Copyright question

[Frazzledmummy123]

I am feeling rather deflated as I fell totally in love with a picture of a tattoo I saw online, it was under images list when I typed in what I was looking for. It is going to be my only tattoo and was a representation of my 3 children. I am fussy and not easy pleased so when I found this after absolutely ages of researching ideas I thought I had found my ideal tattoo.

However, I read something about how images found in online searches can be subject to copyright as they will be another artists drawing, therefore if I was to get it done the artist would effectively be copying someone else's work. Obviously I would hate to do that to someone who has created that piece but it wasn't something I thought about and now I am gutted that I might not be able to get this tattoo :( . It is from the website Pinterest and is a sketch not a photo of a tattoo on someone if this makes any difference?

I suppose I could ask the artist to recreate something very similar but not really the same.

Does anyone know anything about this? I don't mean to sound selfish or ignorant but is it a definite no no to ask a tattoo artist to do something off a photo on the internet?

I suppose like most things, it depends on the artist.1
I will say I have had a few sketches off pinterest or even google images that have been stenciled completely off that image and tattooed on me with no adjustments at all.
I think while when you think about it properly, it's a little bit shite for the original artist, it also probably comes with the territory of being a tattoo artist and would happen alot.
So, while I wouldn't see a tattoo on Facebook that someone down the road created, and then take that to a different artist, if I see one from someone in America who I wouldn't ever be able to be tattooed by, it seems unreasonable that I couldn't have that tattoo.
Morally, I totally get what you're saying, logically, if you want it, get it.

A tattoo artist would possibly be working from a picture that had been supplied or described to them (unless it was their own work).
If someone had loaded their pics onto Pinterest then I'd be very surprised if they did it without the intention or showing it off, for whatever reason.

It's not a copyright issue as far as I know but it is generally considered bad form to copy another tattoo exactly, and few reputable tattooers would agree to it.

Can't you use it for inspiration and improve it to make it more personal?

How did you get on with this, OP? Had my first tattoo recently and the artist put together a design from a composite of ideas I brought so it’s original. (I love it).

Tattoo copying is a big no no. But it does depend on what type of tattoo.So if its popular culture or from a show that wouldnt be considered copying.

If it was a custom design tattoo,then thats a no.You could bring it to an artist and let them do their own version.

You can try to find the copyright owner, I'm sure whoever owns the copyright wouldn't mind this being recreated for personal use. Unless it's an actual tattoo and the copyright belongs to a tattoo artist, you may still be lucky if you contact them direct.

I shouldn't overthink this, OP.

There is legal copyright (Which given you won't be exploiting the image commercially, I show;don't worry about too much) and there is a somewhat followed culture of not copying someone else's work (though IME, many practitioners' original work is more than 'drawing on' someone else's work).

Take a print of the 'inspiration' to a tattooist whose work in the general style you like and ask them to sketch up an image given the brief of your concept around your three children and the inspiration image. See what you think of their response to your brief - depending on what drew you to the original image, you might like their interpretation more than the original.

Good luck.

I was going to get a tattoo once but no artist was willing to replicate what I wanted.
All the alternative designs they provided were so different to what I actually wanted I just gave up in the end.

When I had my tattoo done.rhe artist designed something new for me using pictures of previous work and my description of what I wanted. It's beautiful and on the day I was able to change minor details before she started working (that was important for me as once I notice a mistake in a pattern I cannot un-see it)