When doing more realistic tattoos layering is one of the best techniques to use. Slowly building up our tones, shadows and details throughout the process allows for greater control over the final image, and our focal points.

Take your time building up your tones and details. What areas do you want to bring into focus. Look around in nature and you’ll see not everything is in crisp and clear detail. Some things are more in focus than others. By using this same principle when tattooing realism, you'll achieve more natural and realistic tattoos.

Having trouble with realism? Try this out! You’ll be able to better bring focus to specific areas, and won’t get overwhelmed with the little things before you have the basics locked in. Think about what you see when you’re talking to someone… Is everything super sharp and in focus? How does the background look from the corner of your eye? Things tend to blur and blend a little bit in the real world. Even when you’re doing very detailed tattoos, it’s important to simplify it in a way that will hold up, last in the skin, and look great for years to come! By working general to specific, you can create more realistic tattoos and images the way your eye actually sees them. By recreating that in your tattoos and not having full details and sharpness in every spot, your pieces will begin to look a lot more realistic.

Here’s how multi session tattoos can take your tattooing experience, artistry, and client satisfaction to the next level: Add More Details: With multi session tattoos, you can gradually add intricate details, layering colors, and textures, allowing you to truly bring your vision to life! Less Trauma, Better Healing: One of the most significant advantages is the reduced trauma to your skin during each session. This results in a smoother healing process, ensuring your tattoo looks its best in the long run. Longevity: Multi session tattoos play a vital role in the longevity of your ink. By minimizing trauma and increasing pigment saturation, your tattoo retains its vibrancy over time, leaving you with a beautifully healed masterpiece that stands the test of time. Multiple sessions let your tattoo evolve with each session, and allow you to change, add or tweak things as needed, and overall create a better, more creative, and long lasting tattoo!

By using your mag you can work faster and more efficiently. Instead of switching from liner to shader, use your mag to block in your larger shapes. I will often use the side or edge of my mag for smaller details, fur, hair, and other textures. You can also use your mag to line out softer edges. By using the mag flat you can achieve solid colors, or smooth shading. For both you want to use a a consistent and deliberate motion. Once I have everything blocked in with my mag I will go back in to refine with a liner or smaller grouping. More about that with our next tip. Be sure to like and follow for more tips. If you got some value from this post tag a friend in the comments or share to your story. We are dropping new tips each and every day!