Lots of Questions lol

[BRANDON BOND]

Ive worked in several "fully custom" every tattoo is a sharpie kinda shops.... it usually meant we couldnt afford the thermofax machine....

but it increased my ability to draw tattoos on ... dave tedder is the king of that around here cause he never draws it the night before, hes busy busy busy

[JoeWaulken]

its good to see Brandon all worked up and into it, we take apprenticeship extremely seriously here at aon

some of that linework is a little shaky bro!

[Rockstar Tattoo]

Originally Posted by AmAtAr

The shop I'm working at doesn't use stencils at all...the thought behind it is this: a customer comes to a shop to get artwork put on their bodies, and stenciling is someone else's artthat you're just transposing onto someone's skin. The art should reflect the tattooist just as much as the original piece.

Some of this doesn't make sense at all. You can draw the design on paper, and perfect it, then create a stencil. Just because you have created a stencil, does not mean that it is not a relecftion of your art, as long as it is your art.

[BRANDON BOND]

excellent point sir... word.

[InkedPage]

I think to mark someone up with a pen is waaay messier than applying a stencil.....plus, after a few wipes, usually the pen marks are almost gone...this would drive me nuts. If you have an image that requires you to make alot of lines, stencils are definitely the way to go.

[runmonsta]

I can't see the pic of the chest piece... From a customers point of view, I wouldn't be going to your studio if you don't use stencils, for the type of tattoos I like, they have to be perfect and a fat tipped marker being held by an unknown tattooist is just too risky.(that said, I've read interviews with many well known tattooists that credit their poverty as the reason why they're so good at drawing with sharpies, make the best with what you've got

[Big Shem]

double wow my head hurtz.....lol weres my jack and excedrian......

[Inksane]

Sounds like the original poster would benefit from finding a mentor who is more in line with his own way of thinking...just my opinion.

As for drawing right on the skin, I don't think it's for everyone. Same thing with custom. I'd rather start off by learning to do flash well than doing crappy custom just for the sake of saying it's custom, ya know?

[e.ink]

i prefer markers..i do use stecils thou but only when the piece im going to make is detailed and needs to be stenciled

[BRANDON BOND]

Like I said we use both regularly - flexability is key for sure, most of the time I stencil some areas of a composition and draw in the rest w/ a sharpie, so that it flows with the body - best of both worlds.....