Creating Your Own Temporary Tattoos.

  In recent years, tattoos have become more popular and more accepted in society.  When my father was in the navy, only low life and sailors had tattoos.  Good girls and boys did not every consider getting one.

The bad thing about tattoos is that they are permanent so if you change your mind, you must pay a lot of money to have it removed.

One way to do it is by using a henna mix to stain the skin so you have beautiful temporary tattoos but you have to find someone to do it who is good at drawing the designs.  Another way is to purchase those tattoos you web and apply to your skin for a short period of time.  But what if you want one and you don't have either henna or those temporary ones handy, there are ways to create your own with a permanent marker and hair spray.

1.  Use eye liner to create a simple tattoo with bold strokes.  The design should not be very complex.  If its too big a pattern, it could look fake while the smaller ones tend to look "right". Be sure to play with the design on paper before you use an eye liner pencil to create it. Do not use the liquid liner because it could smudge.  You want an eye liner pencil you have to sharpen to get the proper look.

Now to apply it.  Choose a location with very little hair.  Make sure the area is clean and dry.  Draw the design on the skin.  If you need to shade, use a cotton swab to do it.  Finish by covering with a light coat of hairspray or apply with top coat nail polish.

It lasts about one day and can easily be removed with warm soapy water.  If you used nail polish, it will peel off or you can use nail polish remover.

2. If you are not the best free hand drawer out there, you could create a stencil out of a 3 by 5 inch index card.  Draw the design on that, cut out the parts you need removed to create the stencil, the you are ready.  Use permanent markers labeled for use on skin so you don't get hit with any chemicals you don't need. 

Normally, you'd use black to have it look like a real tattoo but there is no reason you couldn't use colored ones to create a more cheerful look.  You could also use the ink from stamp pads instead.  Find a clean dry area, place the stencil where you want it, color it with a permanent marker or with an ink saturated cotton ball.  When done with it, wash it off with soap and water.

3. You could make your own paper design for a tattoo, similar to those you buy at the store.  You need to buy some water slide paper which has adhesive on one side and plain on the other side.  This type of paper is available online or from craft stores. 

Create a picture on the computer.  Decide if you have to have it in black and white or will you make one in color because you have a color printer.  Play with the picture until its just right and print on the adhesive side of the paper.  Remember, the image will be reversed so if you use text, it needs to be reversed. Once its printed, cut the design out, place it tattoo side to your skin, dampen the paper by covering it with a damp cloth or paper towel.  Press the cloth down for 30 seconds before removing the cloth and paper.  This should last a week.  Remove with soapy water and a bit of scrubbing.

4. The last possibility is to apply the tattoo by drawing it on your skin with a sharpie. Once you've drawn the design, cover it with a bit of baby powder to set it by rubbing it in.  Then cover with a light layer of hair spray.  Enjoy the tattoo for about a month.

So now if you want a temporary tattoo, you can make one anytime you want.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.