How to Create Your Own Tattoo Stencil
The best tattoo artists in the world have tried practicing their designs on stencil. They do this because there are times when they’ll need to improvise. But stencils aren’t just meant for that. In fact, before they became professionals, they’ve had to create their own tattoo stencils at home as a way to perfect their craft.
It’s quite easy especially if you’ve already been drawing for some time. But first, you have to know what it is before learning how to create your own tattoo stencil.
A tattoo stencil is an outline of a design done on a special kind of paper which the artist would then transfer to your skin. This creates the foundation of the final tattoo design.
A tattoo stencil is an outline of a design done on a special kind of paper which the artist would then transfer to your skin. This creates the foundation of the final tattoo design.
Tattoo Stencil Made Easy
You don’t need special tools or equipment to create your own tattoo stencils. There are things you can find at home which you can use instead. The following steps will show you how to create your own tattoo stencil:
1. Finalize your design – For this step, you don’t need a special kind of paper. Use any normal clean printer paper. Sketch out the final design outline and size of the tattoo. Feel free to make the outline as thin or as thick as you want it to be. Your design template must be followed.
2. No special pens necessary – Any tracing pen or pencil would do since you’re basically just finishing up on the outline.
3. Make erasures when the final outline is complete – At this point, you’re still able to make erasures or revisions to your design. Make it count since this is the only time you’ll be able to do so. At the end of this, be sure you’re happy with this “final” design.
4. Using Carbon Paper Stencil – Take out the thin white layer of the carbon paper. Place your final outline on top (the carbon side of the paper should be facing up). Trace your drawing again very slowly because it would indeed be frustrating to find out that none of the design has been transferred correctly.
5. Using Onion Skin Paper – This is a special kind of paper which is almost see-through. When you place a brand new sheet of onion skin on your design, you should be able to see everything – even the smallest dotted lines. Start tracing your artwork slowly using a thick pencil. Make sure you don’t trace hard and create a hole on the onion skin instead.
6. Be ready to transfer – The purpose of a tattoo stencil is to transfer the design successfully on the skin. This would serve as a final layout for the client to assess the placement and position of the tattoo. Tattoo transfers involve another process which you can learn some other time. For now, making the tattoo stencil is your main focus.
Without ever having to actually do the tattoo, practicing making stencils on a regular basis is definitely going to help you in your quest to become a professional tattoo artist. If you want to run-through some more, simply repeat steps 1 to 6. It’s really as easy as rinse and repeat and then you’re good to go!
You don’t need special tools or equipment to create your own tattoo stencils. There are things you can find at home which you can use instead. The following steps will show you how to create your own tattoo stencil:
1. Finalize your design – For this step, you don’t need a special kind of paper. Use any normal clean printer paper. Sketch out the final design outline and size of the tattoo. Feel free to make the outline as thin or as thick as you want it to be. Your design template must be followed.
2. No special pens necessary – Any tracing pen or pencil would do since you’re basically just finishing up on the outline.
3. Make erasures when the final outline is complete – At this point, you’re still able to make erasures or revisions to your design. Make it count since this is the only time you’ll be able to do so. At the end of this, be sure you’re happy with this “final” design.
4. Using Carbon Paper Stencil – Take out the thin white layer of the carbon paper. Place your final outline on top (the carbon side of the paper should be facing up). Trace your drawing again very slowly because it would indeed be frustrating to find out that none of the design has been transferred correctly.
5. Using Onion Skin Paper – This is a special kind of paper which is almost see-through. When you place a brand new sheet of onion skin on your design, you should be able to see everything – even the smallest dotted lines. Start tracing your artwork slowly using a thick pencil. Make sure you don’t trace hard and create a hole on the onion skin instead.
6. Be ready to transfer – The purpose of a tattoo stencil is to transfer the design successfully on the skin. This would serve as a final layout for the client to assess the placement and position of the tattoo. Tattoo transfers involve another process which you can learn some other time. For now, making the tattoo stencil is your main focus.
Without ever having to actually do the tattoo, practicing making stencils on a regular basis is definitely going to help you in your quest to become a professional tattoo artist. If you want to run-through some more, simply repeat steps 1 to 6. It’s really as easy as rinse and repeat and then you’re good to go!