Before you bookYour first tattoo: how to prepare and what happens in the chair
You have had the idea for a while. Maybe it hit you on a late-night scroll, or seeing a friend’s piece that just felt right.
By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 8 min read
The journal
Tattoos, explained
Straight answers before you book, and what the classic motifs mean, from Toronto artist Mitch Bold.
Before you bookThe latest
Before you book
Style, size, placement, cost and your first tattoo
Before you bookYour first tattoo: how to prepare and what happens in the chair
You have had the idea for a while. Maybe it hit you on a late-night scroll, or seeing a friend’s piece that just felt right.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 8 min read
Before you bookChoosing a tattoo style: fine line, realism, blackwork or traditional
It often starts simple. You know you want a tattoo. Maybe you even know the subject. Then you search “tattoo styles” and suddenly there are flash sheets, realism, American traditional, minimalist, ignorant style, woodcut, fine line, illustrative, something called “new tattoo style 2026”… and you are back at zero.By Mitch BoldSeptember 8, 2026 · 9 min read
Before you bookWhere to put a tattoo: placement, flow and how it ages
You keep opening your camera roll, scrolling through screenshots, then stopping at the same thought: “Where would this actually go?”By Mitch BoldSeptember 8, 2026 · 10 min read
Before you bookTattoo size and commitment: how big, how long, how much
You start with a rough idea. Maybe a word on the wrist. A fine line rose on the arm. A half sleeve that has lived in your notes app for years.By Mitch BoldSeptember 8, 2026 · 8 min read
Before you bookWhat a tattoo costs: minimums, deposits and how quotes work
You have the idea saved in your photos. Maybe a few versions. What you want now is a clear sense of the tattoo cost.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 8 min read
Before you bookColour versus black and grey: why I work in black
You keep saving tattoos in every style. Bright sleeves. Soft black and grey. White ink details. Then you look at photos of “healed vs fresh” and start to worry about what those colours will look like in ten years.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 9 min read
Before you bookTattoos and work: placement, visibility and cover
You keep saving tattoo references. Forearm pieces. Hand scripts. Maybe a neck tattoo that just looks right on the people you follow.By Mitch BoldSeptember 8, 2026 · 9 min read
Pain, healing & aftercare
What it feels like, how it heals and how it lasts
Pain, healing & aftercareDoes a tattoo hurt? What to expect, placement by placement
You have probably zoomed in on at least one tattoo pain chart already. Arms, ribs, spine, coloured from green to red, a neat little tattoo pain graph that claims to rate every body part from 1–10.By Mitch BoldSeptember 8, 2026 · 9 min read
Pain, healing & aftercareTattoo aftercare, day by day
You finally got it done. The stencil is off, the redness is there, your skin feels hot and a bit tight. Now you are home, looking at this new tattoo and wondering if every tingle, itch or shine is normal.By Mitch BoldSeptember 8, 2026 · 9 min read
Pain, healing & aftercareInfection and safety: what a clean setup looks like
Maybe it was fine the first day. A bit red, a bit tight, like you were told. Then the redness spread. Or the skin started to feel hot instead of just tender.By Mitch BoldSeptember 8, 2026 · 8 min read
Pain, healing & aftercareAllergic reactions to tattoo ink
You keep zooming in on healed tattoo photos and wondering one thing: what if your skin reacts badly to the ink.By Mitch BoldSeptember 8, 2026 · 10 min read
Pain, healing & aftercareTattoo scarring: causes, prevention and what's normal
You expected the lines to settle in and look sharper with time. Instead, you are running your fingers over raised texture around the ink. Certain spots look shiny, bumpy or almost ropy under the skin.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 7 min read
Pain, healing & aftercareWhy tattoos fade, and what holds up
One day you catch it in the mirror and it feels different. The lines that were sharp now look a bit cloudy. The black that once popped has softened to a washed grey. On darker skin, the whole piece can look like it is sinking into the background.By Mitch BoldSeptember 8, 2026 · 8 min read
Pain, healing & aftercareTattoo regret: how to choose a piece you won't second-guess
You notice it when you get dressed. In the mirror. In photos. That one tattoo you try to crop out or cover up.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 8 min read
Animal meanings
What the creatures people wear have stood for
Animal meaningsSnake tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Most people who ask me for a snake tattoo already have a feeling about it. Power. Danger. Change. They just want to know if that feeling lines up with what the symbol has meant for other people, and how it can work on their body.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 7 min read
Animal meaningsTiger tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Most people thinking about a tiger tattoo are not just picking an animal. You are choosing a symbol of how you see yourself, or how you want to move through the world. Power, protection, rage, calm focus, survival. The tiger can carry all of it, depending on how it is drawn.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 6 min read
Animal meaningsWolf tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Most people who look up wolf tattoo meaning already feel pulled to the image. The real question is what the wolf stands for when you wear it on your skin, and how to make that meaning fit your story.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 7 min read
Animal meaningsLion tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Most people looking up lion tattoo meaning are not just picking an animal. You are trying to match a symbol to a story, a personality, or a moment in your life. Lions carry a lot of history, from simple strength and courage to more layered ideas like guardianship, balance, and protection.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 8 min read
Animal meaningsDragon tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Most people who ask me for a dragon tattoo already know it means “power” or “strength.” They are less sure what type of dragon fits them, or how to mix in koi, tigers or symbols like yin yang without clashing stories. That is where the design either feels deep and personal or just looks like a cool monster.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 8 min read
Animal meaningsPhoenix tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Most people who ask me about a phoenix tattoo already have a story in mind. A big change, a loss, a restart, or a version of themselves they are trying to grow into. The image pulls them in. The details feel harder. Where should it go, how big should it be, and what does each version of the phoenix bird actually say.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 6 min read
Animal meaningsKoi tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Koi tattoos show up on skin long before people learn what they stand for. You see them in sleeves, back pieces, small single fish on a forearm. The flow is what catches you first. Then you start wondering what a koi tattoo meaning actually is and if the colours and direction matter as much as people say.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 8 min read
Animal meaningsFish tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Most people searching koi fish tattoos are not just looking for a pretty design. They want the story behind it to match what they are going through or where they want their life to go next. The tricky part is that there are a lot of koi fish tattoo meanings online, and many of them conflict or feel vague.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 8 min read
Animal meaningsOwl tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Most people who ask me about an owl tattoo already have a feeling about it. Wisdom. Night. A quiet kind of power. The hard part is turning that feeling into a design that still looks sharp on skin years from now.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 7 min read
Animal meaningsBird tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Most people who ask me about a bird tattoo are not just picking a random animal. They are trying to mark a shift, a loss, a win, or a part of themselves they want to keep close. Birds are one of the most flexible motifs you can get. They work tiny or full-scale, soft or bold, and almost every species carries a story.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 9 min read
Animal meaningsButterfly tattoos: meaning, placement and style
You can scroll through butterfly tattoos for hours and still not feel sure what they mean. The images are clear. The symbolism is not always. When I design a butterfly symbol tattoo in Toronto, the first thing I ask is what it represents for you, because the same shape can carry very different stories.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 7 min read
Animal meaningsScorpion tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Most people who ask me for a scorpion tattoo already know it is a strong symbol. They just are not sure what story it tells on their skin. Protection or danger. Strength or survival. A reminder to stay sharp or a warning not to get too close.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 8 min read
Symbol meanings
Roses, skulls, daggers, crosses and the rest of the classics
Symbol meaningsRose tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Most people searching rose tattoos already know they want one. The hard part is deciding what the rose should stand for, where it should sit on the body, and how detailed or minimal the design should be. A rose is simple on paper. On skin it can carry a lot of story.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 8 min read
Symbol meaningsSkull tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Skull tattoos sit in a strange spot. Everyone knows the image, but what it means on your skin can be personal, quiet or loud.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 8 min read
Symbol meaningsDagger tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Most people who ask me about a dagger tattoo already have a feeling behind it. They just are not sure how to show that feeling in the design. A dagger can read as danger, strength, grief, protection or loyalty depending on how it is drawn and what it sits beside.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 8 min read
Symbol meaningsCross tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Most people looking at cross tattoos are choosing a symbol that already matters to them. The cross often stands for faith, loss, a promise, or a moment you do not want to forget. The tricky part is turning that into a cross tattoo design that feels like it fits your story.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 7 min read
Symbol meaningsHeart tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Most people think of a heart tattoo as simple. One small outline, maybe on the wrist, and done. In the chair, it is rarely that straightforward. Tattooed hearts carry stories about love, grief, faith, family, and sometimes all of that at once. The same shape can feel soft and delicate, or heavy and dark, depending on how it is drawn and where it sits on your body.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 9 min read
Symbol meaningsAngel tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Some designs feel heavier on the skin. Angel tattoos are one of those. People rarely pick an angel on a whim. It is usually a mark for someone, a reminder to get through something, or a way to wear what they believe where they can see it.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 7 min read
Symbol meaningsEye tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Most eye tattoos start from a feeling that someone or something is watching over you. Or from a simple truth; you want a piece that looks back. Eyes carry a lot of meaning across cultures, and the style you choose can change how the tattoo reads in a second.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 6 min read
Symbol meaningsHand tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Most people do not start their tattoo journey with their hands. When you do, or when you move there after a few pieces, you know you are making a visible choice you will see every time you reach for something. A hand tattoo is never background. It is the part of the story you are willing to show the world first.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 10 min read
Symbol meaningsCompass tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Most people who ask me for a compass tattoo are not just into maps. They are marking a moment where they chose a direction, or reminding themselves to hold one. The symbol is simple. The meaning under it rarely is.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 7 min read
Symbol meaningsAnchor tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Most people think of an anchor tattoo and picture old-school sailor flash. Navy, rope, maybe a banner. The anchor symbol tattoo has that history, but it has turned into something more personal now. It is about what keeps you steady when everything else moves.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 6 min read
Symbol meaningsArrow tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Most people looking up arrow tattoo meaning are not just trying to decode a symbol. You are deciding if this is the right way to mark a shift in your life, or to wear a piece of art you will still like ten years from now.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 6 min read
Symbol meaningsStar tattoos: meaning, placement and style
A small star can say a lot. Direction, hope, achievement, someone you miss, or just art you feel pulled to. When someone asks for a star tattoo, the meaning is almost always personal, even if the design looks simple.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 6 min read
Symbol meaningsMoon tattoos: meaning, placement and style
You see the same shape in the sky your whole life. Then one night a photo, a poem or a lyric hits you and a moon starts to feel like more than just a circle of light. That is usually when people start saving screenshots and thinking about turning it into a tattoo.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 8 min read
Symbol meaningsSun tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Most people thinking about a tattoo with sun in it are not just choosing a shape. They are choosing what they want to carry with them every day, and where they want it to sit on their body. You might also be wondering how that new ink will handle real sun exposure once it heals.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 9 min read
Symbol meaningsTree tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Most people who ask me about a tree tattoo already have a feeling behind it. Roots, growth, a tough season they got through. The part that is not clear yet is how to turn that feeling into a design that will still make sense on skin ten years from now.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 9 min read
Symbol meaningsFlower tattoos: meaning, placement and style
Most people searching flower tattoos are not just looking for something pretty. They want a symbol that feels personal and still looks clean on skin years from now. That is where meaning, placement and style start to matter more than the reference picture you saved on your phone.By Mitch BoldSeptember 9, 2026 · 8 min read
Book
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Free, 10–15 minutes, by video or in person, before anything is booked. Bring a reference or a rough idea and the placement you have in mind. Minimum charge is $200.