Application Techniques of Tattoos
Modern tattoo artists use a variety of electronic guns. Generally, multiple needle guns are used for heavy line work or color filling. However, for work requiring finer detail, single needle guns are the tool of choice.
The electronic gun operates by injecting small droplets of pigment beneath the outer skin layers. The needles are mounted on a bar and oscillate rapidly, puncturing the skin many hundreds of times per minute. In the hands of a tattoo artist the gun is used much like a pen.
Cruder forms of tattooing, commonly referred to as "Jailhouse Tattooing", involve using homemade materials such as batteries, sewing needles and India ink. And although these cruder tattoos often yield to easier removal, there are numerous certain risks associated with these methods, namely infection. Therefore, this method is not recommended and should be avoided.
Broadly, the application of a tattoo falls in to one of two methods: freehanding or templating. Freehand tattooing involves the artist copying from an image (such as a photographic portrait) or developing an original design directly on to the skin. Freehanding generally requires greater skill and experience on the part of the artist, is more time-intensive and is far costlier. Templating involves an individual choosing from a selection of pre-drawn images and the tattoo artist uses a template to trace the outline on to the skin. Color and shading are then added freehand often with a multi-needle gun to complete the image. Larger, more complex tattoos are usually done over multiple visits to the studio. The first visit focuses on outlining and shading, and coloring is completed over subsequent visits.
After the gun, the most important tool of the trade is the color palette. Following outlining and shading, usually done in black, the tattoo artist will begin to develop the finer shades of colors from an array of water-based pigments. When multiple colors are used, the needles are cleaned between colors. This is where the artist draws upon his experience and artistic flair to blend and balance the right array of colors to produce a vibrant, well-matched finished product that the patron can feel proud to display.