What size tattoo needles?

Question

When tattooing,what do you do the outline (standard) with and what do you do shading with?Also,how hard do you apply pressure?

Answer 1

if you're creating an indent in the skin youre pushing too hard. the machine can work fine on its own, your purpose is to guide it along the lines. lining needles is personal preference, skills, and depends on the piece. if you suck at outlining stay away from anything smaller than a 5, if you want to do a good calligraphied new school piece a 5 riding the needle works just fine. Besides that theres the question of using bugpins fr detail or sheffield because of the shape and design, textured because of the packing capabilities, humming phoenixes for black and grey etc etc. The list is endless if you know what youre looing for like a proper artist rather than just sticking a pin and ink in someone. Needles are like brushes, you use different ones for different effects and every painter paints differently. Different companies make differently woven needles and thats a personal choice because they can all be good for differing effects, or you can always spend the time to make them, as long as you know what youre doing ofcourse.

If this is a question for anything besides curiosity go get a proper apprenticeship because you'll never learn whats wrong with what your doing unless someone who knows better can show you. Its just as easy to tattoo with a blindfold as it is to tattoo not knowing what the hell you're doing.

Answer 2

In a proper tattoo apprenticeship you get to try all the needles and find out by yourself which suits your style most. They make them all, that's because different people will buy different ones. We online don't know you and we don't know your preferences. It's yours to find out.

Answer 3

depends on the tat. If they are shading if they are outlining.. everyone has a different needle