For anyone wanting their first tattoo, it’s very tempting to see one you like and simply copy it, but this isn’t necessarily the best thing to do.
There are a number of reasons why you shouldn’t copy someone else’s design, and we’ve put together the top three for you in this short article.
It’s personal to someone else
Maybe the best reason not to copy someone else’s tattoo design is simply this; it’s not yours.
We don’t mean you didn’t create it, so you can’t use it (more on that later), we mean it’s nothing to do with you, and everything to do with someone else.
If someone has that design on their skin, it’s probably going to mean something to them on a personal level. It may have been specially designed to remind them of a person or a memory, so you taking it not only degrades that memory, but doesn’t fit with you and your life.
Find a design that suits you, that’s personal to you, and this way it’s yours.
It’s an insult to the tattooist
It’s one thing to sit down with an artist and design a tattoo, or even bring one in you’ve designed yourself. It’s quite another to bring a design in another artist has created and demand that.
It’s insulting to the tattoo artist. It’s like bringing a packed lunch into a restaurant and wondering why the chef is pissed at you.
Any tattoo artist worth their salt can create a design for you, so asking them to copy someone else’s is a big faux pas.
It’s intellectual property theft
This is more a moral issue, although sometimes it can be a legal one.
Stealing someone else’s design is no different than stealing their novel. It’s their creativity in a physical, material form, and it should be respected.
Copying their work is not only morally wrong, but disrespectful to the original artist. And it may also get you into legal trouble.
Stay clear of all these problems by simply designing your own tattoo or using your artists previous designs.
If you would like an original tattoo, then come see us here at Sunset.
