Greywash Tattoo Ink Guide: Pre-Mixed Shades - Element Tattoo Greywash Inks
TLDR
- Element makes two pre-mixed grey lines, mixed and measured by 30 year tattoo artist Eddie Tana, made in the USA
- 3 Shade Greywash: light, medium, and dark, water base, neutral undertone, built for traditional style black and grey tattooing
- Battleship Gray: 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80%, pigment base, warm undertone, built for realism
- No more counting drops; every pour matches, from a small cap to a cup
- Sizes: 1oz, 2oz, 4oz, and 8oz
Element Tattoo Supply makes pre-mixed greywash tattoo ink for black and grey artists. Eddie Tana, a tattoo artist with over 30 years of experience, mixes and measures every shade. You get the 3 Shade Greywash for traditional style black and grey work and Battleship Gray 20 to 80% for opaque gray realism. Both lines are made in the USA and come in 1oz, 2oz, 4oz, and 8oz bottles.
Why I Went Pre-Mixed
- After 30 years of tattooing, I got tired of mixing drops every session and getting a different shade every time
- So I built two pre-mixed grey lines and measure every batch myself
- Every bottle matches the last one, so your values stay the same from client to client
Element 3 Shade Greywash (Water Base)
- Light Greywash: 25% pigment, the rest a water and alcohol mix
- Medium Greywash: 50% pigment, the rest a water and alcohol mix
- Dark Greywash: 75% pigment, the rest a water and alcohol mix
- Neutral undertone for clean, true greys
- Built for black and grey with soft wash shading and smooth fades
Element Battleship Gray (Pigment Base)
- Mixed like an old school paint gray: white pigment, black pigment, witch hazel, and glycerin
- 20%: lightest, 20% black
- 40%: 40% black
- 60%: 60% black
- 80%: darkest, 80% black
- Warm undertone with more body than a wash
- Built for realism artists who want solid, opaque greys for skin texture and portrait detail
Why Pre-Mixed Beats Drops
- No more counting drops into caps
- Pour into a small cap, a large cap, or a cup and the shade stays the same
- Less setup time, more tattoo time
- Every artist in the shop works off the same values
Which Line Fits Your Style
- Traditional greywash style shading: 3 Shade Greywash
- Realism and portraits: Battleship Gray 20, 40, 60, 80
- Plenty of artists run both on the same piece
How I Run Them at the Shop
- Lay your darks first; they map the whole piece
- Blend across each transition with curved mags, 7 to 13
- Drop your voltage a little below your color setting since wash flows faster than solid black
- Go slow and steady to avoid machine marks
- Save your lightest shade for last with one clean pass
What to Expect After Healing
- Everything settles a little lighter, so pack midtones a touch darker than your target
- Darks hold best, lightest shades fade first
- Wait 6 to 8 weeks and check in daylight before any touch up
Sizes
- Available in 1oz, 2oz, 4oz, and 8oz bottles
