Performing a Gradient: Training for Permanent Makeup Masters

Sharpening the technical skills of permanent makeup masters

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In this exercise, you will be able to learn how to perform a gradient in hatching, moving from dark to light tone, and also learn the principles of the correct implementation of a gradient in permanent makeup.

Why do some tattoo works look very flat, as if they were drawn on a sheet of paper, and not on a voluminous face, while others look very natural and voluminous?

Try to draw two identical circles, but shade one with an even stroke, and on the second pass color and shade. Initially identical circles will eventually be perceived differently, or rather, you will see a flat circle and a volumetric ball. The same thing happens in permanent makeup. Those works in which the master will uniformly shade the entire surface being worked on will look flat.

It's time to work on the skills to convey light and shadow, as well as make a gradient . If you can’t smoothly move to the beginning of the eyebrow or make a light lip contour, this exercise will help you figure out your mistakes and correct them.

Exercise 8: Performing a Gradient

We begin work on this exercise by performing straight parallel hatching (stroke length - 2-2.5 cm), stacking the strokes tightly to each other, almost one on top of the other. You should feel like you are standing still. It is important here to get a bright, rich shading. Gradually we move forward, be sure to lift the pencil from the paper at each new stroke. We achieve saturation not by pressing on the pencil, but by the density of the stroke.

Having created a hatching 1.5-2 cm long, we begin to thin out the strokes a little. Conditionally: if in the first block there were 100 strokes for the first 2 mm, then in this block there will be 80 strokes per 2 mm. Remember that the transition between blocks should be very smooth. While working on the block, you can go back or hatch in one place, or move forward. But each subsequent block should contain fewer strokes.

After 1.5-2 cm, we begin the next block and, accordingly, we further thin out the stroke. And so on. We hatch until free-standing parallel lines begin to turn out.

Draw at least 10 stripes, decreasing the stroke density from block to block. Remember that you do not need to press on the pencil, we control only the density of the stroke. If after completing 10 bands you see that the result is still far from ideal - continue to exercise!

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