Why Didn't My Tattoo Artist Post My Tattoo?

From an Anime Tattoo Artist

Anime Tattoo QUestions

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Author: Ren Behan

Let's Talk About It - Cause This Question Comes Up ALOT...

If you've ever gotten a tattoo - like a super crazy, ultra awesome anime tattoo ;P - and then eagerly waited to have it posted on the all-mighty Instagram artist feed...only for it to never show up. It feels like a slight. It makes you wonder if the artist loved the tattoo as much as you did, or worse, if they hated it all along.

I hear this question all the time as an anime tattoo artist that has clients travel out from all over for that long-planned, super exciting Florida anime tattoo trip. I ask them about a lovely tattoo they have, and they tell me stories about the artist they had been to for it, expressing how much they love it! But the story usually ends with, "They never posted it though..."

Similarly, I've been asked by my clients, "Am I gonna make the cut? Will you post this one!?" - to which I often reply, "FUCK YES".

But what about the times artist didn't post your tattoo; you wonder, "did they not like my tattoo?", and sob, "doshite!?".

Let me walk you the various reasons why.

Not Every Tattoo Gets Posted (Even the good ones!)

This is the biggest misconception.

As an anime tattoo artist, I don't post every single tattoo I do - and most other artists don't either! Social media platforms are not a compilation of everything we do, it's essentially a curated highlight reel of what we want more of or of what is currently trending.

When I post anime tattoos, I'm reviewing:

How did the camera honor the tattoo - does it do the tattoo justice?
How is the photo quality? Will it upload well and read well on a phone screen?
How does it flow with the grid of my portfolio?
Does the tattoo represent my style?
Is the subject of the tattoo trending?

Not meeting this basic guidelines does not mean your tattoo wasn't good or loved. It just means that it may not have fit what I needed content wise for the time period. Sometimes, if your tattoo is of a character from an upcoming season release, I'll plan on posting it then so it can catch some of the hype! Other times, the character we did is much to niche to garner much love online - and we tattoo artists unfortunately have to please the social media algorithm gods.

We Simply Didn't Get Good Enough Photos...

While we're snapping away, getting all sorts of angles of your tattoo, we may not notice a certain setting being off, or slight motion blur, or even bad lighting ruining the photo quality.

As someone who focuses on dynamic, high-detail anime tattoos, I'd rather:

Not post something that doesn't represent my work accurately.
Wait t post a healed video/photo in natural lighting.
Or skip posting it entirely - it's not personal!

Again, this is all about presentation, not at all about quality of the tattoo itself.

Timing Matters More Than You May Think...

Content timing is a real and annoying thing for many of us trying to rep out business online. The social media gods are ever demanding of fresh, trending, and engaging content on the regular. Posting the the wrong time with the wrong content can actually damage page insights and engagement trends.

As a anime tattoo artist, I have to pay attention to:

New anime and manga releases.
What anime and manga are mainstream.
Is a character trending?

I may even hold on to a tattoo photo, and wait for it to trend or gain some traction online before sharing. Then unfortunately, there are cases where I just never get around to posting it. Most of the time, however, I have a huge backlog of photos to post - and with my posting schedule, it may take time to reach yours. So if your tattoo didn't get posted right away, it may just be waiting the the camera roll for the perfect moment to shine.

Client Privacy Is Priority...

Not everyone wants their tattoo posted online, and many don't want their faces or other identifying features shared to strangers online. Even if you signed the waiver or didn't request us not to post, we may decide not to do it.

Many artists (myself included) are cautious about posting:

Faces and other identifying features
Personal and meaningful designs
Unflattering photos

If there is an uncertainty, we may just opt to not post at all to be safe.

Not Posting Doesn't Reflect How Your Artist Feels About Your Tattoo!

This one I really want to emphasize! Regardless of if you are traveling across the country to Florida or just a skip and a hop away from Orlando, your experience matters way more than a post online.

If your artist took their time to make the design perfect, communicated with you, and gave you a tattoo and an experience that you absolutely loved - that's the win!

Social media is just marketing and business. Your tattoo is your experience and your life.

If It's Really Bothering You - Just Ask!

It's really that simple - and this is truly the easiest solution to get answers from the source. If you really want your tattoo featured and shared online, just say, "Hey! I'd really love if you posted this!" or you could share it online yourself!

Most anime tattoo artists are totally fine with these requests, and hey - maybe you'll jog our memory if we just simply forgot.

Final Thoughts

Getting a tattoo - especially a custom anime tattoo - is a personal experience. Whether it gets posted or not doesn't change the quality of the tattoo, how you may feel about it, the effort behind the design, or the meaning behind why you got it.

If you're looking for the best anime tattoo artist for your vision, then you're looking for someone who specializes in anime tattoos, works with traveling clients, focuses on large-scale tattoos with dynamic compositons - then choosing the right artist matters much more than whether your tattoo ends up in a social media post.