Bespoke design
Custom Tattoos
No flash. No repeats. No copies off the internet. Every piece drawn from scratch for one idea and one body — yours.
The word
"Custom" is the most abused word in tattooing.
Most shops use it to mean they'll resize something for you. I use it to mean the drawing didn't exist before you walked in, and won't exist again after you leave.
Here's the practical difference. A flash piece is drawn once and tattooed many times — it has to work on an average arm, so it's designed for nobody in particular. A custom piece starts with a blank page, your idea, and a map of where it's going to sit. The geometry gets built around your deltoid, your ribs, the way your forearm tapers. It fits the way a tailored jacket fits.
That's why I won't reproduce a design you found on Instagram. Beyond it being someone else's work, it was drawn for someone else's body — put it on yours and the proportions fight you. Bring it as a reference by all means. It tells me what you're drawn to, and that's genuinely useful. Then I'll draw you your own.
It's also why nothing gets tattooed the day you ask for it. The drawing happens first, in the days or weeks before you sit down. That gap is where the tattoo is actually made.
Drawn once. Worn for life.
Send me your ideaThe process
How a custom piece gets made.
Five stages. Four of them happen before a needle touches skin.
You send the idea
The concept, the placement, a rough size, and any references that pull at you. It doesn't need to be articulate — "something structural on my forearm, I like this mandala but not the flowers" is plenty to start from. No deposit at this stage.
We talk it through
In person at the Birkirkara studio, or on a video call if you're abroad. This is where a vague idea turns into a brief: what the piece means, what it must avoid, how it interacts with anything already on you, and how many sessions it realistically needs.
I draw it
One to three weeks for a single piece, longer for a sleeve or back. I work from photographs of the placement so the geometry is mapped to your anatomy rather than to a flat page. Outer lines get weighted to anchor the piece; interior detail gets tuned so it's still readable in ten years.
You see it, we adjust
You get the drawing before the appointment. We refine it until it's right. What I don't do is design by committee — we agree the direction up front, I draw it properly, then we tighten.
The session
Stencil placed and checked against how you actually stand and move, then the work itself. Private, unhurried, breaks whenever you need them. You leave with a real aftercare plan and a line to me if anything looks wrong.
Scope
What I'll design, and what I won't.
Being specific about this saves us both time — and gets you a better tattoo, here or elsewhere. If you're still weighing artists up, the journal has a guide to choosing a tattoo artist.
Large-scale projects
Sleeves, backs, full legs, bodysuits — planned as one design and built across a series of sessions. This is the work I'm built for.
Geometric & ornamental
Sacred geometry, mandalas, dotwork, blackwork and ornamental linework. The style in full →
Cover-ups & rework
Dense pattern absorbs old work well. Send a clear photo in good light and you'll get an honest answer on what's achievable.
Building on existing work
Extending a half-sleeve, joining separate pieces, or designing around tattoos you're keeping. Composition problems are the interesting ones.
Realism & colour portraits
Not my language, and I'd be a worse choice than the people who live in it. I'll point you to someone good.
Copies of other artists' work
Bring it as a reference, not a spec. You'll get something of your own that fits you better than the original ever would.
Questions
Custom work, answered.
What makes a tattoo custom?
A custom tattoo is drawn from scratch for one person and never repeated. That means no flash sheets, no designs pulled off the internet, and no re-running someone else's piece on a new arm. The design is built around your idea, your anatomy and your placement, which is why the drawing happens before the appointment rather than while you wait.
Will you copy a tattoo I found online?
No. Copying another artist's design is both poor practice and usually a worse tattoo — it was drawn for a different body. Bring the reference as a starting point and I'll use it to understand what you're drawn to, then design something of your own from there.
How long does a custom tattoo design take?
Usually one to three weeks between the consultation and the session for a single piece, longer for a sleeve or a back. Large projects can take several weeks of drawing before any needle work starts. That time is where the difference between a good tattoo and a great one gets made.
Do I see the design before the appointment?
Yes. You see the drawing before the session and we adjust it until it's right. What I don't do is design by committee over dozens of small revisions — we agree the direction at the consultation, I draw it properly, and then we refine.
How much does a custom tattoo cost?
Custom work is quoted per project once I've seen the idea, the size and the placement, because design time varies enormously between a forearm ornament and a full back. Small single-session pieces get a flat price; sleeves, backs and legs get a session rate and an estimated number of sessions. A deposit secures the date and comes off the final total.
Can you design a custom cover-up?
Often, yes — geometric and ornamental work absorbs older tattoos well because dense pattern hides a lot. But not every piece can be covered cleanly, and some need laser fading first. Send a clear photo in good light and I'll tell you honestly what's possible before you commit to anything.
The whole experience from start to finish was amazing. From design, concept to execution, everything was done with care and a level of perfectionism.Ayman Maarouf — Google review
Blank page
Tell me what you're carrying.
The idea doesn't have to be finished. Half-formed is where the good ones usually start — send it over and we'll draw the rest together.
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