Skip to content
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 (147)

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.
A forearm with a traditional American flag tattoo.
A single cardinal tattoo on a forearm, showing bold red ink and detailed feather shading.
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: close-up of a coiled snake tattoo on the forearm, showing bold linework and rich shading
A forearm with a tiger tattoo in black-gray realism, staged.
A four-leaf clover tattoo on forearm in black ink with subtle shading
Hero magnolia tattoo on forearm close-up, clean linework and shading
A solid black heart tattoo on a person's upper chest near the collarbone.
Be first when the shop opens