This blog post summarizes the YouTube video “Tattoo Needles For Beginners” by Daniel Yuck.
Round shader needles are the best type of needle for beginner tattoo artists to start practicing with. They are more forgiving than round liner needles, especially for new artists who are still learning how to control their needle depth, hand speed, and voltage.
Why Round Shader Needles Are Better for Beginners
Round shader needles have a few key advantages over round liner needles for beginners:
- More forgiving: The spacing between the individual pins in a round shader needle is further apart than in a round liner needle. This means that round shader needles are less likely to cause trauma to the skin, and they are also more forgiving of mistakes like wobbles.
- Easier to manage: Round shader needles are easier to control than round liner needles, which can help beginners avoid blowouts and other unwanted adversities.
- Provide more information: Round shader needles can help beginners learn about needle depth, ink flow, and other important fundamentals of tattooing. For example, if you don’t go deep enough with a round shader needle, you will be able to see each individual needle streak.
Recommended Needle Sizes for Beginners
Daniel Yuck recommends that beginner tattoo artists start with a 7 or 9 round shader needle. These sizes are a good balance between being forgiving and still providing enough line weight to create visible tattoos.
Practice Makes Perfect
Daniel Yuck also recommends that beginner tattoo artists use tattooing workbooks to practice their lining skills. He has created a series of workbooks that cover a variety of tattooing topics, including basic lining, shading, floral designs, and more.
Ballpoint pen cartridges can also be used to practice tattooing. These cartridges can be paired with a tattoo machine to simulate the feel of tattooing on real skin.
