26/07/2026
Hey all!
I’ve been receiving an increased amount of AI references as tattoo references lately, and I just wanted to put up a quick post on why I’d prefer people to send over traditional images instead 💕✨
I know finding tattoo references can be difficult and frustrating, but using traditional references is ten times more helpful for the design process than AI. I’m finding more and more that AI is setting unrealistic expectations and unfortunately is confusing the design process.
It is not something that is necessary for the tattoo design, as I personally hand design all of my pieces anyway! It’s what you’re paying me for, so make the most of the service 🥰✨
Photography, illustrations, paintings, books illustrations, video game art, movie stills, concept art, even ceramics, sculptures and other forms of traditional art can be great as references, and give unique ideas that we wouldn’t have thought of otherwise! It makes your tattoo super unique for you.
I also feel the need to mention the real world environmental impact of creating AI images. I would feel better if I avoid contributing to this issue in my work as much as is possible 🥰
I started tattooing because I have a deep love for creating and for art, and AI is almost the opposite of these values. Prioritising real art, real human ideas, and the human connection that comes with creating art for somebody will always remain the most important part of the job for me, and it’s why I love what I do 🥰💕
If you’re not great at finding references don’t panic, I can do that on my end after having a chat to gauge what your ideas are 🥰✨
Thank you for reading, and if you have sent me AI photos as references in the past, please do not feel targeted at all by this post. It is not aimed at any individual, I just wanted to create a guide for design creations and awareness of my process ✨
Carys 💚xx
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