How the composer works
The art comes from our free stencil gallery: 22 line drawings traced from public-domain images on Wikimedia Commons (roses, lotus, moths, butterflies and snakes so far). The lettering uses 9 fonts under the SIL Open Font License. The layouts are simple on purpose:
- Centred: the art in the middle, your text on one line underneath.
- Banner: the art above a ribbon with your text inside it, the classic flash look.
- Circle: the art inside a ring, with the text curved round the top of it.
- Stacked: the art above, then your words one per line (at most three lines), each as wide as the art.
With more than one piece of art they sit side by side at the same height. You can also add your own drawing or photo; it is traced to outline linework on your device with the same engine as the stencil maker, and works best when it already has clear dark lines on a plain background.
How to design a tattoo
- Start with a subject and what it means to you. The idea generator mixes a style, a placement and a motif if you are stuck; the composer’s first step does the same and fills in the art, layout and size.
- Choose the placement before the size. Where it goes decides how big it can be and which side of the body it should face; see the table below.
- Keep it simple enough to age well. Fine detail and small lettering blur over the years. Fewer lines, larger shapes and short words last better; the composer warns when the lettering or the ribbon lines are too small at your size.
- Print it and hold it on the skin. A true-size print on plain paper shows more than any screen. Tape it on, move your arm or leg, and look in a mirror.
- Take it to an artist. Treat the composition as a brief, not a final drawing (more below).
Tattoo size by placement
Typical design height by body part. These are common studio ranges from our size guide, not rules; bodies differ, so measure yours and ask your artist.
| Placement | Typical height | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Finger | 1–3 cm (0.4–1.2 in) | Keep lines bold and simple; fine detail blurs over time. |
| Wrist (inner) | 3–7 cm (1.2–2.8 in) | Measure across the wrist with the hand relaxed. |
| Behind the ear | 2.5–5 cm (1.0–2.0 in) | Small, high-contrast designs read best. |
| Ankle | 4–8 cm (1.6–3.1 in) | Wraps around bone; check the curve before transferring. |
| Forearm (inner/outer) | 8–20 cm (3.1–7.9 in) | The most popular placement for 10–15 cm pieces. |
| Upper arm / bicep | 10–20 cm (3.9–7.9 in) | Measure with the arm relaxed, not flexed. |
| Shoulder cap | 10–18 cm (3.9–7.1 in) | Curved surface: tile seams should avoid the deltoid peak. |
| Calf | 12–25 cm (4.7–9.8 in) | Lots of flat-ish space, good for vertical designs. |
| Thigh | 15–30 cm (5.9–11.8 in) | Large canvas; usually needs a tiled stencil on A4/Letter. |
| Chest piece (one side) | 12–22 cm (4.7–8.7 in) | Measure collarbone to just above the nipple line. |
| Full back | 35–60 cm (13.8–23.6 in) | Plan tiling carefully and transfer in sections. |
Lettering sets a floor on size. As a rule of thumb (ours, not an industry standard) text with letters under about 6 mm tall tends to blur in skin, so a long word on a wrist or a finger usually wants a shorter word, a bolder font such as the block capitals, or a bigger space.
Hand the design to your artist
- Bring the PDF or PNG. Both carry the size on skin, and the PDF has crop marks and a 5 cm bar so the printout can be checked with a ruler.
- Say where it goes and how big, and what you like about it. Say plainly that you made a composition from existing art and type, so the artist knows what they are looking at.
- Expect changes. Artists redraw to suit the body, their own style and the technique; lettering is often the first thing they reshape. How they build the shading is their decision.
- Keep the credits that come with the file. The art is public domain, so none is required, but they tell you where each piece came from if anyone asks.
- If the artist wants a transfer, the printing guide covers thermal paper, inkjet and tracing.
Licences and credits
Every piece of art is public domain according to the Wikimedia Commons API; this site re-reads each licence in its own tests before a change goes live. The composer writes the title, creator, licence and source link of each piece, and the licence and source of the font, into the PDF (document properties and a line on every sheet), the PNG (text chunks) and the SVG (title, description and metadata). The gallery shows the same details next to each stencil. The fonts, each under the SIL Open Font License 1.1, which allows free use including commercial work:
- UnifrakturMaguntia (Blackletter (Old English)): OFL 1.1 licence file
- Pirata One (Gothic): OFL 1.1 licence file
- Great Vibes (Elegant script): OFL 1.1 licence file
- Pinyon Script (Copperplate script): OFL 1.1 licence file
- Sacramento (Fine-line script): OFL 1.1 licence file
- Dancing Script (Casual script): OFL 1.1 licence file
- Cinzel (Roman capitals): OFL 1.1 licence file
- Rye (Old-school western): OFL 1.1 licence file
- Bebas Neue (Bold block capitals): OFL 1.1 licence file
Privacy
The design is composed and drawn on your device. An image you add is read and traced locally, and a network check in this site’s own tests confirms that no image data is sent. The page sends a small usage event when you finish composing and when you export (layout, number of pieces, whether there is lettering, file type, paper size, sheet count), never your text. See the privacy page.
More tattoo design tools
Need a name set in script or blackletter on its own? Use the tattoo name generator. Want shading from dots or hatching? Try the halftone generator. Want a whole sheet of designs? Use the tattoo flash sheet maker. Have a photo to trace? Use the stencil maker.
AI-assisted designs
We are considering an AI design tool for a future paid plan. It does not exist yet, and nothing on this page uses AI or sends what you type to one. There is no waiting list to join; if it ever launches, this page will say so.
Frequently asked questions
Is this tattoo design generator AI?
No. It is a design composer: you choose public-domain line art from our gallery, add lettering in an open-licence font and pick a layout (centred, banner, circle or stacked), and the page arranges them at the size you set. Nothing is generated by a model and nothing you type or add is sent to an AI. If you want a design drawn from scratch, a tattoo artist is the better route; this tool puts together and prints what already exists.
Is the tattoo design generator free, and are my images uploaded?
It is free, needs no account and has no watermark. The design is composed in your browser. An image you add yourself is read and traced on your device and never uploaded. The page sends only a small usage event (the layout, the number of art pieces, whether there is lettering, and on export the file type, paper size and sheet count), never your text or pixels.
Where does the art come from, and can I use it?
Every piece in the picker is a stencil traced from a public-domain image on Wikimedia Commons; the licence of each source is re-read from the Commons API by this site's test pipeline. Public-domain art needs no credit, but the composer writes the title, creator, licence and source link of every piece (and the font's licence) into the PDF, PNG and SVG you export, so you can always trace a design back to where it came from. Check the licence yourself before you sell a design.
Which fonts can I use for lettering?
Nine fonts under the SIL Open Font License: blackletter, gothic, two copperplate and fine-line scripts, a casual script, Roman capitals, an old-school western face and bold block capitals. They are drawn on your device from font files served by this site, so the lettering never touches a third-party server.
How big should my tattoo design be?
It depends on the placement; these are common studio ranges, not rules: forearm 8–20 cm (3.1–7.9 in), upper arm 10–20 cm (3.9–7.9 in), calf 12–25 cm (4.7–9.8 in), inner wrist 3–7 cm (1.2–2.8 in), full back 35–60 cm (13.8–23.6 in). Lettering is the limiting part: this composer warns when text will be shorter than about 6 mm, because small script tends to blur as skin ages. Ask your artist what is realistic for the placement.
How do I print the design at its real size?
Set the height or width you want on skin, choose A4 or US Letter and press Print PDF. The design is drawn at 300 DPI and placed at exactly that size, split across sheets when it is larger than one page (a 30 cm tall, 15 cm wide design takes 2 A4 sheets), with crop marks, sheet labels and a 5 cm bar to check your printer. Print at 100% or Actual size with Fit to page off.
How do I give the design to a tattoo artist?
Send the PDF or PNG (they carry the size on skin and the credits) along with the placement, and say plainly that it is a composition to discuss, not a finished tattoo. A good artist will redraw it to suit your body, their style and the size, and may change the lettering. Printing it at true size and holding it against the skin first makes that conversation concrete.
Can I turn the design into a stencil?
Yes. Open in the stencil maker sends the composed design, at print resolution, to the stencil maker on the same page, where you can run the transfer check for lines that are too thin or too close, set mirroring for thermal paper and export the stencil. The PDF, PNG and SVG exported directly from the composer carry the credit lines; the stencil maker's own exports do not.
No idea yet? Mix a style, a placement and a motif first.
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