What size tattoo needle do you use for shading

Tattoo artists may have a preference when it comes to shading tattoo needles. Some may use a round shading needle setup. The most common tip counts used for round shading clusters are 3, 5, 7, and 9. Magnum shading needles are the most common for this application due to the double-stacked construction and flat tips. Using a magnum shading tattoo needle configuration allows the artist to put more ink into the skin without needing multiple passes over the same area of the skin. A variation of the magnum needle is the curved magnum tattoo needle. It is generally used for first timers as the curve causes less tearing to the skin and glides over it in a smoother fashion reducing the pain of getting a tattoo. Selecting the right type of shading tattoo needle makes the dispersion of the ink appropriate for the shading technique used.