touchups

[oz tattoo]

I've been tattooing for a few months now & many of my clients have had to come back in for touchups because of blotchy color. I know this could be a number of things- the ink, the skin, the aftercare, etc. BUT how common are touchups after healing? Those of you who have done this for years, help me out....do you do touchups much? When the tattoo is fresh, It appears that I've driven ink into all of the skin needed to be covered, and I don't think my depth is off.
I wonder how prevelent an issue is it that I purchased a tattoo starter kit (not from Jack's), with a bottom of the line power supply?

Also, what are the best ink brands & what brands should I steer clear of completely (in case I need to take stock & clean house)?
Thanks guys!

[Anonymous]

thats hard to say without seeing your work , are your outlines coming out ok? what brand of ink are u using ? is it just the black , or is it the color ? touch ups , arent too uncommon for beginers...

[Papa Gee]

It's very possible that you're running the machine at an incorrect voltqage or speed. You should experiment with different settings to find the sweet spot for your machine and the skin type you're tattooing. Also you might be coloring too fast. This is a thing I constantly have to check myself on.

Coloring large areas tends to get tedious and boring. Doing that small circular motion seems to take forever. Resist the temptation to try different methods while coloring. IE: back and forth strokes or blocking off an area and coloring it. Try slowing down a bit and see if you get better coverage.

One other possibility is that the ink you're using just dosent have very good dispersion. I still have several bottles of the Kaplans ink that came in my kit. They dont cover as well as the Millenium inks I have purchased.

Papa Gee

[oz tattoo]

Black ink is what I've been having trouble with- I haven't done a whole lot of color. I started out using the black ink that came with my kit but decided to purchase a bottle of Millenium black- that seems to be much more black than the other (don't even know what brand it is). I always force myself to work in small circles. I color in 1 small square section of skin at a time. I bet you're right about my machine settings- now by setting do you mean the machine setting itself AND the voltage? I also use the machine that came with my kit- probably not the greatest quality. It is difficult to keep the machine running at a nice purr- Really there is only one setting that you can run it at, as far as I can tell (talking contact point). I've fooled with it a thousand times & it only runs smoothly on one setting. I did just purchase a new one which was $125- it is designed from the original Paul Rogers machine. I haven't got it yet- decent choice? It can be used as liner or shader- I'm not sure how I should be setting up my machine differently between lining & shading.....any suggestions on that? the help sure is appreciated!!!! :) I know that voltage is different for each, but as far as machine setup, I haven't a clue. I also just purchased a new digital power supply which should make a huge difference- makes the one from my kit look like a damn toy!

[Papa Gee]

Sounds like your're doing a lot of tribals. The new power supply is gonna be a big help to you. Also theres a lot of information on these boards concerning adjusting your machine. Read read read.

[voodoo]

please check all the other posts! like pops said read,read,read!