This Technique Talk episode dives deep into practical applications that both novice and seasoned artists can immediately incorporate into their workflow. Catch conversations like this and other events in the Inside Fireside Tattoo Club where we have veteran tattooers come and talk about their processes every month!
Shape is king in tattoo design. When I recently had a client come in wanting a blue jay that would wrap around multiple angles of his shoulder, it perfectly illustrated why we need to prioritize designing for the body rather than the stencil paper. This is exactly the kind of challenge that separates good tattooers from great ones - understanding that what might look "wrong" on paper can be absolutely right on skin.
What's up everyone, I just had the opportunity to sit down with the incredibly talented Levi Hilton, a recommendation from our friend Patrick O'Neal, and it turned out to be one of the best episodes we've recorded in quite a while. Levi shared his journey from Louisiana to San Diego, diving deep into how animation influenced his unique tattoo style and the importance of understanding how designs interact with the body as a canvas.
Today we have a real treat with some great knowledge drops from killer artist and tattooer, Cooper. Coop is very much about his process; he's very thoughtful, plans very thoroughly, and is extremely process-oriented. So, if you're curious about how really high-level illustrative style tattooers plan their tattoos out and execute, this is the episode for you. Cooper has a very specific kind of order of operations that he goes through with each and every tattoo and was kind enough to lay it out for us.