shading tips?

[immikevalentine22]

Ive been working on a tattoo on my leg lately and am slowly getting into shading it unfornately its been hard to pull it off for me without getting that peppery effect u can see on the handle. When i lay in my darkest shades of black it seems fine. (A little red though) but when i get to my lighter shades it seems more red than anything. Ive made a previous post about this and have been told dip my needle more. I took the advise or at least tried and still come up more red than anything. Can anyone offer some more advise not only about the shading issue but the tattoo period? Thank you!

Also how often would you say u dip the ink during a tattoo? Ive heard around every 15 seconds or so but im thinking it may be more often than that. Ive grasped the concept of shading in terms of drawing but its just frustrating knowing my work doesnt reflect it. Thanks again for any help

[Viper65]

Personally, I think your doing a pretty good job there, it at least looks consistant. I have a difficult time of this as well, shading is tricky and takes a while to get the grasp of it properly. Just remember and Im sure you can tell already that its going to lighten up around 40%, so dont be too afraid to get some dark shades in there. Ive found that for “now” I like Josh Carlton’s method. If you want solid black dip it in the black, want to cut it, dip in the black then water, cut it again, dip in the water again, it gets lighter everytime. Its been working so far, just takes some time and patience….good luck! 8-)

[Troub1edSou1z]

what type of ink are you using? the pepper effect is due to your machine speed is running slower then your hand speed. slow your hand speed down, and take more time. this also happens alot when “whip” shading. try doing small tight circles, and increasing the hand speed and doing bigger circles as you pull away from your dark area. black and grey takes time to figure out if your on your own. the redness your not going to stop. it’s irritaion of the skin. however if it looks more red with no hint of black, then there is no ink in there (leave it alone, let it heal, go back in). everyone has a preference, i like to use a wash rather then straight black dipped into water to lighten. everytime i use this method i get inconsistent gradiation. im not sure if this has happened to you, but alot of times when your hand speed is faster than machine speed, you will feel the needles catch in the skin. hope some of this has helped…..

[immikevalentine22]

thanks for the tips ill try them out later when it heals up. you may be right about the whip shading thats what i used for the most part. it just seemed like it would be an easier adjustment from drawing to tattooing. what sort of needle would u recommend for just small circular shading on this particular tattoo? i used a flat i might use a round shader for it this time just to see. Along with small circles for the shading.
I’m also having some trouble with the shakes every once in awhile sometimes when im in the zone and it just seems like everythings flowing real well obviously im not as shaky but thats after a few lines. its mainly i think due to when im doing a long line while my body is in an awkward position like when im doing the lower part of my thigh. just gets me how sometimes my had loses the stencil because im a lefty. I guess maybe i just need to set the machine down and remember to breath every once and awhile you know?

[Troub1edSou1z]

thats allot of your problem right there, the flats! stay away from them, there junk imo. i use mostly 5m & 7m. the “shakes”, thats going to happen until your use to the machine weight. try drawing with a pencil in your machine, or tape a pencil to 2 c batteries and practice outlining on paper. believe me this helps. the shakes will calm down after a while. i still get them every now and then, but it last for a few seconds then gone. im a lefty also, and when i start my stencil, i start at the lower left and work my way to the upper right. when shading, work smaller areas at a time, like 1/2″ x 1/2″, until you can work bigger areas and get the effect you want.

little tip: unless it’s an intricate piece, that stencil is only there as a guide. you dont have to follow the line exact, but follow the flow of the line.

[immikevalentine22]

thanks troub1ed will try. ive heard that before about the pencil with the weight but for some reason i tried it once and then just quit idk why. thanks for the advice both problems were really starting to get to me.

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