Create a portfolio or binder of old school tattoo images for your clients to look at. Objects range from pin up models, nautical stars and cherries to sparrows with text ribbons and boats with anchors. Navy sailors and Marines made tattooing popular in the Western world, especially during and after WWII, so much of the old school style was influenced by their tattoo preferences.
Create a sketch of the tattoo. Most old school tattoos are fairly small and all are done in a 2-D style. This 2-D style is what will really make the tattoo stand out as "old school." If you are creating a tattoo with lettering, an old English font will give the tattoo an added old school feel. Simple statements or names of a lover or parent were very popular text ideas during the mid 1900s.
Tattoo the object on your client. Old school tattoos are not only created by using black ink, but also a range of simple colors such as blue, red, yellow and green. When tattoos were becoming popular, there were not many colors to choose from. The idea is to use those basic colors to make the tattoo look as if it could have been tattooed in that time period; avoid bright colors.