04/09/2026
AI REFERENCES - PLEASE READ!
More often than not, I'm being sent AI-generated images as reference material for tattoo designs, and I wanted to address this as gently as I can.
I absolutely appreciate that not everyone can draw, and they want to try and make it "easier" for me to create a design, but please understand that your AI references achieve the opposite of this. AI images actually:
- Give you unrealistic expectations of what a tattoo can, will or should look like. ChatGPT does not understand human anatomy, skin texture or how tattoos age. I can tell you exactly why tattoos spread over time. I understand your skin and how ink behaves when you're tattooed with it. ChatGPT just chucks a pretty picture at you with no consideration for any of this.
- Take away part of my job that I LOVE the most: coming up with a design just for you, in my style (which I hope you want, as you're coming to ME for my work), that fits you beautifully.
- Make it confusing as to what you actually want, because it has greebled the image so aggressively that there's just random "stuff" pretending to be decipherable imagery to make it look busier and distract from how jank the image usually is.
π« Instead of sending me AI references, here's what you can send me to help me create a tattoo that you absolutely love: π«
- Photo references! These are always extremely helpful, and easy to decipher.
- Other human-made designs that you like the aesthetic of - to be clear, I do NOT COPY other people's work, but it can give me an idea of what you like the vibe of.
- A description. Literally just type whatever you'd be putting into an AI generator straight into my DMs. Pretend I'm ChatGPT. βοΈ
- A doodle you've made, even if it's stick figures or a blob. I'm not judging your art skills. I just want your ideas, and I can decipher these just fine, trust me!
So please, no more AI references. I don't like them, I can't use them, and your tattoo won't look like whatever it is you send me anyway.
ETA: Please don't feel bad if you have previously sent me an AI reference! Generative AI in its current state is such new technology that we're still establishing etiquette for it; some artists are fine with it, I am just not one of them. This PSA is just to let you all know.