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How to Trace a Stencil for a Tattoo

Tattoo artists draw up a design for a tattoo based on references and suggestions from a client. Once the design is drawn, the tattoo artist turns the drawing into a stencil. The stencil is applied to the client’s skin after the area has been cleaned, shaved and sprayed with a green soap mixture to adhere the stencil to the body part that is receiving the tattoo. The tattoo artist follows the lines of the stencil during the tattooing process to ensure the design is complete.

Things You'll Need

  • Carbon paper
  • Unlined white paper
  • Tape
  • Tattoo design
  • Colored pencil
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Instructions

    • 1

      Separate the purple sheet of the carbon paper from the other two colors. Lay a piece of white paper down on the table and tape it down to the table by the four corners.
      This piece of white paper will act as a barrier between the table and the carbon paper to prevent purple marks on your table.

    • 2

      Place the purple carbon paper on top of the taped-down white paper. Print or draw the tattoo design on a plain piece of white paper. Tape the carbon paper and the tattoo design paper down to the white sheet. The purple carbon paper should be in the middle of the two white pieces, and the tattoo design should be facing up.

    • 3

      Trace the tattoo design with a pencil while applying pressure. Go over each line in the design. The tape will prevent the paper from slipping and blurring the lines. Use a pencil whose color is different from the color of the tattoo design to show whether any lines were missed while tracing.

    • 4

      Pull the top piece of the white paper off and turn it over. A tattoo stencil will be imprinted on the back of the paper in purple. Do not touch the purple lines or the lines will smear.

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