We can talk tattooing, processes, equipment, all of these things anytime you like. But I’d like to go a little deeper. Here’s a new poll for you - What does tattooing REALLY mean to you? Drop your answer then I’d love to hear a little more in the comments!👇

Thanks for asking these questions @Karl Hubbard Greywash - Drops or pre-mixed? I actually don't tattoo with grey wash very often. I used to a lot & really enjoy the process, but I fell in love with the bold look of opaque greys. I still use grey wash on smaller tattoos when it seems more suitable. I use a drop system using regular distilled water. I use to have lots of different mixes in caps, but over time have gone to using straight black, 50%, 20% & 10%. Opaque greys - Opaque greys are a very different process, because you are selecting the right value straight from the bottle & matching to the reference. I think of opaques as advanced black & grey because there is less room to alter things, by building layers gently. You have to be way more intentional where you are putting values straight away. Tattooing darker to heal better - I do like to adjust contrast & often increase colour saturation of my reference photos, but i always do that before I start tattooing. I like to make those decision before printing my reference. Then I match the tattoo very closely to the printed copy. I like to have that on glossy photo paper next to where i'm tattooing. Tattoo Process - I do work dark to light, but more in sections (maybe a 3-4" areas) often completing that section, then moving to the next. With opaques I put the very lightest greys in once most of the area is finished. Going a little darker when you tattoo grey wash can be a good idea, but it helps to see how your tattoos heal on skin. You can always darken a little on a second pass, but you can't lighten a tattoo afterwards! Greywash does often lighten because its transparent & the top layers will heal leaving a little less Ink in the layers. Thanks for asking these questions Karl. And if you need any of this clarified just let me know. I'll share more info on my opaque setup later!

I've been meaning to jump in with some lessons this week, but I've been really busy the past few days starting some new tattoo projects. Long tattoo days - hence being a bit quieter than normal. I was really happy to welcome one of our members to the studio today, but I'm actually going to post more about that tomorrow! I'd like to do some Q&A about ongoing projects I have, so I'll be sharing progress on my appointments & if you have questions, I'd love to hear them. Tomorrow we'll be doing a second day starting an opaque grey leg sleeve. 🙂🙂 If you have any questions about my style of black & grey, opaque grey inks, or anything else - just let me know. I'm happy to make posts answering questions!

I've had a great week, despite the weather changing dramatically here in Whistler. We've had some sudden cold days & lots of rain. But I do live in a rain forest & I'm from England, so pretty used to that! Work life balance felt on point this week. Starting slower, I took some time off to watch horror movies with my 14 year old daughter, who was home sick from school. I took another day to visit Vancouver with my wife. Being able to free up time at short notice to spend time with family is something I really love about tattooing. I ended the week meeting two new clients & starting two awesome new projects - An adaptation of a Starwars comic cover & a gaming avatar pinup. How have your weeks been? I'd love you to share a win, big or small! 👇

A quick, but important response to a question. Thanks for asking about this @Karl Hubbard . I want to make a full video explaining this fully, but its great that you're double checking this Karl. The most important thing with safety & disinfecting is that you're following local regulations. Advice does vary especially when it comes to what's allowed for wrapping & disinfecting pen machines. Doing a blood borne pathogens course is a great idea. It will show a studio you are serious if you have it in your portfolio. If you're already in a studio I hope you have been asked to do this! I'm over here in BC, Canada & just went through all of this while opening my studio. For my situation using a pen style machine & disposable carts it basically this - Disinfectant - Cavicide is industry standard here. Check the wait time, that's the important part. Often around 3 mind to kill any blood borne pathogens. You can spray machine & any surfaces, then let them sit for the required time. There are other alternatives (I actually react to cavicide, so use a different product). Again, wait times once applied is the important factor. Your cartridges need to have a membrane to stop backflow from tattooing. They should be used once, then disposed of safely in a sharps container. Your machine should be fully wrapped. I use a mix of barrier film on my grip. A pen wrap over that. Then cohesive bandage wrapped around the grip afterwards. That will keep the pen protected. Then a good spray with cavicide or alternative will make sure you're machine, tray, etc, is all clean between uses. Gloves must be changed when moving between clean & contaminated supplies & equipment. The way our equipment is now & all of the disposable needles & equipment covers should mean you don't need any sterilization equipment such as an autoclave. Please just check your local guidelines, as we do have artists from all over the world in this group. Any questions, drop them below 👇