Advice on getting cleaner, straighter lines ?

MalligaMallan said:

What technique would you use when doing a long straight line with pencil on paper? Do you ever use your elbow then?

My advice is very unorthodox. Use whatever technique you need to achieve that straight line. Eventually, when you feel safer and more relaxed, you will start experimenting little by little when tattooing. You know what's right, you've read it over and over probably, you just can't use it at first. Which a lot of it is in your mind and nerves.

This has been how I've been doing it. When not feeling secure enough to tattoo long straight lines, I've been doing them very short passes. And another pass when needed. And yes, there are risks with it, first of all inconsistent depth. But I prefer that to shaky lines.

But as said - very unorthodox. Let the others teach you the traditional way ?

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kdtattoos said:

Yes! I can use my elbow when drawing on paper. It just feels very unnatural to use it while tattooing. Maybe the fake skin isn't smooth enough of a surface for me. I've tried putting glide on my tattooing hand but still doesn't help me with the complete movement.

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MalligaMallan said:

Found it:

Thread 'Help with Lines...' Help with Lines...

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kdtattoos said:

Yes! I can use my elbow when drawing on paper. It just feels very unnatural to use it while tattooing. Maybe the fake skin isn't smooth enough of a surface for me. I've tried putting glide on my tattooing hand but still doesn't help me with the complete movement.

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Cyberthrasher706 said:

you know the one thing I see most people mess up on with their lines (paper, calligraphy, tattoo, etc...) is that they look at their tool. You'll have a hard time getting a straight line that way because your hand naturally wants to go where your eyes are pointing, which is where it happens to be at the moment. So you end up fighting yourself and causing more wiggles. Grab a fine tip marker/pen. Put two dots down about 6" apart. Put the pen down on one, look at the other, and connect the dots. Keep on doing that over and over and over and you'll build the confidence to just pull a line.

As far as shoulder movement goes, it will work best with as little pressure as possible on your hand. Let your hand hold the instrument and your shoulder do the moving. It's the only joint in your entire arm that's designed to move in all directions. So when you use your wrist and fingers you're forcing a joint to move in the wrong way. Lock your wrist and watch where you want the line to go. Your body will do the rest as long as you give it the chance.

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DKJ said:

I guess it must be the difference between a pen and a tattoo machine that makes you feel uncomfortable.
The pen is light, little and forgiving on woobles.
The tattoo pen is vibrating, it has some weight, maybe you're plugged with a cable and not working with an attached battery, the grip is a big hold for your fingers, you have to look at your lining from a perspective because all this shit is sitting over your line of vision...

Feel me?
It's like riding a truck on a rollerskate circuit.
Can be done but you clearly need to work your way with subtle manners.

I'm, today as a beginner, more inclined to bridge/join short lines, instead of pulling one long. I even try to avoid them in my actual tattoo designs.
It helps me a lot in being more subtle in my works, because i only have to be soft, precise and focused for a very short time.
And those short lines are becoming longer by the day.

Have faith in experience

Peace,

DKJ

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Cyberthrasher706 said:

you know the one thing I see most people mess up on with their lines (paper, calligraphy, tattoo, etc...) is that they look at their tool. You'll have a hard time getting a straight line that way because your hand naturally wants to go where your eyes are pointing, which is where it happens to be at the moment. So you end up fighting yourself and causing more wiggles. Grab a fine tip marker/pen. Put two dots down about 6" apart. Put the pen down on one, look at the other, and connect the dots. Keep on doing that over and over and over and you'll build the confidence to just pull a line.

As far as shoulder movement goes, it will work best with as little pressure as possible on your hand. Let your hand hold the instrument and your shoulder do the moving. It's the only joint in your entire arm that's designed to move in all directions. So when you use your wrist and fingers you're forcing a joint to move in the wrong way. Lock your wrist and watch where you want the line to go. Your body will do the rest as long as you give it the chance.

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KyleBl4ck said:

Not everyone uses the shoulder method. It's just an old one that has been around a long time because it helps you stabilize your hand more. The whole fulcrum advantage theory.

However, a lot of the pros use way different techniques, it's good to have a basic guideline to follow in the beginning but it doesn't mean what works perfectly for one person is gonna work for you.

I honestly didn't figure out how I should do lines until a year into tattooing on real skin, mainly because all skin is different.

With fake skin it's a bit harder but the goal is to predict depth, and recognize when you're pulling the needle correctly. You'll feel the drag on the skin. It shouldnt be like blatantly obvious but you can tell when the line is going to be clean and saturated once you begin to pick up recognizing the "pull". Everyone has different skin so this feeling will usually be a really good guideline to know you're at the right speed and depth and also help you adjust accordingly per client.

The way I got better at lining however was doing a lot of lettering on fake skin and moving slow or fast and messing with voltage and depth until I got it in one pass everytime. Fake skin is really hard to get used to though since it's not exactly.... "quality".

Hope that helps.

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