Size Matters: Designing Tattoos That Last a Lifetime

There’s a lesson Brandon from Tattooing 101 talks about that more artists — and more clients — need to hear: size matters. And not for the reasons people assume. It matters because tattoos age, skin tries to repair itself, and ink spreads. Pretending otherwise doesn’t help anyone.

A friend recently showed me a color tattoo he was still very proud of, but it had faded and blurred to the point where you couldn’t tell what it was without an explanation. The design wasn’t bad. The idea wasn’t bad. The problem was simple: it was too small for the level of detail they crammed into it, especially for the placement he chose — the ankle, one of the toughest spots for longevity and clarity of a tattoo.

Most clients don’t think about how tattoos age. Why would they? They haven’t watched healed tattoos for years the way artists should. They haven’t seen what sun, friction, skin texture, and movement do over time. They don’t realize that linework softens, color shifts and fades, and tiny details eventually spread into each other. That’s not failure — that’s biology.

Ink naturally expands under the skin from the body’s natural healing process. That “spread” might be minimal at first, but it’s enough to ruin fine detail in small pieces, especially in high-motion or high-friction areas like:

• ankles
• feet
• fingers
• wrists
• ribs
• hands

If a tattoo is too small, even a beautifully executed piece can become unreadable in a few years.

At Honor and Ink™, this is something we want to help our clients avoid at all costs. The goal isn’t to upsell size or push bigger tattoos. The goal is clarity, longevity, and meaning that survives the test of time.

A good artist doesn’t just ask, “What do you want?”

They ask, “How will this look in 5 years? 10 years? 20?”

Sometimes that means making a design larger so it can breathe.

Sometimes it means simplifying the details.

Sometimes it means choosing a placement that will hold crisp lines longer.

And sometimes it means having an honest conversation with the client: “I want this to look good not just today, but for the rest of your life — here’s what will help us get there.”

That’s the kind of integrity we’re building Honor and Ink™. Tattoos aren’t disposable. They’re commitments — one part art, one part storytelling, and one part anatomy and physics. We aren’t here to create a future cover-up.

To keep things light for the holidays — and to help myself get into the spirit, which isn’t always easy in Hawaii — I drew a couple of light-hearted sketches: one of a festive moose and one of a brown bear contemplating a cardinal in a tree, symbols of grounded strength, protection, and wisdom with those of spiritual connection, hope, and remembrance . The juxtaposition creates a powerful and balanced meaning that can be deeply personal.

 

If you’re ready to create something meaningful that lasts, we’re here at Honor and Ink™ — adding a touch of holiday warmth to every story we help bring to life.  We can help create something that still makes sense decades down the road. We’ll design something you’ll be proud of now and years later, because honoring your story means giving you art that ages with you, not against you.