How to Create Gorgeous Tattoo Designs on a Macbook

There might still be some tattoo artists out there who prefer the stone age way of drawing their designs. But tattoo designers have come a long way from creating drafts of work through pen and paper.

Now more than ever there are ways to digitized the production process for both improved design results and an easier way to share creations with customers.

One of these, and perhaps the best option today, is to design tattoos on MacBook. But it’s easy enough to say that you should do this, its much harder for a newbie to actually do it.

That’s why we here at Tattoomagz have written this post to tell you exactly how to design tattoos on MacBook. If you follow this blog, you can become a MacBook master in no time.

Design Tattoos on MacBook: Using a Mouse!?

Though some people might choose to do so, using a mouse to draw intricate tattoo designs certainly isn’t the most optimized method. MacBook trackpads, though they work fine for surfing the web, are even worse when it comes to design.

If you’re serious about designing tattoos on your MacBook, you need to invest in a stylus. A stylus is essentially a pen that you can use to draw directly onto your MacBook or tablet. Some even swear that they make using your smartphone easier!

Though few are aware of it, you can actually set up a stylus so that it can be used with your MacBook. Thanks to the MacBook trackpad, you can use a stylus to control your pointer with a great deal more precision than you would using your own hands.

If you’re particularly tech-savvy, you can even set up a USB bar to essentially write or draw onto your screen. With the right setup, you can draw designs as intricate as a full sleeve as if you were drawing them by hand.

But if you do invest in a stylus (they’re fairly cheap from most computer stores) you’ll need to make sure you have the right software installed on your MacBook.

What Software Do I Need to Design Tattoos on MacBook?

Before you go downloading some new fancy software, take a moment to see what your MacBook can already do. There is, in fact, a secret painting tool already on MacBook that few of its users know about.

It can be found using Apple’s Preview app which is usually used to view images. You can find a full user guide for Preview on Apple’s website. Apple’s guides can be quite confusing to read though; you’re better off looking here if you want to clear history in your Mac browser.

But what few don’t know is that you can use Preview to a lot more than just, well, preview. First, simply open preview as you would normally, by previewing an image you’ve taken or saved from the internet.

Then, on the top-down menu, you need to select the toolbox icon, which is known as the Mark-up Toolbar. That’s all there is to it; you now have access to the paint tools in the Preview app on your MacBook. This is ideal for many quick sketches or images that aren’t too detailed.

Once you’ve played around with Preview, you might find you need more advanced software to help your more elaborate tattooist dreams come to life.

One of these is known as Sketch, which you can download for a free 30-day trial. Sketch has been designed primarily for website or app design, but its features can be used just as well for tattooists. If you want something a bit more designed for purpose though, you may want to try Patina.

Patina is a cheaper alternative to some of the pricier design tools out there. It works like a slightly more advanced version of Microsoft Paint, which means its ideal for basic tattoo designs.

These paint and design tools can be everything you need, but there are even more apps specifically made for tattoo designers.

MacBook Apps for Tattoo Designers

One such app is known as Inkhunter. Inkhunter is helpful in that it allows you to sketch your own tattoo design, but then also has a nifty augmented reality feature. This lets you point your MacBook or phone camera towards a body part to project the design onto it.

This can be perfect for those clients who can’t quite figure out where they want their tattoo design to go. You can even take a look through the designs on the app for inspiration.

If you’ve amassed a fair bit of money thanks to these cheaper options, then it might be time to consider investing in the high-end design software available on MacBook.

Many professionals use Clip Studio Paint Pro, which used to be known as Manga Studio. Though it’s a fairly large upfront cost (currently $47.99) this does mean that it’s just a one-off fee. This makes it much cheaper in the long run than subscription software like Photoshop.

As its old name suggests, Clip Studio Paint Pro was designed for Manga artists. Thanks to this it has a plethora of advanced drawing features you won’t find on the painting apps above. Clip Studio is the artist’s choice, so it’s the perfect software to purchase if you want to take your tattoo designs to a whole new level.

What If I Need Further Help and Inspiration for My Tattoo Designs?

Here at Tattoomagz, we’ve got you covered! We operate a comprehensive online gallery of tattoo designs (way more than you’ll find in Inkhunter and other apps) to spread the tattoo love across the internet. These are perfect to scroll through before you start to design tattoos on MacBook.

Whether you’re thinking about creating small designs for women or huge back tattoos for men, we’ll have some examples that can inspire you.

Take a look at our full list of body part tattoos today to start thinking about your own amazing new tattoo designs. Who knows, maybe the work you create today will find its way onto our website in the future!