Definition
What is whip shading?
Whip shading is a technique where the artist flicks the needle outward while tapering pressure, creating a gradient that fades from saturated black or colour into open skin. The result looks like a whipping motion frozen in ink.
Popular in traditional American, neo-traditional and old-school tattoos, whip-shading gives organic depth without the flat look of pure solid shading.
Examples
- Shadows around a traditional rose
- Depth under a neo-traditional animal portrait
- Flame edges in old-school flash