How to build a tattoo portfolio that gets you booked

The short answer

Once you've trained, your tattoo portfolio is photos of tattoos you've done, and it lives wherever clients look before they book. For me, that's Instagram and Fresha. My work is on Instagram, and my bookings and reviews are on Fresha. A Google Business Profile helps people near you find you too. Fill each one with healed work in the style you want more of, and make booking one tap away.

Applying for an apprenticeship instead? That's a drawing portfolio for a studio, and I've covered it in my guide to getting a tattoo apprenticeship in the UK.

What should a tattoo portfolio include?

Your best finished tattoos, in the style you want to be booked for. Clients scroll fast. They want to see, in a few seconds, what you tattoo and whether it's what they want on their skin.

• Healed work, not only freshA mix of both is great, but healed photos build more trust, because they show people how your lines hold. Take the healed photo around six weeks after the tattoo, and again two to three years on if you see the client again.
• The style you want more ofIf you want to be booked for delicate florals, fill your feed with them. Most of the enquiries I get are for fine line.
• A close-up and a wider shotThe close-up shows your linework. The wider one shows the size and placement, so someone can picture it on themselves.
• Your town and how to bookIn your bio and in your captions. People look for an artist near them.
• ReviewsA stranger reads what your clients say before trusting you with their skin.

Leave out anything you'd have to explain or apologise for.

How many pieces do you need for a tattoo portfolio?

Fewer than you'd think. You can start taking bookings with a small set of strong pieces, as long as every one is good and they show the style you want to be known for.

Your first 10 models are a good place to start. I recommend doing those for free, then a discounted introductory rate for your first month, to boost your practice and your confidence.

It grows fast once you're tattooing. Some of my students have done over 100 tattoos in less than four months, which gives you plenty to choose from.

How do you build a portfolio straight after a tattoo course?

You start on the course. On my Beginners Training you tattoo your first live models on day three, and those are your first portfolio pieces. Always ask before you photograph or post anyone's tattoo.

After that:

1. Tattoo friends and family first. People who trust you, who are happy to be photographed. Everyone has to be over 18.
2. Offer model sessions. I recommend doing your first 10 models for free, then a discounted introductory rate for your first month. It gives you more chances to practise and builds your confidence.
3. Register before you charge. You need to be registered or licensed with your council before you tattoo anyone for money.
4. Post as you go. Don't wait until you have a perfect feed. Your early work shows people you're starting out and booking.
5. Swap in healed photos. As your work heals, replace fresh photos with healed ones.

Sophie trained with me in June 2025 and kept her corporate job while she built up. She tattooed Fridays, Saturdays and the occasional Wednesday evening, growing her portfolio and client base around the day job. Eleven months after training she handed in her notice. In her words: "And now I am fully booked for the foreseeable." Read Sophie's story

Haven't trained yet? My Beginners Training is four days in person, fine line only, in a group of no more than three, near Bishop's Stortford. You tattoo real models from day three, and day four covers pricing and your first bookings. You go home with a Business Launch Plan to get you "set up, started, and taking your first bookings within 30 days", and a 30-Day Content Plan to get visible and win new tattoo clients on social. It's £4,497 inc VAT, IBA accredited and insurable, and a £500 deposit secures your place.

How do you use Instagram as a tattoo portfolio?

For most new artists, Instagram is the portfolio. It's where people look, and it's where my own clients find me.

• Say what you do in your bioYour style, your town, and how to book. A clear booking link beats "DM me".
• Pin your best piecesInstagram lets you pin posts to the top of your profile. Pin your strongest healed work and your booking information.
• Post healed work and short videosA short clip of you working builds trust in a way a single photo can't. Reels reach people who don't follow you yet.
• Tag your locationPeople search for artists near them, so put your town in your posts.
• Ask clients to tag youWhen a happy client shares their tattoo and tags you, their friends see your work.
• Keep it consistentPost the style you want more of, regularly, so people know what they'll get.

Showing up regularly makes a real difference. One of my Studio Success members wrote to me: "Over the past just over a week I've taken over 10 more tattoo bookings just because I've been more present on socials."

These are real messages from my students. Everyone's journey is different, and results depend on your pricing, location and the time you put in.

How to photograph fine line tattoos

Fine line is delicate, so a bad photo can make good work look faint. Moisturise the skin before you take the photo, and come back for a healed shot around six weeks later. Whatever you do, don't edit a photo so the tattoo looks better than it is. Clients will compare it with the real thing on their skin.

Should a tattoo artist have a Google Business Profile?

Yes, if clients come to you. A Google Business Profile is what shows up on Google Maps and in local search when someone looks for a tattoo artist near them. Google's guidelines say: "If your business either has a physical location that customers can visit, or travels to customers where they are, you can create a Business Profile on Google."

My graduates don't all set one up as standard, but it's now something I actively recommend, wherever you work. It helps with your reviews and with being found.

• Add photos of your workIt's a second portfolio, and it's the one people see when they search.
• Ask every happy client for a Google reviewReviews help you show up in local search, and they're what a stranger reads first.
• Add your booking link and hoursSo someone who finds you can book straight away.
• Working from home?A profile for a place clients visit normally shows its address on Google. Read Google's guidelines first and decide whether you're happy with that.

How do you turn your portfolio into bookings?

Once people like your work, make it easy for them to book you.

• One clear way to bookA booking link or an enquiry form that asks for the design idea, placement, size and any references.
• A consultation form and aftercareOn my course you get a consultation form template and an aftercare template to give every client, so you look professional from your first booking.
• Prices you're confident inPrice by time and by the piece. My pricing guide is in the pre-course portal, and I've written about what tattoo artists earn in the UK.
• Reviews and referralsAsk happy clients for a review and to recommend you to friends. My own bookings come through Instagram and Fresha, where I have more than 500 reviews, rated 5 out of 5.
• Track where bookings come fromAsk every new client how they found you, then do more of what works.

What if your portfolio is good but your diary isn't full?

That's common. It usually comes down to the business side: pricing, posting when you remember, and not knowing where the next booking is coming from.

Studio Success is my six-month mentorship for working tattoo and PMU artists. It covers foundations, visibility and growth, with weekly group mentoring on Zoom, WhatsApp support between calls and a monthly content plan. The right people can't book you if they don't know you exist. It's £3,333 inc VAT, or £599 a month for six months. If you're brand new and not tattooing yet, start with the Beginners Training first, then come back when the work is flowing.

Before you tattoo anyone for money

• Register firstYou need to be registered or licensed with your council before you tattoo anyone for money. I've explained it in do you need a licence to tattoo in the UK.
• No one under 18It's an offence to tattoo anyone under 18 in England, Wales and Scotland, even with a parent's permission. That includes friends and family helping to fill your portfolio.
• Get insuredInsurers will want to see proper training before they cover you.