Tattooing is a specialized skill. Not every artist can be a tattoo artist. It takes a detailed passion and precision which other forms of art do not require. When creating a piece of art upon someone’s skin, there is a level of diligence not entirely necessary in other mediums. If you screw up a watercolor painting, for example, it won’t ruin someone’s life.
When it comes to the tattoo process, it isn’t usually a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am deal. Sure, you get the occasional walk-in, lick ‘em and stick ‘em flash piece… but in general, it is a long process. There is a consultation, in which the client and the artist discuss the piece and throw around ideas. Then comes the drawing. The artist will draw up the piece and send it to the client for approval. Next comes the stencil. The artist will create a stencil of the design on a piece of stencil paper, which works similar to a temporary tattoo. The stencil is then applied to the client’s skin. This transfers the design onto the area to be tattooed. It works as a guideline for the artist during the tattooing process. Then, the tattooing begins.
Image Credit/Artist: Dan Belden
Image Credit/Artist: Dan Belden
But there is another form of tattooing which skips a few of these steps: free-hand. While there may be fewer steps in freehand tattooing, the process is no less complex. In fact, some could say that this form of tattooing takes a different level of skill, one that requires the artist to think in the moment in order to create a truly epic piece.
The artist will still discuss the piece in detail with the client, as it is a piece of art that they will wear upon their skin indefinitely. Colors and style are discussed, along with the overall concept.
Then the fun begins.
Image Credit/Artist: Dan Belden
There is no stencil used in freehand tattooing. The artist doesn’t pre-draw the design and show it to the client for approval. The design is drawn directly onto the client’s skin, usually with several different colored permanent markers, just before the tattooing process begins.
In this manner, the artist doesn’t have days prior to tweak the design. It is drawn, straight from their head, onto the skin and then inked immediately afterward. Some freehand artists show their client the marker sketch before starting, whereas others do not. However, the drawing can often be confusing to those looking on as it is usually just a rough sketch of lines that only seem to make sense to the artist.
Image Credit/Artist: Dan Belden
A free-hand artist is usually someone who has been in the business for quite some time. They generally have a solid portfolio and a decent client base. It takes a lot of trust to allow someone to tattoo you using this method. I personally have a free-hand piece on my body and it was quite an encounter. My free-hand piece is a giant tree which goes from my underwear line all the up to my neckline, covering my entire back (still several sessions from being complete). The tree was hand-drawn onto my back using a black sharpie just prior to the start of the tattoo. It was an incredible experience, one which required me to have ultimate faith and trust in my artist. For me, this was easy. My artist was well-established and had previously done several pieces on me, all of which garner great attention and oodles of compliments. I wouldn’t have been able to go through with it, had I not had complete trust in my artist.
Image Credit/Artist: Dan Belden
For those who give themselves over to the whim of their artists—it can be an ethereal occurrence. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with a client of my own artist who is currently in the process of receiving her first freehand tattoo. No stranger to ink, she has three rather large, complex pieces from the artist already.
“I am more excited about what Dan is doing on this free-hand piece more than any of my other tattoos because it is so organic,” Emily Bauer told me. “I come from a family of artists and nothing was more beautiful than when my brother and dad just drew what came out of their head, and they enjoyed it more when they got to create whatever they wanted.”
Image Credit/Artist: Dan Belden
The piece she is referring to is a large floral piece which stretches from her knee to her hip and is still currently under work.
“I like knowing that Dan is having a better time getting to be creative and enjoying what he’s doing as opposed to drawing something that he isn’t interested in,” she states.
Image Credit/Artist: Dan Belden
While some artists focus on solely freehand tattooing, others stay far away from it—citing the need for strong lines in place before they start. Most artists will use a combination of freehand and stencil drawing, however; placing a stencil of the main image and using a marker to add in transitions and backgrounds. Regardless of how it is used, freehand tattooing is an amazing experience for both artist and client, and quite impressive to watch take place.
