Watercolour and solid colour
Watercolour imitates paint on wet paper: soft edges, colours bleeding into each other, bare skin showing through. Our blue lotus and watercolour poppy are examples. Solid colour packs pigment fully into the skin inside a clear outline, like the bomb, the butterfly mouse and the serpent and peony.
The phoenix half sleeve mixes both: saturated feathers that dissolve into a wash at the tail.
Colour on every skin tone
Colour reads differently on every skin. Warm reds, oranges and deep violets hold well on most skin tones; very pale yellows, pastels and white can disappear on tanned or darker skin. In the consultation we look at your skin in daylight and choose a palette that will stay visible.
Placement and size
Watercolour needs room for the wash to breathe: palm-sized or larger. Small solid-colour pieces like a lotus on the wrist work at 5 to 8 cm.
Healing colour
Colour pieces flake more while they heal, and the colour looks cloudy for a few weeks before it clears. Do not pick the flakes; they take pigment with them. Sun fades colour faster than black, so sunscreen is not optional.
More on healing in our day-by-day aftercare guide.
