A tattoo artist has shared the three styles of tattoos she will never agree to ink on a client’s body, as she says they don’t heal correctly and almost always end up looking awful
If you’re looking to get a tattoo, you should do extensive research on the artist you want to visit before you make your appointment. Certain tattoo artists specialise in different areas, and while one artist might be able to do the full-colour sleeve that you want, another might refuse you – just because they’re not comfortable with the style.
One tattoo artist has shared the top three styles of tattoos she always turns down when clients ask for them. Tamsin Holly explained in a video on TikTok that she is a fine-line tattoo artist, meaning she specialises in delicate and intricate designs with clean lines and subtle shading.
Because of her specialism, Tamsin, who is based in Brighton, refuses to do some tattoos – because they either don’t suit her style or will look “awful” if she attempts them on her clients.
1. Finger tattoos
First, Tamsin said she will always refuse to do “teeny tiny” designs on people’s fingers. She said she sometimes makes an exception to this rule if you’re a regular customer, but she won’t do it for a first-time client.
She explained: “I have done this on regulars and I will continue to do so because I know they’re going to come back. I know they don’t live very far, and I can give them endless free touchups, and I don’t mind because they’re regulars.
“For a first timer, or for someone who lives really far away, I’m not going to do it because [the tattoos] are probably going to drop out. Fine line tattoos on the fingers notoriously heal like s**t, and I don’t see the point in tattooing someone who lives five hours away, knowing it’s going to heal badly and they’re going to need to travel all that way for a touchup.”
2. Inverted tattoos
The second type of tattoo Tamsin refuses to do is an inverted or X-ray style tattoo. These tattoos are inverted in the sense that they have black ink where the gaps would normally be, as though the tattoo is being viewed with an X-ray filter.
The tattoo artist said that while she appreciates these inkings, they are too confusing for her to do and she doesn’t think she’d do them justice, so she refuses to do them.
She said: “I’m lucky enough to have a job that I love, and I enjoy all of the tattoos that I do. I’d like to keep it that way. I don’t think I’d get any joy from doing a tattoo as stressful as that. So X-ray or inverted tattoos are just not something I’m interested in exploring.”
3. Colour tattoos
As a fine-line tattoo artist, Tamsin doesn’t use colour in her artwork. However, she still has people who ask her to do colour pieces from time to time – and she has to turn them away.
She explained: “I won’t do a full colour piece. I don’t do colour. I will add little hints of colour here and there, that’s fine. I can do colour linework, or I can do shading. But a fully shaded coloured piece? Not my thing. Not my area of expertise, and not something I enjoy. I have never and will never book in a full colour piece. I just send people elsewhere for that.”
Commenters on Tamsin’s video were thankful for her insight, as many of them said they didn’t realise that some artists are uncomfortable with certain tattoo styles.
One person said: “I’m so with you on the fingers! It looks pretty for the first few weeks, but that’s it.”
Another added: “I had no idea!”
