Six most cliche tattoos, according to tattoo artists

Tattoos may be about self-expression, but that doesn’t mean the art is without repetition - especially when a design, style, or symbol becomes popular.

While each tattoo is technically unique, there are some trends that verge on overdone - which no one understands more than the artists that draw them each day.

Although it may be a fine line between popular and cliche, these are the tattoos that tattoo artists want you to potentially reconsider before you ink them onto your body forever.

It makes sense to want to display your love for a favourite band or book or song permanently, but sometimes everyone else has the same idea.

The Harry Potter books may have been a life-changing series, however, there are numerous other motifs throughout the eight books, apart from the Deathly Hallows symbol, that can show off your love just as well.

Breast cancer survivor gets double-mastectomy tattoos

Show all 6

According to the artists at Good Times Tattoo in London, the Deathly Hallows is the most frequently tattooed tattoo - apart from Iron Man.

The Empire State Building may be majestic to behold but chances are the offices within are not that tattoo-worthy.

The same is true for most other tattoos relating to cities or tourist destinations.

As one of the most common requests Stefan Dinu, tattoo artist at London Inkaholics, sees, chances are any tattoo of a landmark has been done in thousands of variations before.

Not only do finger tattoos fade, but they are also highly-visible - something to think about if you’ve never gotten a tattoo before.

Many artists refuse to tattoo the area due to the likelihood of it fading away, prompting Dinu to tell The Independent: “I would like all tattoo enthusiasts to stop requesting finger and hand tattoos as their first tattoo.”

Some of the most common tattoo requests come from the internet, according to Naresh, a tattooer of 30 years and owner of Flamin’ Eight in London.

He told The Independent: “The internet being what it is, it does tend to drive trends in what people think they want so we are often re-imagining themes that are brought to us by our clients on their phones.”

The artists at Good Times agreed, telling us they would like people to stop requesting “Pinterest-type tattoos which are sure to fall out of style.”

While the sentiment is nice, the trend is also sadly overdone. It is unlikely you will forget the names of your children, whether they are inked into your skin permanently or not, so it is a tad unnecessary.

Although beautiful, roses are some of the most-commonly tattooed flowers - a characteristic that makes them seem slightly less interesting.

For the artists at West 4 Tattoo in New York City, roses are one of their number-one requests. However, as the artists told us there is something “so timeless and beautiful about them,” they don’t mind.

If you do want to get a tattoo, taking the time to come up with something original will make it all the more special - and most tattoo artists are more than happy to help.

After all, it will be with you forever.

This article was originally published in March 2019