I've completed sessions two and three. So far the last was the most difficult. I've trouble with a couple spots. As soon as the higher level pain kicks in, I close my eyes and take myself to the beach. Yesterday, I was at that mental beach for about half the session.

View much larger image (800x600)

A client will bring in a drawing, an album cover, or a bit of text and it's my job to make sure the final outline comes out as perfect as possible. Scanning an image precisely in line is incredibly rare, but thankfully Photoshop can help. All it needs to know is what angle should be perfectly straight.

Here's a scanned image of an old Gorillaz album. Obviously it's crooked.

1. Select your Measuring Tool. (It's the ruler under the Eyedropper, or cycle to it with Shift+I)

2. Drag a line with the Measuring Tool along a line that should be straight. (The red below is an indicator, I actually drew it directly on the bottom line of the CD cover)

3. From the above pulldown menu select Image > Rotate Canvas > Arbitrary. The correct value will be automatically loaded. Hit OK and the image will be autorotated.

* This is perfect for straightening crosses, lines of text, faces (draw the line from eye to eye), kanji (you can do this vertically also), photos, and just about anything else you can scan.

Here's number 16. Ben wanted something for his three kids. So we took the first letter of their names and put them on a banner over a heart (obviously). He was happy, so life is good.

Also, more tattoos have been posted in the gallery. Head on over...

Nothing beats being able to freehand and create these letters off the top of your head. Learning letter form, albeit moderately ornate, is a wonderful tool.

It's also useful to use fonts. So here is a list of visual samples and links to download sources. (some of these are free, others are not)

Tattoo Ink
Lowercase letters have alternate fills inside caps.
Download free at dafont.com

Many more fonts and alternate fonts after the jump...

Queen Rosie & Sweet Rosie
Purchase at Font Diner
Both included in the "County Fair Picnic Font Set" at Font Diner.

Sailor Gothic
Lowercase included. Four varients: regular, bold, open, and shaded.
Purchase at Cubanica

Tattoo Ink
Lowercase letters have alternate fills inside caps.
Download free at dafont.com

Tattoo Lettering Black / Open
Lowercase letters are alternate versions of caps.
Download free at typOasis - pull down menu on left

Tattoo Font Alternates

Clyde
Still trying to locate this font for download...

Fancy Pants
Lowercase letters are alternate versions of caps.
Download free at dafont.com

Gallia
Lowercase letters are shorter versions of caps.
Purchase at Fonts.com

Odalisque
Download free at dafont.com

Related: .EPS (or .jpg) version of hand lettering by Greg James.

This tattoo was incredibly fun. That and overwhelming. But, having fleshed this out before hand, I was able to trust myself a bit more. The client knew what image of Kermit he wanted and had me add standing legs.

View larger image of full tattoo length 01 / 02.

Eventually, we'll add a swamp themed background.

I drew this one out many times. Here's the pencil for the black/grey, and the Prismacolor. I always tape these up to anything freestanding for reference.

It's not one giant leap. It's more like eating an elephant: one bite at a time. So here are some things I'm noticing:

1. My left hand is more sensitive. When I stretch enough, I'm beginning to feel what vibration should and shouldn't be present. It's beginning to tell me depth.

2. Being able to tattoo is a craft, a skill, a trade. It's an artform with tradition. And, surprisingly, with each tattoo I really feel a sense of respect for those that have gone before me.

3. I have been told that shading will "click". And when it clicks... it'll be better than sex. Now I'm not so sure about the extremity of that claim. But I had it click last week. And it was beautiful.

4. Three times I have felt in touch with the beautiful hum of my liner; once with my shader.

5. As I'm creating an outline, I'm starting to understand (slightly) the skin. Instinctively, I'll find myself easing depth because I'll feel a greater possibility of blow out. Oh, and I had no clue that some people have a lesser division of wrinkled elbow skin on the top of the shoulder!

6. My wife, Ashlee, knows if I've completely finished a tattoo. I guess the high is in my voice when we talk on the phone.

7. It's way more engrossing than juggling. But not nearly as frantic as disarming a bomb. What a wonderful mental zone.

Let's take this rose a client wants. She loves the shape and angle, but wants it a bit more traditional... in her words, "cartoony." After making the outline, I thought it would be interesting to shade it two ways. The first in a softened traditional style. The second as I see it in my head.

The traditional, one-source gradient creates a stark fade. It gives the traditional feel with uniformity on each piece within the object; a one stop visual plane. When viewed from a distance - as a tattoo will be viewed - it helps make the image pop. Also, over time, the image will be much more likely to retain the visual strength.

My life drawing has ingrained a different view. I see from reference... from a light source, or sources, or even sources I create - and try to create a smoother sense of depth by applying whatever gradient I feel should be. A good contrast can also be created, but over time the image may blur a bit more easily in the skin.

So what I see and what I am learning are beginning to come together. Well, at least in my head. If I can test both and see what works initially, and after healing, then I'll be able to use that understanding to tattoo more effectively. You know, so I can be cool.