i brought the piece of paper in where my grandma wrote her name on, and they xerox copy it, and they do an ink transfer onto your skin and then they just trace over it with the needle. it's pretty easy actually. hahaha. well i shouldn't say that but you don't really need to be a fantastic artist, just a steady hand... i never ask for them to draw me something on the spot. i always bring them something on paper, since i know exactly what i want.