Definition
What is a tattoo stencil?
A stencil is the outline of the design, transferred onto the skin before the tattoo session begins. It acts as a guide the artist follows while tattooing, ensuring placement and proportions are correct.
Stencils are printed from a digital design or traced by hand. Some artists also work freehand — drawing directly on the skin without a stencil — for more organic, body-aware compositions.
Examples
- Traditional purple thermal stencil placed before a session
- Stencil wrapping a curved surface like the ribs or calf
- Iterative stencil placement to nail exact positioning