Sketching and Placement
Tattooingisdifferentthandoingotherartworkbecause
youdon’thaveadefinedborderlikewithotherartwork.
Thereisnoedgeofthecanvas.Youhavetothinkabout
theareaofthebodythedesignisgoingonandhowto
maketheartflow withthebody.Igenerallytrace the
areawherethedesignisgoing,andalsotakeapictureof
thebodypartthedesignisgoingon.Thenyoucanprint
outthepictureusingregularpaper,notphotopaper,so
that it’s easy to drawon. Youcan doa small, quick
designofthetattooonthephototohelpsettheflowand
generaldesign,thenreferbacktothatasyoudrawthe
designonthetracingpaperthatyouusedtomeasurethe
space you’re going to fill on the body.
Start with a quick, rough, loose sketch to begin the
process.Tryingtogetthedesign perfectwith thefirst
draftisnearlyimpossibleandtendstomaketheartlook
stiff.Startloose,andthentightenitupasyougotoget
allthedetailsworkedout.Usetracingpaperinlayersto
refineyoursketch.Thatwayitjustgetsmoreandmore
refinedandyoudon’thaveatonoferasingtodo.Ifyou
feelyou’vestartedinthewrongdirection,itisokayto
just scrapthewhole design andstartover. Make sure