What are the best color inks?

[Infamous]

So after I got my Kuro, I quickly realized that not all inks are created equal. I’m pretty satisfied with using the Kuro Sumi for all my black and gray work, but I’m now looking for the better colors.

Right now, I’m using Radiant and it seems like I have to go over it to many times to get it to the color I want and that’s no good for me.

So in your experience what are the best color inks? I’m looking for primary’s and whites mostly

[angie]

for me its intenze, fromula51, star brite and eternal (love the mean green :)
depens on your preferance as to the thickness of the ink …
one thing i learned the hard way is cheap is indeed cheap!!

hope this is heping ya out

[Infamous]

I’ve heard a lot of good stuff about star brite and I’m thinking of giving them a go.

I really want to get a really long conversation going on here though lol so I can judge from several sources. I have no literally read every single one of the topics in the pigment vs. ink section and still don’t have a very clear answer on this :/

[Lennart82]

I use StarBrite myself. Got a great offer from my supplier for a big bundle of StarBrite. Hahaha and I will not tell the price, since you guys from across the ocean gets it a lot cheaper, but for me, (and in my country) it was cheap ;)

I’ve got a few bottles of Kashoku, but its thick and dosent go in well.

I’ve been planning on trying out Eternal.

Whats your take on the Bullet INK from Germany?

[Wyki]

You know.. I was actually gonna ask this aswell.. but what the heck I’ll post it in here. Well I’m in the search for main colors aswell and was going to ask what brands are good. I like how Kuro sumi is as I’ve used that, and like the thickness of it… what other brands are close to that thickness? to ask the local supplier if thay have any..

[Ramenuzumaki]

as far as inks go there are a few good brands, and brands you should avoid

some brands ive tried and liked are: fusion, starbrite, intenze [make sure its real otherwise its junk], eternal, radiant, and alla prima. i have yet to try Kuro Sumi’s colour line but if its as good as their blacks and greys they should be good :D

[Infamous]

I actually just ordered a set of Moms ink, the main reason is because no one seems to use them or have used them here, its an experiment, I liked the Black Onyx I had from them but it wasn’t dark enough so I switched to Kuro. It was really thick too.

If I don’t like these I will try either eternal or starbrite next. But I really just like the packaging better and overall that was the decision maker for me in trying something no one is using or getting starbrite. Starbrite’s packaging is so very plain.

[Ramenuzumaki]

let me know how they fair iw as thinking of getting some but i havent heard a lot of good things about it

[Infamous]

I have heard just about nothing. I started with Moms because I had heard it was what my brother-in-laws tattoo artist swore by. So through the grapevine, thats what I got when I was practicing on oranges in the very beginning. But, I haven’t done anything with it outside of the one bottle of Black Onyx I have. Used it on my first couple of clients and was pretty disappointed with how it turned out in skin. Although, I could chalk that up to my inexperience at the time as well..

[Lennart82]

Its a circle.
To tattoo I mean.

You have to know how to tattoo, to do a good work. And you have to have good equiptment, to produce good work, and you have to have good ink, to make it amazing. So your clients sees it, and tells friends, so they come. Pay you, so you can buy better equiptment. Causing you to get better, taking you to higher levels of skills. And so on, and so on..
Damn, just confused myself there. :?

[Infamous]

No No I actually get it lol you have to find the right combination. At first, I could have been using a good ink and everything else sucked, so it looked like not the best ink. Or something like that

[Wyki]

I bought a bottle of MOMS snot green… used it practicing and I like the thickness of it… sort of close to my KuroSumi.. or atleast not as thick as the Intenze colors I have.. :| The Intenze I have found that I have to put a drop of witch hazel to liquefy it a bit.

[Infamous]

I haven’t had a chance to use much of it, but I am really happy with the “Monthly Red” color so far.

Also, I find the names of their colors hilarious

[Wyki]

@Infamous wrote:

Also, I find the names of their colors hilarious

Yea so do I

[Spider]

I recently changed my main colors over to a brand called Solid Ink. I also have a few select colors of Mom’s, nuclear, and fusion. I stopped using Eternal because I hate the way it gets a hard top on the color after it’s been sitting for awhile. So far Solid hasn’t done that with any color that I have. I still have some radiant colors as well, reds and blues. I like them and they work very well. For My greys I use only outlining ink for all my fill, and all my grey mixes. Mom’s Pearl Black is my choice right now. Years ago I started using one black after I noticed that on some of my healed up tribals and darker pieces there was a slight difference in tone from my outline to my fill on blacks. At first I thought it was me and something I was doing. It wasn’t a color difference that most anyone would have noticed, but I have very good eyesight and color recognition (i see tones and shades very well). Not sure when I decided to try using one black for everything. But since I have been the slight tone difference in my blacks has gone away. Same thing with my greys, I make my washes out of the same black with distilled water in a set formula. (#16 caps 2 drops black, 4 drops black, 6 drops black, 8 drops black then fill with distilled water, here is where an eye dropper comes in very very handy) this gives me a good range of shading to choose from light to dark and all my blacks are smooth.

[Wyki]

Yea spider… I used to work mixing/making car paint to repaint complete cars or repainting fixed parts and I learned alot about colors and shades and how they look in the sun with direct light and not direct light. Mettalic colors are sometimes hard to match specially when a freshly painted part looks completly way off in color due to who mixed it didnt take into account the rest of the cars “faded” tone. Anyways back on topic :roll: I’ve noticed the same on the blacks I’ve used different tones/shade color. And after seeing the tones I think I’ll have my own setup of blacks sort of like you do. But these tones of “shades” could be done with any color I suppose.

[Infamous]

Who’s we? C.R. Jordan is never here, what does he know about this forum?

I am as a devoted member of this forum, pretty concerned about formatting

[Lennart82]

C R Jordan RULE. …
Show your work.

then stop saying you follow the rules. Your augument is invalid.

[Vory]

okay….back on topic?

I’ve tried Starbrite and just wasn’t happy. I made sure I bought the legit stuff but it’s just not for me.

Right now I only use Waverly http://www.waverlycolor.com/collections/tattoo-pigment
I haven’t had an issue ordering and they give a great deal on a sample set so you can try it out with little cost.

Bluebird is a dream come true for lining and black&grey work.
Their White is awesome straight out of the bottle and works great for tinting other colors.

To supplement the sample set I picked up Blood Red (great value range, kinda like Alizarin Crimson), Ochre, Pink and a few other browns. Hopefully I’ll be able to pick up a few others I’ve been eyeing soon. I need a really deep cool blue and I’m hoping Cornflower does the trick.

[Infamous]

I thought Waverly only sold to licensed tattoo studios and artists?

Are you sure that that’s the real stuff?

I have heard some really good things about Waverly, but I’ve never been able to find any for sale anywhere.

I’m currently using Mom’s for color and its working out pretty good for me so far :) and Kuro Sumi for my gray washes and outlining.

Thinking about getting some Intenze Zuper Black for outlining as well as I’ve heard it’s a darker and truer black.

[Vory]

yeah man, that’s the real stuff. From what I understand, Waverly and Old Gold are the highest quality pigments money can buy.
I paid with a credit card and received my order 3 days later.
I’ve placed two seperate orders now and have never had a problem. Some places are really strict about who they sell to.
http://www.waverlycolor.com/ is not.

[robroy289]

Bill Waverly will sell to anyone now i believe. I am a licensed artist but when i ordered over the phone he did not ask for any shop information. That is what i am using now also and i switched from eternal. There is a transition you will have to make for powder pigment vs. per-dispersed. They are very thick colors but work very well. I myself never liked thick inks but i gave them a shot anyways and love them. I still have my favorite colors from eternal and dynamic.

[Author]

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