Can you use a3 liner to do a whole tattoo?

Answer 1

If you are doing a REALLY small tattoo such as small lettering, then maybe. I wouldn't personally do it though. What you are trying to accomplish with a tattoo, is to push as much ink into the skin in your first pass without chewing up the skin and scarring it up. A needle of this size is simply not a smart or safe choice. You will invariably have to do really small grouping, overlapping into the already semi-chewed up skin, and you will undoubtedly have a lot of scarring in the tattoo. This will prolong the healing time immensely, will most likely push a lot of the ink out of the skin during the healing time, and will leave a splotchy final appearance. You need the right needle for the right job. I was told when I was learning, and I tell it to those that are learning, it is best to think of tattoo needles like paint brushes. You look at what you need to do, and what effect that you are going for, and then make your selection from there. But the first and foremost rule, as I said, is that you want to push as much ink in the first pass as you can, so the size of the needle needs to be of appropriate size. Otherwise, your simply making things harder for yourself, and will most likely come out with a bad result at the end.