GENISYNTH | Designed By Artists, for Artists

Those familiar with being an artist will understand the inner battles that come with being a creative — and the pain that comes from failing to express that creative urge. I knew I wanted to become a tattooist, but I was just holding myself back, trying to tread the common path. One day, I made the jump. The creative calling was finally answered, with no looking back. 

However, you don’t just become a talented tattoo artist overnight. There were challenges.  There were questions.  And there were mistakes. But it was those very challenges, questions, and mistakes that led to the breakthrough that is GENISYNTH. 

Like a lot of aspiring tattoo artists, I procrastinated from taking the leap. But the thought of becoming a professional tattooist was always on my mind. My mind was always running through a list of questions: How can I learn to tattoo? How can I become a tattoo artist? What tattoo equipment do I need to get started with tattooing? The biggest thing of all: How was I going to practise tattooing?

I soon realised the only way to overcome the procrastination was to answer these questions myself, through action.

Step 1: Buy a Tattoo Kit Online

I bought a tattoo kit online, which included a tattoo machine, synthetic tattoo practice skins, tattoo ink, and tattoo needles. I was elated and could not wait to experiment with my tattoo practice skins. Things did not go well.

Step 2: Set Up Tattoo Equipment

After spending hours watching contradictory tutorial videos, I finally discovered how to set up my tattoo equipment hygienically and safely. With this breakthrough, I became super-eager to get started on my first artificial tattoo skin.

Step 3: Find a Tattoo Design

The biggest challenge for me was figuring out how and what to tattoo on this synthetic tattoo skin I had. I searched high and wide for a design that I could print off to try and emulate. While I was still in two minds of how I was going to pull this off, something told me I needed to focus my attention on my stencil approach to best apply the design to my fake skin. 

After doing some research, I discovered that I would need to purchase stencil paper and stencil solutions to get started. Initially, I thought it would be a straightforward procedure if I simply stencilled my design and applied it to the fake tattoo skin. Unfortunately, this was not the case. 

Step 4: Practice on the Tattoo Skin

On the first attempt at fake skin tattooing, I realised that I had used too much stencil solution, leading to all of my lines bleeding into one giant mess. I used too much solution on my second attempt, which meant that the stencil was hardly visible, with severe flaws throughout the design. On my third and final attempt at the practice skin, what I thought was the ideal amount of solution produced a sloppy, hazy, uneven stencil. Long story short, my stencil was ruined. I had made a major mess of the practice skin, and now I needed to start all over again.

I went back again to buy tattoo skins online. I then contacted a professional tattooist friend to show me how to apply the design to the synthetic tattoo skin best, but even after his many years of experience, the stencil was still highly inconsistent and patchy. I was told that I needed to wait a day or two for it to dry properly or the stencil would easily rub off.  My friend also enlightened me on how difficult it is to stencil on synthetic skin compared to human skin.

Step 6: Find a Better Way

"There has to be a better way," I thought to myself. I wondered how many people learning to tattoo got deterred by the experience of buying a beginner’s tattoo kit online and being unhappy with the results due to their experience with the practice skins. It couldn’t just be me.

From that day onward, I began assembling a group of like-minded individuals who over time have become my family, and we started brainstorming better ways for tattooists to learn and practice their craft. We knew the answer had to be a best-quality tattoo skin, and a better way of incorporating stencils into fake skin tattooing.

Step 7: Launch the GENISYNTH Revolution

Finally, after years of trial and error, GENISYNTH was born. Not only did we create the best fake tattoo skin product imaginable, our pre-stencilled skins had simultaneously created a platform for tattoo artists to have their work recognised globally. Since our launch, we have also managed to pioneer and design our synthetic tattoo skin and pigments the exact way we like them, enabling any artist to enhance their technique and precision. And we’ve branched out into supplying all the products that a tattoo artist will need- from wireless tattoo machines to tattoo ink sets to tattoo cartridges and needles.

It’s been quite the journey. What’s the moral? Don't Be Afraid to Experiment.