Dig through a font book or a tattoo photo book to find inspiring samples of work that fit your desired effect. Look toward elaborately embellished scripts for inspiring quotes or names you hold dear, or, if you are going for an edgier effect, distorted or flaming letters.
Draw two straight horizontal lines on a piece of paper, one above the other, at a distance that is equal to the desired height of the lettering. Using these guidelines to draw your letters in before putting them in order will help keep your font consistent throughout your tattoo. If you want letters of varying heights, such as between capital and lowercase letters, you should make two separate guidelines -- one for each category.
Draw each of the letters you need for your tattoo once on the piece of paper. If you need to make more lines to guide the letter sizes you should do that on a separate piece of paper to avoid smudging. Remember to consult your font or tattoo books for inspiration here, and let your creativity reign.
Draw in any background elements or specific embellishments you wish to add to the writing.
Cut a piece of trace paper to the desired size and shape of your tattoo. Place the paper over the part of your body that you want to get the tattoo on in order to test the size and shape.
Trace the lettering you have just drawn onto the piece of trace that you have cut to size and shape. Check your writing for spelling or placement errors, especially if your phrase is foreign.