With a piece like that I wouldn't expect them to have been able to use stencils. It's got a lot of nice movement, and it's an interesting design.My artist. It's completely free hand..no stencils or anything.
I'm not crazy about the color palate (purely a personal opinion). I do think he used too much black around your delt, it draws your eye away from the phoenix, which should be the focus of the piece.
But that's me, my opinion only. In the final analysis the value of any tattoo lies in how the wearer feels about it. If you love it, it's fucking gorgeous.