Understanding human anatomy is important to your success as a tattoo artist. Tattooing will be different based on different parts of the body, and you’ll need to understand how to get ink into the right part of the skin.
That being said, there are some particularly difficult parts of the body you’ll want to stay away from when you first start tattooing.
In this article, we’ll talk through:
5 Hardest Areas of the Body to Tattoo
Understanding the Basics
Before we get into specific tattoo placements, you need to understand that different parts of the body have thicker skin.
For example, when you’re tattooing over a bone, like a collarbone, the skin is going to be thinner than on the arm, so you won’t want to go in as deep with a tattoo needle.
People also have different types of skin as well, so you’ll need to understand how thick or thin an individual person’s skin is when you do their tattoo. For example, older clients tend to have thinner skin.
For the first two minutes of a tattoo, work on understanding the client’s skin type so you can make adjustments.
Note:
The skin is made of three layers. You want your needle depth to hit that middle layer of skin in order for a tattoo to hold up effectively. Tattoo ink in the first layer will fade quickly, and tattoo ink in the deep third layer will spread (not to mention the client might experience greater pain intensity).
1
Armpit
Some parts of the body can be harder to tattoo because of the extra skin. The front of the shoulder next to the armpit can be a really hard area to tattoo because of the extra skin there. Stretching the area out and keeping the shape of the armpit in mind makes this an even tougher placement to tattoo.
Additionally, this placement requires a high pain tolerance. Tattoo pain grows worse the closer you are to a higher concentration of nerve endings. For example, the outer arm has fewer nerve endings than the inner arm, making tattoos hurt worse on the inner arm.
2
Stomach
The stomach is a difficult area to tattoo because of the extra skin as well as the fact that it is an extremely painful area to tattoo. The stomach is probably one of the most painful areas, which can make it harder on both you and the client.
Warning:
Some new artists will tattoo their own skin on the stomach because it’s fairly easy to reach. If you’re self tattooing, make sure you have a sterile environment and consider choosing an easier placement. Tattooing yourself is already not easy from a technical standpoint…adding extra pain makes it harder, and the stomach is universally acknowledged as a hard place to get tattooed.
3
Ribs
Another big area that new tattoo artists have trouble with is the ribs, because it’s really hard to stretch out that area and the rib bones can make the area feel “bumpy,” even when the skin is stretched.
Rib tattoos can be set up for failure because the client has to be in an uncomfortable position for a tattoo that is very painful. Even experienced tattoo artists consider this placement “difficult,” and if you don’t understand how to use the right amount of pressure, stretch out the skin, and hold the client still, the tattoo could easily go wrong.
4
Hands and Face
We have touched on this in other articles, but we suggest you stay away from hands, the face, or any areas where it could affect jobs or affect the client for the rest of their life. Until you’ve had at least three years of experience with professional tattooing, it’s best not to tattoo areas that are so hard to cover.
Beware of Blowouts
Thin skin on the hands and face could result in blowouts (which will create a “blurry tattoo”), and you need a good understanding of how the tattooing and healing process works before you touch these areas. Additionally, the way hands - especially palms and knuckles - move results in faster fading.
5
Throat
The throat is a difficult area because of the way the jaw and chin make it difficult to position your tattoo equipment. Trying to get the tattoo machine to fit into that area might stress you out and lead to messing up the tattoo.
Don’t Forget to Breathe
Throat tattoos are also uncomfortable for the client, because they have to stretch their necks out as much as possible for a long time, and they may get lightheaded. A lot of the time, we as tattoo artists focus on the human skin…but remember that you’re applying pressure on the human body as well - especially when it comes to a throat tattoo.
Easier Areas to Tattoo
The best areas that you could work on if you're first starting out would be the upper arm, forearm, legs, and other areas where you don’t have to distort the skin a lot to get a good tattoo. If you're going to tattoo yourself, we recommend sticking to the upper thigh only. (These also tend to be the least painful place to get a tattoo since there are fewer nerve endings.)
Getting Practice with Your Tattoo Machine
Tattooing other parts of the legs or your arms requires you to twist your body and makes it hard to get a good stretch on the skin, which means you won’t get high-quality practice (the reason you are tattooing yourself).
Style Matters
What tattoo style your design is in can also contribute to how “easy” or “hard” it is to get a tattoo. For example, a simple piece without lots of shading and no color is going to be a lot easier than an in-depth neo traditional piece with lots of layered shading and decorative linework.
Make Tattoos Easier by Practicing Beforehand
Practicing techniques on fake skin before heading into your first tattoo on human skin will make sure you are tattooing efficiently. Saving time during a tattoo will make the tattoo significantly less painful because the process itself won’t last as long.
Proper Cleaning and Aftercare
Your pain threshold doesn’t matter if you do not properly clean the skin before the tattoo or follow proper aftercare instructions. An infected tattoo is a place no one wants to go.
Make sure you’re using green soap and alcohol on the skin properly before the tattoo, prevent cross contamination during the tattoo by following OSHA’s standards, and keep the tattoo clean afterward. Make sure your equipment is properly sterilized after and that you are using a disposable grip on your tattoo machine if your studio does not have access to an autoclave.Pro Tip:
Never refer to your machine as a “tattoo gun.” This is considered unprofessional.
Become a Professional Tattoo Artist with the Artist Accelerator Program
Learning how to draw tattoo designs is an important step in your journey, but it can also be pretty eye-opening to how difficult tattooing can be. Without the right knowledge, it’s impossible to level up your skills and become a professional tattoo artist.
However, finding the straight-forward information you need to progress is difficult. And with so much out there online, it’s hard to avoid picking up bad habits from incorrect and outdated resources.
This is one of the biggest struggles new tattooers face, and too many talented artists have given up their goal of getting into tattooing because of the years it would take to unlearn their bad habits.
That’s why aspiring artists are learning to tattoo with the Artist Accelerator Program’s structured course. As a student, you learn every step of the tattooing process from professional artists with the experience and advice you need to build your skills and create incredible tattoos.
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Over 2500 students have already gone through the course, with many of them opening up their own studios. If you want to join them and learn the skills you need to start tattooing full time faster…
Click here to learn more about the Artist Accelerator Program.