Create a sketch of the flower tattoo and apply it to the area of the body where the tattoo will be. The sketch should be detailed enough that you can follow the pattern and will not have to free hand any of the tattoo, but you should not go into any unnecessary detail. Too much detail can actually make tattooing more difficult.
Use a liner needle to create the tattoo's outline. Trace over the edges of the rose petals and the stem. Make sure to tattoo slowly in one smooth movement so that the lines will look both even and professional.
Use a flat magnum shader to shade in the stem of the rose. With this needle, you will need to shade in linear strokes. Shade the stem in one solid value to make the multiple values of the rose petals stand out.
Adjust the depth of the needle depending on the darkness of the shading. You can do this by rotating the dials located on the gun above the handle. For darker shading, more depth should be used. For lighter shading, less depth should be used. A general guideline is that there should be a space the thickness of a nickel between the needle and the front spring being adjusted by the dial on the contact screw.
Begin shading the rose petals, working your way from the darkest shades to the lightest shades. Use a round magnum shader in order to create more detail. Shade darker near the inside of the rose petals where a shadow would normally be found. Once you begin shading your lightest values, dip the needle in water before shading to dilute the ink and to create a smoother effect. The edges of the petals should be very lightly shaded, if they are shaded at all.