Tattoo Blog

Tattoo Shading

Tattoo shading is the most important part of tattoo because without shading, tattoo looks unexciting and old fashioned. Many tattoo artists specially learn the techniques for shading tattoo. In the 19^th century Black and gray tattoos were a traditional style of tattoos, because colour pigments were not available. These techniques included tattoo shading that was accomplished by varying the intensity of the pigment, from dark black to lighter shades of gray. But today, the most effective type of tattoo shading is done with a tattoo machine and uses lots of colour ink for tattoo shading. The machine uses a group of needles arranged on a bar.  The needles are pushed rapidly in an out of the skin by the machines motor. The depth of the puncture can be precisely controlled with a tattoo machine, which is an important requirement for tattoo shading.

Some basic Tips used for tattoo shading with tattoo machine

1.  If a lighter shade is desired for a particular area of shading, then the needles should next be dipped in sterile water.  Some tattoo artists prefer to create washes ahead of time by mixing ink and water to create the desired wash.  There are also tattoo artists who prefer to use witch hazel or some other substance instead of sterile water to dilute the pigment.
2. Needle depth should be adjusted accordingly, to the dark and light shading, for darker shading, the needles should be moved more slowly on the skin and for lighter shading; they should be moved more quickly on the skin.  Many tattoo artists cover the skin with a lubricant before applying the ink to help the needle move smoothly across the area being shaded.
3. Tattoo artist see the finished effect before moving on to the next area to be shaded.  Additional shading can be applied in the same area if a darker effect is wanted.
4. Many tattoo artists use white ink to highlights to a shaded tattoo. 

These are the basic steps for tattoo shading. Most expert tattoo artists have an own tricks of the trade for creating different shading effects.

Some video for tattoo shading: 

Mario Barth, INTENZE Tattoo Ink artist explains advanced color techniques he has mastered over his 30 year career as a tattoo artist. He provides insight on mixing color, shading, and lining in this video.

Legendary old school tattoo artist, Jim Watson, owner of Superior Tattoo Equipment and Artistic Tattoo in Phoenix, demonstrates some amazing shading techniques in this video. Using a Superior RoadRunner machine, and Prizm Black ink, Jim masterfully uses his skill, honed over 40 years in the industry, to place a great lotus on Trina’s back.