How did I end up here?
How did I end up writing a blog about tattooing? I thought I was a 3D artist mostly and not a Tattoo Artist, but here we are. Earlier this year I posted some work on Instagram showcasing digital tattoo design and it included a sculpted head. The head was created on my iPad using an App called Nomad Sculpt.
Nomad Sculpt is a 3D Sculpting and painting app that is available for the iPad and some capable Android devices. It is one of a few 3D apps that is taking advantage of the power of the latest mobile chips. The new iPad Pro with the M1 chip for example. My YouTube channel is all about helping people create in new and innovative ways and I think Tattooing falls into that category. I came up with the idea of using Nomad Sculpt to draw and paint Tattoo ideas right onto a 3D model. That could be anything from a logo right up to a full sleeve. It is a perfect way to create digital tattoo design.
Skin and Ink Magazine saw the work and approached us to ask us to share our work with their readers and explain to Tattoo artists how to show their designs on digital models. I have a passion for helping people create in new and innovative ways and this really fitted the bill. Nomad app has really changed the way I work and sculpting on the iPad is one of my favorite ways to make art.
Tattooing keeps evolving
Tattooing isn’t a new phenomenon. In fact, it is 1000’s of years old but it’s always evolving with new techniques and equipment. The iPad is used by 1000’s of Tattoo artists to show their clients what a Tattoo might look like on their bodies. This is simply an extension of that process. A lot of artists are now using the iPad as a major part of their creative routines and it’s no different with the Tattoo community. A lot of Tattoo artists use programs like Procreate to design their tattoos in the early stages. Often instead of pen and ink.
This is where the iPad comes into its own as it is small, versatile and very powerful for its size. Procreate has been developed to a level that can equal Photoshop and similar programs like Krita. It’s still available for a one-off payment as opposed to a monthly subscription. It’s quite easy to take your design and overlay it onto a photograph of a client or a downloaded image. It can really help to give a sense of how a tattoo will ‘read’ when it’s in place. There are even courses out there now to teach an artist exactly how to do that very thing.
Going beyond procreate
Taking that idea one step further would be where Nomad Sculpt enters the picture. It’s possible to take (or create your own!) 3D models and then drag or draw your design onto the surface. You can then carry on painting or shading on layers. This really helps you begin to get a feel for how the Tattoo could look. Add to that the ability to move lighting and even change things like skin color and you can see why it’s an exciting time in the industry. Clients love seeing an approximation of their tattoo on an actual moving body part.
Nomad Sculpt course for tattoo artists
I’ve created a course – Nomad Sculpt for Tattoo Artists to get you going with Nomad and it has just been launched. If you are new to iPad sculpting and the Nomad app then we would recommend you take the beginners course first.
Procreate is planning a 3D update where we could paint in 3D right there inside the program and that brings even more exciting options to the table. For character tattoos, it could be perfect. Digital tattooing is growing in so many new and exciting ways and this tattoo tutorial course might just help. There are plenty of tattoo drawing tutorials out there but not many featuring digital sculpting as the base.
Skin and ink began as a monthly tattoo magazine in 1992 and Focuses squarely on showcasing the art of tattooing. Skin and Ink is unbiased featuring contemporary emerging artists as well as distinguished well-known artists from around the world. A quarterly print magazine is distributed and carried in major bookstore chains including premium locations at Barnes and Noble, Hastings as well as major art store chains boutiques galleries and newsstands
