From your idea to our stencil

Every tattoo here begins on paper. After your consultation, your artist pins your references to the board above the drawing table along with the measurements we took. The first sketches are loose pencil studies, just shapes and flow, to work out how the design will sit on the curve of your arm or shoulder.

Once the composition works, the artist draws it properly: clean linework at actual size, with shading noted in pencil. For fine-line work, this stage decides the spacing between lines, which matters for how it will look years later. For colour pieces, we paint a quick colour study so you can see the palette before the day.

You receive the sketch on WhatsApp within ten days. You can ask for one round of changes, such as moving a flower, enlarging a word or simplifying a background, and the artist sends a revised version. Larger changes may need a second consultation.

On the day, the final drawing is printed onto stencil paper and transferred to your skin with a thin layer of stencil gel. You stand in front of the mirror and check the placement. We can wipe it off and move it as many times as you like, until it is exactly right. Only then does the machine come out. The original drawing is yours to keep, signed by the artist, if you want it.