tattoo stencil

hi everyone im new to this forum so take it easy on me lol. so basically i make my stencils by hand uses carbon paper and a4 printer paper for basic size tattoos but my question is if i wanted to do a really big back piece how would i make a huge stencil i mean would i have to use bigger printer paper lol like a2 im really confused. any help would really be a big help. thanx

Welcome ryan, introduce your self in the general tattoo section mate.

You can get big sheets of plain paper, or better still use tracing paper as it wont tear as easy as plain paper when wet, or you can make a stencil in sections, again tracing paper is better as you can see easier when you are aligning it, you would also need to cut the stencil so it will fold around the contours of the body, flat skin is easy, contours get tricky, and be prepared to do it numerous times.

A good tip prior to applying a big stencil is mark out lines on the body in pen and mark the stencil the same so it aligns, then stand well back and be critical if it is level / looks right and if any of the stencil needs re applying by hand.

when I'm working on a big piece I tend to try and break the design into different component parts so you can make a stencil up of each part then apply them separately then depending on the nature of the design either freehand the areas in between the components or if its going to be done in multiple sessions (and lets face it you are not going to do a whole back in one session) work on each section then apply an overlapping stencil for the next section once the first session has healed and your ready to do the next area.

no need to over complicate anything, just need to print if off in parts (on a4 paper) stick them together so it makes the whole image, and then carbon it all up like it's one design, nothing tricky? stick it all on as one big design, one big piece of paper

if you're trying to stick something on symmetrical like a big cross backpiece you can't just stick each sheet on seperately or you're going to have a nightmare trying to line everything up and make everything symmetrical, make each stencil join, do that before you apply it to the body

i'd get some help sticking it on too, maybe 3 people to hold bits down

I don't think attempting a piece that big is in your best interest at the moment. Stick with small designs first until you understand the application s of tattooing