From Simple To Intricate, These People Share 40 Interesting First Tattoo Ideas

Your first tattoo is just like your first love - it’s either the worst choice of your life or the sweetest thing you could’ve hoped for. Nevertheless, it’s a thing you’ll remember for the rest of your days - one etched into your heart and the other inked onto your skin. But, of course, there’s one difference. If with love, you don’t really get to choose who you fall for, then with a tattoo, it’s always your own decision. So, if you are ready to fall in love with your first tattoo, we’ve gathered a list full of prime choices for your ink. 

As a tattooed person myself, I can tell you this much - if you fall for a specific, seemingly meaningless design, the connotation to it will come later on. And vice versa for sure! If you have a meaningful idea but no particular way of expressing it, then give doodling a shot. Or, if you are desperately bad at putting your thoughts into shapes and lines, then talk to your tattoo artist, and you’ll come up with a tattoo design together. Either way, some of the ink examples that we’ve featured below might catch your eye, and then you can put your meaning or your drawing ideas into the composition to make it your own.

To make sure that your first tattoo is a happy kind of love, not only have we gathered design suggestions for you to choose from, but we have also talked to Nicoletta Trifiro. She’s a professional tattooist whose works reflect the old-school tattoo style, based in London and Italy. You can see her gorgeous works on her Instagram page, and maybe she’ll be the one that’ll give you your first ink. See what kind of advice she gave to tattoo first-timers below!