A portrait tattoo is a life-like rendering that resembles a photograph more so than a drawing. They are highly detailed and typically require a large amount of space to display properly. Though the idea of a portrait may be simple, this high amount of detail makes it one of the most difficult tattoo styles, requiring a skilled and experienced artist. Take your time when choosing the right artist when considering a portrait tattoo and check as many portfolios as is necessary.
Think of a particular pearl of advice the loved one you are memorializing gave you in the past. It can be one word or several sentences, paraphrased or represented in its entirety. Consider placing quotations around the advice and tattooing a hyphen underneath followed by the exact signature of your loved one. If the loved one is deceased, enlist the help of other mutual friends or family members to find a copy of the person's autograph. For the advice itself, you can choose from any number of generic fonts or design the font yourself.
Determine a personal item that has a shared significance between you and your loved one. The object can be anything, such as a train, if you both had an affinity for locomotives or a tree you both used to picnic under. Color may be necessary for this particular tattoo as often times it is the color of an object that separates it from other objects of the same type. For instance, consider a red train if that was the loved one's favorite color, or using pink and white for the petals of cherry blossom flowers, if that was the type of tree you shared.
Initial tattoos are most appropriate if you want a memorial tattoo but don't want a large piece of artwork on your skin. Initials can be large and overbearing or discreet and easily hidden. In addition to the initials of your loved one, consider adding important dates, such as birth date, anniversary or even the year of the person's death. You can represent these letters and dates on their own or add them to a larger tattoo.