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aBOUT Tl-IE aUTI-IOR

Brian Johnson has been tattooing since 1989, and currently works at
Underworld Tattoo Studio on Rt. 41 in Gap, Pennsylvania (717-442-8TAT,
www.brianjohnsontattoos.com, www.underworldtattoo.org). He is the co-
author of Street Shop Tattoo Stencils and the co-author of The New American
Pin-up-Tattooed & Pierced, also from Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. Brian attends
conventions and does guest artist spots throughout the United States. His
tattoo work has been in Tattoo Magazine, Skin & Ink, International Tattoo Art,
Skin Art, and Tattoos For Men, and has won numerous tattoo awards. He
has worked for J.D. Crowe and Ernie Carafa. He has guest spotted at Joshua
Carlton's Great American Tattoo Company.
The long list of incredible artists Brian has worked with includes: Kyle
Cotterman, Dank, Zeke Owens, Megan Massacre, Bryan Campbell , Paul
McCleary, Jessee Sr-· · Rahj1,
Chris Alexander, St at Pro-
Ink, Dwayne "D-do 1
CO PY 1 3arcia,
Damien, and Wond 391 . 6 5 JOH
Johnson . Br i an E.
Basic tattoo i ng tec hni ques .

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u. r is h L ibrar~ · •4ggo Lower Valley Road, Atglen, Pennsylvania I9310
Htrridey, Louisien•
 DEDICaTIOn
This book is dedicated to DMFT Dave Tedder,
a great tattoo artist. He recently did a "Star Wars"
tattoo on my leg.
Anyone who reads this book should strive
to be like this art mercenary. He shows up for
appointments on time, prepared, and ready to
rock. Dave exemplifies what a great tattoo artist
working today should be.

conTEnTs
Foreword--4
lntroduction--5
Chaper 1: Outlining--9
Chapter 2: Shading--27
Chapter 3: Coloring--52

Copyright © 2009 by Brian E. Johnson Sch iffer Books are available at special discounts for
& Schiffer Publ ishing Ltd. bulk purchases for sales promotions or premiums.
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 ac1 <nD '\"L ED Gl\ '\En TS

Thanks to Doug Congdon-M artin, my partner Buddy-m y bodyguard ; the guys who wrote
in this book, and Craig Smoker, the client; to Street Shop Tattoo Stencils; Megan Massacre;
Schiffer Publishing for letting me do these books Hero; Dankbuilt; Ina; Chris Titus; Rod Graybill;
and free lunches-I love you guys and feel like Frankie, a.k.a. "Spanish;" Paul McCleary a.k.a.
I am part of the Schiffer family; and to Ernie "Ink;" Buckles; Huck Spaulding; J.D. Crowe; Guy
Carafa for calling me "kid"-1 feel so young again! Aitchison; Jessee Smith; Chad "Plaid" VanAuken;
Thanks Ernie! Scott Sterling; Steve Bradley; Zeke Owens;
Thanks, also, to the following for help, Dwayne "D-dog" Bass; Stencil Stuff; Coyote;
support, and inspiration to make this book Joshua Carlton; Skin & Ink magazine; Bob Baxter;
possible. Curt Baer-nice discussion in Dallas, Casey Exton; Tabu Tattoo magazine; John Black;
Texas; Justin Page-this will help your outline; Eric Mercer; Ace; and Andy Warhol.
Kyle Cotterman ; Sean Young; Darby; Tracy Thanks to you all,
Davis-pier cing, typing, the ale' lady; Chris Brian E. Johnson
Alexander; Austin Corle; Ms. Olivia-my love;
 Welcome to my wo rld. A s y ou read th is I have been asked many times what it takes to
manual, it is my hope and pra ye r th at you w ill properl y learn the craft of tattooing. T he first th ing
realize that neither this nor any oth er boo k can you need to do is f ind an experienced tattooist
impart the knowledge, skills, and w isdo m yo u who will be willing to give you an apprenticeship.
must have to tattoo. There is only on e w ay to A nd wha t I mean by "experienced" is a tattooist
learn this craft properly and that is to serv e a wi th 10 years o r, bette r, who has owned his own
legitimate apprenticeship to a real tattooist. W ith shop for tha t number of years. Not the self-taught
the coming of reality television shows the p ub li c NEW guy on the block .. .that's "the blind leading
has been given the false impression that it's a the b lind" ... but a tattooist who can show you who
glamourous profession and elaborate lifestyle. he is and where he started. Then be prepared for
What they don't show you is the hard work and a y ear o r two of working your butt off for little or
long hours that go into being a real tattooist. no pay, and tattooing your friends for free. Then,
I can honestly say I have worked beside t he if you get that far and watched everything your
best and most respected in our profession. I have teacher did (and hopefully he explained it all to
found they all have one thing in common ... they y o u) ... t hen you might be ready to start tattooing .
put in the time to do the best tattoo they can . Not Any book or manual should only be used in
half -hour portraits and two-hour full back pieces . conjunction with a traditional apprenticesh ip !
You don't find the top of the profession on these A very wise friend once wrote to me that "We
ego-inflating bullshit soap opera shows . are the architects of our own destiny."

-Ernie Carafa
 lnTRDDUCTIDn

This book is not an apprenticeship. I repeat, this This book and other art books, plus health and
is not an apprenticeship! Period. safety guides will help you on your journey. One
I am a huge Andy Warhol fan. Like his film day at a time, one step at a time, one tattoo at a
Sleep, which is a frame by frame record of a time. It is hard work, very hard work, but it will pay
person sleeping, this book is a frame by frame off in the end, after you have applied the bandage.
record of a tattoo being done. The process is Brian E. Johnson
caught in time, if you will. I have added text, some American Tattoo Artist
instruction, explanation of my hand movements, Tattooing since 1989
and reasons for certain steps during the tattoo (following apprenticeship)
process, to make this a helpful reference.
But it is just that, a reference. It is great /\,ac~HnEs, nEEDLES
resource when you are learning to tattoo, but it
does not replace a good apprenticeship. I cannot
+ SUPPLIES
stress how important a tattoo apprenticeship is. Machines Used
Find a shop and good, solid, licensed artist to teach C. Smith frame/Dankbuilt rebuild liner machine
you. A busy tattoo shop near a college or a military (sorry, pro's only.) www.dankbuilt.com
base is usually best. A day to day regiment in a Huck Spaulding shader machine (Brian Johnson
street shop is the only way to really learn. rebuild). www.spaulding/rogers.com
So take this book, its knowledge and guidance, Next Generation® color machine. www.
and get yourself into a seat. A seat at a bench, in a nextgeneration.com
busy street tattoo shop. Do what ever you need to
do to get there! Don't take NO for an answer! Keep Colors Used
drawing, rework your portfolio if you have to, take An obscure ink maker in Texas (pro's only, sorry),
sterilization safety courses online. The computer is Unique supply.
really helpful for you to find health safety courses, Black ink, Dynamic® (Cut with distilled water for
and classes in blood-borne pathogens and cross shading.) 1-800-233-8332
contamination training and prevention.
For the learning apprentice, this book will Needles Used
fill in some of the blanks. If you have already 3-needle liner, 13-needle magnum shader, 9-needle
apprenticed and are between shops or looking for magnum for color all by various companies. (I
work, this book will help you stay fresh. If you are look for sales.)
a client anticipating getting your first tattoo, it will
help you know what to expect. Power
It will answer some questions you may have . Freedom supply (formally Philadelphia
It is quick reference guide of a tattoo procedure, Eddie's supply.) www.
from line work to color, in photos you can study, freedomtattoosupplies.com
and narrative text to read over for review. A lot
of tattooing is repetition, doing the same thing
over and over. Like the act itself, you can look at
this book over and over. It will help you get the
procedure down, from start to finish.
Pulse tubes
Pulse tubes (some featured in
book.) www.pulsetattoo.com
•
So get a solid foundation, build up a portfolio, Stencils
take safety courses in blood-borne pathogens, take Stencil Stuff® , www.stencilstuff.net
an apprenticeship, and a find job in a street shop.
You will then be on your way to a long and joyous Stencil Stuff is designed to help the
career in the field of tattooing. transfer of the stencil to the skin surface .
G

GETT lnG STaR TED A sink should be in tattoo work area. You
should wash hands anytime you feel they have
Hand Washing become contamina ted, which includes:
There are two types of hand washing, • anytime that you remove a pair of gloves,
standard and heavy. For standard hand washing, for any reason
remove all jewelry, wash hands with hot water • when you arrive at work before putting
and anti-bacter ial soap for 30 seconds. This will gloves on
remove dirt and crumbs. Heavily soiled hands • after touching any contamina ted area
require heavy hand washing for several minutes • after eating or smoking, using the restroom
under hot water, and anti-bacter ial soap . This will • after touching your eyes, nose, and or
kill resident and transient micro-orga nisms. Using mouth . Also wash before handling clean items
a disposable manicure stick, clean around cuticles or after handling contamina ted ones. And finally,
of each finger. Dry your hands and turn off faucet remember to wash your hands before leaving
with a paper towel. Do not touch door handle work .
when leaving bathroom if sink is in restroom.
Setting Up the Work Area
The same care for sanita ry conce rns shoul d
be practi ced when prepa ring the work area. Clean
all surfac es with Mada cide® or 91 % alcoh ol
before and after each tattoo . Equip ment shoul d
also be clean ed and cover ed with clean plasti c
wrap durin g use. Altho ugh it is not cover ed in
detail here, there is a DVD that cover s it in detail .
It can be purch ased at www. tattoo safety video .
com, by callin g Scott y Hanki ns at 208-676-8863,
or by sendi ng a mone y order for $24.95 plus $10
shipp ing to Scott Hanki ns, 810 N 4th St. Coeu r
D'Ale ne, Idaho 83814. I think this is an impor tant
video . Get it today !
I bag my foot pedal to keep it clean, it is
not necess ary to do this. Norma lly the
floor should tiled with a drain nearby
for proper floor cleanin g.

The tattoo work area was set up in a photo studio setting . In an actual studio a sink should be near the
work area for hand washin g before , during , and after the tattoo is comple te . Note that the power supply
contro ls are covere d with plastic so I can change the speed of machin e withou t cross contam ination .
Plastic also covers the spray spout bottles and is laid on work surface. This barrier film protec ts the work
surface. The necess ary things to have handy are an eye loupe to check needles, Vaseline, stick, razor,
gloves , paper towels , power supply , clip co rd, Stencil Stutt n• , and barrier film . Anythi ng that you touch
during tattoo proced ure should have either plastic on it or a piece of barrier film . No except ions!
There is also a full ink cup with Dynam ic T" black ink, and rinse cups are laid out. One has distille d
water and one is filled with soapy water. Keep things in or around work area to a minimu m. Barrier film
is on table to show you what it looks like.
The sketch book and and stencil are in the backgr ound, but should not be kept on the table .
 This video is a useful guide to tattoo
safety and sanitary protection .

Aftercare
One product, "Tattoo Goo" seems to work very
well for my customers , and is used in this book. The
manufactu re has the following recommen dations for its
use:

New tattoos: Rinse with cold water, pat dry with a clean
towel, air-dry 15 minutes, gently and sparingly apply
a thin layer of Tattoo Goo . Repeat 3 or 4 times a day
for 7 to 10 days.
Existing tattoos: Use everyday to enhance color, for the
life of your tattoo.

For more information about this product go to www.

tattoogoo. com.

Tattoo Goo ™ is the after care product I use. The

idea is to aid in the healing of the skin and the
protection of the new tattoo. Its moisturizers en-
hance the color and protect the skin, but do not
clog the skin's pores.
 DU TL lnl nG

The outline is the most important

step and the foundation of any good
tattoo. It is what makes a tattoo truly
last. A good outline should age well,
not "blow-out" over time. I was
always taught to make "a good clean
crisp outline, kid," "smooth shading,"
and "pack the color in solid"-"yo u
can always recolor, kid." A good
outline should look like a stamp. Nice,
clean, solid, crisp, and sharp, and
should be of even weight, not going
from thick to thin. (Sometime s when
we build up lines to show depth,
they appear thick and thin; but this is
another book .. .be patient.) No breaks,
trail-offs, crisscrosse s, zigzags, etc.
As a tattoo artist, having a good
outl ine, will take you far. Shop
owners look at line work when they
look at your portfolio. It is very, very
important. An apprentice / beginner Area needs to be prepped, cleaned, and shaved.
should concentrat e on outlines day
in and day out. Trace, trace, and
retrace, if you are not tattooing, then
trace some more. For lettering, write
your name as script (cursive lettering)
500 times or more. I am not kidding .
Five hundred times- it will help your
outline.
The more you draw and trace,
the better your outline will be. It will
seem tedious and tiresome, but, hey,
do you want to be a great artist? Start
tracing! My friend, and a great tattoo
artist himself, Justin Page will tell you
the same thing. The outline is very,
very important, practice everyday!

Hold the stencil in place to size up the area to be shaved .

10

Clean work area of chest panel with the gree n soap and anti-bacterial foam soap in my first
rinse cup . Area must be cleaned thoroughly. Anoth er soap I sometimes use to clean tattoo
area prior to tattooing is Techni Care TM. It is ava ila b le from Care-Tech ,~ laboratories.

After soaping area and cl eanin g it, carefully shave the area to be
tattooed using a on e-ti me disp osab le Bic razor.
TM
 II

Remoisten and sh av e as yo u go , us ing a litt le excess so ap y wa ter an d wi pin g aw ay hair

as yo u go.

Ap ply a sm all am ou nt of St en cil St uff ™ to the back of yo ur rub be r glo ve .

12

Rub it in to skin, all ov er area to be ta tto oe d .

Rub it in un til it be gin s to fee l sti ck y. No w yo u'r e re ad y fo r th e ste nc il.

 13

Before the Stencil Stuff dries, completely apply the stencil. For this tattoo a bandana-wearing,
flaming skull has been chosen.

Pat it in place gently.

....

With your fingers , tap along the lines of the stencil to be sure the it transfe rs .

Let the stencil set a few second s, then, starting at a corner ...
 IS

...peel it off.

The result. The dotte d lines and the x'ed areas are refer ence s for shad owin g and color. They
will not be outli ned, and if nece ssar y will be reap plied at the next step . Let the stenc il dry for
8-10 minu tes befo re the next step.
IG

. No te, du rin g a glo ve ch an ge , if yo u are go ing to tou ch an yth ing

This is a go od tim e to ch an ge glo ve s
s ag ain . Re -a pp ly glo ve s be fo re sta rtin g to tat too . I do thi s
at all , wa sh yo ur hands, the n wa sh yo ur ha nd
oft en du rin g the tat too pro ce ss .
ink . Th e ink wi ll be ab so rb ed int o t he tip . I be gin wi th a
Dip the lin er ma ch ine tip in the black lin ing
a typ e 3 lin er tip . Th e ou tlin e wi ll be do ne w ith t hi s gr ou pin g .
t igh t-3 lin er tip . I be gin wi th

Be ing rig ht- ha nd ed I sta rt the ou tlin ing in the low er rig ht ha nd
co rne r. I do a co up le of sm all lin es firs t to all ow the cli en t to
ge t us ed to the fee l of th e ma ch ine . Th e lin es are ma de wi th a
sm oo th do wn wa rd mo tio n at the sta rt of a lin e, an d a sm oo th
Lu bri ca te the area wi th A&D oin tm ent. A&D or Vaseline can up wa rd mo tio n at the en d . Av oid plu ng ing int o the skin,
be used as a lub ric an t. wh ich cre ate s a blo t.
 17

Blot it with a piece of paper towel. You do not need to wipe a The jaw line complete. Notice not a lot of blood is present.
client hard or multiple times.

Continue with the line. Talk to the client, encouraging them to Continue on the major lines. Notice the tight stretch created
stay still and checking on their feelings . Tattoos can be a little by the forefinger and thumb of left hand .
less painful with simple communicati on with the client.
IB

is sig nif ies a mi ss i ng to ot h an d is a re fe re nc e fo r lat er.

The te et h are next. No tic e th e x' ed to ot h . Th

ed to pr om in en t; th ey co ul d be bl oo d lin ed (th is
Do th e ac ce nt lin es in the gu m s . Th e lines do no t ne
m ea ns rin s ing th e tu b e tip in wa te r an d lin ing wi th ou t ink ).
 19

With the lower jaw and teeth outline d, I stop to clean the area. This is green surgica l soap and distille d
water. Gently squirt some liquid onto the folded paper towel.

Gently clean the finishe d area . This gives me a chance to check my lines, being sure they are nice and
smooth and consta nt. No need to wipe hard ; you can be gentl e.
2CJ

Work your way up the face . On the ches t, the high er area is more sens it ive t han th e lowe r,
so the clien t has som e time to adju st when you start low and work up . I have hea rd t his from
num erou s clien ts since 1989.
 21

Sometimes a down stroke is easier

than an up stroke and vice-versa .
You should use whatever is com-
fortable and most effective. Notice
the downward stretch of the skin
with paper towel and left hand.

Occasionally it helps to refer to the

original pattern. This gives you a way
to see your progress and helps you see
things you may have missed. Only touch
tracing paper lined drawing with clean
gloves on!
To ma ke the skin tau t I use the pin ky on the pen han d and the thu mb and fo ref ing er of the oth er to
str etc h the skin. You alw ays wa nt to hav e a go od str etc h in the are a you are wo rki ng . A lwa ys hav e a
go od str etc h, unl ess area of the bo dy is alr ead y str etc hed eno ugh .

In a mo re sen siti ve area or wh ere the bo dy is "m ea tie r," str etc h the ski n eve n mo re . Th is ma kes it mo re
com for tab le for the clie nt. Be ver y car efu l go ing ove r any str etc h ma rks , no t pre ssi ng as har d .
The dotted lines on the bandan a are stitch marks and should be outline d.

As much as possib le, keep the needle perpen dicular to the skin . This will give a clean line and preven t
the line from blurrin g later on. This is caused from lining at too low an angle . Blurs also are caused by
pressing too hard, the machin e runnin g too fast, or using a hooked needle.
24

Co ntin ue up the ban dan a.

De tail s like the se sta rs re-
qu ire a gre at deal of ski ll and
pra ctic e . Th e po ints nee d
to be cris p and the cor ner s
cle an . I ligh ten the pre ssu re
slig htl y at the po int to ge t it
nic e and sha rp . I hav e bee n
tat too ing a lon g tim e and stil l
find sta rs a cha llen ge .

Pe riod i cal ly che ck the

nee dle po int for an y pa pe r
tow el lint . I hav e fou nd tha t
Bo un ty '" tow els lea ve less
lint tha n oth er pap er tow els .

A go od str etc h is req uir ed

for lon g line s like this flam e.
Co ntin uou s lon g line s are
mu ch cle ane r tha n tho se tha t
sta rt and sto p oft en . Als o,
alw ays rem em be r to keep
the ma chi ne pe rpe nd icu lar
to the skin. On ce you sta rt
a line , sta y com mit ted and
tru e. Finish it and it wil l be
sm oo th.
 25

The fina l line . Noti ce the 4 finger

stretch.

Clean the area with the surgica l

soap and water. You do not have
to wipe really hard .
2G

Co ve r the area w ith a co at of A& D

oin tm en t or Vaseline.

Re ad y for sh ad ing .
 Ct-laPTER 2

s~1ao1nG

We returned to the photo studio one week later for the

shading portion of the tattoo . There is a new set up, with new
gloves and a new Sharpie ™. Reestablish the highlights using
a marker, while referring to the pattern .

It took me years to master shading and I am

still learning. Yes, still learning. I spent ten years
(1994-2004) in the trenches, working for the
legendary tattoo artist and flash designer J.D.
Crowe. It was all these years that allowed me
to get the black and grey shading so smooth.
Tattooing the sailors, marines, and other members
of the military near the Norfolk Naval Base helped
me to perfect my skill. Working for Crowe, I was
able to learn tips from a number of great artists
including Jerry Thomas, Chris Garcia, Tony Olivas,
Jessee Smith, and the legendary Zeke Owens.
Recently in Philadelphia at the "Philadelphia
Tattoo Arts" Convention, I learned some tricks
from Bob Tyrrell. The more artists you work with
over the years, the better you'll be at your craft. This reestablishes where my highlights will go.
2B

Th e set up for shadin g is essen tially th e sa m e, w ith

th e addi tion of a tape di spen ser, a Sharp ie r .. , and
black ink of differen t con sistenc ies .

The needle is a 9 magnu m shader for solid black

areas . The tattoo machin e is a Next Genera tion ™.
We begin with the straigh t black ink, undilut e as it
comes from the bottle .
Begin with the solid areas like the teeth. Nice stretch , small tight circ les with shader.

The motion is little, tight circles, going up and down the area, workin g from right to left. Back and forth
passes are okay too, if area require s that.
In a tight spot like this corner, turn the needl e to get close . In a bigge r area, like the back of the jaw, use bigger circles.
Only a part of the needle will touch the skin . Very tight area , A ma gnum is very, very versatile, using it like a brush is also
just top the skin . okay.

Do the solid areas of the ey e sockets . Notice once again the stretching of the skin.
 =>I

The shad ing of the eyes ocke ts gives them dept h. The tube in
my hand is from Pulse ™.

Filling in the solid areas of the nose is next.

Progress . Notic e that there is not a lot of bloo d pres ent.

Here I am using a brus h strok e, a quic k back and forth hand

moti on .
 T he solid work complet e.
The tattoo looks very
flat prior to additional
shading.

I switch to 13 magnum machine to do the larger areas of gray

shading in the skull. The machine is a Huck-Spaulding ™. The
inks are diluted with distilled water to produce gray washes :
a 75 % solution for the darkest gray, 50 % for the medium ,
and 25 % for the lightest. Check the needle for any little hooks
or flaws that may hurt the client. If so, change the needle at
once . Note that I am doing this after a break, hand w ashing ,
and new gloves .

The needle . The 13 magnum , my favorite . Tube is by Pulse ™.

Most of the shadin g is done with a brush stroke. I am starting Referring to the pattern , shade the lower jaw. The more often
w it h the darkes t dilution , but move betwee n the dilution s as you go over a spot the darker it gets . Notice the stretch with
needed to get the desired effect. If the inks get too dark or my fingers .
light in the proces s, I stop and make up a new batch . This
would only happen with a large tattoo, and I would make up
a new work area at the same time .

The shadin g betwee n the teeth is achiev ed by turning the Progress . Shadin g with highlig hts on lower jaw corner.
mach ine to the side and using the edge . You can get many
differe nt effects with a magnu m.
 It hel ps to ou tlin e the area s
tha t wil l be hig hlig hts .
Th is is do ne ver y ligh tly
wit h the ma gn um wit h the
ligh tes t gra y ink.

Ad d the de ep er sha din g for this

result. Th e low er jaw is alm ost
com pl ete .
At the base of the teeth I use the
corner of the 13 magnu m, prob-
ably one or two needle s, to get a
thin shadow .

The lower jaw is comple te. Once

again, not much blood presen t.
Next I mov e up to the
chee k bone , addi ng
shad ow unde r it. with a
back and forth moti on
using the 13 mag num .

W ith the edge , again , add

som e age cracks to the
edge of the teeth . I find this
to be quite fun.
This gives the teeth textu re and dept h .

Brus hing out from the dark er shad ow softe ns the edge . A
Cont inue arou nd the nose. Notic e the stret chin g of the skin sligh t mov eme nt with the light er wash alon g edge help s to
with the pape r towe l. ach ieve this .
Now I can finish the shad ing of the
nasal sock et. I use a four- finge r towe l
stret ch .

Shad e the othe r chee k bone ,

bein g sure to keep the high light s
bene ath it. Don' t over shad e and
forge t your light sour ce.
Continue up the side of the eye socket. Always keep a good stretch.

In the eye socket soften the edge of the dark shado w by Finish the eye socket. I love this part.
coming right into it and brushi ng it out. This will giving depth
to the eye socket.
 -+O

Prog ress. Startin g to take shape.

 ....

Shade the edg e o f the nos e .

Co ntin ue at the brid ge .. .

... and un de r the eye soc ket . Lar ger bru sh str oke s wit h the 13 ma gn um .

Sh ade abo ve the tee th to ble nd wit h the sha din g aro un d the nos e'--.
 Progress. Look ing prett y evil.

The othe r eye sock et is shad ed like the first. Notic e

my stret ch once again .
 ......

Shade the outer edge ...

. . .and around the top of the eye socket. Keep your shading as consistent as possible, nice and smooth.
 -.s

Sketch in the chee k high light s . Notic e my left stret ching hand.

Shad e arou nd the cheek high ligth s.

._.G

Progress .
 -+- 7

Alo ng this edg e use circ ula r stro kes to create a sol id black sha do w. I mo ved along the edge pre tty quickly.

Go back and bru sh it out . Th is can be a lon g bru sh stroke. Ad d som e wa sh to the str aig ht black.
-+B

Con tinu e to fill this area so the sha ding gets ligh ter as it app roa che s th e ban dan a. Bru sh it
out fast ...sw oos h, swo osh , swo osh .

The resu lt. It give s the sku ll a nice cran ial dep th .
Outli ne the high light s on the foreh ead . This big grip on the tube is fun to shade with.

Shade arou nd the high light s.

so

Shading complete. A nicely shaded black and gray skull.

 SI

Cover with Vaseline and band age . Vaseline appl ied is show n, band age was put on next.
 CDLDRlnG

The evening before I com pleted th e last porti on Remember you can always recolor it. Look
of this tattoo (color portion) I refl ected on the past. at the grain and texture of the skin. Look at the
I completed my hard , but bri ef ap pre nticeship in saturation that you are getting as you move along
1989. I knew a lot, but not everythin g. In th e next w it h your tube and need les . The magnum shader
two years, 1990-1991 , Ernie Carafa helped me fi ll in is very versatile, back and forth, circles, brush
the blanks . I wouldn't be fi nish ing th is book if not strokes, can all be mastered with this grouping . 7
for him. He taught me about color th eory, usin g th e magnums, 9 magnums are great for beginners . 13
magnums, running a busy street sho p an d supply magnums and 23 magnums are great to use once
business , all the things I still do tod ay. It is adv ice you've been tattooing for a few years .
that I still use and pass on to others, Do not get discouraged if you r color heals out.
I remembered how long it took me to learn You can always recolor it. It is better not to turn
about color. And simply takes a lot of tim e to gras p the skin into hamburger. Do not traumatize the
coloring. Go too soft it'll fall out; go too deep it'll skin . A medium stroke shader set at midrange on
scar or stay raised off the skin like Braille. There is a y our power supply will have you on your w ay. Be
fine line that you follow on to color properly. careful about how far out y our need les are . They
Take it slow, let the magnum do the work for sho uld extend enough to pack in the color. If your
you. Start out with small little circles. Pack it in needles are set too shallow, they wi ll just chew up
slowly. Use small, tight circles, 2- 2 ½ passes. Do the surface .
not chew up the skin . Work the color into the skin, Now get to it. The more you color, the better
wipe gently, and apply Vaseli ne. Keep going, slow, y o u'l l get.
do not over-work an area. Move on .

The colors for th is tattoo are dark and medium blue, pure w hit e, and red, orange,
and ye ll ow for the flames. The photoshoot for this chapter took pla ce two weeks
after the last t o all ow for healing . This is a new set up .
 I use a 9 Mag num shad er
need le for colo r work .

Since it has been a coup le of week s since

the shad ing sess ion, the skin need s to
be shav ed again. I was very, very care ful
shaving it thou gh.
s- .

Read y for colo r. Not ice

sha ding is healed.

Sta rt with the dar ker blue

aro und the stars at the
bot tom of the bandana. I
use a Nex t Gen era tion TM

mac hine for color.

 ss

I go back and forth along the

edges of the stars ...

... and fill in with small

circula r strokes.
SG
 57

I have left som e un- tatt ooe d deta ils for high ligh ts. I will com e back with a ligh ter
blue in thes e area. Thi s is don e by sigh t.

Opp osit e pag e, top :

Wip e the exc ess off with an anti bac teri al soa p dilu ted with dist illed wat er. This
gives me bet ter view of the pro gre ss. Col or is a lot mes sier than out linin g and
shading, mo re wip ing is nee ded .

Opp osit e pag e, bot tom :

You do not wan t to go ove r an area mo re than 2-1 / 2 time s (2 soli d passes and
a ligh t pass). Bey ond tha t you cause too mu ch trau ma to the skin ... it is called
"ma king ham bur ger " in the bus ines s . It's also call ed "ch ewi ng up the skin ,"
amo ng oth er thin gs. Use cau tion .
 an d for th str ok e. No tic e the fin ge r str etc h on ce ag ain .
Ap ply the lig hte r ton es wi th a lateral, back

Progress. Ov erl ap pin g the lig hte r int o the da rke r blu e giv es so me ble nd ing .
No tic e the re is no t a lot of ble ed ing .
 59

Cont inue with blue near the edge of the corner, leaving room for som e white .
Whit e high light s give a tatto o dept h.

Progress . Notic e the blue smea rs from wipin g dow n .

GO

blu e , wo rk in g ar ou nd t he ed ge s wi th lat er al str ok es ...

M ov in g to th e up pe r ba nd an a re tu rn to th e da rk er

... an d f illi ng in wi th sm al l cir cu lar str ok es . Do no t ov er wo rk th e sk in .

 GI

I have left a spac e alon g the edge for a light er blue high light . Notic e the blue smea rs upwa rd,
I was wipin g in a diffe rent direc tion .

Cont inue the fill to the stitch line . This dark blue can get messy.
G2

se d sp ot s w he n yo u' ve co lo re d in an ar ea .
The da rk bl ue co m pl et e. Check fo r an y m is
Add the ligh t blue high ligh ts. Sm all tigh t circ les and or back and fort h strokes.

The result. The blue s are don e. Check again for mis sed spo ts .
Ga+

Rinse your needle betwee n color change s. The blues require d just a light rinse. Go ing to the other
colors require s more thorou gh rinsing or the colors will be contam inated. I like two rinse cups and a
soap cup for color tattoos , use distille d water.

Red is applied to the stripes of the bandan a. Begin by remov ing as much excess ink from
the work area. Wipe gently with a moiste ned towel with green soap.
 GS

As with the blue ,

the fill areas are
applied with small
circular strokes .
Notice again, the
tight finger stretch.

The edges are done

with lateral strokes .
With a good
stretch, move back
and forth, being
careful not to chew
up the skin .
GG

The edg e out sid e of the stit ch line is left cle ar for late r app lica tion of wh ite.
Tattoos alw ays nee d mo re wh ite.

Alt ern ate stri pes , lea vin g one un col ore d for fut ure app lica tion of wh ite.
 G7

Add a little bit of colo r to the edge of the bandana. Whe n the white is
adde d this will help give it a fraye d look

The red of the band ana com plete . Ame rica, yeah!
The flam es are class ic red-o rang e-ye llow. At the base of the flam es I appl y re d, brus hing it out like a
shad ing strok e. Flames are fun to colo r.

Cont inue with the tong ues of red ...

 G9

... car ryin g the m up into the flam e . Red can be ver y mes sy and har d to wip e off.

Con tinu e wor king up the flam es . This is a free -ha nd thin g, rely ing on you r goo d eyes .
Jus t be sure to leave spa ce aro und the edg es for the yell ow and ora nge .
70

The red of th e fla m es ap pl ie d.

in g gr ee n so ap an d a m oi st to w el .
A s ne ed ed , w ipe ta tto o do w n at an y tim e, us
W ipe gently, pu tti ng yo ur se lf in yo ur cl ie nt 's sh oe s.
 71

Clean the tattoo and the needle well before shifting to orange. There is some overlap ping the red, applyin g
with light circula r strokes to blend it in . Blend , blend, blend, but be careful not to chew up the red .

Then carry the orange out with a brushin g shade stroke . I brush the orange out pretty fast.
72

Th e ora ng e co me s ou t fur the r tha n the red , bu t sti ll lea ve s roo m for the ye llo w.
I am us ing a sid e bru sh str ok e here.

Th e ora ng e ap pli ed . Wo w, it's co mi ng to life.

Agai n, clean as muc h exce ss ink as poss ible from the tatto o and the needle.
Wipe gent ly with a mois t pape r towe l. Gent ly!

Go alon g the edge s of the flam es with yello w. Take the yello w right into the oran ge .
7 ...

Sin ce this is edg e wo rk, the str oke is a late ral bac k and for th mo tio n .
No tice the 4-f ing er pap er tow el str etc h.

Co ntin ue in the sam e wa y for all the flam es.

 75

Finish the ye llo w. Clean the area an d loo k for areas tha t we re mi ss ed .

Th e ye llo w is co mp let e .
After cleaning the
needle and the
tattoo, I can begin
with the white.
Unique '" makes a
great white (sorry,
pro's only). The
edges outside of the
stitches can now be
colored. White will
appear pink at first,
as blood overcomes
the white ink.

Fill the stars.

 77

Work your
way across the
bandana.

Finish the stripes .

Blood is seen
here, shown
throug h the white
pigmen t.

Concordia l-ar1sh Librar~

Ferridey, Louisiena
Clean the area and go back to any spot s that may have been miss ed .

Finis hed. Som e white appe ars pink from bloo d .

App ly a coa t of pet role um jelly ....

Tape a pad of pap er tow el ove r it to hold in place. Leave the

... and cov er with plas tic wra p. ban dag e on for several hou rs .
BO
COPY 1
Proper hand washing before
and after a tattoo is very
important. Also during breaks
throughout a tattoo procedure.
Note, this hand washing is
done at Schiffer studio .

The finished tattoo

after healing.

Con~_,ordia Parish L1br ry

~riday, Louisiana
 M O R E SCHIFFER TITLES
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