Custom Tattoo Projects
Some tattoos are finished in a single session. Others become a project: covering an old piece, turning an entire arm into one cohesive composition, or building a fully custom design from scratch — all of these require planning, multiple sessions, and close collaboration with your artist.
At Bosphorus Ink, we group this kind of work under "custom tattoo projects." What they have in common: none of them is picked off a shelf — each one is built around your body, your existing tattoos and your story. We work with artists experienced in exactly this kind of project at our Beşiktaş and Pendik studios.
Which Project Is Right for You?
Our three services answer different needs. To work out which one fits you, just look at your starting point:
| Your situation | Right project | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|
| I'm not happy with an existing tattoo | Cover-up | 1-3 sessions (laser first if needed) |
| I want to cover my whole arm in tattoo work | Sleeve | Usually 3-6+ sessions |
| I have an idea but no design | Custom Design | Design process + 1-3 sessions |
| I have several old, disconnected tattoos I want to unify | Cover-up + Sleeve combined | Requires assessment |
That last row is something we see often: pulling several small, unrelated tattoos into a single composition. It calls for cover-up and sleeve techniques together, and we plan it out during your free consultation.
Cover-up Tattoo
A cover-up tattoo is the art of covering an old, unwanted tattoo with a new, original design. At Bosphorus Ink i...
→Sleeve Tattoo
A sleeve tattoo is a large-scale piece designed as a cohesive composition covering all or a large part of the ar...
→Custom Tattoo Design
A custom tattoo design is an entirely original piece drawn from scratch based on your story — completely yours. ...
→How Does the Process Work for Larger Projects?
A small tattoo is simple: idea, design, session. Larger projects add a planning stage in between.
1. Free assessment. Share a photo of the current situation and your idea with us on WhatsApp. For a cover-up we assess the darkness and size of the old tattoo; for a sleeve, the current state of your arm. At this stage we give you an honest roadmap — sometimes "let's lighten it with laser first" gets a better result than starting right away.
2. Design. Your artist prepares the design based on your references and your body's anatomy. For larger projects, the design is applied to the skin as a stencil and reviewed together before the needle touches skin. Anything you're not happy with changes at that stage.
3. Session scheduling. Long projects aren't finished in a day. We usually leave 3-4 weeks between sessions to allow for healing — the skin needs that time to recover before the next section can be worked on properly.
4. Aftercare and follow-up. You get written aftercare instructions after every session. If a question comes up during healing, you can reach us on WhatsApp.
What Determines the Price of a Custom Project?
There's no fixed price list for this kind of work, because no two projects are the same. What actually drives the price:
Area covered. Half sleeve versus full sleeve is a big jump; a full back piece is usually the most extensive project.
Level of detail. A realistic portrait and a blackwork pattern can cover the same area and still take very different amounts of time — detail means time.
Condition of the old tattoo (for cover-ups). A dark, large existing tattoo limits the size and colour of the new design; sometimes laser fading is needed first, which is a separate cost.
Number of sessions. Long projects are priced per session; the total becomes clear once we've planned it out together.
Rather than a single flat number, we break the price down by these factors so you always know what you're paying for. See our tattoo prices guide for current ranges, or message us on WhatsApp for a quote specific to your project. The initial consultation is free.
Finding the Right Artist for Your Project
In custom projects, choosing the right artist matters more than choosing a style. A cover-up needs an artist who knows how to work with dark tones; a realistic sleeve calls for strong shading and composition skills.
Our 10+ person team at Bosphorus Ink each specialise in different things. We work out together, during your assessment, which artist is the right fit for your project — sometimes the best answer to your idea turns out to be a different approach than the style you first had in mind. You're welcome to browse our artists and their portfolios and tell us your preference.