CHAPTER 3 Before

 In many states, you need a valid license before any tattooing takes place. When you even start to tattoo, you must learn proper sterilization techniques and be able to apply them with the available equipment. Apply your work ethic to this. After the preliminary requirements are met, you can begin to serve your customers. Once you know the design the customer wants, you first need to pick up flash. Tattoo flash is large sheets of paper with multiple ideas for tattoos on them. It usually comes with one sheet of just outlines and another mainly of color(s) for the same designs. 

If you're good at drawing, create flash yourself. When making your flash, make one copy of a line version in black and white and another in full color with the solid outlines in black. If you're the type to learn computer art programs, you can use them to do cool things. Technology, when applied correctly, makes life a whole lot easier to navigate—but you already knew that. 

To transfer the flash onto the skin, we use what we call stencils. Stencils are our map for each tattoo. Always take your time with stencils, as they truly affect the quality of your work. Some artists,  such as Corey Miller, prefer freehand stencils. The best pen type for this would be a very fine-point felt pen or a skin scribe pen. If you're uncomfortable with the freehand method, you can create your stencil with paper or a BIC pen (the hard way). You can buy a thousand-dollar thermal copier, which mimics a fax machine to produce a stencil from a picture, free of human error. If you can afford to save time and energy by purchasing one of these bad boys, do it. However, if I were starting out I would opt for the hard way. Some of the brands of paper in circulation are terrible. To avoid complications, use Spirits brand paper. Remember that manually tracing each stencil helps you get a better feel for the piece you're about to do. Once you get your skills up, it shouldn't be hard to cope with that. 

To make a thermal stencil, you have to make a photocopy of the drawing. Like us, photocopies are carbon-based. Carbon is what reacts to the heating elements of these fantastic machines. If you have to reverse a design to make the stencil, photocopy the purple side of the thermal paper down. The photocopy you make from this will be the reverse image of the design, from which you can now make your stencil. Another way to do this is to use transparency film with a photocopier. Make a  photocopy of the design on the film, and then make a photocopy of the film on paper. The film is clear, so you can copy either side depending on which way you want your target image to face. 

If you're working on a challenging piece, it's not a bad idea to retrace the design to get a better feel for what's going on. I've even attached a pencil instead of a tube for a more accurate simulation. You could take this further by hooking up the clip cord and throwing vibrations in the mix. 

OK, we've covered the logic behind stencils. Now let's learn how to apply them to the skin. Start by scrubbing the skin with your surgical tincture green soap solution. Then shave the skin with a sterile disposable or straight razor. Remove all hair from an area extending 1.5 inches beyond the site of the tattoo. Always shave, whether or not you see hair there. Next, swab a  70 percent alcohol solution over the entire site. After that, dry this area again with a fresh paper towel. 

Now it's time to transfer the stencil. To do this, you need to make the skin tacky. I use a product called Stencil Stuff. You can also use K-Y Jelly—it keeps stencils on forever. Ask the customer to sit or stand up straight and relax the muscles. Swiftly yet firmly, place the stencil on the prepared site. Slowly peel away the paper. A nice outline should have been transferred onto the skin. Be sure to let this fully dry on the skin before continuing. Once the design is successfully transferred, ensure your customer is satisfied with the exact placement. If the customer is not satisfied, adjust and do it again. Stencils can be used several times before they wear out. Out of concern for sterilization, though, I wouldn't recommend using the same stencil on different customers. Remember, the stencil is your map. It's a good idea to tape a picture to the skin to reference while working or post the picture of the tattoo on something nearby to view what you're replicating. 

At this point, we've covered what we need to rock and roll. Let's get busy. Allow plenty of time for the body art procedure. Don't set a time limit. Make sure you've eaten something during the twenty-four hours before your client arrives, as you want to avoid getting dizzy or passing out at work, which would be bad. Very bad. It'sDrinking plenty of water and other replenishing fluids throughout the day is also a good rule. Wear comfortable clothing that you can easily remove or adjust. 

Break off enough paper towel slices to do the tattoo before you get started. This prevents cross-contamination of the entire roll. It also makes getting to them an easier task. Adjust your chair to maximize maneuverability, and similarly fine-tune your lighting,  clothes, and so forth. Always tape something—preferably a Dri

Loc pad—around your wrists, as this exposed area can easily come in contact with the client's blood. You could even go so far as to wear a surgical mask to prevent inhalation of airborne blood, though that may be a bit extreme. Then again, I have a blood squirt into my mouth, so perhaps there are no real extremes when attempting to optimize safety. Never forget to put small sandwich bags over the squeeze bottles used for essential fluids like alcohol and diluted green soap. This will help prevent any contamination. 

Gloves come in several sizes, so be sure to pick a comfortable size. They should be nice and snug on your hand. Before beginning and with your gloves on, open the sterile bags (not to be confused with the "machine baggies" from the equipment setup list in chapter 1) and remove the equipment in front of the customer. Also, open your packages of sterile needles in front of him, or she is having the work done. Many clients will enjoy greater peace of mind from witnessing this. 

Begin with a small cup of distilled water to rinse out your needles. For some artists, this is almost a ritual. Then make sure you've put together all the equipment you'll use for this session. Do not place ink caps close to the edge of the setup. They should be a few inches toward the center. 

Now test the machine while it is running to ensure you have the proper setup. Whether or not it fits in the correct position, be sure to tighten the tube first to prevent it from sliding every which way. When it comes to coil-based machines, all it takes is one thing to be incongruent, and the whole thing will malfunction. Then set the needle beneath the tip of the tube. Some people "hang" their needles, letting their pins stick out without being depressed. In other words, the tips of the needles can be seen naturally. I don't recommend this for beginners. Never bend the bar; only bend the needle slightly to stop the needle bar from riding the back of the tube. Bend only slightly down when you do this because if the needles are bent too much, they'll either scrape on the inside bottom of the tube or hit against the inside bottom of the tip edge.