Visualize the tattoo in your mind. Consider the shape of the stars, the placement and the size. Additionally, choose whether you want a tattoo in black and gray, in new school colors (bright with hard outlines), old school (flat shading and thin outlines) or even “irezumi” (oriental images).
If you need, look through Internet images of tattoos to see what styles you enjoy.
Take a picture, using your digital camera, of the body part you wish to tattoo. Print several copies of the picture. You may also want to take a picture of your whole body, only wearing underwear.
By drawing preliminary designs of your tattoo directly on a picture of your body, you can preview your work before you commit to it.
Draw, using your ink pen or colored pencils directly onto your printed picture, the main stars that you want to see on your body. Feel free to use pictures of stars as references when drawing on the photograph.
For example, if you want to design a tattoo containing stars and line swirls, and you know you want the tattoo to go down your right arm, draw a star at the base of your wrist.
Draw smaller stars on the photograph, until you feel that your tattoo contains all of the stars you want in your tattoo.
Draw any other pieces of art that you want to see in your tattoo.
If you don’t possess years of artistic experience, you may only want to try for a rough draft of your tattoo design, and let your tattoo artist create the detailed piece. Although it’s tempting to design your exact tattoo, tattoo artists have a great deal of experience not only with art, but with human skin (which limits certain colors and designs).
Draw, on a blank sheet of paper, any minute details of your tattoo that you want to show your artist.
Deliver your sketches to your tattoo artist. At this point, your artist might suggest that you change certain parts of your design. A credible tattoo artist takes her art seriously and will spend as much time as you need working out the details of your piece.