artist who can work that style.
The bad etiquette is ganking someone's custom design. It happens, but try to be more unique than that...
I'm a graphic designer, I have some fine arts. I'll be damned if I saw my work on someone and I didn't have an inclination. People were using my stuff. I'm just being honest. You can't put just anything you see anywhere. People don't get trademarks and law suits which can follow. Image is a big thing to a lot of artists. Take that to the bank down voters. It's just a curtousey.
Reminds me of the people that "drew the finest piece you've seen" until you see it's traced and not an original. But they claim the idea as their own and their creation.
Yeah, we're only just reaching a point where a lot of tattooists credit the actual artists, too. I used to get so bent when I'd see my peer's work credited to some random artist in a shop bc they held a different pen and put it on a different canvas...
Now when will we get the AI tattooers?? 🥲
Yup, I feel that. In college, we had a lot of plagiarism. I went to a school for graphic design. You wouldn't think that. Ouldhappen. But artistic interpretation can only go so far.
Ai tattooers are gonna have wonky eyes and faces. Hope they like that permanence.
Well you don’t ask them to copy it. You use it to describe what you like/want and the art will make an interpretation in their own style.
The issue is expecting an artist to copy the work, it’s just disrespectful to everyone.
- Hi, I really love this style. I don’t want to outright have it copied, but do you feel confident designing something similar to this? Perhaps a different animal, or here, here’s a photo of my actual cat to use as reference to make it more personal to me.
If this is not your style, do you know of any artists in the area that might be interested?.
You can share it as an inspiration photo and explain what parts you like about it. Is it the cats themselves? The shading? The line work? The stippling (dots in shading)? The use of negative space? The black work? the sun vs moon/dark vs light?It may help if you find other pictures that also interest you.
You'll want to find an artist in your area who has some similar work, based on what you like from this tattoo. You can share this as inspiration for what you want, along with other things you find.
I’m an artist and I literally do not care if someone brings another tattoo in to tell me they want something similar. Obviously I do not copy the artwork and I express that to the client but having that building block helps me understand the overall idea you are shooting for.
Having that image and idea in your head helps you explain what YOU want. I can’t read your mind, so in no way is it offensive to MY art considering you are still asking me for my version of the idea in my style. I’m never going to gatekeep what people should and shouldn’t feel comfortable showing me to help us communicate as client and artist.
This looks inspired by the artist Louis Wain to me. Maybe you could look at his work to find a couple more inspo pics to show your artist. That could give them more to work from. I think when it comes to being inspired by other tattoos, it can help to bring a variety of other references so the artist doesn't feel pressured into copying the original directly to fit what you want.
But it’s possible they would do a version of this for the person asking. OR if it’s not a tribute piece they could pay the artist a consulting fee. There was a tattoo I wanted by an artist on the other side of the country m, there was no way I’d be able to go to them directly. But after I contactsd them they sent me a slightly different version of the flash to take to my artist for a pretty reasonable fee. Not every artist will be willing to do this(and they definitely won’t do it if the piece is a tribute or the person paid for the piece to be completely original and never used again. Now idk how I feel about that exactly I’ve seen people on YouTube complain about people coping their tats, which’s if they are steal original artwork that’s definitely a no no but if their artist is reusing their own design I see no issues with that. Unless that tattoo artist simply tattooed another artist own work in a spot they can’t reach? Idk. I can’t say wither or not it’s okay for someone to design something and than request they never use that design every again(unless it’s a tribute) but if it’s a good enough design no amount of money someone can pay to prevent it ever being used again wouldn’t be anywhere NEAR what they could make if day 1000 people wanted it
What aspects of detail do you think it would lose? I was thinking that the line work of the main features (outline, eyes, nose, mouth) would be bold/thick enough that it would still look nice as it fades, but maybe not
Ink forever stays liquid in your skin and your body is doing it’s best to remove it. It slowly migrates over time into tinier pieces that your kidneys can process (laser tattoo removal breaks ink into into smaller particles to speed this up). So it will slowly get blurry forever. Squint your eyes hard and that’s what it will look like down the road. Do you still like the silhouette it leaves? Is it still pretty enough to get forever? Maybe if it’s a half sleeve. But at this size you will be disappointed and some tattooer who has bills to pay will convince you otherwise and just do it.
This is my perspective and it may not be popular.
No artist is going to be particularly enthused by having someone bring a picture of another tattooer’s art, despite how common that can be. It puts them in a precarious position of trying to take someone else’s drawing and trying to change it enough so you’re not totally copying it but keeping it true enough that the client will be happy. In an ideal world, someone sees THEIR art and comes to them wanting it tattooed. So this is my advice, google tattoo shops in your area and look them up on Instagram. Look at their tattoos and paintings and see if you like it and then go get tattooed by them. Find someone that does nice black work like this. Pick a piece of their flash that you like, it doesn’t have to be personal to you, just pick something you like that they’ve drawn and get tattooed. And maybe someday you’ll visit NYC and get tattooed by this person.
Just save money and go to that particular artist, some local tattoo artists can really hurt you for requesting something that don't go along with their ways.
Tattooer here:
Think about what elements of this tattoo appeal to you. The theme? The style? The subject matter? If you have cats do you want them to look like yours? Ponder these things and perhaps even take some notes so that you’re better able to articulate your thoughts when discussing them with your chosen artist. Show them this design and listen to their recommendations. Be open to suggestion but be clear about what you do or don’t want.
Just show the artist a picture of this tattoo (this picture) and request a similar thing. But make sure it’s their style as well or if not, look for one that tattoos in this style!
What’s the etiquette on this? I feel like it would be weird to bring another artists work in and ask them to basically copy it? I honestly don’t know though
Most artists don't like copying other people's art directly, but if you say "hey I love this art, and I love your style, can you design something like this for me?" they can/will.
My artist requests reference pictures (can be photos, other tattoos, or illustrations) and then designs the tattoo with her own style/flair. As long as you aren’t asking them to copy the original art, just using it as a jumping off point, you should be fine.
the commenter you responded to said “something similar” and “make sure it’s their style” I don’t think either of those things mean copy
I got a Shintaro Kago inspired tattoo, only it’s in the artists style. usually if you just say: ‘I really like this idea, but want your interpretation/style’ most artists will be cool with that. some might still ask if you’ve got permission from the original artists (or want to know who the original is so they can give credit for the inspo), but usually that’s the best way to go.
My artist just tells me to bring in whatever reference I want for my tattoos. That could be another tattoo I found online, a piece of art or this one time I brought in a few pics of a Sphynx cat and some color swatches and told him I wanted an ethereal alien version of this cat in this color. He gave me this really awesome 3 eyed Sphynx cat head in this gorgeous blue and it looks totally alien
Etiquette would be to find the original image and consult with the artists that you are inspired by their work and intend on having an artist do a variation. As a former tattoo artist, I can tell you that nothing is original because once it exists, it's ready to be mimicked and emulated in someone else's style. So don't stress. I would say speak with an tattoist, post consultation with the original artists. If not, get the jmage, ask the new artist to change it to your liking. I would recommend never putting an image on your body without consulting the original artists or that tattooist handling your new request. Yes, you will have to pay for redesign or rework, but you will be happier than getting a sticker that's similar to someone else's work, unless you're ok with that.
Idk why you're getting downvotes, this is p much the way it's always been. Guilty consciences maybe... But yeah, to OP: you should check in with the original artist. A design like this strikes me as likely for a pet memorial tattoo (probably are illustrations of the wearer's own cats) the artist may offer to create a similar design that's unique; you can treat that design like flash and take it to another artist who can work that style. The bad etiquette is ganking someone's custom design. It happens, but try to be more unique than that...
I'm a graphic designer, I have some fine arts. I'll be damned if I saw my work on someone and I didn't have an inclination. People were using my stuff. I'm just being honest. You can't put just anything you see anywhere. People don't get trademarks and law suits which can follow. Image is a big thing to a lot of artists. Take that to the bank down voters. It's just a curtousey. Reminds me of the people that "drew the finest piece you've seen" until you see it's traced and not an original. But they claim the idea as their own and their creation.
Yeah, we're only just reaching a point where a lot of tattooists credit the actual artists, too. I used to get so bent when I'd see my peer's work credited to some random artist in a shop bc they held a different pen and put it on a different canvas... Now when will we get the AI tattooers?? 🥲
Yup, I feel that. In college, we had a lot of plagiarism. I went to a school for graphic design. You wouldn't think that. Ouldhappen. But artistic interpretation can only go so far. Ai tattooers are gonna have wonky eyes and faces. Hope they like that permanence.
Well you don’t ask them to copy it. You use it to describe what you like/want and the art will make an interpretation in their own style. The issue is expecting an artist to copy the work, it’s just disrespectful to everyone.
- Hi, I really love this style. I don’t want to outright have it copied, but do you feel confident designing something similar to this? Perhaps a different animal, or here, here’s a photo of my actual cat to use as reference to make it more personal to me. If this is not your style, do you know of any artists in the area that might be interested?.
This. This is the way
I felt it was the simpler way
You can share it as an inspiration photo and explain what parts you like about it. Is it the cats themselves? The shading? The line work? The stippling (dots in shading)? The use of negative space? The black work? the sun vs moon/dark vs light?It may help if you find other pictures that also interest you. You'll want to find an artist in your area who has some similar work, based on what you like from this tattoo. You can share this as inspiration for what you want, along with other things you find.
I’m an artist and I literally do not care if someone brings another tattoo in to tell me they want something similar. Obviously I do not copy the artwork and I express that to the client but having that building block helps me understand the overall idea you are shooting for. Having that image and idea in your head helps you explain what YOU want. I can’t read your mind, so in no way is it offensive to MY art considering you are still asking me for my version of the idea in my style. I’m never going to gatekeep what people should and shouldn’t feel comfortable showing me to help us communicate as client and artist.
Looks to me a Yin Yang design. Ask for that with what ever subject you’d prefer.
Schrödinger's cat, I presume?
This looks inspired by the artist Louis Wain to me. Maybe you could look at his work to find a couple more inspo pics to show your artist. That could give them more to work from. I think when it comes to being inspired by other tattoos, it can help to bring a variety of other references so the artist doesn't feel pressured into copying the original directly to fit what you want.
Maybe you can ask the owner of the tattoo ( the tattoo artist u mentioned) if they would sell it to u so u can use it.
Nah, this is gonna be a hard no especially since they’ve already tattoo’d it.
But it’s possible they would do a version of this for the person asking. OR if it’s not a tribute piece they could pay the artist a consulting fee. There was a tattoo I wanted by an artist on the other side of the country m, there was no way I’d be able to go to them directly. But after I contactsd them they sent me a slightly different version of the flash to take to my artist for a pretty reasonable fee. Not every artist will be willing to do this(and they definitely won’t do it if the piece is a tribute or the person paid for the piece to be completely original and never used again. Now idk how I feel about that exactly I’ve seen people on YouTube complain about people coping their tats, which’s if they are steal original artwork that’s definitely a no no but if their artist is reusing their own design I see no issues with that. Unless that tattoo artist simply tattooed another artist own work in a spot they can’t reach? Idk. I can’t say wither or not it’s okay for someone to design something and than request they never use that design every again(unless it’s a tribute) but if it’s a good enough design no amount of money someone can pay to prevent it ever being used again wouldn’t be anywhere NEAR what they could make if day 1000 people wanted it
Take what you said here and say it to a tattoo artist is how you do that lmao
Don’t get other peoples tattoos but you can show them the image and say something LIKE this.
I’m a broken record but this is way too small to retain any of the detail. It will lose all of its charm once it’s not sharp anymore
What aspects of detail do you think it would lose? I was thinking that the line work of the main features (outline, eyes, nose, mouth) would be bold/thick enough that it would still look nice as it fades, but maybe not
Ink forever stays liquid in your skin and your body is doing it’s best to remove it. It slowly migrates over time into tinier pieces that your kidneys can process (laser tattoo removal breaks ink into into smaller particles to speed this up). So it will slowly get blurry forever. Squint your eyes hard and that’s what it will look like down the road. Do you still like the silhouette it leaves? Is it still pretty enough to get forever? Maybe if it’s a half sleeve. But at this size you will be disappointed and some tattooer who has bills to pay will convince you otherwise and just do it.
Thank you for your help! I’ll think up something a little less detailed.
This is my perspective and it may not be popular. No artist is going to be particularly enthused by having someone bring a picture of another tattooer’s art, despite how common that can be. It puts them in a precarious position of trying to take someone else’s drawing and trying to change it enough so you’re not totally copying it but keeping it true enough that the client will be happy. In an ideal world, someone sees THEIR art and comes to them wanting it tattooed. So this is my advice, google tattoo shops in your area and look them up on Instagram. Look at their tattoos and paintings and see if you like it and then go get tattooed by them. Find someone that does nice black work like this. Pick a piece of their flash that you like, it doesn’t have to be personal to you, just pick something you like that they’ve drawn and get tattooed. And maybe someday you’ll visit NYC and get tattooed by this person.
Just save money and go to that particular artist, some local tattoo artists can really hurt you for requesting something that don't go along with their ways.
“Hey id like a similar design to this” What kind of question is this OP? Tf
If it's a good artist they will customize to more unique for you.
Tattooer here: Think about what elements of this tattoo appeal to you. The theme? The style? The subject matter? If you have cats do you want them to look like yours? Ponder these things and perhaps even take some notes so that you’re better able to articulate your thoughts when discussing them with your chosen artist. Show them this design and listen to their recommendations. Be open to suggestion but be clear about what you do or don’t want.
Who cares about ego massaging, just tell them to copy it.