They did, but it was fairly uncommon for you to pick something and get exactly that. It was more of an inspiration, a starting off point. You find some stuff yo

They did, but it was fairly uncommon for you to pick something and get exactly that. It was more of an inspiration, a starting off point. You find some stuff you like and then you talk to the artist and get them to sketch out something based off that but tailored to you. It also provided evidence that the artist had some idea of what they were doing. Really good shops would have pictures from the day of, and then from 10 years later right next to each other so you could ensure the work wouldn't fade or bleed excessively. Now, did some people flip through the book and ask for that exact tattoo? Sure. Some people put amazingly little effort into something that they'll carry forever.