The distinctive aesthetics of tattoo art inform and are also informed by trends in the visual art world. The limitations of the tattoo medium dictate some aspects of the final form—tattoos have a finite color palette, are two dimensional, and must fit in a defined area. Artwork that is influenced by tattoo art borrows common tattoo motifs and also shares these aesthetic characteristics. Many tattoo artists have fine art practices separate from, but related to, the  themes of their tattoo work. Horiren First, for example, creates drawings on washi paper that share common themes with her tattoo work. Jean-François Palumbo, a Belgian tattoo artist, makes paintings that have a flatness and limited palette in common with his tattoos. Japanese tattoo artist Horiyoshi III shows sketches and drawings related to his tattoos, but does not consider them works of art in themselves. For him, the skin is an integral part of the artwork and the preparatory drawings lack a living quality.

Artists well known for their work in other arenas sometimes venture into creating tattoos. The supermodel Kate Moss, for example, claims to have a tattoo executed by the late, celebrated British painter Lucian Freud. Jeff Koons, Richard Prince, and Damien Hirst are among those more conventional artists who have designed tattoos.