Black Wolf Head Tattoo

Black is the only universal

Every coloured design has to negotiate with the skin underneath it. Warm colours sit near it, cool colours fight it, and pale colours can vanish against a deeper tone.

Black negotiates with nothing. It is darker than any skin, so the contrast holds identically on everyone, and a black design reads the same on the palest and the deepest complexion.

That is the entire basis of blackwork as a tattoo style, and it is why the oldest tattooing traditions in the world, across completely unconnected cultures, are almost all black.

Solid black is the hardest to apply

The one drawback, and it is worth knowing. A large unbroken area of black shows every flaw.

Trapped air appears as a pale patch in the middle of a solid field, where on a detailed design the same fault would hide among the linework. Any part that fails to adhere is instantly visible.

Work slowly with the damp sponge from the centre outward, and press the whole area rather than dabbing at it. Then leave it alone for an hour before putting a sleeve over it.

The design

9.8 by 6 cm, compact and upright, suiting a forearm, shoulder or ankle.

Our article on the black wolf covers the animal itself. See the wolf temporary tattoo range.

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