My first image.. Sort of

First things first: don’t use imageshack. Full of adds lmao. use photobucket :D

Kudos on posting your pics :D
the linework is pretty solid for one of your first tattoos
you’ve got some potential :)
the design could have used some work though. a few tweeks.

your colour/solid black looks pretty good. nice and solid
but your shading looks like you just used a greywash and coloured
in the last pic in the top left you can really see where you are scratching rather than tattooing
when I shade I use four different cups: 100% black, 50%, 25%, 10%
then a few drops of witch hazel, and the rest is distilled water
when you shade you want to do a whipping motion with your hand
think of your magnum as a paintbrush and go in like you normally would then just whip out
the faster you go the smaller the shade, the slower you go the larger the shade
then what I do is i build it up from dark to light

some people go from light to dark its all in the technique and personal preference.
try that out and see how it works for you :D
itll give you a much softer shade

there is also a threat i posted in the Rants and Raves section with my notes from a seminar i was in with Mario Barth about shading. i specialize in black and grey so i had to go haha

hope this helps! try searchign stuff on youtube too :)

it is but its best to use disposable cups to prevent cross contamination
we get active during different times of the year
what we need is advertising, and active mods/admin like me :)
we also need to go through our member list and start deleting the inactive members
i tried to do that the other day but the best i can do is prevent them from posting. i cant remove their account entirely

as far as shading goes use a weaved magnum [M1] and do your whip. itll be a lot smoother than with the round shader. it also covers more area

and yes one cup is all black, one cup is half black, two drops of witch hazel, then the rest is distilled water, then a quarter black, 3 drop so of witch hazel, distilled water, then 5 drops of black, 4 drops of witch hazel, and the rest is distilled water

you dont NEED the witch hazel i just like it cuz it thins the ink out better

i recommend Kuro Sumi for your shading. you can actually get greywashing inks, but i just use Kuro Sumi outlining ink. it has a slight blue undertone, and makes some nice greys. for my outlines i use Intenze Zuper Black. i dont find it has any undertone because its basically a tribal black.

what you can also do is use a LARGE ink cup with water to rinse your needles, or use a wash bottle with water, or an ink bottle [BRAND NEW NOT REUSED] of water and run you rmachine over a paper towel and just put water into the opening in the ink well until the water runs clear. clean off the tip with a paper towel, then repeat the process

or as you said get a disposable cup of water, and put your machine in the water and run it. take the machine out and run it so the water runs out then repeat a few times. you can also sort of shake the machine while its under the water to get some movement. you dont NEED more than one cup, but i use one cup for each colour. that way my colours dont mix together. just make sure oyu dry your ink well really well, and it doesnt hurt to do the water dropper thing after you rinse it in your rinse cup. just to be sure!

ESPECIALLY with white. i usually take a good 5 to 10 minutes cleaning my tip before i do white just to be positive ive got it cleaned :)

sounds good hope to see some pics soon :)
good luck :ugeek:

Plasma is sort of pinkish rather than red. if its WHITE its pus which is a sign of infection. Normally accompanied with redness. It also dries yellow/cream/green. plasma is sort of pinkish/clear. normally what you see while tattooing is plasma. there isnt very much blood depending on WHERE you tattoo. plasma is in your blood. it is what causes scabbing. Since you are doing superficial dots in the skin your body tries to scab it over like a cat scratch.

all tattoos leak though. ink, and plasma. you just got to make sure you wash it very well during this time. your main objective is to get the tattoo to dry out. once its dry you cant get an infection, and your tattoo doesnt start healing until its dry. i normally tell my clients to wash it when they take the bandage off then let it air dry until the next day. then wash it 3-5 times the next day, then once a day is enough since it should be drying by then.

after you wash it just pat it once or twice so its not SOAKED, but still moist. you want your body to hold onto as much natural moisture as possible. then you let it air dry for AT LEAST one hour prior to putting on ointment. ointment isnt even necessary. it is only to keep the scabs moist so they dont crack, rip off, and to prevent that “tight” feeling.

ointment is only needed if it feels tight, and if its really dry. if you’re going for a run, or going to be sweating NEVER put ointment on prior as your body is going to sweat and sweat cant penetrate your ointment barrier. this causes water logging. wash your tattoo after you sweat, then after it air dries apply ointment. as stated before your ointment is only to keep it moist, and if your tattoo is still leaking, or if you’re going to sweat you dont need ointment to keep it moist because the leakage, or the sweat is doing that for you.

i would abstain from dead lifts if its on your leg. the excess flexing can cause excess leaking, and if its dry and “tight” could cause your scabs to crack and tear.

youll know if its going too deep. youll see “spiderweb” like projections from your lines and such. this is because you are laying the ink into the Hypodermis which isnt a solid layer of skin like the dermis. is is fatty tissue and moves around a lot. this is what causes blow outs. youll be able to see your ink kind of clouding out of your lines if you went too deep.

like this: [this is sort of an extreme case]
http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac86/72xMulch/blowouts.jpg

try to just barely touch the skin. you should be able to feel the needle penetrating the skin. it takes practice to get used to it. this is why i dont ride the tube. it gives me more control over how close my needle gets to the skin. once you start seeing ink pooling your needle is TOUCHING skin. this doesnt mean its penetrating though. your skin is a natural shock absorber. so go slightly lower once you see pooling. sometimes you can even hear the needle going in and out. however, i tattoo super close to the skin so that’s probably why I can hear it haha.

as you can see here:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/602072_425745707500872_1138721668_n.jpg

I get pretty close haha. It’s also how I draw so that could be why I get so close. I would have to see a picture of your tattoo to see whether or not it’s an infection. you can also go to my website. if you hover over “About” there will be a drop down, and youll see Aftercare. You can read my aftercare there, and also download my aftercare sheet in a microsoft word document.

http://uzumakicorp.wix.com/UCTattoos

yeah its just a headlamp i bought at the dollar store for 2$ lmao

seems like you posted the same picture twice

which lubriderm are you using?

you should be using something that is non-oil, liquid, petroleum based, and is paraben free
you want an ointment/cream like a moisturizer that has vitamin E in it, if it has A and E its even better. I use PurTect from SOLabs, and my girlfriend uses Afterinked. I’m not sure if SOLabs sells individual PurTects. I buy them from a shop here in town. If you know someone who has access to http://www.eikondevice.com you can get them to order one for oyu. its also what i use during my tattoo process. afterinked is cruelty, and gluten free, and is all natural. it’s made from grape seed oil. this you may be able to buy directly from the company I’m not sure as I usually buy it for my GF from the same shop as my PurTect

as a soap I recommend PurSan if you can get your hands on it. SOLabs has put their products out to different suppliers you may be able to find one that would sell to you.

the reason why i like the Pur line [PurTect, PurSan, PurKlenz] is because its not only made in Canada, but it they are all antimicrobial, and have Vitamin A and E in em. PurSan is for when your tattoo is healing. it has moisturizers in it. you dont need a lot of it either it lathers up nicely.

you may also be able to purchase from the shop i get it from here in my city. they may ship to you even if yer in the states im not sure. when i worked there i never had to deal with any international orders haha.

http://www.philinksupplies.com

try to find it osmewhere else though cuz hes a dick and doesnt deserve your money, and he overcharges a lot

not sure about lubriderm as i havent done any research on it, and im not sure exactly WHICH product you’re using so i cant really get any info

as i said earlier dont use any ointment if your tattoo is still leaking. if its dry then have at it! be sure to wash your hands before putting and ointment on though obviously haha

the reason you dont want to use stuff like Vaseline is because petroleum will sit UNDER the ink in your tattoo and cause it to be raised. once the vaseline is dissolved or however it leaves your skin its fine, but since you’re applying it 3-5 times a day it takes a LONG time as you keep adding more and more

the reason you want to use stuff like Polysporin is because Parabens keep your wounds open. this makes you more prone to infection. so polysporin is a big nono.

i always recommend some cream like a moisturizer. i cant remember what brand my dad uses i think its Equate or Exact or something along those lines. It has vitamin A and E in it.

here is PurTect
http://www.tatuderm.com/product-p/pt-20ml-tube.htm
thats their 20ml aftercare tube.

afterinked
http://www.afterinked.com/

and remember only use like 2 raindrops! theny ou dab it over the entire tattoo and rub it in. you dont want to use too much :)

if you can get your hands on a 118ml bottle of PurTect you could also use it as your ointment while you tattoo. I use PurKlenz in my wash bottle instead of Green Soap as it isnt an irritant, and it was MADE for tattooing. Green Soap was made to clean floors :P

hmm cant think of anything else at the moment LMAO!

i dont mind sharing my secrets :)