Darren McGregor

Some artists will not only have their line work on the stencil, but
light shading might be included as well. This can save time
while attempting to decipher the stencil once it is transposed to
the skin. Awesome

Gloves should be worn during all times of stencil application,
and the skin should always be cleaned prior to application with
standard 70% alcohol. The alcohol can come in the form of a
squirt or spray bottle, or

Allow the purple ink to dry. Some artists will immediately begin
the tattoo if the placement is acceptable, while others will wait 5
minutes or more. This can also be a good time to spend ensuring
that the

An old technology that is used in a new way is the stack fed dot
matrix printer. This is a pretty cool way to print directly from your
personal computer right onto the Spirit masters paper. The pressure
will mimic

There are two ways to get that award winning design, you spent
hours on, into a transferable medium. The first way to properly
use Spirit Masters style paper is to have your completed drawing
out, lay it on top of

Liquid applications are always the preferred method
in stencil application. There are unlimited numbers
of chemicals that are in a liquid form that can be applied to the
skin and will achieve similar results.

7.1 Stencil Materials Used
The stencil application process can cause a lot of new tattoo
artists some grief, but once you get the hang of it then it will
become a breeze. The actual stencil process begins when

Never underestimate the power of the white pigment.
White can be an awesome highlighting tool, and even
better blending tool in the ink cap to change another pigment’s
composition all together. Experiment with

There are two basic types of color tattoo styles, solid and layered.
Each time you start a color piece it is important to first lay
down a solid black and grey foundation. The black and grey
foundation will help

Color can be applied to the skin either as a gradient or as a
solid color. It is important to note that when attempting to color
in a tattoo with a solid color or solid black that sometimes you
will have what is

Tattoo pigments have come a long way, especially in the past
decade or so. There are hundreds of manufactures of tattoo
pigments around the world that manufacture beautiful color
pigments. There are about five

To avoid needle or spotty marks in the tattoo while doing
grey work it is important to use a much softer running machine
than you would typically use during a lining session.
It is also important to utilize

Traditional tattoo methodology would have the artist work from
darker to lighter areas of the tattoo, building up shadows and
darker areas. This is not always required, but it is good practice.
As a new tattoo

Another common technique is the true grey pigment method.
With the true grey ink method grey inks are mixed using tattoo
white and tattoo black pigments. These are a lot thicker than the
lining inks, and should

Sumi™ inks are available as well to tattoo artists. These inks will have a very smooth grey appearance in the skin and are mixed in similar ways mentioned in the grey wash technique. There are some manufactures

Grey wash

There are just as many methods for creating different variations
for shading in tattoo as there are ways to tune a tattoo machine.
Ultimately it is up to the tattoo artist’s preference. This text will
cover a

There are a few items that will be required to make tattoo needles
and quality does matter when it comes to these materials.
The first item required is the needle bar. Stainless steel is the
preferred needle bar.

When you are dealing with coils you should not always
have the mindset that more wraps is better. Less
wraps on a machine will typically make your machine
run faster. They will also require less voltage

There was a time when pre-made needles were non-existent.
This is where the “new needles every time” signs posted on
the front of tattoo studios. In more recent times there has been
a boom in the manufacturing and