Another thing that defines traditional tattoos is their stylized nature. Because tattoos were often small and done quickly, artists used simple, recognizable shapes that could be read easily on the body. Famous tattoo artists, such as Norman Collins (aka Sailor Jerry) and Don Ed Hardy, helped to popularize the bold style and unique themes of the American Traditional tattoo. Interestingly enough, both of those men were heavily influenced by Japanese tattoo styles at the time. If you look closely at traditional Japanese tattoo art, you can see the similarities.

Ah, it's a tale as old as time. Client meets artist, client falls in love with artist, artist says, "I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm the right person for this project."

Alexa, play Despacito...

But why would they turn down your AMAZING tattoo idea? Do they not like you? Do they think your idea is stupid? Why do they have more bigger and complicated things in their portfolio and your idea would be so easy for them?

There are lots and lots of reasons why your tattoo artist is going to turn down your piece, and here are some common ones that they will either tell you about directly or keep to themselves.

Your tattoo is too small for them.
Yes, there is such a thing as a tattoo that is too small and simple for a tattoo artist. If the person you're eyeballing to do your piece normally does larger and more involved tattoos, they likely want to keep doing only pieces like that. Large tattoos are a skill and a specialty, so a tattoo artist who mainly does largescale work might want to continue taking on pieces that are large in scope, even if a smaller tattoo is very easy for them to do.

You are asking for a style they don't specialize in.
Sometimes it's difficult as a non-artist to see where the lines are drawn between different art styles and what each tattoo artist can and can't do. For example, asking a realism artist to do realism pieces of fantasy creatures is going to often get you turned down because, well, there aren't any realism references that exist of many fantasy creatures. Some can be created in AI or photoshopped, but that will often take a lot of time to result in anything that looks good or is useable.

Another example would be asking for sacred geometry, with lots of thin straight lines and perfect shapes, incorporated into a tattoo from an artist who mainly only does traditional tattoo art. They won't have the skill or practice in executing those sorts of shapes (even if it's as a 'simple' as a basic circle made with a super thin line) and will probably turn down your piece if that's something you want incorporated into the design.

You spent more time discussing the history, meaning, and background in your tattoo idea vs describing the art itself.
There is only so much time in the day to read through consult forms, and the artist isn't getting paid for their correspondence with potential clients. It's really important that they get they a vivid picture of what you want the tattoo to look like. 

It's not bad to briefly mention the symbolism and importance of your tattoo that you want the artist to capture, but when this information dominates your correspondence compared to information about color, sizing, style, decorative elements, placement, etc, it can result in the tattoo artist not having a very clear picture of what you're asking for. They may not want to risk working with you without knowing exactly what you're looking for. The rule here is that if you have a clear picture of what you want your tattoo to be but don't spend enough time trying to communicate it, the artist won't really know what it is you want.

Now, if you outright tell your artist that you want THEM to take the reigns completely and create a tattoo based on your own symbolism and meaning, that is much more intriguing to an artist and you'll possibly get more interest!

The artist is in the process of changing the types of tattoos they do and the public doesn't know it yet.
All artists grow and go through periods of change. Some do it a lot, some do it rarely, but it happens. You may be asking for exactly what your tattoo artist has in their portfolio, but have caught them at a time where they're pivoting into a new direction. This means that a lot of the consult forms they get from interested parties won't match what they want to do for a while. In this case, it has nothing to do with you, so rest easy!

Your idea will not translate well into a tattoo form.
A tattoo artist may or may not have the time to explain to you why something you're asking for will or won't look good as a tattoo, so this scenario can be frustrating. The best types of tattoo designs are ones that are easily readable and look great after several years.

Tattoos with hardly any contrast or dark colors, for example, will likely fade away and disappear shortly and barely be discernable. Asking for flowers that are tattooed only with pastel colors, for example, could get you turned away by an artist. Wanting nebulous patterns and textures that require lots of tiny detail and lack strong shapes and silhouettes might also make an artist wary, as those types of things blur out into vague blobs on skin over time.

Again, it can be frustrating to not know what it is about your idea that can't be translated to skin very well, but it is a big reason why a tattoo artist won't want to attempt your piece.

The artist actually does want to do your tattoo, but is so busy that they only have time to pick a few.
If you're reaching out to a really great artist who has a strong portfolio and is super popular, you might just be unlucky if you don't get chosen. The artist might already have their next couple months scheduled out and a backlog of interested parties, or lots of large pieces they're still working on and can only add a few new clients. In this situation, it wouldn't matter if you're the perfect fit for them because it's just not great timing. You'll have to be patient and wait for them to be able to take you on. But as they say, good things come to those who wait!

Hopefully this has given you a tiny bit of insight in what goes on behind the scenes that might get you turned down by a tattoo artist. Remember, tattoo artists are people too, and they have things they like and don't like. They have art they're good at and art they're bad at. They only have so much time in the day to create art and fit clients in. If you do get turned down, don't sweat it--it's for the best. It's better to get tattooed by an artist who is enthusiastic and CONFIDENT in your concept rather than by one who is unsure if they can  do it justice for you. It never hurts to spend extra time shopping around for the right tattoo artist.

People sure do say the darndest things to folks with tattoos Even when said with curiosity and well-intentioned, there are certain things that probably should just be kept to onesself. Here are some of the more tiresome, common, ridiculous, and downright rude things I've heard and that have been said to other people about their tattoos, and some fun responses you can give if you're on the receiving end of one!