Collection: Black (X) The Raw6

Learning to use what we call The Raw6 opened up a whole world of Black ink we didn’t know we were missing.  Using the same Black & Jet-Black for almost a decade we thought Black was pretty much one size fits all.  

If you feel like we did: that changing it up might have a negative impact on our tattoo work… what if I told you there was a unique and carefully crafted set of Black inks that promoted artistic growth and  greater creativity, while increasing visual impact, value, and precision in your work instead?  

Enter The Raw6.

6 Black inks that will change the way you think about creating body art.

X1 Shading Black - Shading Black is the ideal formula for making drop washes.  It disperses into the mixing solution smoothly and evenly giving you a nice soft smooth blending and smooth wash saturation.  It heals very soft and smooth due to the unique shading only formula.  It’s not meant for lining or packing but we have other better options for that in the Raw6.  

X2 Pitch Black - Pitch is the first formula created by Raw and is a silky, fast, lining black.  It’s our favorite for large open linework designs and we find that it can also do washes and packs well, though we like to put shading black out still for washes often.  If switching from other brands, or wanting one to try first, this Black might feel the most familiar.

X3 Vantage Black is a thicker goopier version of Pitch, which means it doesn’t spill out over the skin, which saves your stencil and allows you much greater visibility throughout the tattoo.   It’s a little slower to work with, with more dipping in the ink cap needed, but on intricate linework designs, it’s a all star lining black that heals crisp and jet black.  Truly a detailed mandala’s best friend.

X4 Midnight -  Midnight is a very pretty, very Blue, Black. It’s smooth medium feel makes it work well for all purposes.  It heals with deep cool blue undertone and mixes great while adding a Blue shade to anything it is mixed with.  If you are looking for a cool moody & versatile black that will heal cool with *zero hints of green*, Midnight is for you.

X5 - Raven Black is a messy Black that easily saturates large areas with pigment because it spreads over the skin quickly.  This allows it to keep up with large needle configurations with ease.  It goes in fast, which allows artists to go at a nice smooth pace, yet still easily create smooth and accurate blends. It heals very dark resulting in amazing contrast. This gives realism tattoos incredible depth and visual impact.  (I would not run lots of lines with it as it can be a little too loose for that; putting out a cap of Vantage or Pitch is better choice.)

X6 - Black  Mamba is a more intense version of Raven Black, and it has the highest pigment load of the Raw6.  It is thick and very, very dark w a Cool Violet undertone, making it appear even darker.  It will heal very dark, darkest of the Raw6, giving incredible depth and resulting contrast.  It’s is a very messy Black like Raven so it feels similar with a little more thickness.   It works great as a mixing Black or foundation Black, like a much darker version of Midnight and Raven combined.  Mix it into colors for a very deep contrast or pre-inking the deepest shadows before Color work.

Summary: When we first started with the Raw6 we were determined to figure which one we liked best that would be our new Black.  We quickly found ourselves putting them all out for different styles or purposes.  We even started putting several of them out for different reasons for the same tattoo. This is how the Raw6 is able to give us a much more open mind when using Black ink, also allowing us greater precision as we have six specialized formulas.  We know now that using a single black was limiting us and compromising our ability to make the best possible artwork. 

So in the end, the one we like best, is them as a set: The Raw6.