Body and Hand Placement

Hand and body placement are important in creating beautiful results. You will create better results when you are comfortable. When my students are beginners and they’ve never worked closely with a client’s face, they tend to be very uncomfortable. I notice that they tend to be very shaky both during the shaping and the tattoo procedure. As a brow artist, you will be working very closely with all of your clients’ face so it’s best to get comfortable right away.

When you are comfortable, you become unsure of where you should rest your arm, elbows and hands, and your shoulders will tense up. If your shoulders are tense, your grip will tighten which will lead to less mobility, less control and heavier pressure. My best advice is to relax, get comfortable with working on a client’s face right away and find your comfortable position before beginning.

Placement during shaping

During the shaping procedure, my client is typically sitting up and laying down constantly. When the client is sitting up on the bed, I am standing in front of the client. You want to ensure symmetry while the client is sitting up with their eyes open since this is the most accurate way.  When the client is laying down it may be difficult to really see the shape and the symmetry. I typically have my clients keep their eye open, either looking at my neck or my nose (if they don’t know where to look). Some clients have strong brow muscles and when their eyes are closed, the brows are relaxed, and when their eyes are opened, one brow raises up. This is very common. Because of this you want to shape your client while their eyes are open and you want to make sure they’re even when they’re opened.

I constantly have my client sit up and lay down because shaping is most comfortable while the client is laying down. While they are laying, I can rest my hand on their face so my hand is most steady when I am drawing. I constantly check the shape by having them sit up periodically. Some artists shape entirely while the client is sitting up. This is their preference.

Placement during the tattoo procedure:

During the tattoo procedure, while the client is laying down, you will be seated on your client’s right side if you are right-handed. If you are left-handed, you will be seated on your client’s left side. This body placement allows for better hand placement since your stretching hand will rest on the client’s forehead. I stay seated on the same side while working on both brows.

While tattooing, my elbow tends to rest on the edge of my bed or my client’s arm. The hand that holds the machine tends to rest anywhere on the face that feels comfortable at the time. This changes constantly depending on which section of the brows you are working on and the client’s facial structure.