New Artist, needs some details

[Chovy]

JSH- thank you for confirming my thought. I appreciate you taking the time to answer.
Crooked- you posted some more great questions ! thanks Dawn

[JSH]

The stencil is just an outline drawing of the tattoo design.. The tattooist needs this to copy onto transfer paper, (which then becomes the stencil) they then apply it on the skin and ink around it. I think the word 'stencil' confuses people.. Its really just an outline drawing or 'Line art'

Yep. After I draw the design, I ink the lineart in and clean up the paper by erasing the sketchy pencil lines (do not color it yet!), I scan in the inked lineart and that is my stencil. From there I can color it with pencil, colored pencil, or on the computer, but I keep the lineart file saved at 300 dpi as my "stencil".

Here is a question I have though: Is it best to upload the Stencil in reverse when it comes time for design transfer? If it is for the left shoulder, and you drew it accordingly, wouldn't we need to reverse the image for a stencil? Especially for a design with text?

If you drew it for a left shoulder and it was supposed to be for the right one, you could flip (reverse it)

You seem to be over thinking it.. All you need to concentrate on is the line art.. The line art copies onto transfer paper the same as its drawn.. If text is involved it won't come out looking like a mirror image.. Think photocopier.. If you were to scan and photocopy your artwork, it wouldn't print out looking like a mirror image.. unless theres something seriously wrong with your settings..

But anyways you seem to be doing it right so don't worry.. Just make sure the line art is clean.. and your good to go.

[JSH]

JSH- thank you for confirming my thought. I appreciate you taking the time to answer.
Crooked- you posted some more great questions ! thanks Dawn

No problem, I'm glad to be of help..

[Crooked-Arrow]

The stencil is just an outline drawing of the tattoo design.. The tattooist needs this to copy onto transfer paper, (which then becomes the stencil) they then apply it on the skin and ink around it. I think the word 'stencil' confuses people.. Its really just an outline drawing or 'Line art'

Yep. After I draw the design, I ink the lineart in and clean up the paper by erasing the sketchy pencil lines (do not color it yet!), I scan in the inked lineart and that is my stencil. From there I can color it with pencil, colored pencil, or on the computer, but I keep the lineart file saved at 300 dpi as my "stencil".

Here is a question I have though: Is it best to upload the Stencil in reverse when it comes time for design transfer? If it is for the left shoulder, and you drew it accordingly, wouldn't we need to reverse the image for a stencil? Especially for a design with text?

If you drew it for a left shoulder and it was supposed to be for the right one, you could flip (reverse it)

You seem to be over thinking it.. All you need to concentrate on is the line art.. The line art copies onto transfer paper the same as its drawn.. If text is involved it won't come out looking like a mirror image.. Think photocopier.. If you were to scan and photocopy your artwork, it wouldn't print out looking like a mirror image.. unless theres something seriously wrong with your settings..

But anyways you seem to be doing it right so don't worry.. Just make sure the line art is clean.. and your good to go.

But when I draw the letter B onto a piece of paper with india ink and lay it onto my skin, when I lift the paper away the B is backwards on my skin. So I still wonder, when the design is transferred, would it be backwards than intended? I would think I would need to reverse the design for a stencil.

[Crooked-Arrow]

P.S. If I seem to be over-thinking anything it is only because I want to do it right the first time. I learned early on in life that it is always good to triple check a measurement when building or making something, rather than waste the materials and time of having to cut it again when it doesnt fit.

I figure building a knowledge base is the same thing. Learn it right the first time, and so I investigate every doubt thoroughly.

[Crooked-Arrow]

New question: Designs with no lines.

I see designs that look more airbrushed or painterly in color, but have no hard lines. Do they still have a hard line stencil tucked away somewhere for the win? If so, does the tattoo artist just transfer the design onto skin, color it in like a coloring book, then wash off the linework to leave just the color?

I would like to try doing a design without hard lines, but I just need to be clear on how the stencil for such things is put together.

[jenjenkitty82]

This forum kept me from asking a bajillion questions and ordering tattoo stencil paper =) Thanks all.