My 2nd tattoo on myself, looking for feedback to improve

I had a bit of a defeat with my first tattoo as everything had gone wrong but with some feedback I was able to correct some of the issues. Now I've done a 2nd round where I did the gauntlet and the eye using a spektra flux with 1009 round liner cartridges.
I'm still not at a place where I feel comfortable tattooing anybody else after the outcome of the 2nd, however I do feel I have improved.

Things I did better this time:
-Stretched towards the line direction, made a huge difference.
-Thinner layers of stencil liquid, better result
-Thinner layers of vaseline, machine didn't get clogged up this time.
-Switched to a pen machine from an overheating coil machine, much more comfortable now.

Main challenges I had:
-Stencil was initially really thin when I used copy paper and I had to go over it with a thicker pen. I let it all dry for about 15 mins but by the time I was done with half the tattoo, the stencil was all gone. I ended up free-handing the rest of the details which contributed to lines not being all that confident.
-I can't see the needle depth properly from where I am when I'm tattooing myself, is it supposed to be this hard?
-When I'm pulling or pushing lines, at certain angles my hand shakes a lot. I'm not sure how to overcome this when I'm not able to rotate myself around. I've tried touching both hands together, sticking my arm to my body and not hovering my hand but I still can't help the shaky lines. With fake skin it's less of a problem.
-The lines were way thinner than what I had on the fake skin with the same needles, is it possible that the thinner needles have made this harder for me?

Some of the lessons I've made for the next time:
-Figure out how to stencil better
-Choose larger needles
-Practice more drawing for the angles where my hands shake
-Choose easier drawings, although these are just line art, I feel that small inconsistencies are too visible this way and I could use more forgiving designs next time.

I'd be very happy to hear what else you think can be improved and how I could improve them.

If you are using the printed image and tracing on carbon paper, your line weights are going to be light. I recommend investing in an inexpensive thermal copier. It will help carry the different line weights from your line drawing onto your stencil. It will also take away the stress of having to trace over a carbon sheet.

to help with stencil longevity, use a thin layer of stencil solution (I use stencil stuff) and let it dry for 30 minutes. I have seen people use blow dryers to hasten the drying time but do not know if it is recommended. I usually get approximately 60 wipes before its hard to see, depending on the line thickness. I also try to do dry wipes if the skin is not been worked so much. The Vaseline will bead the ink up on top and I will dap the tip of a paper towel to remove the ink without removing too much of the stencil.

hdlc said:

If you are using the printed image and tracing on carbon paper, your line weights are going to be light. I recommend investing in an inexpensive thermal copier. It will help carry the different line weights from your line drawing onto your stencil. It will also take away the stress of having to trace over a carbon sheet.

to help with stencil longevity, use a thin layer of stencil solution (I use stencil stuff) and let it dry for 30 minutes. I have seen people use blow dryers to hasten the drying time but do not know if it is recommended. I usually get approximately 60 wipes before its hard to see, depending on the line thickness. I also try to do dry wipes if the skin is not been worked so much. The Vaseline will bead the ink up on top and I will dap the tip of a paper towel to remove the ink without removing too much of the stencil.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the information, really appreciated.
I think I will go ahead and save for a thermal copier because hand copying has been a major pain. However I feel like at my level of tattooing I may be going a little overboard with the equipment I have. I do feel a little guilty that I own an expensive machine while having a hard time proper lines on the skin.

One thing I'm wondering about the process is should I remove the stencil paper off quickly after stamping it or let it stay for a while?

Seigard said:

Thanks for the information, really appreciated.
I think I will go ahead and save for a thermal copier because hand copying has been a major pain. However I feel like at my level of tattooing I may be going a little overboard with the equipment I have. I do feel a little guilty that I own an expensive machine while having a hard time proper lines on the skin.

One thing I'm wondering about the process is should I remove the stencil paper off quickly after stamping it or let it stay for a while?

Click to expand...

Investing in better equipment will allow you to advance yourself faster. Investment is the keyword.
I bought an expensive machine since I was only teaching myself how to start. Now I find myself limited by the limitations of my machine.

I have seen people leave it on till it dried but have not tried it myself. I peel it off after I am sure it has made contact with the skin and let it air dry.

Seigard said:

-I can't see the needle depth properly from where I am when I'm tattooing myself, is it supposed to be this hard?

Click to expand...

depending on how thin the skin is on certain body parts, I preadjust the needle to the depth I want with a little space so I don't ride the tube. This way I know when I start to get to close to the tube that I am going to deep.

Seigard said:

-When I'm pulling or pushing lines, at certain angles my hand shakes a lot. I'm not sure how to overcome this when I'm not able to rotate myself around. I've tried touching both hands together, sticking my arm to my body and not hovering my hand but I still can't help the shaky lines. With fake skin it's less of a problem.

Click to expand...

I learned that your hand moves better in one direction than another. with my beginner experience, I try to push and pull lines. I start to shake a little once I start curving the line. You should reposition yourself to be comfortable. You don't have this option if you tattoo yourself. I have a couple of tattoos on me that taught me this.

hdlc said:

I learned that your hand moves better in one direction than another. with my beginner experience, I try to push and pull lines. I start to shake a little once I start curving the line. You should reposition yourself to be comfortable. You don't have this option if you tattoo yourself. I have a couple of tattoos on me that taught me this.

Click to expand...

That's good to keep in mind. Now that I think about it I experience this difficulty mainly when I curve.

hdlc said:

depending on how thin the skin is on certain body parts, I preadjust the needle to the depth I want with a little space so I don't ride the tube. This way I know when I start to get to close to the tube that I am going to deep.

Click to expand...

Try to rely more on vibration and the ‘grip’ sensation of the skin on the needles, than watching whether or not the tube tip is getting too close to the skin.

Setting the starting (machine off) position of your needle tips just below the tube tip, will avoid ink running on to the skin when you tattoo. Positioning the needle tip further back in the tube normally results in this obtrusive type of ink flow. You may need to experiment a little to find the distance, but you can work that out on fake skin. You want ink to penetrate the surface but NOT to run off the needle and pool on the surface.

The amount your needle protrudes when tattooing this way will depend on your stroke length, so don’t worry about that distance as a specific number/distance. The more important distance is the starting point, how much the needle withdraws into the tube tip…re ink flow.


I’m adding this video link JUST to show a good ink flow on the lettering, without any splatter or pooling, this is what I would aim for when setting my needle start position. You can see that the person in the video has around a 4mm stroke and its very easy to see and to place the needles accurately in the skin, and then follow the stencil.

I didn’t watch all of this video and I am not commenting on or recommending anything else that may be in it.

hdlc said:

Investing in better equipment will allow you to advance yourself faster. Investment is the keyword.
I bought an expensive machine since I was only teaching myself how to start. Now I find myself limited by the limitations of my machine.

I have seen people leave it on till it dried but have not tried it myself. I peel it off after I am sure it has made contact with the skin and let it air dry.

Click to expand...

*Inexpensive

whippet said:

Try to rely more on vibration and the ‘grip’ sensation of the skin on the needles, than watching whether or not the tube tip is getting too close to the skin.

Setting the starting (machine off) position of your needle tips just below the tube tip, will avoid ink running on to the skin when you tattoo. Positioning the needle tip further back in the tube normally results in this obtrusive type of ink flow. You may need to experiment a little to find the distance, but you can work that out on fake skin. You want ink to penetrate the surface but NOT to run off the needle and pool on the surface.

The amount your needle protrudes when tattooing this way will depend on your stroke length, so don’t worry about that distance as a specific number/distance. The more important distance is the starting point, how much the needle withdraws into the tube tip…re ink flow.

I’m adding this video link JUST to show a good ink flow on the lettering, without any splatter or pooling, this is what I would aim for when setting my needle start position. You can see that the person in the video has around a 4mm stroke and its very easy to see and to place the needles accurately in the skin, and then follow the stencil.

I didn’t watch all of this video and I am not commenting on or recommending anything else that may be in it.

Click to expand...

Thank you. I'm still learning myself and appreciate help. The link did not work

hdlc said:

Thank you. I'm still learning myself and appreciate help. The link did not work

Click to expand...

Whoops…it was live yesterday