Tips on how to use artificial intelligence (AI) to create your own tattoo designs

AI tools for automatic image and text generation are currently a hot topic in various industries. In the graphics industry, AI image generators such as Dall-E 2, which generate an image from text commands, are causing quite a stir. These tools can also be easily used for brainstorming and creating tattoo designs.

In this blog post we will show you

which AI tools are suitable for creating tattoo designs
which promts you can feed the AI with to get the best results
which terms and styles work particularly well for creating tattoo designs

How do I use AI tools to create tattoo designs?

You can use AI image generators both to find ideas and to generate whole designs. Basically, each generator works according to the same pattern: The desired motif is described in a text input field, from which image suggestions are generated. When entering the text, it is important to describe both the desired motif and the desired style precisely. The images created can be further refined with editing tools. The finished image can then be downloaded in PNG format and either edited further or uploaded directly to our online shop.

You can basically generate an image from any command, but the more precisely the desired image is described, the more likely it is to correspond to your own ideas.

The following structure is suitable for giving precise commands to the AI:

Main subject (cat)
Situation or environment (on a dark background)
Action of the main motif (when listening to music with headphones)
Desired image frame (close-up of the face)
Style and colouring (strong retro colours, synthwave style, 2d digital vector graphics)

The template results in commands like this:

Helpful prompts to get tattoo designs created with the help of artificial intelligence

We have looked at current tattoo trends, filtered out styles and tested them in various AI tools. From these tests, we have collected some commands for you that work well to describe your desired motif for the AI. Of course, there are many more styles and input options to experiment with.

Finelinestyle
(little cat finelinestyle illustration)

AI tattoo design watercolour illustration

Watercolour illustration
(little cat watercolor illustration)

Sticker Illustration
(sticker illustration of a graffiti art cat)

Oldschool Tattoo Style
(oldschool tattoo illustration of a cat)

Vector Art
(a closeup of a cat face with headphones in retro colors, synthwave style, 2d digital vector art)

AI tattoo design in vintage disney style

Vintage Disney Style
(little cat sitting in a bowl in vintage disney style)

Important things to consider before using AI tools

Is there a charge for creating images with AI tools?

In order to use the AI image generator DALL-E 2, users must register with their email address on the Open AI platform. In the first month, each user receives 50 free credits and in each subsequent month 15 credits. One credit can be used to create 4 image variants of a text entry. So basically the tool is free. Further credits can be purchased from Open AI. Dream by Wombo, on the other hand, works with an unlimited free basic version and a paid pro version. With MidJourney, you can start with a free trial version and have to upgrade to a paid premium version after about 25 inputs.

Who is the creator of the AI-generated image?

Regarding the authorship of the generated images, it is important to note that all presented programmes are machine learning models and do not make creative decisions. Therefore, the model can be considered as an instrument or tool controlled by a user. The user providing the input description can be considered the creator of the idea or concept visualised by the model. However, it is important to note that this attribution of authorship may be regulated differently in certain jurisdictions. Details of this can be found on the Open AI website.

What AI tools are there for creating images?

Classic image generators

DALL·E 2
DALL-E 2 is an artificial intelligence (AI) model trained by OpenAI. It can create visual representations of descriptions by taking text as input and generating a corresponding image.

MidJourney:
Midjourney is also an AI image generator that can currently be used in beta via a Discord chat. MidJourney is still completely free in the beta version.

Dream by Wombo:
Dream by Wombo works similarly to the other two AI image generators by entering text commands and then generating images from them. Dream by Wombo is basically free of charge and allows access to further functionalities with a premium version.

Stable Diffusion:
Stable Diffusion works similarly to the other tools and is at the moment still completely free. Stable Diffusion works best for creating detailed images.

Tattoo Generator

The Tattoostudio inklabs gives you the opportunity to have your dream tattoo created easily and free of charge with the help of an AI tattoo generator. The whole thing works via a WhatsApp chatbot, which sends 4 high-resolution motifs directly via What’s App after requesting the desired tattoo style, the colours and a description of the tattoo idea. We can then prepare the finished motifs for you as print data for the implementation of temporary tattoos. And if you’ve fallen in love with your tattoo motif so much that you don’t just want to have it on your skin temporarily, take a look at an Inklabs studio 😉

Click here for the AI tattoo generator

Conclusion:

So, to sum up: creative tattoo designs can be realised with AI. But these tools only work if there is already an idea and it is entered into the AI tool in the right form. So it is still necessary to be creative and come up with concepts, but when it comes to implementation, the AI tools can be a great help.