The most difficult thing about learning to tattoo is finding personalized feedback that actually answers your questions. While there is a ton of information available on the internet, sometimes a general “How-to” video just isn’t going to cut it.
Most new artists turn to their favorite tattoo questions forum hoping someone will answer and give them the information they need. But there’s no guarantee an answer will ever show up (let alone in the next few hours).
To help, we’ve compiled this list of the best tattoo-related online forums, message boards, groups, and more so you can get answers to your most pressing questions. The online spaces we’ll be discussing tend to have a positive culture and are currently very active, meaning you have a far better chance of getting an answer faster.
The Winner
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Tattooing 101's Online Forum
Created in 2012, Tattooing 101's Help Me Tattoo Forum is now the largest and most active online tattooing forum for beginner & aspiring artists. With over 10,000 members, this community sees plenty of activity throughout the day, so you can expect to find artists posting & giving feedback on art, as well as discussing the latest techniques , tattoo news, and tattoo machines.
We prefer this forum over Facebook and Reddit because it's easier to track threads, and direct messaging allows our artists to better connect with one another and make lifelong friends. For us, half the journey is about community!
Different categories and topics are clearly labeled so you can find what you’re looking for quickly. Best of all, it's free to join.
Facebook Group Forums
A Tattooing Facebook group is the best place to find an answer when you have a question for a more experienced artist.
For many professional tattoo artists, social media is already a part of their job, so having your question pop up in their feed makes it much easier for them to answer your question. You can get lots of advice in just a few hours this way. You can take things a step further by starting a conversation in the comments or connecting with other tattoo artists through Facebook Messenger.
Be Warned:
The fastest way to annoy a tattoo artist is to ignore their advice. If they tell you something, make you sure you listen and implement their advice. Otherwise, it won’t be long before you stop hearing back from them.
Facebook Groups also allow you to see other helpful posts. The algorithm does a great job of popping topics that are most relevant to you right to the top of your feed so you can learn faster instead of scrolling your way through forum threads that are organized chronologically. Or, you can use the search option to easily look up a topic you need help with.
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Tattoo Beginners
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Tattoo Beginners
Q&A Forums
The runner-up when it comes to the most helpful forums online, Q&A Forums are great for new artists who want to look through previously asked questions. Odds are, your question or concern has already been answered somewhere, and you can easily look through the best answers to learn more.
Each of these Q&A forums are subreddits that see a lot of activity and advice-related posts. However, if these forums don’t have the answer you need, Quora can be helpful, too.
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Reddit (r/tattooing)
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Reddit (r/TattooDesigns)
Psst! If you started on your own skin too early, this is a good place to get help with cover-up ideas from professional artists.)
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Reddit (r/tattoos)
Message Board Forums
Message board forums can be helpful, but they’re often outdated, as social media has become more popular. Many of the best answers you’ll find here are several years old, which might mean a more advanced technique has emerged since the last post.
While you can throw out whatever question you’d like, finding tattoo forums for beginners where experienced artists actually respond can be hard. Additionally, it can be very difficult to figure out if someone answering on a message board has any type of tattooing experience.
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Tattooing 101 Help Me Tattoo Forum
The only major exception to the “outdated” argument, Tattooing 101's Help Me Tattoo Forum sits head and shoulders above the rest as the largest and most active online community dedicated to tattooing.
Yes, we're a little biased, but we really feel the numbers speak for themselves. Check out the forum to learn more.
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Last Sparrow Tattoo Forum
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Big Tattoo Planet Community Forum
