The extra step of crosshatch shading a stencil is completely unnecessary if the entire tattoo is going to be outlined first.  To make the most of this kind of stencil, it’s best to lay down your gradients and pos/neg relationships as you are making the first pass through the tattooing process.  Start at the bottom and work each area at least to the point where the basic lines, gradations and pos/neg relationships are established before moving upward to the next part of the stencil.  This can be done fairly rough, just enough to show the basic light and dark areas of the piece along with any important details (Fig. 78b), and then tightened later (Fig. 78c). Use all different sneedle groups to refine edges, darken small shapes, enhance contrast and smooth out small gradients and color fields.  For tattoos larger than this hand piece, there is also the option of refining or even completing each area before moving on, which can sometimes be easier for the client to endure because it involves less skipping around in the tattoo.

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