Freehand Tattoos
The skin is not a flat canvas. It is the dynamic, individual, living surface of your body. Freehand tattooing is a process of creating the stencil directly on the skin, as opposed (or in addition) to a transfer applied from a pre-drawn design. Tattooing is always a collaboration, but freehand becomes even more so a creative collaborative experience involving a lot of communication and trust. Though some may find the process daunting, others may enjoy or even prefer freehand tattoos for the collaborative experience, ability to fit the design with more flexibility and precision, and just for the unique journey itself between client and artist in creating something that has and will only ever exist exactly where it is.
Sam enjoys completely freehand sessions as well as combining an existing stencil with freehand edits to fit the exact place it will live.
Whether starting from a partial transfer stencil or completely from scratch, you will start the freehand process with Sam in front of a mirror to agree on the general placement and flow of the design.
From there a light colour marker is used to map out elements with some more precision. Depending on the piece, Sam may provide a “freehand menu” with various finished examples of the bits and pieces that could make up your final tattoo. This makes it easier for you to visualize along the way, and provides a visual aid for giving detailed feedback - for which specific vocabulary can be difficult to find it, especially in the case of more abstract elements and “vibes”. This is often the stage of freehanding that involves the most communication, collaboration, tweaks and changes.
When the placement and elements are settled on together, Sam will then draw the final stencil with dark marker, or use a small paintbrush with liquid stencil ink. At this point all details will be drawn, lineweights will be clear, and aside from specific textural elements within shapes (like dotwork or fill) you will be able to see the stencil in its final form. At this point Sam will leave you alone for a few moments for the stencil to dry, and allow for you to have some time to yourself to see how you feel about it without the pressure of the artist watching.
Nothing is final until the tattooing itself. Any and all changes are possible at any point in the process. Never get a tattoo you aren’t completely happy with, a trustworthy tattoo artist will never pressure you, no matter what stage of stencilling or application.
Finally, you will get back in front of the mirror to take a last careful look. Sam will ask you to move and bend your body to see the stencil in motion and make sure you are completely confident in the freehand design. If it’s good feelings and happy reactions all around, only then is it time to buckle up and settle in for the stabbing.
