~ A tattoo should fit the body, not just look good on paper ~
My name is April Love, my background spans traditional fine art training, in sculpture and ceramics and a BS in Environmental Health, along with decades of hands-on experience in tattooing, design, and body art consultation. I completed my apprenticeship under established tattoo artists Lil' Vicki Fuhrmann and Jeff Fuhrmann of Freedom Design Emporium in Arizona, and I have worked professionally in both studio and custom tattoo environments since the late 1990s.
Over the course of my career, I've seen how profoundly meaningful tattoos can be, AND also how easily they can go wrong.
A tattoo is not just an image. It is a permanent decision made under imperfect conditions: emotion, excitement, pressure, limited information, and uneven artist skill levels. Most people are not given the tools to evaluate design quality, placement, long-term aging, or artist capability before they commit.
That gap is what led me to create How Not to Get a Bad Tattoo. This guide is a practical, experience-based breakdown of what actually matters before you get tattooed. It is designed to help you recognize strong design work, avoid common mistakes, understand placement and composition, and make informed decisions before you ever sit in a chair.
Rather than focusing on hype or trends, the focus is simple: how to avoid regret and make better long-term decisions about permanent body art.
Inside, you'll find insights drawn from decades of professional experience working directly with clients, designing cover-ups, redesigns, scar cover-ups, and corrective tattooing—where the cost of a bad decision becomes visible in real time.
This is not about selling tattoos. It is about helping people avoid getting a bad one. Whether you are considering your first tattoo or refining an existing idea, this guide is meant to give you the kind of perspective most people only learn after a mistake.
Client Testimonials
My clients say it best! On this page you will find some selected examples of the many kind comments sent in by my clients.
"Thank you so much Ms. Love for my beautiful tattoo! Because of my scars I've always walked around covering my body. I would never ever have considered wearing a short-sleeved shirt. I was so self-conscience about my scars that even in 90-100 degree heat here I am with long sleeved shirts on. Just in the first day I got my tattoo I felt like a new person. I've already went shopping for cute summer like shirts. I can't even stay out of the mirror looking at my tattoo. I feel more confident and sexy. Its really great to have something that you've been so troubled by all your life be turned into a positive. Now people will look at my beautiful art work and not my scars. I won't feel uncomfortable going swimming and wearing bikinis and walking around on the beach. This has truly changed me for the better. Ms. Love, your talent and the love you have for that talent is so awesome. I knew right away when we had our consultation that I wanted to work with you. You saw my vision and exactly what I wanted achieved and you did it exactly the way I planned. I felt your compassion for my story and how these are the type of projects that really get you to show your creative side, and it was truly a blessing to work with you. I cant thank you enough. I look forward to working with you in the future." ~Keishonna, Miami, FL.
"I would not let anyone tattoo me but April Love! She makes you feel very comfortable and relaxed during the whole session. Ms. Love is an amazing artist who will bring you're scrambled thoughts and ideas to life! I could not ask for a better artist to work with. Ms. Love's work always amazes me, the end results are better then I could ever imagine. April designed everything to fit my personality and my body! You'll never second-guess any work done by Ms. Love. She will exceed all expectations!" ~Kevin, Huntington Beach, CA.
"I'm happy to endorse April Love as an experienced veteran tattoo artist. I was extremely pleased with the results achieved on my tattoo. Ms. Love is a true artist and designed exactly the type and size tattoo I desired. I have visited April on more than one occasion and each time she was courteous, thoughtful, and professional and makes the overall process easy and comfortable. April ensures the environment is sterile and clean at all times which is important to me! Ms. Love is capable of designing just about any style of tattoo desired. I believe her tribal designs particularly are extremely well done!" ~Kirk, Long Beach, CA.
"April Love is Fantastic! I had Started out with a tattoo done at an "upscale" West Hollywood tattoo shop. Only to find next day that the Tattoo was blown out, blurry, fuzzy just poorly done by a over rated artist. I could have gone back to that shop and complained, and give them the chance to screw it all up again. Instead I decided to search further for another artist to fix what was so poorly done. I came across Ms. Love's web site and sent her an email. She was prompt with a reply and was more than happy to see what I had. We set up a consultation. During the consultation she was very professional with "what should have been done" And very knowledgeable about how she was going to fix it. Any mundane question I had she was right there explaining it to me, without hesitation and without treating me like a child. She totally fixed My mess and changed it into a fantastic piece! So Fantastic that I had her do another piece for me. Totally her design from an idea I had. I have gotten so many compliments from the work she has done from complete strangers. I'm dropping her name all over! I loved how she so warmly walked me through the process and made sure she knew what I wanted. April Love is Great! I won't go to anyone else!" ~Delena, West Hollywood, CA.
"Ms. Love is a great Tattoo artist. She truly thinks about the client as she creates a customized piece of art that will be with you forever. What I like about M.s Love is that she does not do impulse tattoos. She only tattoos clients that have thought seriously and really want a tattoo. your It's best to come prepared to the consults if you really want a specific look for your tattoo. If not, you still should have an idea of what you want and then let her flesh out the details. Ms. Love is very good with creating ideas for your tattoo if you get stuck. She is very honest and will help get the best possible outcome from your ideas. She has a wonderful attitude and will make you feel at ease. Tattoos from Ms. Love are definitely a treat!!...For the actual application, she goes through all the steps with you no matter how many tattoos she has done for you she always follows procedure, which makes her very precise and professional. Ms. Love is always very professional. I have many tattoos by Ms. Love and plan to get even more. If you are looking for a private tattoo artist who is professional, creative, and soothing, Ms. Love is the tattoo artist for you." ~Tasha, Claremont, CA.