Creating smooth shades question

Hi there.
I'm working on the below tattoo (on myself) but I cannot seem to get the shading smooth.
I'm using a rotary tattoo machine with a magnum needle, but it's either dotty or seems scratchy.
How can I get my shading to bee smoother - am I moving my hand too fast?

Short stroke, fast speed, light touch, layering rather than packing…and patience

whippet said:

Short stroke, fast speed, light touch, layering rather than packing…and patience

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Thank you! I will attempt another one on my other leg...

there are too many variables to consider. getting smooth shading is complicated and requires a lot of things to go right. it is a combination of machine tuning and hand motion.

really your hand motions probably just lack control and skill. practice on fake skin until you can get it smooth. if you can't get it smooth on practice skin u wont get it on real skin.

I would run the machine on the longest stroke and use a medium to fast speed depending on your preference. longer stroke reduces the inkflow and gives you more control.

soulstare22 said:

I would run the machine on the longest stroke and use a medium to fast speed depending on your preference. longer stroke reduces the inkflow and gives you more control.

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While I’m not professing to be the (or even an) expert on this, pretty much any b&G artist will tell you the opposite of this. I do a fair amount of B&G.

Smooth B&G shading requires a fast running machine to mitigate the risk of leaving too many needle marks, and you simply don’t need the harder hit that a longer stroke will give you, as you’re layering rather than packing, often brushing the skin.

Long strokes and slow speeds are specific to stipple shading, where the whole point is to leave visible (and individual) needle marks. The longer stroke (harder hit) compensates for the necessarily slow speed.

I rarely challenge advice/opinions on here, but on this occasion I think the person asking the question deserves a more considered and knowing response (sorry if that sounds offensive).

in my experience, longer stroke actually reduces the punchiness of a rotary on the direct drives with adjustable cams

when i do whip or stippling i will use a shorter stroke to get darker dots with my direct drive, but longer stroke for detailed shading, since it hits softer and gives me more control.

lmao mayb i just live in opposite land. but i mean from a physics perspective a shorter stroke with the same voltage as a longer stroke actually makes the needle move slower and more forceful, since more power from the motor can transfer to the needle, since it is a shorter distance from the center of the camshaft. the longer the stroke the harder it is for the motor to push the needle through the skin, the needle is also traveling faster which reduces the amount of time in the skin and ink deposited.

everybody does say the opposite tho! but i always do bg shading with a 5mm stroke lol, and then for packing and windbar shading i will turn it down to 3. tbh i can barely tell the difference... for whipping u can tell the shorter stroke gives larger dots tho


but yea like u said u want a soft hitting fast hit.

Hi
a few things here have caught my attention. First strokes the longer the stroke the harder the hit coil or rotary end of.
Different strokes for different folks though use what works best for you. Personally I’ve always preferred long stroke machines.
As far as whites go less is more. The whites around the nose and the hood are not require. The best place to put white is in an area that would be wet or slippery ie the eyes and teeth.
finally what we came here for smooth shading . Smooth shading is built up in layers and gradients. A few tips. Use the largest mag you can get into an area ie a 15 . Ease of with the skin stretch for More passes
A way to get super smooth shading . Starting from your black line brush out gently with a light wash just grazing over the skin using slightly more pressure at the start of the shade. Match you hand sped to the machine speed and keep it consistent. Then brush out with a medium wash over the light but don’t brush out as far . Then brush out with a dark wash again not as far . Finally use a black from the line brush out to where you need . This technique needs time and patience but is works every time and gives super results.
if the area is not not smooth enough providing you haven’t overworked the area you can cross hatch the whole area with a light wash .
Hope that helps