Tattoo Placement

Some areas of the body are easier to tattoo than others.

On a male, the easiest places are the forearm, upper arms and legs.
The most popular and easiest areas for the female are on the shoulder blades, breasts and hips. The fleshy portion of the upper breast, above the nipple, is the easiest spot for a woman to get a tattoo. Women seem to take a tattoo a lot easier than a man. This is due to the fact that they have a naturally higher threshold of pain and also an extra layer of fat in their skin than men do.

Some thought should go behind the actual placement of tattoos, such as the size and shape of the design as opposed to the size and shape of the skin area being tattooed. A large flying bird spanning left to right would look a little awkward on a skinny arm that hangs basically up and down. Try to use the lines of the tattoo to enhance the curves of the body part, this will be making more of an artistic statement than just slamming any tattoo in any position.

Small tattoos don't usually look that good on large areas and seem to get lost.
Large tattoos squeezed into small areas are confusing and usually the entire picture isn't visible from one angle.

Sometimes what looks best isn't necessarily what the customer wants. It isn't your job to argue with them, after all, they're always right, but it does help to make a few suggestions and to state how you view things. People will usually consider what you have to say.

The direction a tattoo faces also should be considered. Although the customer always has the final say, a general rule to follow is that a tattoo that is in profile, or partial view turned, should always face to the front of the person. That is, don't have them pointing backwards to the rear.