TAZ SUCKS

JUST KIDDING, I wanted to get your attention :). Now that I have it, I have a question! When drawing the initial sketch of a tattoo, how do you go about it if it's something that will be wrapping around somebody's arm, leg, ect. Say, if you wanted to have a snake going around your arm...how does that come out looking on paper? Or is that something you just end up drawing on directly with a pen before you put it to ink? I hope I'm not being confusing here. Let me know if I am though, and I'll try and explain it better. Jeremy

Well...not just your attention taz...cause you said you do all your stuff freehand...just wanted everyone's attention, cause I'm an attention whore like that sometimes, especially at 2 in the morning.

there are different ways, everybody uses different techniques. The freehand option is for very good illustrators can start tracing without a reference, but not everyone can achieve like that. With experience you'll find the technique that suits you the best. I personally use spaulding pencil on thin tracing paper. Some times you can just wrap the design around, some times you need to apply it by patches. It all goes with your experience.

To answer the question about arm bands, Draw it out on paper using a straight line as a guide about the length it needs to go around your arm or leg. The best way is to make the stencil ends meet on the outside of the arm or leg that way they fit perfect together at the ends not only is it easy but it’s the straightest way to do that type of wrap around design, Even more so than if you free hand it.

OR you can take two rubber bands and position them an the arm where ya want the guidelines to be...let them stay there for a few minutes and when ya take em off you have some skin lines as reference

i kinda want an answer to this question too.about the wrapping, like a sleeve from the shoulder down with a wrapping desing..but before i thought to ask, i got a paper and put it on the arm, drew a few little marks as to the boundaries and maybe let me know where the drawing could "go"...then i took it off and drew and got ot work...was also wondering what the pro's do because this is the only way i could figure for me, just not used to looking at a drawing (that wraps) and seeing it on the paper then seeing it on skin. practice i guess.

Are we discussing the best way or the best way to show off ?

I'm no tattoo artist (though i am an artist for my own enjoyment, and the enjoyment of theatre patrons), but i would think to measure how long it would be (with wraping aorund the arm), taking a piece of paper that long, draw it straight, then wrap it. Then once you apply it, go in with sharpie or whatever you guys use and fill in the areas that were not on the skin due to it curving??? make any sense?

true. i guess i was hoping there was an easy way to look at an arm or whatever and have an image in my head already of how it would be on paper.

You can also check out some half sleeve flash pieces and/or quality flash designed to fit body parts. Another thing you can do is research tailor patterns possibly, tailors make fabric that fits the body...

sounds good...any suggestion on what general size for drawing my own sleeve flash? i was think maybe a foot in length, 4 inches width, give or take. damn i think i answered my own question. sorry, i'm too busy to go cruise into a shop, but i reckon i should start stepping into them sometime soon. thanks.