Designing a lettering tattoo is challenging, especially if the client wants a specific design. Many tattoo fonts are available for tattoo artists to get inspiration from. However, designing lettering tattoos is more than just picking the right fonts.
To create a striking, attractive tattoo, you need to understand the basics of tattoo art and how it affects the design. This guide will help you create the best lettering tattoo that will last long.
Tattoo regrets can happen if the client or the artist fails to consider basic tattoo principles. Remember these tips before designing a lettering tattoo, regardless of your level.
The design “flow” will determine how smoothly or fast a tattoo artist could work. A tattoo lettering font with a weird or difficult flow will increase the risk of inaccuracy. Plus, the work might become longer and less smooth.
The bleeding effect happens when the ink bleeds to each other and creates a messy blob. Tattoo designs that are too complicated or have too many details risk bleeding effects. This mishap can also happen when a large, highly detailed design is tattooed on a small area.
Tattoo placements also determine the type of tattoo fonts you should use. A design with script font is often not suitable for narrow areas, like wrists or ankles. Something with fewer ligatures and exaggerated swashes, for example, is more suitable for a wider placement area.
Tattoos on palms, elbows, feet, fingers, and knees tend to fade faster. They can be caused by constant friction, sweat, and thinner skin layers. If a client still wants a tattoo on one of these areas, you can pick a more prominent font for the design.
You must also consider possible major changes in the client’s body. They include possibilities of weight loss, weight gain, muscle gains from bodybuilding training, and aging. These changes will affect how the tattoo looks like.
Now that you understand the basic principles, let’s find the best fonts to use in your design. Here are seven tattoo font recommendations to consider.
Glamer Calligraphy is a serif-based script font with perfect characteristics for a tattoo. It combines a modern sans serif font with calligraphic first and last letters. The result is a distinctive typeface that adds a unique touch to a lettering tattoo.
Glamer Calligraphy helps tattoo artists to work faster and more accurately since the calligraphic elements are restrained. The font also has a good readability factor, making it ideal for text-based tattoo designs.
Every Time is a serif-based tattoo font with restrained calligraphic elements. It has thin, elegant strokes that reduce the risk of bleeding when inked onto the skin. The restrained calligraphic effect and the thin strokes make Every Time a great font to tattoo on smaller areas, like wrists.
Every Time gives a sophisticated, timeless look on a lettering tattoo. You can use it to design a tattoo for commemorating a beloved person. It is also a great font for writing spiritual or inspirational quotes.
Want something fun for the tattoo design? Mighty Time is a cute and quirky display font inspired by casual handwriting. The tattoo font lends a playful tone without looking childish. Its medium-sized strokes reduce the ink bleed risk, and you can tattoo it on various areas like ankles, napes, or lower arms.
Mighty Time has small bumps and loops, which are not too intricate to draw. It is a great font for creating fun, humorous tattoo designs. You can also pair it with colorful images to create distinctive designs with personalities.
Levaus is a modern serif tattoo font with thin, elegant strokes. A perfect font for creating subtle tattoos, Levaus looks great on wrists, ankles, chest, or shoulder. The thin strokes also reduce the risk of ink bleeding, especially for tattooing names or quotes.
Levaus comes in variations that allow you to add elegant swashes and alternating character positions. They can add unique personalities to your lettering tattoo designs. You can also add images with the letter to create a beautiful, elegant, or distinguished tattoo.
Remains Stepping is a unique tattoo lettering font based on serif and calligraphy. It has unique ligatures that add an artistic touch in an elegant, sophisticated serif-based font. It also has variations that allow you to add exaggerated swashes, adding a distinctive feature to the tattoo.
Remains Stepping has thin strokes that reduce the risk of ink bleeding. The sophisticated air is great for tattooing meaningful names, slogans, or quotes. You can also make designs suitable for small tattooing areas, like wrists and ankles.
Aragon is a tattoo font based on a vintage typeface. The font has bolder strokes, so it is ideal for large tattooing areas like the back, chest, or upper arm. Aragon also has small dents that add a subtle edge to the lettering tattoo designs.
Aragon is great for recreating names or powerful words and quotes. You can also create a fun, colorful, quirky tattoo inspired by retro ads or visuals. Aragon is also a great font for images, logos, or symbols.
Saharas is a beautiful retro font based on sans serif, with subtle design quirks that make it distinctive. Despite being a sans serif, it has a beautiful flow and unique, uneven strokes. A perfect font for creating a lettering tattoo or tattoo with images.
Saharas has a good flow without being too intricate. It also has a reduced risk of ink bleeding, especially for tattoo placements on the wrist or ankle. It is a great font for creating an elegant, stylish, modern, groovy, or fun tattoo design.
Choosing the right tattoo design should consider things like placement, design, and intricacy. Font plays an important role in creating a lettering tattoo that the client would love. Use this guide to choose the best tattoo font that will suit many lettering tattoo designs.
