How I make tattoos for The Sims 4 (FAQ, August 2025)
Hey! I've been getting quite a few questions about my tattoos, so I wanted to answer all of them in a single post. The pose in the preview image is by DearKim.
Read this post on Patreon.
Q: Do you create your own designs?
Yes. All of the tattoo designs are created by me from scratch. I used to work as an illustrator earlier in my professional life, so I have quite a lot of experience when it comes to creating digital artwork.
Q: Where do you get the inspiration for the designs?
In real life, I have a bunch of stick-and-poke tattoos (done both by myself and my friends), and a few "woodcut" ones (done by people who know what they're doing). I love clean lines and simple gradients, so while I personally don't have any old-school tattoos, I think this particular style works super well in The Sims.
A lot of the elements in my artwork can be traced back to common subjects of old-school tattoos—various critters and plants. That's where I tend to seek inspiration.
Q: What software do you use?
For my first couple of tattoo sets, I created the vector artwork in Figma. Figma is a tool primarily used for digital product design, but it also has fairly simple and accessible vector tools.
Lately, however, I've been creating artwork in Procreate. Procreate allows me to have more control over gradients and offers a more dynamic workflow in general.
Regardless of where I create the artwork, I have to adjust the design to better fit the geometry of the Sim’s body. The way some body areas are structured can make it tricky for the design to appear as intended, so it might require some tweaking. If you’ve ever gotten a tattoo on a body part that stretches a lot as you move, then you might get the gist.
I always use Sims4Studio to create custom content for The Sims 4.
Q: How do you make the tattoos look crisp?
Here are a few tips for you to try out:
Thicker lines typically render much better compared to thinner, tiny details. The thinner your lines, the more blurry and/or pixelated the texture will end up looking in-game. I do not use any HQ mods, so I use the default texture sizes for my tattoos.
Try using more pronounced angles and decreasing the number of details. If your design has a bunch of tiny dots or irregular lines, it is highly likely that the texture will turn out blurry in-game.
Pay attention to the contrast between the lines, gradients, and solid shapes. The more contrast, the better.
Try out different composition methods in S4S. For my tattoos, I have typically used methods 0 or 1 (as of August 2025).
Q: Do you have any other tips?
I post various tutorials and tips on my blog.
As always, if you want to create Maxis Match content, the best way to approach this is by looking at EA’s work. Try mimicking the thickness of lines, sizes of elements, and how they use color.
If you don't create your own designs, ask for permission to use the design and/or credit the original artist.
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