Permanent Neighbors Try the style helper

Resources for choosing a tattoo style

Answer five questions about the design, the spot and how it should age. The helper narrows the styles this guide covers and lists the questions to put to an artist.

What this page covers and who it helps

This page is for a first-time reader and for anyone who already has a tattoo and wants another. It does one job. It turns a few answers about design, size, placement and aging into a short list of styles, then into the questions to ask an artist before booking. It does not choose an artist for you.

Four hands stacked together, each wrist with a matching geometric tattoo
A stock photograph of four wrists with matching geometric tattoos. It shows a finished design on skin, not a piece this guide has assessed.

The core argument here is short. Choose a style by how it will age at your size and in your spot, and judge an artist by healed work rather than fresh photos. A picture taken the day a tattoo is finished shows the work before it has healed.

Use the helper first, then take its questions to any artist you are considering. We print the reasoning under each result, along with what we could not source.

Three tattoo artists in black shirts standing together in a dark studio, one holding a tattoo machine
A generated illustration of a studio setting, not a photograph of a real place. The guide has not met anyone pictured.

Find the style that fits your answers

1What is the design?Pick the nearest match. A cover-up covers older ink.
2How big is it?Measure the area the design fills.
3Where on the body?Think about sun on that spot over the years.
4How should it look in several years?Be honest about how much change you accept.
5Is older ink or a scar in the way?A scar changes the wait and the questions to ask.

Each style at a glance

Fine line
Thin, precise linework suits small pieces and clean spots. This guide has no sourced finding on how fine lines age, so the check is healed fine-line work.
Neo traditional
Bold outlines and solid color read well at medium and large sizes. No sourced finding on its aging is held here, so compare healed pieces of a similar size.
Japanese traditional
Large compositions with a set visual language, often built across a limb or the back. This guide has not checked sources for the style, so ask about healing and placement.
Black and grey realism
Shading and tone for portraits and detailed scenes. Depth of tone is the question to ask about, and the guide holds no sourced figure for how it ages.
Watercolor
Soft color washes and blended edges that depend heavily on the artist. No source was checked for its aging, so ask to see healed washes.
Anime
Character art with clean outlines and flat color. Not researched here, so judge the outline weight and color in healed examples.
Floral
Botanical designs that fit many sizes and spots. Not researched for aging here, so check the spacing of petals and leaves in healed work.
Cover-up
Covering old ink usually means darker color and a denser, larger design, which limits fine, light or minimalist ideas. Laser lightening may need to come first.

Where to go after the helper

Ask for the license

Ask to see a current New Hampshire body art license before you book. If an artist will not show one, you have your answer.

Ask for healed work

A fresh photo shows a design on the day it was finished. Ask for healed pieces in the style you chose, at a similar size and in a similar spot.

Ask about the needle

Ask whether a new, single-use needle will be opened for you. Ask how the studio handles its instruments, too.

Ask for aftercare in writing

Ask for aftercare instructions in writing and out loud, and keep the written copy. Healing questions are easier to answer with it in hand.

Questions the helper cannot answer for you

Can someone under 18 get a tattoo in New Hampshire?

No. The state statute prohibits tattooing anyone under 18, and it gives no parental-consent exception for tattooing. Consent applies to piercing only, and the statute is linked in the sources at the foot of this page.

Can you tattoo over a scar?

Sometimes. Fully matured scars that are flat, pale and at least one to two years old generally hold ink best. Raised, keloid-prone or still-changing scars need a dermatologist's opinion first, as Acibadem International's guide to tattooing over scars explains.

Can an older tattoo be covered?

The new design has to be planned around the old ink. Covering it usually means darker color and a denser, larger design, which limits fine, light or minimalist ideas. Whether laser lightening should come first depends on the old ink, as Ray Studios explains in its cover-up guide.

Three figures we can stand behind

8
styles compared in the helper above, from fine line to cover-up.Counted from this page's own helper
1,500
hours of supervised training a New Hampshire apprentice must complete before licensure, spread over 12 to 24 months.New Hampshire body art rules, Plc 600
SPF 30
or higher, the water-resistant sunscreen dermatologists advise on tattoos. Petroleum jelly can fade ink.Healio report of American Academy of Dermatology advice, September 2014

Where the rules on this page come from

New Hampshire RSA Chapter 314-A, Body Art
The state statute that governs tattooing in New Hampshire. It requires a license to tattoo and prohibits tattooing anyone under 18.
Alliance of Professional Tattooists
A nonprofit trade association focused on tattoo health and safety, with public safety information and bloodborne pathogens training for tattooists. It is an industry body and does not license or certify artists.