1. Patience The first tip is patience. Do not rush into a design decision. Be sure that the design you settle on meets all of the emotional requirements you will place on your first tattoo. Remember, painful surgery or cover-ups are the only ways to get rid of a tattoo once you have it and both options take a lot of money and thought to implement.
2. Consistency Think of a theme. Here I do not mean that you need one, but you should consider it early if you decide that you do what to embrace a theme. If you get a permanent piece of art that doesn't fit your theme idea, it will either be out of place on your body in contrast to future tattoos or you are back to cover-ups or surgery. Some people only get one tattoo. That is fine, of course, but most people that get ink once get the fever (like I did) and plan out many return trips to their favorite artist to balance out the tattoos they already have.
3. Your Artist Choose your artist well. Be sure to shop around for someone that has consistently great art. All artists will have a portfolio of their own designs and final tattoos in their parlors. If they do not, avoid them!
