Getting a smooth gradient on fake skins is next to impossible unless your using premium stuff (pound of flesh, reel skins). Try getting some pig skin from a local butcher or Asian/Mexican market. Make sure it’s fresh, you want a pinkish tan color not a fair or white color. If it’s a little lighter in color on some spots that’s okay the skins can be pale sometimes but if most of it’s whitish it’s going bad and starting to decay. You need the rougher top layer of skin to be fresh so you can work it properly. Older skin stains real easy and is slimier and hard to get a stencil on. Which reminds me make sure you clean the pig with soap, wash it off then rub it down with alcohol and dry it befor trying a stencil. As far as your machine specs go, you might want to try closing your point gap a bit to around a nickel to speed it up. It’s personal preference whether you shade with a slower or faster machine but I think running it somewhere between 85-100hz is a good way to go. Work off the tips of the needle and try somewhat of a back n fourth brush stroke so get a softer look. As for lining go ahead and try an 8 or 9 liner, but if your sculpting lines I like using a 5 rl. I’m no expert nor am I a professional, but I’ve done my homework.
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