Pepper Shading Techniques for Tattooing
A course by Alan Shepard , Illustrator and Tattoo Artist
Experiment with speed, depth, and saturation to create tattoo designs filled with textures and gradients
Experiment with speed, depth, and saturation to create tattoo designs filled with textures and gradients
So, what exactly is pepper shading? As its name suggests, it's a shading method that mimics pepper sprinkled on a surface, and it's achieved using a series of dots, not unlike pointillism. Discover everything there is to know about this tattooing technique to create your own three-dimensional designs.
In this online course, illustrator and tattoo artist Alan Shepard teaches you how to use pepper shading and the importance of mastering the perfect needle speed on the skin and the ideal saturation.
What will you learn in this online course?
15 lessons & 19 downloads
- 100% positive reviews (110)
- 8,995 students
- 15 lessons (3h 4m)
- 19 additional resources (6 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: Spanish, English
- Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Compose an illustration with uniform shading that you can recreate on skin.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Tattoo artists and illustrators with intermediate-level knowledge of tattooing or illustration looking to perfect their shading technique or learn a new style.
Requirements and materials
Previous experience in tattooing and illustration are necessary if you want to try this technique. You also need a tattoo machine and materials as well as illustration tools whether manual or digital.
Reviews
A course by Alan Shepard
Alan Shepard is an illustrator and tattoo artist living in Mexico City whose studio @luckylove_studio is situated in the heart of the Condesa neighborhood. He specializes in fineline tattoos and pepper shading and defines his style as "Neo-Chicano."
His influences and sources of inspiration come from a wide range of backgrounds including design, photography, painting, rock, skating, and more. Throughout his career he's designed fanzines, clothes, videos, and murals as well as tattooing and collaborating with artists across Mexico and abroad.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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Introduction
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Influences
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U2
Get ready! Pencils, pen, and paper
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Introduction to Pepper Shading
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Shading Exercise on Paper
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Inspiration and sketches
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From Sketch to Stencil
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Back to paper
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U3
Let's tattoo!
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Knowing your material
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Station and Stencil Assembly
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Speed, depth and saturation
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Texture and gradient 1
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Texture and gradient 2
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Texture and gradient 3
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U4
The steps behind the tattoo
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Care, recommendations, and monitoring
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Revive your Sketches and Create New Projects
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FP
Final project
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Pepper Shading Techniques for Tattooing
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.
All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.
You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
paulaceballos017
PlusExcelente
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diegonuzzi
Plusgostei bastante, o rpofessor é muito querido!
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brina_art
Corso ottimo per chi, come me, vuole approfondire la tecnica del puntinismo/pepper shading.
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luiguibjl
Muy buen curso, me ayudo al estilo que quiero tomar.
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leonikatsarh
Alan was very good at explaining the process. Friendly and positive attitude.
I recommend this course to any artist at the beginning of their tattooing journey.