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Fine Line Tattooing

Libby Wells creates bespoke, fine line, fine art black and grey tattoos, from smaller pieces to major projects.

Bespoke Tattooing

Major Projects

Large scale bespoke tattooing at Ephemeral Studio is a harmonious blend of your requests and the necessary placement, all designed to craft a bespoke, fine art tattoo that’s uniquely yours. Following a consultation with Libby, she designs your one-of-a-kind bespoke tattoo. While designs are typically completed on the appointment day, some pieces are best drawn freehand directly on your skin.

Each piece is rendered in Libby’s distinctive fine line, fine art fusion style using a 3 point liner needle. Abiding by Libby’s ‘Contouring’ guide, these tattoos are created using a range of soft and special techniques to build up texture, layers, and intrigue. Small fine line tattooing pieces can be completed in a single day, but most major projects require multiple sessions for the perfect finish.

Sessions are 5 hours long at a cost of £550, Libby recommends a minimum of 2 weeks break in between sessions.

Contouring

Contouring is a crucial aspect of bespoke tattooing at Ephemeral Studio. Given the dynamic nature of our canvas – the human body, it's essential to design tattoos that are in harmony with the movement of muscles and the structure of the skeleton. In creating each piece, I adapt the design to follow the natural lines formed by these elements, ensuring that the final bespoke tattoo not only fits perfectly but also moves seamlessly with the body, appearing as an integral part of you, this for me makes a piece!

Moreover, I pay special attention to texture in my designs. For instance, feathers can be detailed to exhibit a fluffy or velvet texture, creating a more lifelike representation. This piece was crafted using a wider value range with meticulous gradation to deliver a striking effect, to distinguish the tattoo from the surrounding skin and to depict the shifting light as if our bird was in flight. This commitment to intricate details and contouring results in bespoke tattoos that are truly unique and personal.

Proficient Markmaking

Achieving light and delicate tattoos at Ephemeral Studio often involves the nuanced use of black ink. It's a common misconception that avoiding 'black' entirely will yield a lighter tattoo, dark values have their place, but darker values need to be used carefully to ad form, contract and depth.

I love to build up tattoos like an oil painting, placing the structure with lighter values first and then building the piece slowly adding clarity and definition.
Another vital factor in bespoke tattooing is 'skin tone'. Lighter or cool skin tones often display the lightest values, allowing the artist to employ a full range of tones to create an overall lighter sense. Conversely, darker skin tones might not show lighter values as prominently. In such cases, it's best to use mid to high range tones and design the tattoo to be bolder overall. This careful consideration of skin tone ensures the creation of bespoke tattoos that resonate with your unique complexion and aesthetics.

REQUEST A TATTOO WITH LIBBY

Design the tattoo to fit perfectly!
I teach this to all my students during the tattoo training and practice this design technique with all my clients! For me this is the difference between successful and unwanted tattoos.

Time and time again people talk to me about their existing tattoo, saying they dont love them, but they aren’t always sure why..

My opinion is the tattoos people dislike become unwanted because of 2 main reasons

BAD DESIGN the drawing was designed so they mark you with an unflattering shape, after time you stop seeing the image, and notice more pigment on skin, if the shapes aren’t flattering or pleasing this gets really annoying ! I contour all my designs to work with the natural lines made by the body, thus avoiding the ‘BAD DESIGN’ pitfall, even if you were to loose interest in the content, the artwork will still be aesthetically pleasing.

BAD TECHNIQUE the tattoo was applied badly, perhaps the artist was not very advanced in their skill, or they were using the wrong methods for that tattoo badly finished. I prefer to use a delicate and precise application method (fine line tattooing), to avoid ‘BAD TECHNIQUE’ in the hope you enjoy your tattoo as an art piece through the years. These techniques applied correctly help mitigate risks of blowing and over migration.

Following lines and muscles means the tattoo becomes a part of you and your movements, it looks like it belongs, as this artwork is on organic living tissue and must be treated as such. If its not fitting with the body, its best on a canvas painted in on.

Tiny Tattoos

Tiny Tattoos represent a significant part of the services we offer at Ephemeral Studio. In the past, when tattooing options were limited, many potential clients might not have considered tattoos as an option for them, with only traditional or heavy works being widely available. Now, with the evolution of tattooing techniques and styles, we can cater to a wider range of aesthetic preferences.

Tiny Tattoos, starting at just 1-1cm in size, are a perfect example of this evolution. They've opened the door for many who desire something unique, small, and delicate. Our fine line designs are carefully crafted according to your ideas, creating a personal piece of body art that's truly one-of-a-kind.

Each Tiny Tattoo takes between 1 to 2 hours to complete. We employ gentle techniques that make the experience manageable and comfortable for our clients. The pricing for these exquisite, petite tattoos ranges between £100-£250.
Message info info@ephemeralstudio.co.uk
07568407537

Cosmetic Tattooing, Eyebrows, Hairstrokes, Powderbrow, Combination brows, Lashline Boost, Lip blush.

Custom blended pigments are applied to enhance our aesthetic. I work to create natural looking adjustments, so that people can't quite tell what we have done. Brow adjustments help to frame the eyes, bring back a youthful fresh face and can work to restore the look of hair loss. Lash Line boost make the eye pop, building up saturation across the lash line, no one will know, as this technique camoflages the pigment deposit amongst the lashes, making you look younger, healthier and brighter. Lip blush restores even pigment across your lips, building a symmetrical shape, defining the border, this also helps create a more even looking complexion.

Artists all do this differently, my approach is to create the most natural, complementary addition to your look, enhancing your natural and unique beauty,
I try to create an undetectable style ‘so that people don't know you have had anything done!’
These treatments often require top ups over the years (hence the semi- permanent phrase, this is because faces exfoliate more quickly, however we are applying indelible ink into the dermis and this is a permanent process for the most part) each piece is completely unique and styles to best suit each client as an individual. There is no one size fits all for beauty!
First session takes between 2-3 hours and the top ups are 1 hour long. Prices for eyebrows, eyeliner and Lip treatments are £400 per set, this includes your first top up. Annual top ups are £200. Hair line treatments and nipple reconstructions are also available POA.