drawing & designing tattoo art buchanan, fip

Drawing & DesigningTattoo Art

Creating Masterful Tattoo Art FromStart to Finish

Fip Buchananwith photography by Marc Balanky

Cincinnati, OH

impact-books.com

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Contents

Special Offer

Introduction

What You’ll Need

CHAPTER 1

The ConsultationMeeting the Client

Sketching and Placement

Keys to a Good Composition

Adding Interest

Location Matters

Overcoming Common Obstacles

CHAPTER TWO

From Sketch to TattooPlanning Your Composition

From Sketch to Tattoo

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Adding Interest to the Composition

Black and Gray Tattoos

Unifying Design Elements

Adding to Existing Tattoos

Iconic Images

Asian Style Tattoos

CHAPTER 3

Tattoo Style ArtTransfer Designs

Angel Wings

CHAPTER 4

Artists’ GalleryChris Walkin

Craig Driscoll

Jen Lee

Juan Puente

Kahlil Rintye

Shawn Barber

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Mary Joy Scott

Robert Atkinson

Shawn Warcot

Fip Buchanan

About the Author

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Copyright

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Introduction

I began tattooing in 1979 and it became my career in thefall of 1984, right after I graduated from the Art Instituteof Pittsburgh. I have drawn all my life and was inspiredby my mother in that direction at a very early age. I do

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remember asking my mother what a tattoo was as a childand she responded “Don’t ever get one of those, you’llget blood poisoning!” Well, I’ve gotten way more thanone of “those” and still don’t have blood poisoning!Fortunately the health aspects of tattooing have muchimproved through the passage of time, and those risksare way less than they were in days gone by. Now mosthealth departments require that tattoo artists getblood-borne pathogen training, along with having strictguidelines about sterilization and sanitation that everytattoo shop has to follow.

Tattooing has evolved a great deal since I’ve beeninvolved with it. There are so many styles and trends thathave come and gone, and some of the better ones havestayed. The language of tattoo design has expandedtremendously, which is one of many reasons whytattooing has become so popular. In the good old days oftattooing, the imagery was very limited. A lot of thosestandard designs, and the style they were tattooed in, isnow referred to as American Traditional. Even when Ifirst began tattooing in 1979, eagles, skulls, anchors,cartoon characters, weren’t part of a specific genre. Theywere just tattoos. Now there is American Traditional,Tribal, Black and Gray, Celtic, New School, Realistic,Biomechanical, Japanese, and who knows what else.

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With the expanded design options, more people canrelate to tattooing, and find, or create, a design thatresonates with them. Therefore the demographic oftattooing has expanded. With unlimited design choices,the tattoo clientele has also become unlimited. Gone arethe days of pointing at a design on the wall and saying,“I’ll take that one!” Custom tattooing is now the norm.

Anything and everything can be adapted as tattooimagery. But whatever it is, there are certain principlesthat always apply. Doing artwork as a tattoo on a humanbody is different than working in any other medium.There is no defined border to your “canvas” per se. Andthe surface you’re working on varies inch by inch as faras contour, and even texture. It’s very important toconsider the placement of the tattoo, the flow of the artwith the body, even the colors and how they’ll look onthe skin you’re working with. How will age affect thelook of the tattoo? How detailed should the design be? Isthe person in the sun often? There’s a lot to considerwhen applying art to skin.

In this book, I hope to help you learn to create masterfultattoo-oriented designs with the knowledge I’ve gainedwith thirty plus years of tattooing. I won’t be going intohow to actually apply a tattoo. That is way too involveda process to cover in any book. To properly learn to

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apply tattoos, you would need to seek an apprenticeshipwith a qualified tattoo artist who is willing to spend thetime needed to train you. My goal with this book is tohelp you to better understand the art of tattoo and how toapply the principles of tattoo design to creating your ownunique tattoo art, and enjoy doing so. Have fun withit—I do every day!

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What You’ll NeedThe materials you’ll need to get started will includevarious pencils, a kneaded eraser and tracing paper.You’ll also need colored pencils, cold-pressedillustration board, watercolors and/or liquid acrylics,permanent markers and paint brushes. It’s also a plus ifyou have a drawing table or a drawing board, but thesearen’t essential and you can improvise if need be.

Drawing Tools

Fine, medium and brush permanent markers; a kneadederaser; 2B, 4B and 6B pencils; and a 6B graphite stick.

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PENCILS

A common 2B graphite pencil can be used for mostapplications. The softer the pencil is, the darker the linewill be. Sometimes you may prefer a very soft pencil,like a 4B or a 6B if you want an even darker line. A softpencil is also good for making a transfer sheet, whichwe’ll cover in a later chapter. A soft graphite stick, like a6B, works even better when making a transfer sheet as itwill cover a greater area at one time.

ERASERS

A kneaded eraser is the type of eraser that artistsgenerally use, as it doesn’t make the dust that a pinkeraser will. It is also more gentle on the surface you’redrawing on, and won’t damage it easily. You can use onefor a long time because you simply knead it to clean it,which is another advantage.

MARKERS AND COLORED PENCILS

I use Faber Castel permanent markers for my blacklinework. I get them in fine, medium and brush tips. Ifind them easier to control than a brush or croquill pensfor lining, but you can certainly use those too.

Good colored pencils that have a waxy texture really layon tracing paper nicely and almost glow when applied

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properly. You can also do nice blends with them thatmimic the shading techniques of tattooing. When donewell, marker and colored pencil can look like a painting.

Liquid Acrylics

Liquid acrylic colors can be mixed, although they comein a wide variety of premixed colors.

PAINTS

Liquid watercolors work well for tattoo type artwork,and so do liquid acrylics. The advantage of watercolorsis that they can be reanimated for some time by justusing water to blend them out. The problem is that sameattribute can work to your disadvantage if you’relayering colors or trying to build up layers of paint as

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they can run together and get muddy. Make sure you getlightfast watercolors as some are not and fade out veryquickly so all your time and effort will disappear!

Liquid acrylics have the advantage of staying put oncethey’re on the surface, but the disadvantage is not beingable to be blended out after only a few seconds. Youhave to work very quickly with them. Another thingthat’s good about acrylics is that they can be layered up,and you can do aging techniques on top of them easilytoo. For these reasons I prefer acrylics over watercolorspersonally. But you should try both, and see what worksbest for you.

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Brushes

Various brushes, dilutions of black ink, tube whiteacrylic and souffle cups. You’ll need a wide variety ofbrushes depending on the size of the painting and detailyou wish to achieve. Dilutions of black ink are used fordifferent shades of gray. An “aging” color made up ofbrown and yellow can add an interesting patina to yourart. White tube acrylic is used for highlights as it’s muchmore opaque than liquid acrylic. Souffle cups are usefulto mix colors in.

BRUSHES

To apply your paint, you’ll need brushes. You can domost things with a 6 and an 8 round brush, but you’llneed bigger and smaller brushes for large areas of fill inand fine detail. Go to the art store to get an assortment ofbrushes and experiment with what they can do. You’llfigure out some great techniques as you move forwardwith your artwork.

TRACING PAPER

Tracing paper is great for initial sketches and can also beused to do really nice colored artwork with coloredpencils. When sketching, you can do layers of tracingpaper to adjust and refine your drawings. It also works

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well if you’re doing a symmetrical design and need tofold the paper in half to replicate it in the other direction.You can also look through the paper to see how yourdrawing looks backwards, as often errors in the artworkbecome more obvious in reverse.

To create more finished-looking tattoo-style artwork ontracing paper, you can use permanent markers of variousweights (fine, medium, and brush) to create thelinework, and then use colored pencils to fill in thedesign.

Another use of tracing paper is to make a transfer sheet.This is used to transfer your sketch onto illustrationboard or whatever surface you’ll be doing your artworkon.

ILLUSTRATION BOARD

Cold-pressed illustration board is ideal for usingpermanent markers, colored pencil and watercolors. Ithas a textured surface that works well with watercolorsor liquid acrylics. You should get 80 lb. or 100 lb.cold-pressed if possible, as it’s less flexible and takeswatercolor better. If the board gets too wet it can buckle,and the surface can be damaged by getting too wet oroverly erased.

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CHAPTER 1

The Consultation

The consultation process with clients is key to thecomposition of the tattoo design. It is during the

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consultation that you will learn what image the clientwants and where it will go on the body. Sometimesclients will even ask for your advice when they can’tthink of what images will convey the idea or feeling theyhave. The same goes for tattoo placement. Some clientswill have a specific idea for location in mind, others mayask for guidance.

It is important for you to explain to clients what willwork compositionally and what will not. You might havea client who wants too many different images in onedesign, and you’ll need to explain how that clutters thecomposition and makes it hard to “read.” Other times aclient will want an image on an area of the body that justisn’t suitable for the shape of that image. You need to beable to guide clients in their decision-making. Part ofyour job as the designer is to explain what will work,what won’t, and why. Generally, clients will be veryreceptive to your ideas if they know the rationale behindthem. They have come to you, at least in part, becausethey trust your design sense. Keep that trust!

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Meeting the ClientEvery commissioned art project, whether for a tattoo orotherwise, begins with a consultation with the client. It isimportant to remember that the consultation is the firsttime that you’ll spend time with your client, so be sure tomake a good first impression. The client will want to feelyou’re into the artwork and are confident you can do itjustice. They also want to feel that they’re important toyou—and they certainly are. Without clients, youwouldn’t be working. So take the time and spend theenergy to make your client feel comfortable—it reallycounts.

Some clients are very specific about what they want,while others just have a general idea and are counting onyou to help them solidify their concept. You’ll first wantto figure out what the client wants as the principalsubject matter for the tattoo. You’ll also need to knowwhat secondary elements they have in mind and whattype of background, if any, is needed.

It’s often helpful to have people bring in referencephotos of art that they like in order to point you in thegeneral direction they want to go. Sometimes a client

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will describe what they have in mind, and youimmediately get a visual in your head of what they’retalking about. You may have the right visual, butsometimes you may not. That’s when the referencephoto becomes invaluable. You can save yourself a lot oftime down the line by first clarifying exactly what it isthe client wants.

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A Cohesive Background Ties Unrelated ElementsTogether

The client wanted a truck tattooed on his inner arm. Thisparticular truck was the truck his father used in hisbusiness. Below the truck, he wanted portraits of hisgrandparents. Note how the background ties theelements together into a cohesive whole.

During this initial consultation, you may find that theclient has way too many ideas for one piece. Orsometimes a client may have a specific reason forwanting to include multiple elements that do not reallygo well together. If you can, try to get them to narrowtheir focus to include only what’s truly necessary toavoid cluttering the composition. If the client insists onincluding everything, you could combine the seeminglyunrelated subject matter into a sort of collage effect.

Recently I was asked to do a tattoo that covered theentire arm with a lot of different images that were allfamily related. It was to include an eagle with a purpleheart and an airborne ribbon, a cargo ship, scuba divers,his grandparents’ portrait and a specific type of truck. Iwas able to tie all the images together into a pleasingoverall design by using background elements of sky andwater. It is possible to make just about anything gotogether when it comes to art.

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Reference Photos Aid Design

On his outer arm, the client wanted an American eagleholding a Purple Heart and an Airborne insignia, bothof which his grandfather earned in his military career.The cargo ship pictured below that was also part of histime in the service. Scuba diving was an activity theclient enjoyed with his father, so it was also included inthe piece.

The client brought in reference pictures for everythingexcept the eagle. The eagle is done in a traditionalAmerican tattoo style, and was drawn from memory.

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From Rough Sketch to Finished Concept

This was another family-oriented piece with the client’spersonal icons used for the tattoo. He brought in asketch for the design, which greatly helped with thedirection of the composition. The only photo referencesused for this tattoo were of a hand and shark’s teeth.

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Sketching and PlacementTattooing is different than doing other artwork becauseyou don’t have a defined border like with other artwork.There is no edge of the canvas. You have to think aboutthe area of the body the design is going on and how tomake the art flow with the body. I generally trace thearea where the design is going, and also take a picture ofthe body part the design is going on. Then you can printout the picture using regular paper, not photo paper, sothat it’s easy to draw on. You can do a small, quickdesign of the tattoo on the photo to help set the flow andgeneral design, then refer back to that as you draw thedesign on the tracing paper that you used to measure thespace you’re going to fill on the body.

Start with a quick, rough, loose sketch to begin theprocess. Trying to get the design perfect with the firstdraft is nearly impossible and tends to make the art lookstiff. Start loose, and then tighten it up as you go to getall the details worked out. Use tracing paper in layers torefine your sketch. That way it just gets more and morerefined and you don’t have a ton of erasing to do. If youfeel you’ve started in the wrong direction, it is okay tojust scrap the whole design and start over. Make sure

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that you’re happy with your composition before youcommit it to canvas, or a body. No amount of detailing,color or other tricks can hide a poor composition. Agood composition is the foundation for any good pieceof art.

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First Attempt

This is the first attempt at a tiger composition for aclient’s back. A picture was taken and printed out onregular paper so that it could be drawn on easily. Theclient was indifferent as whether to cover “Sinner” thatwas already on his back or to leave it alone, so thedrawing here shows a version leaving the lettering. Thetiger looked way too small and it was not a greatcomposition, so this idea was scrapped.

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Second Attempt

The second drawing shows covering the lettering, and tothe upper left the three circles indicate where the “hearno, speak no, see no evil” monkey heads were to go. Theflow of the tiger didn’t look right, and the client wasn’tgoing for the monkey idea, so on to drawing number 3...

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Third Attempt

This drawing was the one that was decided on, with thetiger in a more dynamic pose, the head twisting back,and bamboo as filler and coverup in the upper left handcorner.

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Tattoo Drawn Directly Onto Skin

The decision was made to draw the tattoo directly ontothe skin prior to tattooing instead of using a full-scalestencil because of the coverup involved. A drawing that

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is transferred to stencil and then applied as a coveruphardly ever works because it’s just about impossible tomake it fit perfectly. The final sketch done on the copypaper was used as a guide for the freehand drawing onskin.

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Outlined

The main tattoo is outlined and all the balck is done onthe tiger.

The Final Result

The completed tattoo, including the bamboo. A secondlayer of color will be done over the coverup areas to

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further mask the old Sinner tattoo. It was decided earlyon to leave the tattoo in the upper center.

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Keys to a Good CompositionDrawing a miniature of the design can be a useful tool incomposition. It saves time and you can knock out severalthumbnail sketches to decide if a design works or not.When designing a tattoo that covers a whole back, forinstance, you can start by taking a picture of the person’sback. Then you can use a piece of tracing paper over thephoto to get the exact shape, then enlarge it to acomfortable size for you to draw, but not so large thatit’s overwhelming. You can begin by doing the drawingabout 8 ½” × 11” (20cm × 28cm). At this size you won’tbe tempted to add a lot of unneeded detail that will justclutter up the composition when it’s full size. When thatdrawing is done to your satisfaction, you can enlarge itto the size it will be when applied as a tattoo, then refinethe drawing and add detail as needed. You can also colorthe miniature to show your client how it will look withcolor, and to help figure that out for yourself, too.

KEY ELEMENTS OF GOOD TATTOOCOMPOSITION

• Subject: One dominant subject works best.

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• Flow: Go with the natural contours of the body.This is especially important with background.

• Points of Interest: Make sure there is somethinginteresting to look at from every angle.

• Scale: The main element should be as large aspossible for clarity, detail and durability throughtime.

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Basic Outline for a Composition

This outline drawing shows the basic shape and flow of afull arm tattoo. It follows the natural contours of thebody and is based on Japanese style wind background.You could use this background with all sorts of

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foreground elements such as cherry blossoms, birds oranything associated with wind and be assured that itwould flow or move correctly on the body.

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Full Sleeve Composition

A full sleeve laid out. Notice how the design follows thebasic shape illustrated in the previous sketch. This ishow the design looks flat. In the photographs of theactual tattoo in the pages that follow, you will see how itwraps around the arm and how it was designed so thatthere are points of interest from every viewing angle.

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The Finished Sleeve

With this sleeve, the client wanted a koi fish, a dragonand flowers, all tied together with a water background.The koi and flowers are for his daughter as it remindshim of a special garden and koi pond they visit together.The dragon is representative of his study of martial arts.

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Patterns and Textures Enhance a Composition

The koi is the main focus of his upper arm, with thewater for movement and background. The koi follows hisbicep, and the calico pattern on the fish was added forinterest so that it wouldn’t be just a large field of orange.The texture of the water is to break it up so that it’s notbars of blue and black where it’s not splashing.

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Stylized Elements Help Convey Feeling

The dragon is the primary subject of his forearm. It hasblank eyes without pupils to give it a more spirit-likefeel. Again, the water is used as background and forflow.

Adding Color

Flowers are used to add color, and the stargazer liliesare the type of flowers at the koi pond the client and hisdaughter visit. They go under and over other elements inthe composition to help tie it all together. They are alsothe focus of the inner bicep, which can only be seenwhen the client turns his arm in a way to intentionallyshow the viewer. The inner arm is also a great place for

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bright colors in a tattoo because it is not exposed to thesun and, therefore, avoids the fading issues over time.

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Fun with Flow and Texture

The area of water is on a part of the arm that is neitherthe inner nor outer forearm where the dragon is, but aspace in between. It was placed there by itself for funwith the flow and texture of the water, but so as notinterfere with the dragon.

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Connecting Areas

A splash was used on and around the elbow to helpconnect the upper and lower arm and to avoid putting alot of color on the elbow. There are two reasons for this:the elbow is not a good wearing part of the arm, and ithurts more than usual to get tattooed there!

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Adding InterestNo matter how technically perfect a composition maybe, if it’s boring nobody will be interested in looking atit. Keep the following things in mind as you’re creatingyour artwork and you’re bound to come up with somegreat work that’s very interesting to look at.

CONTRAST

Contrast is very important with artwork. If you’reworking in shades of black and gray, make sure to havetones from a deep black to a pale gray, and even lighter.When tattooing, you can use the skin itself as highlightareas. When using colors, you have to think of how theywork together to create contrast. For instance, youwouldn’t use only blues, greens and purples in a tattoobecause that would look very flat. You’d need to usesome warm colors such as red, orange or yellow toprovide enough contrast and separate the different partsof the tattoo.

TEXTURE

Texture can add interest and helps create separation in adesign. Patterns on clothing, scales on a dragon or snake,

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spots on the wings of a phoenix, or fine lines indicating asoft fur texture on a tiger are all examples of usingtextures to improve a design. Without it, things tend tolook smooth and flat.

LINE WEIGHT

Line weight can help separate elements and emphasizethe main subject matter. Use a heavier line for the mainbody of a koi or dragon and a much thinner line for theirscales, for example. If doing a human figure, use aheavier line on the main body and a thinner line for thefacial features and hair.

DETAIL

Add detail to draw the eye to the key points of thedesign. Don’t detail everything or it will kill the contrastand leave no where for the eye to focus. Over detailing isprobably worse than under detailing. With too muchdetail your composition will just be a jumbled mess.

COLOR

Mixing new colors when appropriate can add interest,too. Don’t always use the same green, or blue, orwhatever color straight from the bottle. If you’re doing adesign with three different types of flowers, you may

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want to use three different greens for their leaves. Colorscan be mixed in an infinite number of ways—use this toyour advantage.

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Contrast Shading Adds Dimension

In this Buddha head tattoo the various shades of blackand gray work together to emphasize the different partsof the tattoo. The black pushes the pale gray to theforefront. The wood grain effect adds texture.

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Balance Warm and Cool Colors

Notice the way the warm and cool colors play againsteach other. One without the other just doesn’t work. Theblue of the water and orange of the tiger add “pop” tothe piece. The detail on the tongue, nose and pad of thefoot add interest, and the individual hair lines make for asofter look on the tiger’s body. Green is used in the eyesto bring them out from the rest of the face, although inreality tigers eyes match their coloring to help them hidein the wild. But in this case we wanted them to stand out.

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Use a Mix of Bold Lines and Fine Lines

The main lines of the dragon in this tattoo are bolder,whereas the scales are a finer line and offer more detail.Different textures throughout the piece also help to addinterest.

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Multiple Textures Add Interest

The craggy surface of the branch adds another texture tocontrast the smoothness of the flowers. (The colors ofthese flowers are not straight from the bottle but weremixed specifically for this tattoo.)

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Use Details to Add Emphasis

These orchids are finely detailed with spots and lines,just like real ones. Their bright colors are emphasizedwith the blue water behind them, and the rocks helpbreak up the water and add their own texture.

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Location MattersWhen deciding where to place an image on the body,you have to determine where the shape of the designwould fit best. For instance, a traditional pinup girlworks best on a forearm or calf due to the fact the designis tall and narrow. You would not want to place it on thechest, as it would break the plane and look veryawkward. Something rounder, like a heart design, wouldgo better on one side of the chest.

If you’re using the whole chest area, a full wingspaneagle is really perfect for the area—that’s why it is sucha timeless classic. Other birds also work well there, likea raven or an owl. It is key to match the shape of thedesign to the body part.

For larger designs the placement is still crucial; however,flow now comes into play as well. Notice the way theangle of the phoenix on the inner forearm helps give itmotion. If it were entirely straight up-and-down, it wouldappear more static. The wings hug the rest of theforearm, and the tips of the wings pointing upward directyour eye in that same direction. The tail feathers twistand turn as they cascade up the arm. The swirling

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background adds to the overall effect. The background isoften key in giving large tattoos movement. TheJapanese depictions of wind and water are ideal for this.

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Establishing Placement

The phoenix’s head is the primary focus on the innerarm. The decision was made to place it there instead ofthe outer arm because the outer arm gets much moresun, so the important details in the face and head willhold up better over time where there is less sunexposure. The wings wrap around the arm and aren’treally visible from this angle. The tail feathers wrap upand around the arm, with one feather visible behind thehead of the phoenix.

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Add Interest from Every Angle

The back of the arm is shown with one of the wingsvisible along with the tail feathers running up andaround the elbow. Even though there’s not a focal pointlike the head of the bird, the wing and tail feathers stillcreate interesting shapes and give the eye something tofocus on.

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Phoenix, Detail

In this example the main body of the phoenix was put onthe chest in the traditional shape of a Japanese chestpanel. The tail feathers run down the side onto the ribs,cradling a Hannya, which represents a jealous woman in

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Japanese folklore. The idea for the composition was theclient’s.

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Transition from One Area of the Body Into Another

The overall side view shows the transition between thechest and the rib. The feathers twist and turn to helpaccommodate the flow.

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Overcoming Common Obstacles

SIZE

Sometimes the sheer size of an art project can be veryoverwhelming and intimidating. Whether it’s a giantpainting or a back piece or sleeve tattoo, it can feel likeyou’ll never be able to finish it. But don’t fear. Sooner orlater, it will get done. Don’t feel the need to rush—thatcan actually slow you down because you’ll be prone tomake more errors that you’ll spend yet more timecorrecting.

When tattooing a sleeve, you can outline first the upperarm in one session, and then the lower arm the secondsession, if you have a good breaking point in between.You also don’t need to add all the details the firstgo-round. You can add the scales on a dragon, or thepatterns in clothing, the next time you work on theproject. This can apply to painting, too, where you canstart with the basic art and then add more color anddetail later.

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TIME CONSTRAINTS

When doing big tattoos, it’s best to set up biweekly ormonthly appointments in advance with the client toencourage them to come back and get the piece finished.It’s very frustrating if a client only shows up once a year,or even less, to get their tattoo worked on. By then you’llhave lost interest in the piece, and may even beapproaching the subject in a different way, making itvery difficult to complete.

To avoid the same pitfall of never completing a painting,apply the same principle but work on the painting at leastweekly to keep the flow going.

OVER DETAILING

Resist the urge to over detail your artwork, especiallylarge pieces, just because you have the space to do so. Itcan be very advantageous to draw things smaller andthen blow them up to actual size to help avoid this. Ifeverything is super detailed, it will clutter up thecomposition and make it hard to read, meaning to seeeverything that is going on. Over detailing is worse thana lack of detail. Leaving the background and secondaryparts of your art more plain makes for a much clearerpicture or tattoo.

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REFERENCE

Don’t let your ego get in the way of using goodreference material. If you’re not sure what somethinglooks like, take the time and research it to find out. Goodreference will help, especially in traditional tattoobackground elements of wind, water and waves. A bador wrong-looking background will really kill a piece.The background is what ties it all together and if it’s notright, your artwork just won’t look good. Saying, “I drawit all out of my head,” is not necessarily a good thing. Infact, it can be the weakest link in your design. It’s okayto use artwork you like as a starting point for your ownwork.

EXISTING TATTOOS

What do you do when tattoos already exist on the areayou are tattooing? Sometimes the client answers thatquestion for you and insists that you simply work aroundthem. That can be the best solution if the existing tattoois dark or large anyway, as often they’re hard to coverwith a new design. The other option is to cover themwith the new tattoo if possible (or practical). The thirdoption is to have the client get the tattoo(s) removed andthen wait an appropriate amount of time before applying

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the new tattoo. Each case is different and has to be dealtwith accordingly.

Sometimes there are so many pre-existing tattoos in thearea that you wonder what to do to fill the space andmake it look like a cohesive whole. Sometimes justjamming in all you can and creating an interestingcollage effect is the way to go. Other times if there’senough space, you can add a background to tieeverything together. A Japanese background of wind,water and fire goes with just about everything as itcreates a nice flow and pulls it all together. If there’svery little space left, gray shading or traditionalAmerican stars and dots fillers can also look good. It’sfor you, and your client, to decide.

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No Problem Too Big

This is a great example of how the sheer size of a piececan be intimidating. When this client came in he wantedhis entire back done, plus the area below almost to hisknees. He’s also about 6 feet four inches tall. If thatwasn’t enough pressure, he’s also a good friend and agreat tattooist in his own right. It took a period of aboutthree years and a total of about 70 hours of work tocomplete the tattoo. But it got done, with many sessionsranging about two to three hours at a time. Perseverancedoes pay off!

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Use Just Enough Detail to Keep It Interesting

This chest panel is a very straightforward design with awind bar background. Simple, right? But the details ofscales, hair and contrasting colors add enough justenough detail to keep it interesting.

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Working Around Previous Tattoos

The solid black tattoos were already there when theclient decided he wanted a sleeve done with a tiger,water and roses. The black tattoos would have been verydifficult to coverup, plus the client wanted to keep themanyway, so the decision was made to go around them.

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Adding to Existing Work

The client already had the tribal dragon but wanted toadd flowers. A traditional Japanese background wasadded to tie them all together. This picture was takenabout twenty years after the work was completed andalso shows how colors can fade over time.

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CHAPTER TWO

From Sketch toTattoo

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After the consultation, the sketch is the next step tocreating a tattoo. Work loose and fast with your initialsketch to get the flow going as you figure out thecomposition. Lay out only the basic shapes to beginwith. Sometimes an idea can seem really great—until

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you see it roughed out on paper. So don’t invest toomuch time working out a design unless you are satisfiedwith the initial basic composition. It may take severalquick sketches to achieve this. If it’s a larger design, youcan work on a smaller scale to speed up the process. Italso helps to not over detail the composition.

Once you are pleased with the initial sketch, startdetailing the drawing. If you are uncertain of whatsomething should look like in the design, use referencematerial to make sure it looks right. Continue to refinethe sketch until you are happy with it. If you feel itnecessary, make a copy of the line drawing and color itin so before you even begin the tattoo. That way youknow exactly where you’re going with your colorscheme in advance. “Oops! I should have used anothercolor there!” is not a good phrase when tattooing. Do allyour planning at the sketch stage so there are nounanswered questions once you get started.

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Planning Your Composition

COBRA AND CRANE

The client who requested this tattoo chose this subjectmatter due to the particular martial art he has beenpracticing for ten years. Snake and the Crane aredifferent fighting style movements that are put togetherto create Wing Chun, the martial art that he does. Thedifferent animals represent the yin and yang. The softmovements of the snake(yin) overcome the direct forceof the crane’s (yang) attack with it’s beak and wings. Hespecified that neither should appear to be winning thebattle, but to be in conflict. For the location of the tattoohe specified his upper arm and chest, so a half sleeve andchest panel is what he wanted in tattoo lingo.

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STEP 1: Trace the Area

The first step after the initial consultation is to trace thearea that you are drawing the tattoo for. This way it willfit the area correctly. Using tracing paper and a yellowmarker, hold the paper against the arm and chest andindicate the area to be tattooed. Although people’sshapes and sizes vary, this is approximately what thetracing should look like.

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STEP 2: Block In the Shapes

Using reference material provided by the client and alsoimages that can be found online, draw in the basicshapes of the crane and cobra. The challenge here washaving two planes (the arm and chest) to use and to tiethe subject matter together. Logically the crane would beabove the cobra as it would be in the sky, and the cobrawould be below it on the ground. By using the wings ofthe crane on the chest and the neck and head on the arm,the problem of tying the arm and chest areas togetherwas resolved. Think about the movement and flow of thepiece during this step.

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STEP 3: Refine the Composition

Once the placement of the main images has beenestablished, the detailing of the drawing can begin. Thewings of the crane are completed, and the scales andfacial features of the cobra are drawn in. The differenttextures created by these refinements are what separatethe images and add interest to the piece. The traditionalJapanese background of stylized wind and cherryblossoms are used to fill the space and give it thatJapanese tattoo look. You can see that the refined sketchis reversed from the previous sketches. The reason forthis is that I often draw on both sides of the paper andflip it back and forth depending on which way my

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reference material is facing. Looking at the drawing inreverse is also a good way to check the drawing for anyerrors, as they often become more obvious that way. Youcan also hold a drawing up to a mirror to reverse it.

STEP 4: Modify the Composition and Add theBackground

This photo shows the finished tattoo on the chest. Cherryblossoms were used below the crane’s wings to create

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depth. A black and gray background was chosen to makethe accent colors pop. Black and brown were used in thewings, but no white. Using white pigment across largeareas can often appear blotchy, so it is should beavoided. Instead, the skin itself was used for whiteacross large areas in this case, which can be quiteeffective. Note how the front wing and body of the cranecontinue onto the arm.

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STEP 5: Add Final Details

It was decided that the inner arm area was not needed forthe crane and cobra idea, and was saved to put in a thingof beauty, in this case a chrysanthemum . A separatestencil of the flower itself was used, and then the

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background was drawn in to fit in with the rest of thetattoo. With this final addition, the tattoo is complete.

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Completed Tattoo, Arm

Here you see the crane and cobra in conflict, withneither being the obvious victor. This was intentionaldue to the client’s request, and follows the yin and yangideal. The scales and color accents add interest to thepiece, and clearly separate the animals. The awkwardangles of the crane’s head, neck and feet add movementand tension to the tattoo.

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From Sketch to Tattoo

DRAGON

In this demonstration you’ll see how a dragon tattoobegins as a drawing and ends up the finished tattoo onskin. In this case the client already had a tiger tattooedon his left arm that went from just above his elbow andonto his chest, so he wanted the dragon to fill a similarspace. The tiger’s head is on his chest with the bodygoing down his arm, so the same composition wasdecided upon for the dragon on his right arm. He alsorequested water to be the background, and it to be blueas opposed to the more traditional black and gray that ismore commonly used in Japanese style tattooing. Ablack and gray background gives you more options forcolor to be used in the subject matter as you don’t haveto worry about the other colors being lost in the bluewater. On the other hand, using blue makes everythingvery bright, and I personally feel that blue is the prettiesttattoo pigment there is.

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STEP 1: Apply the Stenciled Design to the Skin

This is the paper stencil being applied to the skin. Thisstencil is made by using a machine that prints theoriginal drawing onto a special paper that transfers theimage with moisture. The skin is moistened and thestencil is carefully applied. It is important that the clientholds very still to avoid any misprinting of the stencil.

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STEP 2: Adjust and Modify as Needed

The purple pattern is left on the skin from the stencilpaper. At this stage any adjustments and modificationscan be made with a skin scribe before the actualtattooing begins. A skin scribe is a specific marker that isused to write on skin, primarily before surgery, but itworks perfectly in this situation, too. When applying alarge stencil that wraps around a body part, somecorrections will almost always have to be drawn on.

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The Finished Outline Tattooed Into the Skin

Note how the main outline of the body of the dragon isheavier, and the scales and the hair are a thinner line.This adds interest to the piece and gives detail that isimportant to keep the eye intrigued by what is going on.

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The Finished Tattoo, Front View

Note how the orange and yellow of the belly, back, beardand eyebrows contrast with the blue water to pull thedragon out of the background. The red of the flames andthe pink in the mouth, ear and paw also provide theseparation needed from the blue and contrast nicely withthe green of the dragon. Black was added to some of the

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scales for added interest, and the eyes were done withoutpupils for a more mysterious look.

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Adding Interest to the Composition

KOI AND WATER

Koi are a very popular theme in tattooing and from about2010 seemed to accelerate to the front of the line inJapanese-influenced designs. They stand for goodfortune and luck. They also represent perseverance inadversity, strength of purpose and courage. Along withall these admirable traits, they present the opportunity touse lots of bright color, and being in water it’s easy tocreate a good flow with the design. They work well onthe arms and legs in particular, but can be designed to fitany part of the body well.

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STEP 1: Create a Rough Sketch

In this case, the client wanted the design on half of hischest. The design was also to include Benkei, the warriormonk, battling a giant koi. This quick sketch was done toestablish the placement of all the main elements.

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STEP 2: Add a Border, Texture and Patterns

In the finished tattoo, you can see that a water splash wasused around the nipple. Flowing water was also used toestablish the inner border near the center of the chest.

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For the fish, a calico pattern was used along with red andorange to create texture and add interest.

The Finished Tattoo, Detail Side View

Adding fine details to the scales and the warrior’s facehelps to pull the viewer’s eye into the design. Fine detailin the clothing also adds interest to the overall design.

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Black and Gray Tattoos

HEARTS AND FLAMES

Both hearts and flames are very common themes intattooing, and roses are the most frequently used flowers.In this demo we’ll be using all three, along with cloudsand a light ray effect. This tattoo is also done in blackand gray, with no color. This client wanted to fill the lastbit of space on his inner arm, nearly in his armpit. Theflames flow to the side to maximize the size of the heartand use the available skin to the best advantage.

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STEP 1: Create a Rough Sketch

This is the first sketch with just the basic shapes mappedout, but it’s still pretty clear what it is. At this point theroses are indicated by circles.

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STEP 2: Refine the Composition

A traditional style rose with leaves is roughed in. Beginwith a small circle in the center and add the petalsaround that. In the middle of the rose the petals are verysmall and folded tightly.

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In the finished tattoo, you will see three whole roses plusanother partial rose on each end for a total of five.Remember odd numbers make for a better composition.

STEP 3: Add Light and Shading

This closeup of the flames in the finished tattoo showshow shading was used behind the flames to give theillusion of the flames’ brightness. When drawing flames,think of the negative space between the flames. The baseof the flames’ negative space is a teardrop shape, and theflame flows out from there.

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STEP 4: Add Final Details

The roses were kept much lighter in color to providecontrast to the heart. The flames themselves were leftunshaded so they wouldn’t get lost in the mix. The heartwas made as dark as possible with plenty of addedhighlights to make it appear shiny. Light rays wereadded to cut through the clouds around the heart.

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Unifying Design Elements

DAY OF THE DEAD SKULLS

The Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, is aMexican holiday but is also celebrated throughout theworld and in other cultures. It’s a holiday for family andfriends to get together to remember and pray for theirdeparted loved ones. The celebration includes makingaltars that make use of decorated sugar skulls andflowers. These skulls and other images associated withthe Day of the Day are popular among tattoo enthusiasts.Skulls in general are used frequently in tattooing and thebeauty of the decorated sugar skulls make for a strikingtattoo design.

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STEP 1: Establish Patterns and Create a 3-D Effect

The client wanted a tattoo of Day of the Dead sugarskulls extending from her inner thigh around to the backof her thigh. During the consultation phase, a pattern wasdesigned to emulate the frosting decorations of sugarskulls. The skulls themselves were kept to a very simpledesign since they are depictions of sugar skulls and notat all meant to be anatomically correct. Black roses were

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placed behind the skulls to help push them forward,giving a 3-D effect and making the skulls the primaryfocus of the design.

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STEP 2: Unify Design Elements

The client had an aquatic theme on her other leg, so theelement of water was used to tie the skulls and roses in

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the Day of the Dead tattoo together, as well as to unify itwith the aquatic tattoo on the opposite leg.

STEP 3: Balance the Composition

This is the other side of the same leg. Note how thewater flows clear around the thigh for continuity. Theskulls are very similar, but the eyes and decoration makethem different enough from each other so as not to beboring.

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Adding to Existing Tattoos

ROSES, ORCHIDS AND GRANDMA

This particular piece started as a single orchid on the topof the client’s arm. To her the orchid represents how lifeblossoms and grows or withers away. She got the firstorchid when her stepsister passed away, and continued toadd orchids because she loved the beauty of the flowersand wanted a half sleeve rather than just one flower.

The lower part of the arm is dedicated to hergrandmother and mother. She got roses because theyreminded her of them both. Included on her innerforearm is a portrait of her grandmother. On the elbow isa stargazer lily that she decided to get for no symbolicreason, but just because she liked the look of it.

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STEP 1: The Original Tattoo

This picture shows the first orchid that started it all.There was no preliminary sketch for this three-quartersleeve because it wasn’t planned as a sleeve in advance.Rather, it was added to over time from what started as asingle flower.

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STEP 2: Add More Flowers and a Background

More flowers were added to the inner arm area. All ofthe flower designs were taken from books on flowers fora more realistic look. Stencils were made for each flowerand placed carefully to enhance the composition.

The background was drawn directly onto the skin. Bluewas used for the background (instead of the traditionalblack background as used in Japanese tattooing) to makethe tattoo brighter and more colorful. The swirling formsof the background were inspired by Japanese artwork.The blue also contrasts nicely with the flowers. Noleaves were used with any of the flowers because wewanted the blue against the color of the orchids and rosesrather than green, and we wanted to keep the designrelatively simple overall. Note the flow of the design

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created by the background, which is essential for theflow of the composition, tying it all together.

STEP 3: Add Highlights with White

The red rose was highlighted with white. White isgenerally not a very durable color due to sun exposure,but on this area of the arm it is well protected from thesun, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

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STEP 4: Finish with the Portrait

The grandmother’s portrait was done in a cameo shapeso that it would have a definite edge when thebackground was added. My client loved the picture of

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her grandma with her sunglasses on because that’s howshe remembered her. I love the look of black and graytattooed portraits because they resemble black and whitepictures. I’m not really a fan of color portrait tattoos,mainly because the delicate flesh tones don’t tend tohold up well over the years. A black and gray portraitjust softens up a bit as time goes by, and may even lookbetter as it ages.

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Iconic Images

AMERICAN EAGLE

The Bald Eagle is a mainstay of traditional Americantattooing, and the chest eagle design is probably the mosticonic form of traditional tattooing. In this piece it isincorporated with several other traditional ideas into acohesive piece.

The client is a diver in the navy, and has been in theservice for twenty plus years and is currently the rank ofchief. He brought me two examples of traditional chestdesigns and wanted them combined, along with addingthe badge in the center that is part of the divers uniform.Rope was used as the border around the badge to form adefinite frame. Along with the American flag, herequested the Jolly Roger on the other side to stray fromtradition a bit. The anchor is on the bottom, and flowersare used as a design element along the edges. Water is onthe bottom of the design to add movement, and this is aNavy tattoo after all, so of course you need water, right?And to top it all off is the eagle, front and center.

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STEP 1: Lay In Highlights and Accent Colors

A tracing of the area to fill was made before the drawingbegan and was used as a guide in the design process. Thered was added to the eagle wings to bring them more tothe foreground. The red sun on top is another traditionalelement that is often used. It also adds color and in thiscase, gave a raised, rounded center that the clientrequested.

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STEP 2: Keep Stylistic Elements Simple

The flag is simplified for the traditional look. It was notreally necessary to include fifty stars to get the ideaacross.

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STEP 3: Keep the Color Scheme Balanced

Green water was used so as not to conflict with the blueof the flag. The rope was kept simple and only shadedwith black. There was already enough color around andinside it with the colored seahorses. Keeping the colorscheme limited adds to the traditional look, whichtypically includes only black, red, green and yellow.Some blue and brown were also used in this tattoothough.

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The Finished Tattoo

Note how the composition fits the body.

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Asian Style TattoosIn a lot of cases a large tattoo starts out with a singlepiece and continues to grow as the client adds on to itthroughout the years. The client featured here has beengetting tattooed for approximately ten years and iscurrently working on covering his back. He is a firemanby profession, and his choice of tattoos reflect hisstrength and determination. You can see which tattoosare older and which are newer by the variation insharpness of linework and the vividness of the colors.This client also has very freckly skin which showsthrough the colors to a mild degree as tattoo ink istransparent.

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The Original Tattoo

The koi and water on the outer arm was his first tattoo,done about ten years ago. A koi symbolizes perseverancein adversity, strength of purpose and courage. It canalso mean good fortune or luck.

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Use Negative Space for Emphasis

The right arm was started with the image of a geishaturning into a dragon. The negative space around herhead was used to emphasize her face.

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Alternate View

Another view of the finished left arm.

Adding Symbolism

A Hannya looks like a devil head but is actually aJapanese depiction of a jealous woman. It was added onthe inner arm to fill that area. Because the inner armdoes not see much sunlight the tattoo remained quite

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bright as the years passed. Later a dragon and cherryblossoms, which represent the brevity of life, were addedto complete the sleeve to the wrist. Cherry blossoms,with their short bloom time, are symbolic of samuraiwho never knew when their lives might end.

Chest panels

The chest panels were added later. They depict a mumand a peony.

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Tying Elements Together

The chrysanthemum (or mum) flower was added later onthe inner arm, signifying life. Note the flow of thesplashing water and how it ties the sleeve together withthe addition of another mum and a peony flower.Peonies represent riches and power. You can also seehow well the tattoo has held up through the years as thisarea of the arm never gets any sun, avoiding the fadingand damage caused by UV rays.

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Style and Detailing Enhance Final Results

The back piece of a samurai on horseback was the latestaddition to the collection. The client requested a samuraifor his back, and I came up with the idea of putting himon a horse. He liked the idea, so we went with it. Thepattern on the clothing, the tattoos on the figure, and thechoice of coloring on the horse were all done to adddetail. The horse itself is a Japanese stylized horse

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rather than a realistic horse. This is particularly evidentin the face.

Back Details

White was used on top of the blue clothing for a verysubtle effect. Note the delicate pattern of the cherry

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blossom and wind tattoo on the leg and arm. A mixtureof black, blue and white was used for the tattoos to giveit the look of old tattoos. The blanket and horse are alsopatterned to add interest.

The Final Result

Here is a portrait of the client where the overall effectcan be seen along with the flow that was created with thetattoo designs.

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CHAPTER 3

Tattoo Style Art

The bold, powerful imagery and look of tattoo design iswell suited for many types of artwork that are not actualtattoos. Clothing, skateboards, advertising art, postersand more can all benefit from the use of tattoo design. Itis eye catching and often gives people an immediate gutreaction. Whether it’s models with tattoos or background

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images, tattoo-style artwork is all over print ads and TVadvertising ranging from perfume to cars. CD, DVD andbook covers also use it. In this chapter, we will explorevarious examples of how tattoo design can be used inother ways besides tattooing.

East Meets West

This circular painting, 30” (76cm) in diameter, wasdone for an art show by tattooists from the East andWest Coasts of the United States, and is titled “East vs.

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West.” It is done with acrylics on canvas, and expandsthe east and west theme to mean the Far East and theWest, specifically the U.S. The eagle is an old standard,a classic tattoo and a patriotic design used since the1700s to represent the U.S. The stylized tigers in thedesign are based on Japanese paintings and are anotherold standby of tattoo design. The circular format forcedand/or enabled unusual design sensibilities that are notpossible in the usual rectangular or square format ofpainting. Dark, muted tones were used to make thepainting more subtle and less flashy. Partialrepresentations of the creatures, mainly their heads andfeet, were used instead of the whole bodies to make themmuch larger and give them more impact.

Tiger and Water Skateboard Design

The tiger twists and turns to fill the space, and thestripes are spiraling to help add movement. Thebackground color of the blue water in stark contrast tothe brown, orange and yellow tones of the tiger

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separates the elements and helps create brightness.Although rectangular, the fact that the edges would berounded off when printed on a skateboard was kept inmind, so no major details were painted in the corners.This painting was done with black ink, including shadesof gray created by diluting the black, then the color wasapplied with liquid watercolors right over the black ink.Using pigment that is transparent over a black and graypainting lets the undershading show through and addsmuch more dimension to the painting.

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The Finished Skateboard

Trade Show Poster

A poster done for the Alliance of Professional Tattooists(APT), for their trade show in 2010. The snake was used

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because it is part of their usual graphic logo, and thetorch was used for the “Carrying the Torch” idea. Theorganization was founded in 1992 to further healtheducation and regulations in the tattoo industry. Colordone in liquid acrylic was used to add interest in thecentral theme, while a dilution of black ink was used forthe gray background. When doing this effect, mix theblack and water in a large enough amount so that whenyou get it to the shade of gray you want, you’ll haveenough to cover the area needed. This Japanese windand cherry blossom background was made with a palegray so that lettering for advertisements could be addedin black over it.

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Shop Artwork

A stylized Japanese arm with phoenix tattoo, 15” × 20”(38cm × 51cm), tube watercolor on illustration board.The arm in this painting is the style used in Japanesewood block prints, and done this way as it seemed

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appropriate for the tattoo theme. This was created fordecoration and inspiration in a tattoo shop to giveclients an idea how the finished phoenix tattoo wouldlook on their arm. This painting was done as part of aseries including a Hannya head, a dragon, a koi andother common Japanese tattoo themes. It is a good wayto help figure out a layout for a large tattoo.

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Ink and Liquid Acrylic

Inspired by a Los Lobos song with the lyric, “How longis forever?” The words were thought provoking, and agypsy woman with her crystal ball was the painting thatcame from it. Hearts are a common theme in tattoos, andthis one has the thorny vine used with the “sacred heart”to add religious connotations. Detail was added to thehead wear for interest, and the banner was doneparchment style for texture. This painting wascompleted, allowed to dry thoroughly, then coated withlayers of a transparent aging color made with heavilydiluted liquid acrylic. Less aging color was used on theeyes so they would stand out from the rest of thepainting.

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Advertisement

Continuing the gypsy how-long-is-forever theme, here isan advertisement for Avalon Tattoo during itstwenty-second year of business. The clouds and bannerstypical of tattoo design are used in this composition, andthe purple and parchment colors work with each other toadd the contrast needed to separate the elements and

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bring them to your attention. Details in the feathers ofthe head wear and the stars on the scarf add interest.Her eyes are heavily shaded to add an air of mystery.This is a small painting, 8” × 10” (20cm × 25cm) and isdone with ink and liquid acrylic.

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Series Paintings

Another female figure, this one with a large traditionalstyle American eagle as the prominent secondaryelement. She is one of a pair, the other girl featuring anAsian style tiger. To reinforce the idea of a set ofpaintings, this girl has faded tattoos of a tiger andbamboo, whereas the other girl has an eagle tattooacross her chest. The tattoos were done to look faded asto not compete with the other detail elements of thepainting. The head scarf has a paisley pattern, and thebottom portion of a broach is showing that matches hernecklace. Her earring features another traditionalAmerican tattoo theme, often referred to as the “Sailor’sGrave,” a sinking ship on rough waters. The spider webwas chosen as the background to pull the viewer’s eye toher face. This painting and its companion piece are both15” × 20” (38cm × 51cm). They were done in ink andliquid acrylic on cold-pressed illustration board.

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Common Tattoo Elements Used to Tie Series Together

A silhouette of bamboo and a red sunset was chosen forthe background to complement the green in the subject’sdress and provide stark contrast to all the fine hair detailof the tiger. The halo effect was used mainly to includethe turquoise-colored marble detail, so as to have thatcontrast with her blonde hair and bring attention to herface. The tail of the tiger encircles her neck to simulate anecklace. Further detail was added with color to thehoop earring and was made to look like silver or chrometo contrast with the color of her hair. In this set ofpaintings, the girls face in opposite directions so theycan be displayed together looking at each other, or awayfrom each other if so desired.

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Asian Inspired

This painting is intended to be more whimsical than theaverage tiger, while retaining the Asian look with thestyle of the cat and the hawk. The background elementsare also very Asian and tattoo inspired. The bamboo isrendered loosely to give the impression of movement andbirds in flight. The water in the lower right flowing downis a wash over effect so that you can see the tigerthrough the water. The expression of the tiger’s face wasinspired by English bulldogs, who often lounge aboutwith their tongues hanging out surrounded by a randomtooth or two. The bird was added as a fun element, justout of reach of the tiger who may be thinking he’slooking at his dinner! The main detailing in this paintingis in the fur texture, which was created with many finelines. White was the last color used on the fur to reallybring out the texture.

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Tattoo-Style Letters and Banners Aid Design

This poster done for an Avalon anniversary party usesthe image of the torch once again to show lastingendurance. Detail on the torch handle shows parts of adragon with its scale pattern wrapping around it. Theroses are textured with stippling, while a blackPrismacolor pencil was used to shade the leaves andtorch to add another texture to this bold piece that ismainly straight black and white. Tattoo banners andlettering help complete the piece.

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Transfer Designs

MAKE A TRANSFER SHEET

There may be occasions when you’ll want to transfer adesign composition directly onto the surface on whichyou plan to create the finished artwork. A transfer sheetis a very useful tool in those cases.

Materials

• 6B graphite stick• ballpoint pen• lighter fluid or Bestine solvent• marker (optional)• tissue• tracing paper

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STEP 1: Cover the Surface

Thoroughly cover a piece of tracing paper using a 6Bgraphite stick. Apply it fairly heavily.

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STEP 2: Spread the Graphite

Put a small amount of lighter fluid or Bestine solvent ona tissue and use it to more evenly spread the graphite andhelp it adhere to the tracing paper.

STEP 3: Apply the Transfer

Place the transfer sheet graphite side down between yoursketch and the surface you want to apply it to. Trace overyour sketch with a ballpoint pen. You can then go overthe transferred drawing with a marker before applyingcolor.

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Angel Wings

SKATEBOARD DECK

In this demonstration, I decided to go with roses and anangel wing on a raw wood, old-school style skateboarddeck. The grain of the wood showing through thetransparent liquid acrylics adds a texture of its own. Thefact that the pigment will bleed a bit into the wood andkeep the design loose is also appealing. Of course this isjust one way to do it. You could also prepare the woodwith clear gesso if you prefer a nonabsorbent surface topaint on. Or, you could use white gesso if you’d rathernot see the grain of the wood showing through at all.

Materials

• acrylic paints in red, green and other desiredcolors

• amber shellac• black ink• Faber Castell “B” Pitt Artist Pen• no. 2 pencil• nos. 6 and 8 round brushes• water

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• wooden skateboard deck

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STEP 1: Transfer Your Sketch to the Surface

Prepare your surface as desired. Create a thumbnailsketch of your composition and then enlarge and transferit to the deck, or simply use your sketch as a guide tofreehand the design onto the deck with a no. 2 pencil.

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STEP 2: Outline the Composition

Use a Faber Castell “B” Pitt Artist Pen to go over thepencil drawing and put bold black linework on the deck.Go heavier in places to add emphasis to that part of thedesign, while keeping other areas more delicate.

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STEP 3: Add Shading

Add black shading to the design to create depth andlayers. Use straight black ink for the darkest areas. Usewater to dilute the black to shades to gray where needed.The shadow under the rose that’s on top of the wingmakes it appear more above the wing. The shading onthe different tiers of wings gives them separation. Thedark black around the wing makes the wing itself appearlighter. It will also make the color, once added, appearbrighter.

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STEP 4: Add Color

Paint in your color with liquid acrylic paints. Add only atint of color to the roses, as you want the piece to besubtle, not gaudy. If you decide to add color to the wing,the best choice would most likely be pale blue. Stick toone shade of red and one shade of green for the roses andleaves, the preexisting black shading is what will givethem shape and definition. Using transparent colors willallow the grain of the wood to be visible.

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STEP 5: Seal to Finish

Apply two coats of amber shellac to the top of the deck.

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The Finished Skateboard

The shellac will protect against the elements and alsogives an aged and somewhat weathered look to completethe piece.

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CHAPTER 4

Artists’ Gallery

Along with more of my own work, this Artists’ Galleryfeatures several of my favorite tattoo artists. They allfocus on different styles of tattooing, and all are relevantto the field today. Included are examples of the Japanesestyle, traditional American style, nontraditional, andother tattoos that are more difficult to categorize. I hope

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you will be inspired by their art and explore theirwebsites to see more examples of their work.

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Chris WalkinChris Walkin grew up in southern Louisiana and hasbeen tattooing since the late ‘90s. After apprenticing andworking at a handful of tattoo shops between Louisianaand California, he returned to Lake Charles, Louisiana in2011, where he opened Iron Cypress tattoo shop with hisfriend and fellow tattoo artist John Davis. You can visitironcypress.com and chriswalkin.com to view moreexamples of Chris’s work.

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Craig DriscollCraig Driscoll was born in Toronto, Canada, andcurrently lives and works in San Diego. He has beentattooing for about twenty years, doing what he likes tocall “Tattoo Nouveau.” (what the rest of the world calls“New School”). Craig has tattooed all over the world andhad the opportunity to work alongside the best of thebest in the industry. Today, however, he prefers to take iteasy, tattooing from a private studio in his home. Henow only takes on a handful of tattoo clients each yearand spends most of his time painting. Craig’s main focusis his wife and three daughters, Zoey, Sara and London.It is his hope that the girls will one day join him asartists. See more of Craig’s work at craigdriscoll.com

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Jen LeeJen Lee grew up “twenty-six miles across the sea” on anisland called Santa Catalina off the coast of California.She planned her escape in 1993 and headed for the SanFrancisco Bay Area, where she studied printmaking atthe California College of Arts and Crafts.

Jen began tattooing in 1995 and left the Bay Area for anumber of years to live and work in New York City andlater, Denver. She returned to San Francisco in 2008after receiving a call from Ed Hardy inviting her to workat his legendary San Francisco shop, Tattoo City. Visittattoocitysf.com to see more examples of Jen’s work.

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Juan PuenteJuan Puente has been tattooing for more than twentyyears. He had the opportunity to study under some of thebest tattoo artists in the business, and continues topractice his craft at Black Heart Tattoo in San Francisco.His favorite styles are fine-line, black-and-gray, and boldtraditional tattooing, though he enjoys everything inbetween. He also loves photography.

See more examples of Juan’s work at:

juanpuente.com

horiyoshi3.com

righttoolsfortherightjob.com

blackhearttattoosf.com

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Kahlil RintyeKahlil Rintye grew up a comic book-loving nerd in SanDiego, California and tattooed there nearly ten yearsbefore moving to San Francisco in late 2003. Two yearslater an unprecedented planetary alignment (arecommendation from Fip Buchanan) gave him theopportunity of his career—a slot at the legendary TattooCity working for his artistic hero, Don Ed Hardy. Heremains there still, with plans to ride the lucky train intothe mists of infinity. Check out more examples ofKahlil’s work at tattoocitysf.com.

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Shawn BarberShawn Barber focuses primarily on painting, portraitureand documenting contemporary tattoo culture. He earnedhis B.F.A. from Ringling College of Art in 1999 andA.A.S. from Cazenovia College in 1997. His paintingshave been featured in exhibitions throughout the UnitedStates and are held in private collections throughout theworld. Shawn’s work has appeared in advertising, music,magazines, children’s books, and newspapers. He hastaught drawing, painting and the business of art atvarious art schools throughout the country. In 2009,Shawn and his girlfriend Kim Saigh opened MemoirTattoo in Los Angeles, California. Shawn’s most recentbook, Memoir: TheTattooed Portraits Series wasreleased in July 2012. More examples of Shawn’s workcan be seen at sdbarber.com and memoirtattoo.com.

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Mary Joy ScottMary Joy Scott is a San Francisco-based tattooist andartist. She studied painting in San Francisco and at theAccademia di Belle Arti in Florence, Italy. She hasworked in several platforms, including murals, zines andsign painting. In addition to tattooing, she makesetchings, watercolor paintings and ballpoint drawings onantique handkerchiefs (paños). Her artistic interests arevaried but focus on prison art, Victorian expression,pulchritude in its many forms, and the occult. MaryJoy’s art has been exhibited in several museums andmany galleries around the world. You can find moreexamples of her work at tattoocitysf.com as well as onInstagram at @maryjoytattoo.

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Robert AtkinsonRobert Atkinson is a Los Angeles native who started hiscareer air brushing T-shirts. In 1992, some friendschipped in and bought him his first tattoo kit. Afterpracticing for a few years, Robert started working atMelrose Tattoo. In 1996, he was invited to work at RoyalTattoo in Denmark. After a few years of doing mostlytribal tattoos, he moved to Eindhoven, Holland, where helaid the roots of what would become his signature“Western-Oriental” style of tattooing. Robert settledback in the United States in 2001 and now worksprivately at Dolorosa Tattoo in Studio City, California.In addition to tattooing, Robert started his shoe project inthe fall of 2006. Each pair is handmade, a one-of-a-kind,special order. Visit atkinsontattoo.com to see more ofRobert’s work.

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Shawn WarcotShawn Warcot has been tattooing for more thantwenty-five years. His work has been included innumerous art gallery showings, television commercials,books and magazines. He is a member of the infamouscar club, The Beatniks F.B.B.F., and is heavilyinfluenced by monster art, comic books and pop culturein general. Shawn is the owner of Inland Empire TattooStudios, with three locations in southern California. Visitempiretattoostudios.com to see more examples ofShawn’s work.

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Fip Buchanan

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About the Author

Photo by Brianne Brose.

Fip Buchanan has been a tattoo artist for thirty-twoyears, including management and ownership of tattoostudios from New York to California. Among others, hewas the owner of Avalon Tattoo in San Diego from 1989to 1997; worked at Ed Hardy’s Tattoo City in San

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Francisco from 2005 to 2008; and has written and taughtthe class “Large Scale Tattoo Layout and Composition”at the Alliance of Professional Tattooists Tattoo tradeshow and various conventions for the past two years. Hewas elected Vice President of the Alliance ofProfessional Tattooists in 2011; is a BloodbornePathogens Certified instructor who teaches classes totattoo artists worldwide, most recently in Beijing, Chinain 2011; and he currently owns Avalon Tattoo II in SanDiego, California, which he established in 1997.

Fip also does illustrations, skateboard designs, T-shirtdesigns, acrylic paintings and murals. He is a graduate ofthe Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and his work has beenexhibited in galleries as well as published in the booksForever Yes and Southern California Tattoo Road Trip,and the magazines Tattoo, Skin and Ink, Prick Tattooand San Diego’s 944. Fip has specialized in large-scaleJapanese-inspired tattoos for the majority of his careerand is well known for his bold, colorful work.

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DedicationThis book is dedicated to my mother, Nancy Ann SwopeBuchanan, who along with the gift of life, instilled in methe love of art. A great artist herself, we drew togetherstarting when I was a young child. She nurtured myinterest in art from that time onward. Thank you, Mom,for all that you have given me. I love you.

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AcknowledgmentsFirst and foremost, I’d like to thank my mother-in-lawMary Joy Thomas, for making this book possible.Thanks to my wife Rain and son Rex for their love andsupport.

As far as my tattoo career, I’d like to thank Ed Hardy forhis endless inspiration. Thanks to John “Red” Schusterand Duke Miller for their help, encouragement andpatience early in my career and giving me theopportunity to work beside them. Thanks to MikeLuckett, the very first person to tattoo me. He also gaveme pointers about tattooing and even lent me his tattooequipment to start my career. Thanks to Leroy “Jeep”Dively for allowing me to do my first tattoos on him.Thanks to Jack Rudy for helping me with technicaladvice along with leading the way in black-and-graytattooing in general and for his sense of humor, joy forlife, and giving me the opportunity to come work for himin 1987. Thanks also to my crew now, Mike Stobbe,Dave Warshaw, Denny Besnard, Alessio Ricci, ChrisCockrill and Arnold Santos, and to members of myprevious crews.

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Thanks also to Marc Balanky for his photography and toClare Finney for the wonderful book design. Last but notleast, many thanks to my editor, Christina Richards, forher guidance through the process of putting this booktogether. I couldn’t have done it without you!

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Drawing and Designing Tattoo Art. Copyright © 2013by Fip Buchanan. All rights reserved. No part of thiseBook may be reproduced in any form or by anyelectronic or mechanical means including informationstorage and retrieval systems without permission inwriting from the publisher, except by a reviewer whomay quote brief passages in a review. Published byIMPACT Books, an imprint of F+W Media, Inc., 10151Carver Road, Suite 200, Blue Ash, OH 45242. (800)289-0963. First Edition.

Other fine IMPACT products are available from yourlocal bookstore, art supply store or online supplier. Visitour website at fwmedia.com.

eISBN: 9781440328978

This e-book edition: March 2014 (v.1.0)

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