Tattoo Enquiry: What to Include

Emailing a tattoo studio for the first time can feel overwhelming — especially if you’re not sure what information is actually useful. At Avant Art Tattoo, a private tattoo studio based in Chippenham, we specialise in fine line, watercolour, animal and floral tattoos, and we review all projects carefully before booking.

This guide explains what to include in your tattoo enquiry email, why we ask for it, and how it helps us give you the best possible experience from the very start.

Why your tattoo enquiry email matters

As a private studio, we don’t offer walk-ins or instant bookings. Every project is reviewed by email first so we can:

• Let you know if your idea is doable

• Give you a realistic quote

• Match you with the right artist for your style

• Avoid misunderstandings later on

A clear enquiry saves time for everyone — and leads to better tattoos.

Essentials to Include in your Email

1. Placement & size reference (for an accurate quote)

Please include a photo of the body area where you’d like your tattoo, or a clear reference showing placement and approximate size in cm/inches.

This helps us:

• Understand scale and proportions

• See how the design will flow with your body

• Estimate time, complexity, and pricing accurately

The photo doesn’t need to be professional, a simple phone picture is perfect. This step is essential for us to provide a realistic and fair quote.

👉 If you’d like a clearer idea of how tattoo pricing works in general, you can also read our blog post Tattoo Pricing:What Affects the Cost of a Tattoo?

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2. Style reference (so we can match you with the right artist)

Style references are one of the most important parts of your email.

These can include:

• Tattoos you love from our portfolio

• Examples showing line weight, softness, colour, or composition

• A mix of tattoo images and artistic inspiration

Style references help us understand how you want the tattoo to look, not just what it is.

This is especially important for fine line and watercolour tattoos, where subtle differences in technique matter. Clear style references allow us to direct your project to the artist whose work naturally aligns with what you’re looking for.

To get a better feel for what we specialise in, we always recommend having a look at our artists’ portfolios. That way you can see the styles we excel at and understand how your idea might translate into our work.

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3. Subject reference (especially for animals & floral tattoos)

If your tattoo is based on a specific subject — such as:

• A pet or animal

• A flower or botanical design

• A meaningful object

Please include clear reference images.

For animal and pet tattoos, multiple photos are always better than one. For floral tattoos, references that show shape and structure (not just colour) are especially helpful.

These references allow us to create a design that feels personal, intentional, and accurate, rather than generic.

Cover-ups of old tattoos or scars

If your project involves a cover up or working over scars, please send a clear photo of the area.

This allows us to:

• Assess whether the project is realistically doable

• Advise honestly about limitations

• Avoid disappointment later in the process

Not all cover-ups or scar projects are possible, and seeing the area allows us to be honest from the start about what can realistically be achieved.

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If you’d like more insight into how and why tattoo studios sometimes decline projects, we recommend reading our blog post:

Understanding a Tattoo Refusal: it's not Personal, it's Professional

It explains the creative, technical, and ethical reasons behind these decisions, and why they’re an important part of offering high-quality, responsible tattooing.

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Fine line & watercolour tattoos in Chippenham

At Avant Art Tattoo, we specialise in:

• Fine line tattoos

• Watercolour tattoos

• Animal and pet watercolour portraits

• Floral and botanical designs

• Custom, thoughtfully designed tattoos in a calm, private setting

Your first email is the first step and when it’s done well, everything that follows becomes easier, clearer, and more enjoyable.

Avant Art Tattoo team