Record what you practised, the setup you used, what changed on the practice surface and one job for the next session. Those four parts make a PMU practice log useful. A page of settings without a visible result tells you little; a photograph without its setup is difficult to repeat.
Keep the log short enough to finish while the session is fresh. Its purpose is to turn practice on synthetic material into a clear next decision, rather than collect notes you never revisit.
Keep these fields together
- Session and reference: date, exercise name and a photograph or drawing reference.
- Surface: product, flat or shaped format, and the area used.
- Setup: machine, complete cartridge code and the settings actually used. Include the practice medium if it changed.
- Target: one visible feature, such as even spacing or a consistent curve.
- Observation: describe the marks you can see, with one close-up taken in comparable light.
- Next session: retain the useful setup and choose one change to examine.
Write an observation you can act on
“Needs improvement” leaves the next session open-ended. “Spacing narrows through the middle of the curve” gives you a specific feature to examine. “The first three starts are broader than the remaining starts” directs attention to the beginning of each mark.
Use the same drawing, image angle and lighting when comparing two sessions. If the second photograph is darker or taken obliquely, an apparent improvement may come from the photograph rather than the marks. Number the rows on the sheet or place the session card beside it so the image and log stay connected.
A worked brow-stroke entry
Exercise: repeat the same short curved stroke in two rows on a flat A4 practice sheet. Target: consistent spacing through the curve. Observation: the middle gaps narrow in both rows while the outer gaps remain more even. Next: repeat the same curve and setup, concentrating on spacing through the middle section.
This entry keeps the next exercise small enough to compare. If you switch the cartridge, material, drawing and machine settings together, the log cannot show which change accounts for the different marks. Record unavoidable changes, then compare the sessions with that difference in view.
Choose the surface for the question
For repeated strokes that you want to place side by side, start with the ATTO A4 Hairstroke Silicone Practice Skin. Its flat working area is a strong choice for comparing direction, spacing, starts and finishes on a common plane. Keep a reference row and use the surrounding space for a new study.
When the question becomes hand support, viewing angle or placement around a shaped brow, move to the 3D Eyebrow PMU Practice Skin. Record that surface change: a flat study and a shaped study answer different questions. These ATTO practice materials meet our highest professional quality standard; select the format that makes the feature you want to study easiest to see.
Review the log before opening the next session
Choose a recent entry, reproduce its useful setup and read the stated target before starting. At the end, compare the same feature and keep the clearer example beside the new one. Once a feature becomes consistent, give the next entry a new target instead of continuing an exercise without a purpose.
For a broader material choice, see our PMU practice-skin and model guide. Your next step here is simpler: copy the six fields, choose one stroke study and save one annotated photograph.
Questions before your next session
Do I need a long entry after every session?
No. A few precise lines, the actual setup and one useful image are enough when they explain the next exercise.
Should I copy someone else’s machine settings into the log?
Record the settings you actually used. A log is a record of your own exercise and comparison, not a universal settings prescription.
Can I compare flat and 3D practice directly?
Use the change of surface to study a new question, such as support or viewing angle. For close comparisons of spacing or shape, keep the surface and image conditions consistent.