I wouldn’t call it artwork per se

[Ladysinaz]

I tend to take the technical approach to things. So before i get all fancy and try to make pictures i want to get the hang of the machines. My hands are apparently weak in certain motions.. got beef up it seems.

Here is my practice stuff from the past couple of days.

And the “look what i got” pic :)

Right click and open in new tab so you don’t lose the forum.. and i promise the next time i post pics it won’t be near as obnoxious as this ;)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6sZV2HGIfv1UTA4MDZHV1pXVUk/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6sZV2HGIfv1R1FLNTJ5LUJtZEE/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6sZV2HGIfv1YndqOVBIaFRJanM/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6sZV2HGIfv1bEJ3T3JhYUJXWjQ/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6sZV2HGIfv1OVR1MFkxT0hEcXM/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6sZV2HGIfv1NGlVZEY0d2hwQkE/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6sZV2HGIfv1aUd3UFp3bmEtakU/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6sZV2HGIfv1RDV5SDdDTVd4REU/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6sZV2HGIfv1ajRhdEVmWmdnR00/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6sZV2HGIfv1ajRhdEVmWmdnR00/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6sZV2HGIfv1U19iTHZ2OXdoLUk/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6sZV2HGIfv1YzZDTUZ2YnpWbWM/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6sZV2HGIfv1UkVrRHlsaE5yNTQ/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6sZV2HGIfv1bTdXeENNZzVpMnc/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6sZV2HGIfv1SkRCUGpBc29wX3M/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6sZV2HGIfv1cWxwUnJJTG1lY1k/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6sZV2HGIfv1QUg4YXhWNTJ6ck0/edit?usp=sharing

[Jbeaufosho]

You’re not looking for opinions on this stuff, are you?

[Ladysinaz]

lol feel free
Ya won’t hurt my feeling

It’s all free hand, no stencil.
Not sure how i’ll so following one yet

[Jbeaufosho]

I don’t think you’re in a place for criticism at the moment. I take it these were your first attempts? I’m really happy to see you using the fruit/practice skin. I know it sucks but you really don’t wanna start scratching people up right out the gate. My best advice is get your artwork up and start looking for an apprenticeship. And in the meantime learn as much about how your machine works and the actual mechanics of the tattoo process as you can. It’s not easy but it was the best thing I ever did and I’ve learned things I never thought I could. But anyway, do you have any artwork I could see?

[Ramenuzumaki]

I agree. really do some research, and draw every day if you can. You’ve got a good start, and it looks like you started with Hildbrant machines. Personally, I prefer fruit over practice skin, but that’s just me. Also, vaseline is fine for practising, but never use it on a client. Petroleum based products will actually enter the wounds, and sit under the ink pushing it up. It causes a raised tattoo for quite some time, and can also cause fading. If used as aftercare it can also cause pimples which can damage the tattoo. You want to use stuff that is more creamy that will rub INTO the skin rather than sit on top of it. After Inked, Redemption, PurTect are all good choices. You can also use Vitamin A&D Ointment. These will not clog the pores of your client’s skin. In other words: Petrolatum > Petroleum

You’ve got a good start. Try out Hildbrant’s freeflow grips. I’ve used them, and really like em. Waiting for my order of Scorpion grips atm. I’m sure they will be even better! :D

Good start, and hope to see your enthusiasm in the future! :D

[Jbeaufosho]

Where did you hear that about Vaseline?

[Ramenuzumaki]

From many sources including my old mentor as well as personal experience using petroleum based aftercare products during the healing process of my own tattoos, and family/friends that I had testing aftercare products after I tat them. I write reviews for tattoo equipment and such, so when I get ointments and stuff I have my family/friends test it.

[Jbeaufosho]

I definitely agree with the part about using it for aftercare. But Ive tattooed with it a lot and never had any issues. But I’ve used a&d as well and had good results.

[Ramenuzumaki]

I’ll only use PurTect during my tattoo process. I also use PurKlenz soap instead of Green Soap, and I recommend that my clients use PurSan soap, and PurTect for actercare. These three products are designed for the tattoo industry, and are designed to coincide with each other. That way there is no chance of a chemical reaction between products.

[Ladysinaz]

I’m actually quite well versed in most things tattoo, right down to making needles. The actual tattooing part is where i haven’t really delved into much.
I have a laundry list of skins waiting to go and would probably let me go right now. But that is not me, they are my friends and although i couldn’t possibly do much worse than what is already there, i want them to get something good.

PS, Vaseline also eats breaks down the gloves Just like a condom, so it’s best to stay away from it for the actual tattoo part.

Here is some of the drawings i have posted in my FB, nothing recent tho. I suck at being the “let’s post everything” person

https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.maillet.10/media_set?set=a.10151353473335417.815694.872465416&type=3

https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.maillet.10/media_set?set=a.10151448214885417.829021.872465416&type=3

You can also see some of my other body art stuff if you want @
http://www.facebook.com/maguscoriumbodyart

Some of the lines i was doing look pretty decent.. i think.. then others not so much
What i was doing was coming at them from different angles, i am stronger in some than others.
When i am drawing i can turn the paper, when i am body painting i can move into all sorts of contorted directions to get what i want.
Tattooing, not so much.

So i figure i should suffer through a pile o bad lines to strengthen those angles

[Ramenuzumaki]

Pretty much you want to get through our first 100 tattoos as fast as possible. On practice mediums obviously. That’s when you’ll really start to get better. I’d say you should still work on your drawings though.

[Jbeaufosho]

Vaseline is only an issue with latex. If you’re using nitrile it’s not a problem. And you should be changing your gloves relatively frequently while tattooing anyway.

[Ramenuzumaki]

Not necessarily. If you have done your prep properly, and took out enough ink, and paper towel, and such, and the client doesn’t require any breaks you should only use two pairs of gloves.

[Shaggy]

I practiced on melons LONG before I went to real skin, mainly because I had no desire back then to do skin but just wanted to see how my airbrush skills might translate over. From your melon photos, one thing is obvious… you are going to deep with the needle 70% of the time. You need to practice needle control & depth control… take your time, don’t rush the line. Speed comes with practice and muscle memory. When the line you run in a melon looks carved, it’s too deep.

You started doing it in your early photo… run parallel lines about an inch long all the way around the melon, then do another row and another until the whole thing is covered with inch long parallel lines. Every single line should have the same crispness, be the same width and have same saturation. If any are lighter, thinner and you can see the lines each needle made… then you’re too shallow. If any are darker, thicker and have a halo bleeding out from line… you’re too deep. Again take your time, don’t rush to get it done… the goal is consistency. You want to find that perfect position for the machine in your hand that lets you run a nice line every time.

Once you are confident running a straight line consistently, then move on to curves (flowers, etc.) and get comfortable running nice lines thru curves. After that move on to shading… however slow your machine down and less needle depth than with the liner, the photo of the feather is all chewed up due to speed and depth on the melon.

TIP on needle depth practice: Even though I absolutely HATE practice skin… get the really thin practice skin (its flimsy when you hold it), and practice on that doing whatever you want. Then flip it over… if you see ink on the back – you went too deep. Once you can tattoo on that without it showing on the back… lay it on your leg and tattoo the fake skin against your leg – cause if you go too deep, you will know it.

[Ladysinaz]

Thanks for the input shaggy

The feather i know is a complete shit show. I had a power supply, but it all of the sudden wouldn’t work, so i plugged into one that my bf uses to charge his RC batteries.. so it was straight 12v the whole time lol
The whole first melon was done with that set up using a cheap coil

The second melon is done with my new power supply and the rotaries. I think that i had the voltage up too high when i was doing the lining, which is probably why i felt like i had to move my hand faster not to chew things up.
I actually got some of the thin thin skin, i was trying to figure out how to use it lol i need to put it on something and try not to bash the needles.. i suppose i can hold it on a melon :)

I tried a mag too just to see, as i know it can chew fast.. holy heck.

Oh here is a question that is probably answered somewhere else..
draw lines by pushing the machine so that the needles press against the bottom of the tube, or pull back?

[Ramenuzumaki]

You want to just “kiss” the skin when you use your mags. Especially for shading. As for your lining it depends on how your machine is set up. If you set your throw so it’s EXACTLY the depth you want and then set your tube so only that throw pokes out when the machine is running you could just run your tube against the skin. However, you don’t want to push too hard because pressure will end up drilling the machine into the skin. You want the needle to do the work not your hand.

I use it more like a pencil, and have my needle sticking out quite a bit actually. However, I don’t ride the tube. I find it’s harder.

[Shaggy]

@Ladysinaz wrote:

Thanks for the input shaggy

The second melon is done with my new power supply and the rotaries. I think that i had the voltage up too high when i was doing the lining, which is probably why i felt like i had to move my hand faster not to chew things up.
I actually got some of the thin thin skin, i was trying to figure out how to use it lol i need to put it on something and try not to bash the needles.. i suppose i can hold it on a melon :)

I tried a mag too just to see, as i know it can chew fast.. holy heck.

Oh here is a question that is probably answered somewhere else..
draw lines by pushing the machine so that the needles press against the bottom of the tube, or pull back?

A few months ago I made the jump to rotary as well, and I can honestly say I love them. I tried a few different ones that guys in the shop had before settling on what I got… each one had its own little quirks, but they were all pretty consistent on the voltage range. LINING: between 8 & 9 (i use 8.5) SHADING: 5.5 to 7 (I use 6.2).

Yeah Mags on real skin and on melons are totally 2 different things… on skin it turns the area basically into a brush-burn, but on melons it tears the fibers in the rind making a matted mess. Mags on skin is the one thing that doesn’t translate well to melons, so just ignore how it makes the melon look and practice using like a 15 mag to shade and fill and getting enough control with it that you can go right to your outline and dip into corners using just the edge needles of the mag.

As far as your last question… Ever heard the term “PUSHING ink”. It is always best to push to keep the needle seated, especially in a diamond tip… if you are using a round tip, its not ideal but it is also not really going to pull the needle anywhere if you have to pull part of a line because its in there so tight. What you should practice is more of a side stroke, this will allow you to sweep curves easier and give you 3 options of needle movement “pushing and left or right”. With shaders and mags you are doing tight circles so it doesn’t apply there.

[Jbeaufosho]

What do you mean by a side stroke when lining?

[Shaggy]

@Jbeaufosho wrote:

What do you mean by a side stroke when lining?

With the reservoir facing forward going left or right. It follows the natural pendulum motion of the needle bar from the nipple, putting no undo stress on needle bar.

Granted you don’t want to move in multiple directions without stopping and letting needle reset at center.

[Tatspiration]

eeeeeehh

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