Custom Tattoo Enquiry: What to Send the Artist

A good first tattoo enquiry does not need to contain a finished design. It needs enough clear information for the artist to understand the idea, body placement and practical boundaries before recommending the next step. A short, organised message usually communicates more than a large folder of unexplained images.

This checklist is for someone contacting Asil Argun about a custom tattoo in Antalya. It focuses on the first message rather than repeating the full custom tattoo design process. You can copy the final template, remove anything that does not apply and keep the conversation grounded in your actual placement.

Describe the central idea in one or two sentences

Begin with the subject or direction you want to explore. It may be a figure, object, natural form, abstract movement, memory or atmosphere. Explain what matters about it without trying to write a complete visual instruction. “A nocturnal botanical composition with strong shadow” is more useful than a long list of disconnected symbols.

If the idea has personal meaning, share only the context that helps the design. You do not need to invent a dramatic story or disclose private information that has no visual relevance. The purpose of the opening sentence is to establish direction, not to predetermine every line.

Name the exact body area

Write the intended placement as specifically as possible: inner forearm, outer upper arm, shoulder to elbow, calf, thigh or another clear area. Left and right matter. If you are undecided between two placements, say so and explain what you are comparing.

Placement affects orientation, movement and the amount of detail that can remain readable. The tattoo placement and body-flow guide explains why the same rectangular reference cannot simply be transferred unchanged to every part of the body.

Send useful placement photographs

When requested, send a straight, well-lit photograph of the intended area and one wider view that shows the surrounding body lines. Keep the camera level and avoid wide-angle distortion. A relaxed natural position is usually more informative than twisting the area toward the lens.

Share only photographs you are comfortable sending. Crop faces, room details or other identifying information when they are unnecessary. The image is planning context for scale and flow; it should not expose more personal information than the design conversation requires.

Give an approximate size in centimetres

“Small” and “medium” mean different things to different people. Give an approximate width or height in centimetres, even if the final measurement is still open. You can also describe a physical boundary, such as staying between the wrist and the start of an existing piece.

Size is not only a price or appointment question. It determines how much structure and detail the composition can support. If you are flexible, state a range and allow the artist to explain what the idea needs in that placement.

Annotate a small reference set

Choose a few references and add one sentence to each. Say whether you like the contrast, subject, texture, movement, density, framing or mood. References can include Asil Argun’s portfolio, photographs you have the right to use or broader visual material that explains direction.

Do not send another person’s tattoo with the instruction to reproduce it exactly. A reference should reveal what attracts you so a new composition can be developed for your body. This keeps the conversation focused on visual language rather than copying an existing tattoo or artwork.

Separate priorities from optional preferences

Write a short “important” list and a short “open to interpretation” list. A required subject, maximum boundary or element that must not appear may be important. Background texture, exact crop, secondary marks or tonal balance may be open to artistic judgment.

This distinction prevents every suggestion from becoming an accidental command. A custom design needs clear boundaries and enough space for composition. If everything is fixed before the placement is considered, the artist cannot solve the image as one coherent piece.

Mention existing tattoos and future plans

State whether the new tattoo will sit beside, between or over existing work. Include a clear photograph of nearby tattoos when they affect the boundary. If you may extend the area into a sleeve or larger composition later, mention that before the new piece closes an important transition.

For work intended to change or cover an older tattoo, use the separate cover-up and rework planning guide. Existing line, density, placement and contrast make that a different design problem from starting on open skin.

Explain colour direction without locking every tone

Say whether you are leaning toward colour, black and grey or want to compare both directions. If one colour is important or unwanted, identify it. The artist can then evaluate how palette, contrast and the intended scale work together.

A phone screen is not a reliable colour specification, and reference images may have filters or different lighting. Use them to describe relationships and atmosphere. The colour versus black-and-grey guide offers a fuller comparison before you decide.

Share timing and travel information honestly

If you live outside Antalya, include the dates or period when you can visit. If timing is flexible, say that too. Do not present an unconfirmed travel day as a fixed appointment. The design direction, scale and studio availability need to be understood first.

For a larger composition, ask whether the idea may require more than one appointment rather than assuming it fits a particular day. Timing should follow the agreed work. This first message is for planning, not a guarantee of duration or availability.

Ask questions that affect your decision

Useful questions concern the proposed placement, suitable scale, design direction, consultation needs and what information should come next. If you are comparing studios, review healed and fresh portfolio work, communication and hygiene information rather than relying only on a social-media image.

The Antalya tattoo studio selection guide provides a broader checklist. A clear enquiry also helps you judge whether the response addresses your actual idea instead of returning a generic answer.

Avoid sending noise in the first message

Avoid dozens of unexplained screenshots, repeated one-word messages, heavily distorted placement photographs and several contradictory concepts presented as one design. Do not hide an important constraint until after the direction has been discussed.

You also do not need to negotiate every future decision in the opening message. The goal is to establish whether the idea, placement and working approach are compatible. Detailed design development belongs to the next stage once the useful facts are clear.

Copy this first-message template

• central idea in one or two sentences;
• exact body area, including left or right;
• approximate width or height in centimetres;
• one straight placement photograph and one wider view if requested;
• a small reference set with a note explaining each image;
• important boundaries and areas open to artist interpretation;
• nearby tattoos, cover-up needs or future extension plans;
• colour, black-and-grey or an open comparison;
• Antalya travel window or general availability;
• the few questions that affect your decision.

Send your custom tattoo enquiry to Asil Argun

Asil Argun has worked across tattoo, painting, mural and graffiti since 2010. Each custom tattoo enquiry is considered in relation to its subject, scale, placement and visual structure rather than treated as a request to copy an existing image.

Explore the tattoo portfolio and contact options, then send the concise information above. A clear first message makes it easier to decide what can be answered directly, what needs a consultation and which details should be developed in the design stage.