Stencils

Tattoo Design & Stencils

There's a chance you don't care about tattoo design or stencils. It is, after all, possible to take a $1 surgical marker, scribble a design, and go to town. I don't recommend it. But the option is there.

This is a crash course so I'm not going to talk about design theory. Just make sure you or the person you're tattooing likes the design AND PERMANENTLY WANTS IT ON THEIR SKIN. Take a sharpie and scribble it on for 3 days before tattooing. If you still like it, move forward with it. Also, don't bite off more than you can chew. Beginner handpoke tattoos should be simple. Even if you're a great artist, our skin is a very unique canvas and it takes a lot of practice to get good at putting marks on it.

Whether a tattoo is simple or complex I always use a stencil. Stencil paper typically has 4 layers.

The first layer is where you will draw your design.

The second layer just separates the 1st & 3rd, throw it out.

The third layer is dried ink that will transfer to the first layer.

The fourth layer (usually yellow) holds all the other layers together.

The drawing layer (1st) can be drawn on directly or used as tracing paper if your design is already drawn on some other paper. After you have the design drawn, place the 1st layer directly on top of the 3rd. Now trace over it again. Try to use quite a bit of pressure. You're basically rubbing the ink on the 3rd layer onto the 1st with the tip of your pen/pencil.

The dry ink that has now been transferred to that 1st page will be what goes on the skin.

Quick tutorial on applying a stencil:

• Clean area where the stencil will go with green soap

• Squeeze out stencil solution (stencil stuff) and rub it in. Skin should be tacky, not wet.

• Place down stencil center-first and work your way outwards until the entire stencil is on your skin. Hold it in place for a few seconds.

• Wait at least 15 min before tattooing. The more you let it dry, the more it'll stick.