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— 06 / NEEDLE & TECHNIQUE —

Needle & Technique Training

A fine line is decided before the needle touches skin: which grouping you load, the angle you hold it at, how you stretch and how fast your hand moves. This Melbourne course teaches you to make those choices on purpose, so every line goes in clean and heals the way you drew it.

A tattoo artist’s hand holds several individually packaged needle cartridges in front of shelves containing tattoo supplies.

— 01 / WHO IT IS FOR —

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For hands that want to know why a line behaves

Needle & Technique Training suits students who have started drawing and handling a machine and now want control over the result. It also suits working artists whose lines blow out, wobble or fade unevenly and who want to find the cause rather than guess.


  Graduates of the Beginner Fine Line Tattoo Course ready for the next step


  Students of the Fine Line Tattoo Course who want more depth on needles


  Artists who tattoo in other styles and are moving into fine line

— A —

Needle groupings

How liners, shaders and cartridge configurations differ, and how to match a grouping to the line weight and style in your design.

— B —

Depth & angle

Reading the skin, keeping a consistent needle angle and holding steady depth so lines stay crisp instead of blurring or skipping.

— C —

Stretching skin

Setting up a stretch that holds for the whole pass, adjusting it for different placements and moving your support hand with the line.

— D —

Pulling fine lines

Single-needle-style line work: hand speed, where to start and stop a line, joining strokes cleanly and keeping curves smooth.

— 02 / STRUCTURE & FORMAT —

Understand it, drill it, apply it

Training is hands-on and taught by our trainers in Melbourne. Each technique is shown, practised and corrected before you move on. Ask about current dates, format and inclusions through the enquiry page.

Step 1  Needle knowledge. Groupings, cartridges and how each one leaves a mark, explained in plain terms.


Step 2  Control drills. Repeated straight lines, curves and joins on practice skin to build steady depth, angle and speed.


Step 3  Stretch and placement. Practising stretch technique for different areas of the body and adjusting your hand to suit.


Step 4  Applied line work. Bringing it together on a finished fine line design, then reviewing faults and how to correct them.

— 03 / QUESTIONS —

Needle & technique FAQ

Do I need tattooing experience first?

Some machine handling helps. If you’re completely new, the Beginner Fine Line Tattoo Course is the best place to start. You can also contact us to talk through your level.


Will you tell me exactly which needle to use?

You’ll learn how to choose, not just what to copy. The right grouping depends on the design, the placement and your hand, so the training builds judgement you can use on any piece.


How is this different from Tattoo Machine Training?

Tattoo Machine Training covers machine setup and handling. This course focuses on the needle and what your hand does with it: depth, angle, stretch and the line itself. Many students take both.