Sunday, March 15, 2009
HOW TO TATTOO AND DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME: SAFETY FOR YOURSELF AND THE CUSTOMER
For your own safety I recommend that you always use glove (surgical latex). This is not only for your safety, it also shows your customer that you care and looks more professional. Always make sure that your tattoo area is clean. Keep the needles and tubes clean and sterilized in sterilization pouches. You should always remove them in front of your customers. If possible use new needles for every customer. When first starting out, this can be very costly. Buy prepared stainless steel needles, they are usuable if handled carefully and inspected for any dullness and bent needle points. Any sign of damaged needles should be disposed of properly (check with your board of heatlth for any rules and regulations). Damaged needles will hurt your reputation, as well as unnecessary pain for your customer.
PREPARING THE SKIN
You first start by making sure everything is clean, organized, and in it's place. The first step is to prep the skin in the area where the tattoo is to be done. Make sure the skin area is clean by removing any dirt and oil that may be produced by glands under the skin. Take the spray bottle marked green soap and a white paper towel and spray are with soap, then clean at least two inches larger than the pattern to be applied. After you have cleaned the area with soap, take the spray bottl marked alcohol and spray the area, then clean any soap film that might remain. Repeat steps 1 and 2, again allow time to dry. We are now ready to move onto applyhing transfer or stencil.
STENCILS
There are several types of stencils. We will begin by explaining the different types. I have seen many tattooists at work, but I have yet to see one that does not use a stencil or guidelines of some sort. Your freehand will come into play when you start doing shading and coloring. The way I would recommend if possible., would be by using a thermal fax machine. This machine will print out the transfer by using a special sheet calle thermacopy. With your copy machine, run off a copy of the desired design. Use line design only, use no shading or color in your transfer, since this will clutter your patter on the skin which in turn will make it hard to see the lines. Having the thermal fax copy sheet in hand remove the protective brown paper and discard, then place copy of desired design face up under a carbon sheet. When ran through the thermal fax, through heat and light the copy of the design is transferred to the top sheet.
Another method of stenciling is with the hectograph pencil. Using a high grade of tracing paper, trace out the desired design to be transferred. The hectograph ink and pen are done pretty much the same way as the pencil.
Then we have acetate stencils. Acetate stencils are a clear plastic and have one good advantage, the clear plastic makes it easy to flip designs. To use the acetate you need a stencil cutter. Place the designs under the acetate and trace with the cutter, being careful not to go completely through the other side. If you want the reverse angle, then just flip it over and repeat tracing the lines with the stencil cutter. After you have cut the lines the acetate needs to be deburred. To do this, take a small piece of acetate and rub back and forth in a fanning motion across the cut edge. To use the acetate stencil you will need black stencil powder. Using carbolated Vaseline put a thin coat on the area where you are going to put the design. With the cut stencils powder on the acetate and rub the powder into the grooves with your finger. Wipe off any excess powder making sure the powder is only in the grooves. Remember to use just enough Vaseline to shine the skin, too much will blur the transfer. Apply the acetate to the area, hold firmly and very still, with the other hand take your fore finger and massage over the design. After you have done this, remove the acetate with a quick pealing motion.
With the thermal fax and hectograph stencils, rub the area with the deodorant stick. Apply the paper stencil, press with the palm, and then rub with your finger. Remove these stencils slowly. Allow time for the deodorant to dry. With what ever method you have decided to use, the only way to get good at it is practice.
Another method of stenciling is with the hectograph pencil. Using a high grade of tracing paper, trace out the desired design to be transferred. The hectograph ink and pen are done pretty much the same way as the pencil.
Then we have acetate stencils. Acetate stencils are a clear plastic and have one good advantage, the clear plastic makes it easy to flip designs. To use the acetate you need a stencil cutter. Place the designs under the acetate and trace with the cutter, being careful not to go completely through the other side. If you want the reverse angle, then just flip it over and repeat tracing the lines with the stencil cutter. After you have cut the lines the acetate needs to be deburred. To do this, take a small piece of acetate and rub back and forth in a fanning motion across the cut edge. To use the acetate stencil you will need black stencil powder. Using carbolated Vaseline put a thin coat on the area where you are going to put the design. With the cut stencils powder on the acetate and rub the powder into the grooves with your finger. Wipe off any excess powder making sure the powder is only in the grooves. Remember to use just enough Vaseline to shine the skin, too much will blur the transfer. Apply the acetate to the area, hold firmly and very still, with the other hand take your fore finger and massage over the design. After you have done this, remove the acetate with a quick pealing motion.
With the thermal fax and hectograph stencils, rub the area with the deodorant stick. Apply the paper stencil, press with the palm, and then rub with your finger. Remove these stencils slowly. Allow time for the deodorant to dry. With what ever method you have decided to use, the only way to get good at it is practice.
HOW DEEP SHOULD I GO?
There is a big misconception that there is a large amount of blood and a lot of gore. Tattooing today is a fine line and precise art. It's not like in your grandpa's days when he got a tattoo and ten years later you can't tell what it was because it was put in so deep that the ink spread and worked its way back up through the skin.
A tattoo today, if done properly, can last without the spreading of ink. It will hold the fine line and the definition indefinitely, provided there is no damage through improper care, neglect in healing, or an abrasion fo one type or another. Depth of a tattoo may vary from one customer to another. There are many different types of skin that a tattoo artist will come across. Some will willingly accept the ink while some will totally regject it. You need to keep the skin moist and soft throughout the procedure and remember to keep the skin tight at all times. The skin is very elastic, which means that the needle can bounce or drag if the skin is not tight. The skin is made up of two layers, the epidermis and the dermis. Betweenthe two there is an approximated thickness of 1/6 of an inch. You only need to penetrate the epidermis layer to get the tattoo permanent. If you penetrate these two layers then coms the fatty tissue and after the comes the muscle tissue. If you penetrate these layers you are greatly increasing your chance of scar tissue. Fat and muscle tissue has no consistency to hold the ink. I suggest that you don't go any deepr than 1/8 of an inch. Never overwork the skin for fear of scar tissue.
A tattoo today, if done properly, can last without the spreading of ink. It will hold the fine line and the definition indefinitely, provided there is no damage through improper care, neglect in healing, or an abrasion fo one type or another. Depth of a tattoo may vary from one customer to another. There are many different types of skin that a tattoo artist will come across. Some will willingly accept the ink while some will totally regject it. You need to keep the skin moist and soft throughout the procedure and remember to keep the skin tight at all times. The skin is very elastic, which means that the needle can bounce or drag if the skin is not tight. The skin is made up of two layers, the epidermis and the dermis. Betweenthe two there is an approximated thickness of 1/6 of an inch. You only need to penetrate the epidermis layer to get the tattoo permanent. If you penetrate these two layers then coms the fatty tissue and after the comes the muscle tissue. If you penetrate these layers you are greatly increasing your chance of scar tissue. Fat and muscle tissue has no consistency to hold the ink. I suggest that you don't go any deepr than 1/8 of an inch. Never overwork the skin for fear of scar tissue.
STRETCHING THE SKIN
When tattooing, the skin needs to be tight at all times. Tattooing the arm if fairly easy as far as body areas go. Wrap your hand around the back side of the arm or wherever the transfer was placed. With your thumb and fingers stretch the akin from side to side.
When tattooing larger areas, like backs, chests, and shoulders, its always nice to have a helper around to help stretch the skin. Most of the time that is not possible so you will need to do a lot of work between the thumb and fore fingers.
I have found that is also works well when pulling down below the tattoo and pushing up above the tattoo.
When tattooing larger areas, like backs, chests, and shoulders, its always nice to have a helper around to help stretch the skin. Most of the time that is not possible so you will need to do a lot of work between the thumb and fore fingers.
I have found that is also works well when pulling down below the tattoo and pushing up above the tattoo.
THE ART OF TATTOOING : OUTLINING THE TATTOO
In the business of tattooing there is no room for mistakes, therefore it is wise to get it right the first time. As in life you will have your good days andyour bad days. A word of advice, if for some reason you don't feel like tattooing, try to leave the problems aside.
After applying the transfer and allowing time to dry you are ready to start the outline. Apply a thin coat of vaseline over the transfer. I recommend that someone will little experience use a #3 needle liner to start. To properly use a single needle takes time to learn to use it the right way, so get a little work under your belt before attempting this. Start at the bottom of the tattoo. At the beginning of a line with a smooth and steady, even stroke continue to the end of the line, making sure not to go too slow to too fast.
Never stop in between lines. You will find that it is very difficult to connect the lines perfectly again. Continue to connect the lines. Always tattoo in a downward motion. You will want to be careful not to over run the lines, I will call cross over.
After finishing a line, wipe softly with a paper towel. You need to make sure you have that smooth even line the first time so you don't have to go back and darken in the lines. This could lead to double lining. With experience and the proper equipment, in time, this will almost become automatic.
After applying the transfer and allowing time to dry you are ready to start the outline. Apply a thin coat of vaseline over the transfer. I recommend that someone will little experience use a #3 needle liner to start. To properly use a single needle takes time to learn to use it the right way, so get a little work under your belt before attempting this. Start at the bottom of the tattoo. At the beginning of a line with a smooth and steady, even stroke continue to the end of the line, making sure not to go too slow to too fast.
Never stop in between lines. You will find that it is very difficult to connect the lines perfectly again. Continue to connect the lines. Always tattoo in a downward motion. You will want to be careful not to over run the lines, I will call cross over.
After finishing a line, wipe softly with a paper towel. You need to make sure you have that smooth even line the first time so you don't have to go back and darken in the lines. This could lead to double lining. With experience and the proper equipment, in time, this will almost become automatic.
SHADING
After completing the outline, the next step is the shading. There are several types of shading. In my opinion, shading and coloring are the most rucial parts of a tattoo. This is the part of a procedure where the largest chance of damage and scarring can occur. If it isn't done correctly, you will run into problems such as the skin not excepting the ink, blotching, or excessive skin damage.
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