Zack Singer’s Back to the Basics Seminar

One color portrait, built one layer at a time.

"Values are more important than color. That's what makes a tattoo last."

Zack Singer takes a veiled portrait from reference to final highlight. Before any ink goes down he photographs his caps and desaturates them in Procreate, so he can see exactly which greywash shade each color matches — no guessing whether a color will sit too dark or too light against the black and grey.

Then he builds it. Most of the seminar is Zack at the station, naming what he's using as he goes: three round liner for the edges that need to stay crisp, seven round shader to tighten the nose, eleven mag on its side for eyebrow hairs, and which shade he's dipping into on every pass.

Most people hear "basics" and think beginner. It's the opposite. These are the decisions everything else sits on.

Access includes:

✅ 12 chapters — one complete piece, reference through final touches

✅ Choosing a reference that will actually hold up: contrast, value range, what to leave out

✅ Matching your color values to your black and grey with a grayscale test

✅ Design and stencil development — flow, composition, idealizing the image

✅ The full tattoo: lining, face work, color application, key highlights, final refinements

✅ Exclusive Discord Community Access

✅ Subtitles in English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian

The 12 chapters:

1. Design Fundamentals
2. Flow & Movement
3. Composition
4. Contrast
5. Value Setup
6. Stencil Development
7. The Tattoo Process Begins
8. Face Work Begins
9. Face Work Continued
10. Color Application
11. Key Highlights & Final Refinements
12. Final Touches