o apply tattoos on the skin, the tattoo artist needs both a good clear reference of the actual design, and well drawn stencils (line drawings) as the "blueprint" for the actual tattoo. To the right, you can see several samples of both tattoo designs and their corresponding stencils. These designs are all created by one of our world renowned tattoo flash artists, Edward Lee.
All designs sold on TattooFinder.com are available to the customer at full size, in clear view, and include the corresponding stencils (like the samples displayed on this page).
What are STENCILS (line drawings) and why are they important?
Stencils, also known as "line drawings" or "liners" are what a tattooist REALLY needs to apply the tattoo design to the skin. The line drawings are run through a thermofax (or similar device) with the result being the line drawings set to carbon paper. The tattooist then applies a liquid solution (type may vary) on the skin, and presses the carbon line drawings to the skin. This provides a "blueprint" on the skin . . . a guide to create the actual tattoo.
Stencils are a way that the tattoo flash artist (artist who creates the design on paper) communicates the intended artistic nuances of the design to the tattoo artist (who actually applies the tattoo on the skin). Like any type of communication, it is a "two-way conversation." Not all line drawings are created equal. Some tattoo flash artists put more "information" into their design stencils and some put less. Likewise, tattoo artists use stencils differently. Some will follow the stencils provided exactly as they were created, while others may alter the stencils before using them to create tattoos on the skin.
Regardless of how they are created and used, almost ALL tattooists use line drawings. There are a very few select number of tattooists who "freehand" tattoos, but even they will oftentimes use a pen directly on the skin before they start to apply any ink. In other words, they may not be using any "reference material" (designs and/or stencils on paper), but to create on skin what they have in their mind, they still create the "stencils" on skin with a pen of what they imagine the final design to look like.
The bottom line is that most tattooists NEED stencils to create tattoos on skin.
What do the different DESIGN SIZES on TattooFinder.com mean? Can I change the size for the actual tattoo?
The smaller designs we sell on TattooFinder.com are generally 1 - 3 inches, and the larger tattoo designs are generally 7 - 10 inches. In general (and this is not a perfect science), designs on TattooFinder.com are "sized" at the smallest size they could be applied as a tattoo on skin.
Skin is a "living canvas" and has its own properties as a "medium" for art. There are general "rules" in tattooing (do's and don'ts) for how to apply a tattoo on the skin for it to look good and STAY looking good over time. One of these rules applies to how "tight" a tattoo can be and still "hold up over time".
On skin, ink fades and ink spreads. How well the tattooist applies the ink can definitely effect these things, but following the "rules" also greatly effects the results. If a design is applied to the skin that is too "tight" (too much "ink information" in too small a place, the end result will be an abstract "ink blob" on the skin.
For example in the "medium" sized tattoo design to the right (the rose with the cross), if this tattoo design is applied on the skin at a much smaller size than it is here, then the black lines in the leaves will run together and the leaves will look like black ink blobs (black dominates all other colors and shades). So the general rule here is that if you try to put too much detail into a design that is too small to support the detail, the tattoo will not hold up well over time.
In general, tattoo designs can be "scaled up" (made larger) with no problem. However, to make the tattoo design smaller on the skin than it is as we sell them, most likely the tattooist will need to alter the design (stencils) to leave out some of the detail. So yes, larger designs CAN be made smaller, but this takes some extra work by the tattooist (and of course depends on the skill level of the tattooist to do this job well).
Also, some of the larger designs sold on TattooFinder.com actually SHOULD be made larger than the size they print at. The largest actual size of designs we sell is 10 inches by 7 inches. This is to accommodate standard printers that only print this large (so you can print your own tattoo design from home). For example, the "large" tattoo design to the right (of the dragon with the transparent tribal over it) really has too much detail in it to be done at this actual size. But we sized this design to be able to print on your printer. Any tattooist should be able to "scale" the design by changing the size of the stencils using a copy machine.
Can I make changes to the tattoo design before it is applied on the skin? Can I make CUSTOM designs?
Yes! Tattoo Designs sold on TattooFinder.com can be altered by you and/or your tattoo artist to make it more "personalized" for you as a tattoo (and we ENCOURAGE you to do this!). Colors can be changed, parts can be added or left out, a color design can be done as a black and gray design and visa versa. Many people oftentimes purchase several tattoo designs from TattooFinder.com to mix and match to create just one tattoo. Sometimes to "Find the Perfect Design" you need to actually find "several" tattoo designs and use them to create the "perfect design" for you! This just means that "some assembly may be required", and this is up to you and/or the creativity of your tattooist!
What is the TattooFinder.com Gallery feature on the site? How can this help me find tattoos?
The FREE Gallery feature on the site allows you to "store" up to 20 tattoo designs that you may want to consider for tattoos. To create your own personalized Gallery, simply click on the "MY TATTOOS" button in the main menu on the site and create a FREE account (only an e-mail address and password are required).
Since we add new tattoo designs to the site all the time, how your search results are displayed will change over time. This means you SHOULD NOT expect that the way you found a design on the site will work the same way when you visit the site again later.
By creating your own personalized TattooFinder.com Gallery, you can click the "Add to My Gallery" button (displayed next to all designs) and that tattoo design will be added to your Gallery. You can then log into the site at a later time and easily access tattoo designs you found that interest you.
The Gallery ALSO provides a great way to help you on your search to "Find the Perfect Tattoo". You can expand and reduce the designs you are considering by adding and/or deleting designs from your Gallery.
The Gallery allows you to look at all the designs you are considering on one page, and compare them side by side. It also helps if you want to "combine" several designs into one by looking at them in your Gallery side by side.
Keep in mind, though, that designs left in "unattended" Galleries will automatically be deleted from the Gallery after 3 months. We do this to keep our database "cleaned up" and to keep the site running smoothly. However, each time you log in to the site, your Gallery is refreshed for the next three months (and you won't loose all your hard work!). You can also choose to have e-mail reminders sent to you when your gallery is about to expire.
Butterfly / Moth Tattoos - One of the most popular tattoo design choices for women, the Butterfly reveals the feminine influence in tattoo culture. Generally speaking, butterflies are an overwhelmingly female tattoo design. Because of the butterfly's short life span, many ancient peoples saw it as emblematic of the impermanent. It's physical beauty and its fluttering from flower 
