Basic Tattooing Techniques (Tattooing Types With Tips)[2023]

To become a professional tattoo artist, you have to learn different basic tattooing techniques and styles. Also, these basic tattooing techniques help you build more tattooing skills. So, you can make unique and realistic tattoos. Remember, your tattooing skills are keys to making perfect tattoos, not your premium tattoo machine.

My love for tattoos made me fond of tattooing. I never knew that someday I’ll become a tattoo artist but maybe it was destined to happen. In my spare time, I always read about basic tattooing techniques for fun. As a result, I learned different tattooing techniques. Similarly, I am here to guide beginners like you by sharing some basic tattooing types with tips.

Basic Tattooing Techniques For Beginners In 2023

Before starting tattooing, there are a few basic but important tattooing techniques that you have to learn, which are the following:

1. Transferring Tattoo Design

Tattoo artists transfer the tattoo design to the skin with stencil papers. Many professional tattoo artists including me use Speed Stick Deodorant to transfer the tattoo design from stencil paper to the skin.

Make sure you have copied the tattoo design on stencil paper with the best tattoo stencil printer machine. Also, use the speed stick deodorant on the skin and put on the stencil paper on the skin. Then, rub on the stencil paper and remove it after a few minutes. As a result, tattoo design transfers to the skin perfectly.

2. Holding Tattoo Machine

Tattoo artists know about holding positions of the tattoo machine properly for tattooing. For example, strongly pressing the tattoo machine needle on the skin can cause excessive bleeding. Also, the tattoo ink does not fix the skin on the low press of the tattoo machine needle.

Moreover, you cannot use the tattoo machine easily in the beginning days because of its heavyweight design. Therefore, you need practice to using a tattoo machine for a long time with comfort at the right angle. Further, you can hold the tattoo machine as you hold the pencil for starting the practice.

3. Lining/Outlining

Creating the basic shape of a tattoo design on the skin with lines is called lining or outlining. These lines can be of one size or different according to design. In simple words, the lines can go deep or light in several areas of tattoo design. Also, some tattooists draw multiple thin lines together to get one thick line as I did in beginning. Most importantly, avoid making knots in the lining.

However, you can use needles of multiple sizes for the lining. Remember, these lines are very important to give the tattoo a clean and professional look. Moreover, you can use any color to create tattoo lines on the skin. Further, the line with different colors helps to highlight any part of the tattoo. Last but not least, you can use the best numbing cream for tattoos to avoid pain in the lining process.

4. Color Filling Technique/Coloring

You can guess the procedure as the point shows it clearly. The process in which the tattoo artist fills the color in the tattoo design is called color filling or coloring. It can be your choice to select the color that you want to fill in your tattoo design or according to customer requirements.

Also, tattoo artists do coloring in tattoos in many ways. For example, some professional tattoo artists use small circles overlapping and some of them use the pressure of the needle all over the skin including me.

Moreover, you have to fill the dark color first and then the light color. There are many benefits of coloring in this right way. Firstly, you don’t have to clean the needle of the tattoo machine every few minutes. Secondly, dark and light colors should not muddle during coloring.

5. Tattoo Shading Technique

Adding shade to the tattoo increases the deepness of the tattoo design. Also, it is the best part of tattooing for me. The tattoo artist who is a master in the shading process of tattooing is the real tattoo artist. Similarly, almost no tattoo becomes attractive without proper shading.

Also, I create dark and light shadows to stand out design from the tattoo. You can apply high pressure on the skin and slowly lift the tattoo machine needle to make a dark shade with a light shade ending.

Moreover, tattoo artists mix up black and white colors to make grey colors for light shading. Further, you can add water to dull the color simply. But remember, tattooists like me know the exact quantity of colors for every shade because it matters in tattoos.

6. Lettering Technique In Tattoos

The words and dates in the tattoo designs never get old. You cannot become a professional tattoo artist without having skills in lettering. People love to have a special name or word with a date permanently on their bodies. Therefore, tattooists have to learn font designs and space between letters to satisfy clients as I did.

However, there are only a few font styles that are used in tattooing. Most importantly, you can check the dictionary to avoid spelling mistakes.

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