Conceiving the tattoo as an art is something that we all agree on today.
It is a way of telling our story, a way of expressing our way of seeing life, and of course, a way of decorating the body that has evolved over the years.
The tattoo has shown us that there is quality and creativity for all tastes and that we can all find the piece that makes us feel self-represented and proud of what we see on our skin, regardless of where we come from or who we are.
At present, it has become an essential form of expression for a large part of the population and in some cases, even a true work of art to be exhibited.
However, to achieve good results, we must talk about the adaptation of the tattoo to the body, and that is that we must think about the shapes of our canvas (the skin) and even the movement that we print throughout the day.
The importance of the size of the tattoo and its relationship with the body
It is not the same to make a small tattoo on a finger as on the back or a full sleeve on the arms, one of the areas that most deform the design of a tattoo, so this is a key element to consider when the time to analyze the adaptation of the tattoo to the body.
When it comes to tattoos located in areas with many curves and/or with a lot of movement, getting a correct adaptation becomes something truly complicated.
To get good results with tattoos in these areas, we should put ourselves in the hands of professional tattoo artists, otherwise, the results can be catastrophic.
The main objective of a tattoo is to attract attention, offer a different aesthetic, and above all, use it as a way of revealing our personality, and to achieve this, all shapes, structures, and details must be cared about to the finest.
The problem of the stencil* in large tattoos
When a client comes to a tattoo parlor, it is very common that the artist shows some examples of already tattooed designs to the customer to inspire him and make it easier to start a new and different design.
In many cases, the artist draws a sketch that will serve as the main axis for the realization of the drawing, keep in mind that once we start painting on the body, the drawback is that no eraser works, so a small mistake can ruin an entire piece of art.
Stencils can be very useful, especially when it comes to small tattoos that are done on simpler areas of the body, with few curves or without excessive movement, since in this way the stencil drawing can be adequately sized without it getting wrinkles and without having to make any changes to the drawing on skin.
But when it comes to covering more complex areas, with curves and greater movement, the stencil can even hinder the work of adapting the drawing to the reality of the canvas, that is, to its normal shapes and marks.
The expert tattoo artist and his ability to adapt a design to the body shapes and their movement
The expert tattoo artist is trained to fully adapt both to the shapes of the body itself and its movement, developing qualities for the following four factors:
- Each part of the body presents some particularities and different shapes.
- Each person is different, and it is that tattooing a man’s leg is not the same as that of a woman, or that of that man in front of us and the one to our right, observing in each case a completely new canvas and proportions with unique shapes and characteristics.
- When working on large tattoos that cover entire areas and multiple muscle groups (a tattoo can jump from the arm to the back, and from the back down the ribs to the leg), we may have to deal with changes in drawing for an adequate adaptation.
- It is necessary to take into account the movement in each part of the body that is going to be tattooed, thus ensuring that the tattoo does not lose its meaning, its quality, or its original characteristics.
This does not mean that stencils cannot be used; they must be combined with the artist’s skills to create the perfect composition on our bodies. The proportion of freehand work and the use of stencils depends on each tattoo artist’s technique and style, but we must make sure that, both with or without stencils, we are in the hands of a professional who can adapt to the shape of our body and movement, managing to give rise to a unique and exclusive creation that can become a true piece of art.