advice for color packing and blending thanx

hello, my names Rob, Ive been tattooing close to a year learning on my own and been doing quite well, but ive been struggling with laying in solid color and blending, seems like it takes forever perhaps machines not set up properly for coloring, maybe bad choice of mag, or lack of technique, i use skin candy pigments and i love beautifully colored work, i am very passionate at persuing this awsome art form. any tips would be hugely appreciated, thanx everyone looking forward to getting to talk with everyone

:D hello, my names Rob, Ive been tattooing close to a year learning on my own and been doing quite well, but ive been struggling with laying in solid color and blending, seems like it takes forever perhaps machines not set up properly for coloring, maybe bad choice of mag, or lack of technique, i use skin candy pigments and i love beautifully colored work, i am very passionate at persuing this awsome art form. any tips would be hugely appreciated, thanx everyone looking forward to getting to talk with everyone

How are you setting your color packing machine in terms of gap between contact screw and front spring? What voltage is your power supply reading? I run mine at anything from either a dime and a nickel, or two dimes gap, at 7.5 on the power pack, and had really nice results. The armature bar wasn't even hitting the front coil, and the needle was hitting the skin soft as butter Great set up for shading as well, or just go over for more saturated filling. In terms of needles, I just use round shaders

Ive been working with about a nickels gap between contacts, at about 7 volts, and use curved mags for bigger areas, and rounds for tight spots ,i have mob irons machines which work pretty good, im sure i just need more education and definitely will try ur suggestions thanx so much.

Ive been working with about a nickels gap between contacts, at about 7 volts, and use curved mags for bigger areas, and rounds for tight spots ,i have mob irons machines which work pretty good, im sure i just need more education and definitely will try ur suggestions thanx so much.

No worries, glad to be of help I'd just suggest increasing the gap slightly, and working in small, tight circles First application on the skin will probably just look like shading, but it gives a bit more flexibility, and, as the needles aren't hitting hard, even going over a few times for full saturation isn't going to turn the area into hamburger

[canvasyou]

This is why an apprenticeship is very important!
You have to touch the machines of a pro that are working well - so you can feel it.
You have to see pigment go in perfect - and then ask the questions of your mentor.

You can only describe so much over the internet.
Hope that makes sense!

If you are an apprentice - you will get tattooing a lot faster than if you have to figure it out on your own..
a LOT faster.

Thanx for the advice canvas, i totally agree, been looking for some one on one mentoring just havent landed yet. Till then trying to soak up as much as i can, fundamentals of tattooing book should be at my door in couple days, thanx and have a great day

I've got to disagree with the advise that an apprenticeship is important... Yes, it will certainly help, but it is not the only way to learn. There are many artists about who think that people need to Earn the information. Personally, I think people are quite capable of Learning instead, if given the right advice. I'm not saying I'm an expert by any means, I'm just passing on what I have learned, and what I have found works well for my machines... When it comes to machine set up, I have found that there is enough information online for a person to set the machine up, ie nickel and dime for 'roughly' setting up the gap for shading/lining, and then fine-tuning that by hand and by ear. My advice, knowing how difficult it is to find someone who will mentor you in a studio, is to watch the Inks, and listen carefully to how the machines sound when they're running. Listen a lot, until you know the sound, and then tweak your own machines till they re-create it. If I was to set up your machine the way I set up my own, I might have to have the gap between the front spring and contact screw slightly larger, or slightly smaller, everyone's machines run slightly differently, so using the coins can only ever be considered as a starting point in the tuning process. It's just a matter of learning how to set your own machines up for that 'sweet spot', and the only way to do that (without an 'in-person' mentor) is to learn the sound, and then learn to re-create it

[xDreamerx]

Apprenticeships are the formal and more "known" method to go. I do agree that it shouldnt be the only way. But with everyone wanting to be an artist it helps filter out the "kitchen magicians" the "scratchers"...etc. Once people do get an apprenticeship they truly get tested to determine whether this is something they wanna do as a career. Its not a hobby, its not a "I think I like this" thing. Its a lifestyle.

Anyhow I believe an apprenticeship is the same thing as exposureship. I understand not everyone can get one, but then again where there's a will, there's a way. Even if it means hanging out at that shop every chance you get.

People need to know the history of tattooing, the medical side, the art side. I see too many people who want to be a tat2 artist yet cant even draw. My opinion is that they should of learned to draw or get some kind of education in art. Its a culmination abilities and passion.

So you will always hear people telling you to go get a proper apprenticeship on tattoo forums. Seen too many bad scenarios due to lack of skill, knowledge and precautions medically speaking. Artists are just trying to prevent others from giving this business a bad name and feeding the notion of fear after a bad experience.

Overall I see both sides, only cause I know people on both sides of the fence and are very professional. My opinion is based on my experience.....IMHO

I look at it this way... Not many studio artists, unless they are actually friends with their client (and by friends, I mean have BBQs and go drinking and fishing with each other, not just act like friends in the studio to keep the $$s flowing) will even dream of letting a client touch the equipment to tattoo themselves, and *that* is what it takes to know wether or not one can actually realistically consider becoming a tattoo artist. The only realistic way for someone to actually try tattooing (if they haven't got a friend willing to let them try some equipment, and I know a former friend and fellow wizard who equally wouldn't let people use his machines) is for someone to buy a kit and drop their pants... If they mess up, well, they know that tattooing isn't for them, so they then pay another artist to cover what they've done, and donate the equipment to their studio of choice. If they manage to put down some reasonable lines, well, that's when the fun really starts Yes, tattooing is totally a lifestyle, it's not just a job or career, it is a way of life. Most of my time, even if I am not tattooing, I am working on stencils, or researching tattoo history and design origins. Rather than listening to music, I tend to listen to 'the Inks' on TV so I can pick up hints and tips, even if it's just catching a glimpse of how a particular machine is set up, or the angle of the contact screw. Doing that, taught me a method for fixing old tattoos with white ink (many thanks to Katherine Von Drachenberg for imparting that little gem) When it comes to 'the terms', I think they need to be more defined. I've seen home artists do fantastic work, I've also seen (and received) substandard work from studio artists, who's artistic level is so low, they truly are 'scratchers', not 'tattoo artists'. I wouldn't call someone a scratcher or a kitchen wizard just because they work from home rather than a studio... This is why I used it as a forum name... I'm like the people that call themselves 'nigger' or 'queer'... I'm taking it back. I'm proud of the fact that I learned the basics of tattooing without an apprenticeship (just as many of the tattoo artists I look up to did) and hope that I always continue to learn new and varied techniques. I'm proud of the fact that by working as a mobile artist, I can do good work on people and not have to pass the cost of business rates and overheads onto them. The cost of travel expenses and the amount it costs to actually set up each time, combined with the hourly rate I charge on any artistic projects I do (I am an art consultant and will work in many different fields) is nothing compared to what a studio artist will charge. In most cases, a project of several hours will still cost less than many studio's minimum hourly rate... I would put my hygienic practices up against any studio artist, and would bet gold to shit that I can create a sterile work area in a client's home (I have not yet actually tattooed anyone in a kitchen ) a lot better (and more consistently) than someone working in a studio who relies on some wannabe emo-poseur as their shop slave to keep the studio and waiting area clean with a two dozen people walking in and out all day... It's a pretty easy system: Consider everyone as having the worst diseases known to Man, so bag and cover everything and change gloves anytime you touch anything other than the client or the equipment which has already been bagged and laid out. That's just common sense... Anyone who can't learn how to do that, well... And as for art, absolutely. I trace a lot with my work. A graphics tutor once told me "tracing isn't cheating, it's using a tool..." I don't trace because I can't draw, I trace because it's easier than drawing something up exactly the same a dozen times just to tweak a minute details. I've freehanded pieces on people before, I can draw, I have license to trace to make my life easier and the process quicker for the client, because if I'm drawing a stencil up for someone, I will charge them for every minute I'm at the drawing board, so tracing makes revisions quicker and cheaper for them. I'm not in this to make Big Bucks or to become 'a name', I just want to have a good business which puts food on the table and enough money to treat myself and the wife every once in a while, so I don't charge people just for the sake of charging them So people who can't even put pencil to paper, certainly have no business putting needle to skin, and equally, just because someone can draw, that doesn't automatically mean that they can tattoo, because it's another medium to master...

I am going to have to disagree on tattooing being a lifestyle. Tattooing is art and art for many is a hobby. I'm one of those many. The only difference between me and the recreational painter or sculptor is that I have chosen to move beyond paints and pencils and try my hand at using flesh as canvas. And just like the first time I picked up a pencil or some prismacolors...it's going to take time to get comfortable.

I have no desires to be a professional. I just want to be proficient. To me, part of being proficient is being safe in tattooing. That means I used disposables, even on practice skin. I bag what I can, wear gloves, trash needles in a sharps container, etc. It also means I'm going to screw up lines, botch shading, put a color in and go "dammit...it looks different" and not be sure how to fix it. For me tattooing is just another challenge in my life that I aim to be good at.

Learning is a process. You can fast-track the process with an apprenticeship and my hat is off to you guys who can afford to work for nothing. You CAN learn without a teacher...it just takes longer. I have more time than money and I guess I"m mature enough at 39 to not circumvent the blood borne pathogen issues or try to take the "cheaper" route by reusing or half-assing.

Put a sticky at the top of every page: "An apprenticeship is the best way to go if it is within your means. If not, please openly share your experiences here in efforts to make us all a little safer and better at this art."

Just my thoughts on it. I love this site, really enjoyed the book, but don't need to be reminded repeatedly that an apprenticeship is the best route. It just isn't realistic for me but that hasn't dissuaded me from wanting to learn as much as I can.

Mark