The journal / Before the ink

Read first.
Decide better.

Everything you need to know before getting inked. Plain answers, zero fluff.

TATTOO PLACEMENT GUIDE

How every tattoo placement ages, hurts, moves and shows: forearm to ribs, hands to neck, plus curvature, stretch zones and first-tattoo advice.

HOW TATTOOS AGE

How tattoos age, week by week and decade by decade: healing, line spread, which colors fade first, blowouts, and when a touch-up helps.

HOW TO CHOOSE A TATTOO DESIGN YOU WON'T REGRET

How to choose a tattoo design you will still want in twenty years: waiting rules that work, briefing an artist, reading a portfolio, custom versus flash.

TATTOO SIZE CHART: CM, INCHES & SQUARE INCHES

Tattoo size chart and guide in cm, inches and square inches: minimum sizes for lettering, faces, fine line and botanicals, and how to test a size on your skin.

TATTOO STYLES EXPLAINED

Every major tattoo style, what it demands from an artist, how it ages over twenty years, and the size and placement each one needs.