There are common, easy to spot mistakes that show the ink you used wasn't good enough. If the healed work patches or the shading pulls red, that's not bad luck, and it probably isn't your hand. It's the ink, or how you diluted it. In black and grey there's no colour to hide behind: every pigment error shows on the skin. Black & Grey: The Right Ink For Each Stage Line work, packing and shading can't run on the same ink. Every ink has its use and you need to understand what each one does. For fine line, regular or bold line you need a black and grey ink that won't fade out. For packing, high concentration for blackwork and blackout, or you'll be running three passes instead of one. For shading, greywash graded in light, medium and dark. Line Work Black VS Shading Black If you're using the same ink for everything, you're guessing. Line work black is dense and opaque, built for a line that won't soften. Shading black is the base you build your greys from, so it has to behave when stretched, without patching or crystallising. Shade with a lining black, or line with a greywash black, and the healed result will fail. Shading That Heals Red: Explained If you work in black and grey you may have wondered why your shading healed with a reddish tone. Most of the time the answer is an unstable, badly matched pigment or an incorrect dilution. Stable, well formulated inks applied at the right concentration are a requirement for work that heals evenly and holds its tone over the years. The Best Black & Grey Brands Dynamic, Panthera, Eternal Ink, World Famous, Intenze, Radiant, Kuro Sumi, Eclipse, The Inked Army, Kwadron, Silverback, Solid Ink, Dermaglo and Irezumi. Vegan options, REACH compliant. Choose with intention so your work lasts.