Tattoos are evidence that no matter how long something has been around, ultimately it comes down to human artistic skill to make it look good. We have evidence that people had some sorts of tattoos over 5000 years ago, for example, “Ötzi” whose mummified remains were found in the Alps, had a number of simple, line tattoos on his corpse.

We have more evidence from the ancient Egyptians, who put in more work to preserve their bodies after they died. One example had multiple animals, a bull and sheep, showing that the ancients weren’t that different from us and liked modifying the way they looked.

This means that humans have been developing this skill for thousands of years, yet there are still tattoos being made in 2024 that are absolutely terrible. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but, importantly, the person requesting the tattoo is almost never the person making it, so there is always the question of if this was what they really wanted.

This underscores just how important it is to do one’s research. Good tattoo artists tend to charge a lot of money, but it’s best to think twice before entrusting someone’s roommate who happens to have a tattoo machine. This list stands as a warning as to what can happen. Remember, getting it removed is not at all fun either.

On the flip side, doing your research might take time and cost a bit more, but you can discover actually awesome artists who you maybe never would have known existed. Unless you have a very, very particular idea of what you want, it can be beneficial to explore some other art styles and see what a creative professional can suggest.