My Journey with the Tattoo Design Idea
So, I’d been kicking around this idea for a while. Not a huge, complex thing, just a concept for a tattoo that felt a bit more ‘me’ than the usual stuff you see. It wasn’t for anything specific at first, just this image rattling around in my brain. Maybe something I could use as an avatar somewhere down the line, you know, a unique profile pic, or maybe, just maybe, actual ink someday.
The first thing I did, honestly, was just doodle. On scrap paper, napkins, whatever was handy when the thought struck. Mostly just messing with shapes, trying to get the feel right. Nothing concrete yet, just letting the pen wander. It’s funny how you start with absolutely nothing and just… begin. Lots of scribbles got tossed out pretty quickly.
Getting Down to Brass Tacks
After a few days of random sketching, I realised I needed a bit more focus. Just doodling wasn’t getting me closer to the actual thing I pictured in my head. So, I sat down properly.
- Pulled out references: I started looking through images – not tattoo flash specifically, but textures, patterns, symbols that resonated with the vibe I was after. Old wood grain, flowing water, things like that. Not to copy, but just to soak in the forms.
- Defined the core elements: I decided what absolutely needed to be in it. What was the central piece? What feeling should it give off? I wrote down a few keywords. Simple stuff, like ‘flow’, ‘strength’, ‘quiet’.
- Started sketching seriously: Got my notebook and pencil – yeah, pretty old school. Started combining the elements, trying different layouts. This part took the longest. Lots of erasing, lots of redrawing the same line slightly differently.
It wasn’t a quick process. Some days I’d draw something I liked, then look at it the next morning and think, “Nope, that’s not it.” It’s a bit like wrestling with yourself, trying to pull the idea out of your head and make it visible. I specifically avoided looking at other people’s finished tattoo designs too much during this phase. Wanted it to come from my own thinking, you know?
Refining and simplifying became key. My first few proper sketches were way too busy. Too much going on. I started stripping things away, focusing on the essential lines. What’s the minimum I need to convey the idea? That helped a lot. It started feeling cleaner, stronger.
The Result (For Now)
Eventually, I landed on a version that felt… right. It’s simple, maybe a bit abstract, but it captures that feeling I was chasing. It’s not perfect, probably needs a professional touch if it ever becomes real ink, but as a concept, as my concept, it works.
For now, it lives in my sketchbook. I did scan it, cleaned it up a tiny bit digitally. Maybe I’ll play around with it, see how it looks as a profile picture, that ‘tattoo ava’ idea I had. Or maybe I’ll just sit with it for a while longer. The process of actually making it was satisfying enough in itself. Just going from a vague notion to something solid on paper – that felt good. That was the real practice.
