Self Tattooing in Sessions

View larger image of hair comparison between sessions.

Session 01 was outlined in black, but the majority of features within the face and hair were quickly outlined with a light grey wash. I then filled in some areas loosely with a slightly darker wash (around 10% black). The quick outlines healed light enough to go over and dark enough to still see.

Two months later, Session 02, had me fleshing out his hair and forehead. I started with a medium wash in some of the darker spots to give myself some landmarks. Then I jumped straight into a really light wash and blended out the lightest of lights. Step back, take a break, look at it with fresh eyes. I then built up the medium wash into the light. Finally, I ended the sessions by throwing some dark grey into those original landmark spots and up the contrast. (does that make sense?)

It's certainly not for everyone, but tattooing yourself can be great. It's one of the only times I can tattoo and just not care about trying out new hand motions, whip shading, and mess with my machine.