Dark to Light OR Light to Dark... Which is It?

[Chamberzezz]

I'm not sure if this subject has been talked about on the forum before, I couldn't find anything so sorry if it has.

Anyway, When colouring and shading, What's best? Work the dark colours first onto the to light or start with the light colours working darker? I'm reading different things from different sites and books.

What works best for people and why?

 

[robots]

I find it better working from dark to light. With grey shading start dark and blend it out. I generally do the same with colours, starting with darker colours like reds/greens and finishing with lighter colours like yellows/white.
This isnt always the case but is generally what i stick to.

 

[jamesb]

i generally work light to dark with black and grey work this allows me to render in new layers (tones) with colour work i work from dark to light but try not to wash my tip when switching colours to create a mix in the tip sort of the same way an oil painter would do (and still very much trying to perfect both technuiques lol but its what i do not sayin it right or wrong

 

[Chamberzezz]

i generally work light to dark with black and grey work this allows me to render in new layers (tones) with colour work i work from dark to light but try not to wash my tip when switching colours to create a mix in the tip sort of the same way an oil painter would do (and still very much trying to perfect both technuiques lol but its what i do not sayin it right or wrong

Oh yeah that reminds me. To add to this thread, When switching colours and washing the tip, is distilled water ok or does it need to have cleaning stuff in it?

Cheers

 

[jamesb]

Oh yeah that reminds me. To add to this thread, When switching colours and washing the tip, is distilled water ok or does it need to have cleaning stuff in it?

Cheers

i use distilled water with a little splash of greensoap in there but you can use just diss water

 

[mxtattoo]

I tend to just use distilled water, but if i am using some thicker inks i go with what it advises in the manual!. and put 2 cups out 1st one with sergical spirit/water mix and 2nd one with dettol/water mix this works realy well but i do prefer to use distilled water only. hope this helps.:icon_razz:

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[daveb]

If doing delicate greywash work or portraits then i would advise starting with darks first...then lights to finish....its not a hard and fast rule but its better to be safe than sorry.....when i first started doing greywash i remember doing some light greywashed areas first and they looked great..i then decide to add some dark shadows using a much darker ink...when the ink was wiped off and over the skin the capillary action 'sucked' quite a lot of dark ink into those tiny holes made by the tat needles in the light washed areas, thus making my light areas a lot darker than i intended!...of course you can start light first and if your careful or use Vaseline to block the holes/light areas add darks later....everyone is different and different areas of the skin behave differently....experiment and find what suits you..just be careful when wiping very dark inks over pre-worked light values/ areas...