ok if this gets me kicked out so be it.

Unfortunately there really is no way around it. The only thing I would recommend is that you make the outline thicker, and direct yourself more towards a not so detailed piece.

i have been told by a friend of mine that green ink turns out looking black on black skin, i have no idea if this is true or not

I have a husband who tattoo’s and he is no professional mind but has come a long way in 2 years, I have been learning on him. Anyway, my main job is in beauty, so my point to make comes from my experience with doing electrolysis treatments (needles into the skin for hair removal, for those who don’t know). When working on people with black or Asian skin you need to be aware that you can also cause keliod scaring, by going too deep with the needles.

I know this don’t asnwer your question but still something to consider for next time :)

Yes – when you see keloid on someone that you caused… it sucks.
Becareful with tattooing dark skin people –
also – alot of darker skin people have light areas that are better for tattooing – usually areas not prone to sun.

This is why you should try to get an apprenticeship though – it will really help you out see how professionals deal with this kind of thing. Also – you won’t be shitting yourself in the middle of a tattoo, because you will know what to expect.

I use bigger RL’s when working on darker skinned people. I always have a chit chat prior to working on them in regards to placement and what may or may not work best for visibility on them. This approach seems to work best and they go in understanding results. And most dark people already know its hard to see since they are dark, and this helps with them knowing already.

Is the stencil visible at all? A friend wants his fathers name on his neck but my first big concern is how to make the stencil visible good enough

I always have a talk before operating on them in regards to positioning and what may or may not perform best for exposure on them. This strategy seems to perform best and they go in knowing outcomes.

This wasn’t touched on in this discussion but instead of thinking black do the exact opposite like photo negatives. The black is already there. Why not use a white or lighter colors to create the pattern. Also, have you explored using black light inks? The tattoos would not show up much under regular light but when your client goes to a night club with black lights, etc., it would definitely make them and your work stand out. Just some ideas. I don’t know the feasibility of them but it would be worth a try.

Don’t be afraid to highlight with whites. The best I can give is contrast. Light shows up on dark, dark on light, and remember if they have a medium dark skin, don’t use medium dark ink. Also, if you have an apprenticeship your artist can help you before you have a panic attack