SPECIALIST PRACTICE
TATTOO TRANSFERS
STENCILS from Todd Debrecini
Marker/pen Transfers
Materials:
1. Design (either freehand or traced)
2. Tracing paper
3. Bic pen or thin sharpie
4. Alcohol (70%, 91% and 99%)
5. Clear deodrant
6. Skin illustrator
7. Sealer (green marble?)
Take the design and either trace or freehand onto transfer paper using Bic or sharpie. Clean skin with 70% alcohol. Apply clear deodrant to skin liberally - design will not transfer to any areas where this is no deodrant. Apply to the skin pressing down firmly.
You can draw design a day or 2 in advance, preferably only a few hours but not weeks. This is a disadvantage to this method asit would be easier if I could have my tattoos prepared a few weeks in advance.
Once transfer is on the skin, it can be painted using the skin illustrators. Once finished, airbrush a layer of sealer. If a coloured tattoo is required, this can be done in layers, e.g. paint, sealer, paint, sealer. When finished, powder wihth a coloured puff or airbrush a very thin layer of skin tone foundation.
Fig. 46.
Alternative Marker Method
Black sharpie = brown ink
Staedtler = black ink
Bic Markers = their colour
Debrecini feels this method works best with black and gray tattoos.
Tace the design with the Staedtler marker as it is the darkest black. He then uses the black sharpie to do the shading. Design may look like a big dark blob on the transfer paper but wait until it is transferred. Transfer the same way as previous method.
Stencils
Airbrushing tattoos with stencils is the fastest way to create a temporary tattoo. Can create stencils with variety of materials - paper, cardboard or clear acetate.
Materials:
1. Stencil
2. Alcohol pigments
3. Alcohol
4.Airbush
5. Stencil tac
Clean skin with 70% alcohol. Depending on size and intricacy of stencil, may want to spray stencil with stencil tac to keep it in place. Make sure not to paint design too opaque or is will look fake. Remove stencil and if there is any over spray, clean it off with 99% alcohol. Can then airbrush or hand paint colour into the tattoo. When finished, either spray flesh tone foundation over tattoo or use skin coloured powder with a puff.
TATTOO ARTICLE - MAKE UP ARTIST MAG VOL 116
I had not heard of Ken Diaz's tattoo pen before - he created it as he found that normal marker pens could not achieve that 'aged' tattoo look. This may be a product I could consider experimenting with, as I plan to create to use tattoos within my characters design.
After applying a transfer, Stratton uses Ben Nye final seal to seal the tattoo followed by one coat of Blue Marble sealer. He then airbrushes Revlon Colourstay foundation, thinned with some 244 fluid over the tattoo.
You could also stipple some dermacolour over the top of the transfer to make it look more aged.
It is incredible to think that these are transfers, particularly with the size of them. I have struggled with creating realistic transfers during this project - it is amazing to think how effective they can look. They are very time effective and would be an ideal way to create tattoos - it would be far too time consuming to draw these freehand. These tattoos look so real.
Fig. 47 - 52