Learn the art of Tattooing - Become a Tattoo artist. Dennis Nowakowski
What is Hub?
Now we’re going to talk about Hub, which should not be confused with Stroke. These terms refer to the depth of stroke that this machine performs. Bullshit, you’re going to think. If I let the needles stick out, I'll ink deeper. No, that has nothing to do with the stroke, which is too often ignored. Every tattoo machine you find on a seller’s website should have a stroke in millimeters: 3 mm, 3.2 mm, 3.5 mm, 4 mm or more. As a rule of thumb:
“The higher the stroke, the richer the result.”
This is especially important for outlines, your contours. Of course, the body part of the subject is crucial. Motifs on the shoulder blade, upper arm or calf are much easier to ink. The skin is simply tighter in these areas and therefore easier to work on. Here a stroke of 3.5 mm or even 3 mm is completely sufficient in terms of contours, color and shading. The situation is different with softer parts of the body, such as belly, hips or thighs. Have you ever noticed how many people, especially young girls, have butchered motifs on their ribs? Apart from the fact that it is one of the most painful places to get a tattoo, it is also one of the most difficult. This is exactly where the professional differs from the beginner. The professional tattoo artist tattoos on the hips or ribs with a high stroke. 4 millimetres or even more. Black or color are inked with a stroke of at least 4mm. Only shades can be inked with a smaller stroke, because they don’t need to go so deep into the skin. Likewise, the professional knows that it takes twice as much time on this part of the body, while the layman wonders why he’s got such a hard time getting the color into the skin. Then the machine is cursed, tinkered with, the problem is shifted onto the customer's bad skin and finally the motif is messed up. Of course, you can also use a smaller stroke in extreme places, but this will triple or even quadruple the time, because you just have to work slowly. Not to forget the pain factor of the customer. We remember:
“Soft body parts are not a good start for an untrained tattoo artist. The higher the stroke, the richer the colors in it and the faster you can work”.
A smaller stroke, around 3mm or less is better for shading because the needles don't go so deep into the skin. Shading is more like gliding over the skin. Now all you have to do is watch the speed of your machine and adjust it to the situation.
Maybe now you understand why I own two tattoo machines. The Rotary has a 4 mm stroke, which I don’t change. I use this one for outlines and black areas, so that they are nice and rich. My pen, with a 3.5 mm stroke, I use for colored areas, shades and also for black areas, if the body part allows it.
How fast does the tattoo machine have to run?
The correct speed of your machine depends on the size of the motor, usually 4.5 watts or 10 watts, and on what you are tattooing. The size of the motor and its watt number has no influence on your work or what I have explained so far. I will roughly divide it into contours, color and shades. Depending on the motif, contours and color have to be pressed in so that they are rich in skin. Shades must be applied more gently, as they contain gradations that should result in an even transition from light to dark. The same applies to color transitions. With contours, black or color, the machine should run a little faster, when shading a little slower, so that not too many pigments get into the skin and the shading becomes too dark. More about this in the chapters “Color and shading” and “Portraits, the supreme discipline”.
Now you will hopefully understand what is important for a halfway solid tattoo machine and what you should pay attention to when you buy a costly machine. A tattoo machine, with an adjustable stroke to at least 4 mm is a good start. Add an attachment for needle modules and you are ready to go. My tip, of course, is a high-quality pen, no matter what brand.
Needles
“You don't need all needles and you don't need all sizes.”
I am deliberately dispensing with self-soldering needles and the needle sticks required. I still belong to the poor bastards who soldered, or rather had to solder, their needles themselves. A laborious work, which took several hours of time and mostly could only be done on weekends, because I was still working at that time. Not to forget the thorough cleaning of the tips and handles. That was a Saturday that went to the dogs. Luckily, one day the disposable grips were released on the market, together with already soldered needles, in all sizes and shapes. Many people still prefer the manual preparation of tips and handles, i.e. sterilizer and the like, which is not wrong. However, when dealing with a constantly growing customer base, disposable items are a real blessing. They save a lot of time and nerves. At some point you limit the variety of needles to certain sizes that you can best handle. But let us now come to the needles themselves. A topic that I want to keep as simple as possible to avoid misunderstandings. Using the right needles at the right time is not a great art. Also there is no difference if you use classic needles or modules. The principle is the same.
Types of needles
Basically, there are roughly simplified only four different types of needles. Roundliner, short RL, Roundshader, short RS, Flatshader, short FS and Magnums, short M. These needle types are always soldered together in uneven quantities. So 3s, 5s, 7s, 9s, 11s, 13s, 15s, 17s and so on. The needle thickness, i.e. the thickness of each individual needle, is 0.25 mm, 0.30 mm, 0.35 mm or 0.40 mm. These are available as common sizes from each brand. A small rule of thumb for the needle thickness - the thinner the needles, the finer the design.
Roundliner
Roundliner, RL for short, is used for outlines, i.e. the contours, and to fill smaller areas, for small letters or the pointed ends of a tribal, for example. For the contours I use either 5 or 7 needles, with a needle size of 0.30 mm or 0.35 mm. The result are quite thin contours, which are sufficient for my purposes, because I have a realistic tattoo style. An old school tattoo artist would probably not start under a 15 needle Roundliner, which has a needle size of at least 0.35 mm. In fact, he probably would rather use the Roundshader, RS for short. Why? - Because he needs thick, rich contours. Here it becomes clear what the difference is between a realistc style tattoo artist and an old school tattoo artist.
Roundshader
Roundshaders are used for colored areas, for shading or even for thick contours, as just mentioned.
Magnums
Magnums, which are always arranged in two rows and side by side, regardless of size, are also used for color or shading. Similar to a wide bristle brush, they can be used to fill or shade larger areas. These needles come with another enhancement, which I appreciate very much: the softedge version. Imagine that the hard edges of the wide bristle brush are rounded at the sides. So you have no hard edge at the ends of the brush. Not suitable for a brush, these rounded ends work wonders when tattooing. Softedge Magnums, SEM for short, I wouldn't want to miss anymore. They simplify the work enormously, not only in terms of speed. Color areas can be filled wonderfully, color transitions can be realized quickly. They are even better suited for shading where precise gradations are important. Due to the rounding there are no unwanted lines in the shading, which is especially annoying in portraits. Those who like to ink realistic motifs will not be able to get past the Softedge Magnums. Every tattoo artist will confirm this.
MT and LT
A little something on the side. Usually the designation MT or LT is on the package. These are Medium Taper or Long Taper. Long Taper needles are only slightly sharper than Medium Taper needles. That is all. As a beginner you will hardly notice the difference at first. If you are a little more advanced, you will notice more and more little things that could be better.
My advice for beginners
Which needles you start with is up to you. Unfortunately, needles and modules are very expensive, which you want to avoid at first if possible. For a relatively solid basic equipment,