I Can’t Believe I Have to Say This… Tattoo Artists Copying Work Hurts Your Career
- Mia Parziale
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
I didn’t think this needed to be a whole post, but here we are.
Copying another artist’s work isn’t a gray area, and it’s not “inspiration” or a tribute to another artist. It’s not okay just because you changed the color palette or flipped the design. It’s theft, and it makes you look bad.
And yet, it keeps happening. Some artists are tracing other people’s designs, recreating someone’s exact style down to the line weight, posting work that’s clearly ripped from someone else’s portfolio, and calling it their own.
“But the client brought in a reference photo.”
Yeah, clients do that all the time. They find a tattoo they love online and ask you to recreate it. And sure, it can be awkward to say no, especially if you need the booking.
But this is where you have to draw the line.
If someone brings you another artist’s work and says, “I want exactly this,” you should say no. You can offer to create something inspired by it. You can take elements they like and build something new. But you don’t just copy it and act like that’s okay.
And if you do copy it, whether because the client insisted or you didn’t think it mattered, don’t post it. Don’t put it in your portfolio. Don’t tag it like it’s your original work. That’s where it goes from a shitty client situation to actively misrepresenting yourself.
“But I’m still learning”
Learning by studying other artists is normal. Practicing techniques by referencing work you admire is part of the process. But if you’re copying someone’s design to learn, keep it on paper or iPad.
If you’re literally just redrawing someone else’s work line for line, you’re not learning. You’re tracing. That doesn’t help you develop your own hand, style, or ideas.
Don’t mess with your career.
Even if you don’t care about the ethics, copying hurts you professionally.
When you post stolen work, other artists stop wanting to work with you. Shops may not want to hire you. Clients who do their research won’t book you. You get a reputation as someone who can’t come up with your own ideas, and that’s a hard reputation to get rid of.
And even if no one calls you out, you know. You know the work in your portfolio isn’t really yours. That should bother you.
What you CAN do instead
If you’re stuck or uninspired, sit with it. Study artists you admire, but study how they work. Look at their line quality, composition, and use of space. Then go make something that’s yours.
If a client brings you a reference, be honest. Tell them you can create something inspired by it, but you don’t copy other artists’ work. Most clients will respect that. The ones who don’t aren’t the clients you want anyway.
And if you’ve already posted copied work, take it down. You’re better off having less work that’s actually yours than a feed full of stuff you stole.
Copying isn’t a shortcut. It doesn’t help you grow, it doesn’t build your reputation, and it definitely doesn’t make you a better artist.
If you want to be taken seriously and if you want a career that lasts, you have to do your own work, even when it’s hard or not as good as you want it to be yet.
