How to Make a Fake Tattoo

Turn a black-and-white design into a temporary tattoo.

Tattoos have been around for centuries. A real tattoo is a permanent form of body art made by injecting ink into the upper layers of skin. Some people get tattoos at a young age and regret it when they get older. Although permanent tattoos can be removed, the process can be expensive and not always successful. Rather than risking that, opt for a fake, temporary tattoo. They last a few days and then fade away. This is great for costume parties, for children or for people curious about getting permanent tattoos. Realistic-looking fake tattoos can be created with simple fine-point markers.

Things You'll Need

• Tattoo art (stencil)
• Tracing paper
• Tattoo pencil
• Scissors
• Deodorant (alcohol based)
• Black fine-point permanent marker
• Color fine-point permanent marker
• Rubbing alcohol
• Cotton swabs
• Clear makeup powder
• Makeup brush

Instructions

1. Find a picture of the tattoo you want to use. It should be simple without too much detail. Black-and-white line drawings work well. There are many sources for tattoo art including tattoo parlors, craft stores and various websites. Some online sources charge a small fee like Tattoo Johnny, while others are free, such as Tattoo Job (see Resources).

2. Trace an outline of the picture onto tracing paper with a tattoo pencil. These pencils actually contain ink and can be purchased in craft stores. Cut around the image you've traced, leaving about a 1-inch-wide space around the edges.

3. Apply deodorant to the skin where the tattoo will go. Place the cutout tracing paper onto that area, ink-side down. Press down firmly and evenly on the paper so the entire image transfers onto the skin.

4. Peel the paper off the skin carefully. Outline the image on the skin with a black fine-point permanent marker. The tracing paper only puts a light image onto the skin, so the lines need to be darkened with a marker.

5. Color the tattoo with fine-point permanent markers. Do not color in completely to the center of each section, because the ink will spread. You just need to color each section from inside the line edges to about halfway from the center.

6. Spray a small amount of alcohol over the tattoo. Dip one end of a cotton swab into rubbing alcohol and blend the colored areas to make some parts look faded. Simply rub the swab from the edge of the colored area toward the center of the area and repeat until the color bleeds to the center. Real tattoos have a faded appearance, and blending achieves that effect by bleeding and fading the colors.

7. Outline the tattoo lines to sharpen their appearance. Real tattoos usually have darker edges. Because the alcohol fades the edges, you need to darken them again with the black marker.

8. Apply translucent powder over the tattoo with a makeup brush. Any kind of translucent face powder works, but one popular brand is Ben Nye Neutral Set Translucent colorless powder, available in many theater and costume supply stores. This last step makes the tattoo ink appear to be beneath the skin, like a real tattoo.

Tips & Warnings

• The fake tattoo will last two to three days, if it is not scrubbed.

• Do not apply the tattoo over uneven or broken skin.

Resources

• Ben Nye Makeup
• Design Ideas From Tattoo Johnny
• Design Ideas From Tattoo Job