For The Record: Stencils Courtesy of Tattoo Archive: Originally
tattooists were required to have enough artistic ability to draw
the desired design onto the skin before tattooing. With the
advent of wooden, paper and or plastic stencils, the tattoo
business opened up to a larger group of craftsmen; who with the
aid of the stencil could get the design transfer to the skin and
then apply their skills to outlining and shading that design.
Even tattooists with drawing skills like the ease of transfer
that stencils offered… In professional tattooing early stencils
were made of paper with the design drawn using a hectograph
pencil. This design could be transferred to the skin with the
aid water or green soap. Paper stencils were fragile and
generally would be used only once. They were often made just
before the tattoo was done. Stencils for popular designs were
often made up in advance, as we have seen in old-time
tattooists’ collections of multi-paper stencils. This transfer
process may have come from the sign pai