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The Tattoos Design
Della Hargrove

Della Hargrove

Tattoo Design Specialist

Tattoo artist and designer with 12+ years working across American traditional, Japanese, and modern minimalist styles. Della writes about design choices, placement, aftercare, and the meaning behind popular motifs.

Della Hargrove has been working in and writing about tattoo design for over a decade, across traditional American, Japanese (irezumi-influenced), and contemporary minimalist work. Della’s writing focuses on the practical decisions behind a good tattoo: design, placement, sizing, and the cultural context of motifs.

Areas of Expertise

  • American traditional and neo-traditional design
  • Japanese tattoo style and motif symbolism
  • Minimalist, fine-line, and single-needle work
  • Placement, sizing, and how designs age on the body
  • Aftercare and healing through the first 4 weeks

Writing Approach

Della writes the way a tattooer talks across the chair, direct about what works, honest about what doesn’t. Every design article names a real placement, a real size range, and the cultural roots of the motif. Aftercare guidance comes with timelines, not vague “follow your artist’s instructions” platitudes.

Articles by Della Hargrove (77)

Editorial close-up of a single dandelion tattoo on forearm
Editorial close-up of a crawling Black Panther tattoo on forearm, showing bold linework and deep blacks
A geometric black cross tattoo on a person's upper thigh.
A healed Medusa tattoo on the forearm, snakes woven around a headless motif with bold linework and subtle shading
A Persephone-inspired forearm tattoo featuring a pomegranate motif, vines, and a subtle negative-space silhouette.
Editorial hero: close-up of a forearm with a traditional American flag tattoo, soft studio lighting.
Editorial close-up of a single cardinal tattoo on a forearm, showing bold red ink and detailed feather shading.
Editorial close-up of a forearm with a small swallow tattoo in black ink
A person's inner forearm with a bold eagle tattoo featured in the center.
Editor's hero shot: close-up editorial of a coiled snake tattoo on the forearm, showing bold linework and rich shading
Hero editorial shot of a forearm with a tiger tattoo in black-gray realism, staged in a clean studio.
Hero editorial close-up of a four-leaf clover tattoo on forearm in black ink with subtle shading