I don’t see how an online course could even compare to learning from someone and watching someone who has been in the business for 15+ years. My definition of scratcher, and I may be completely off the mark here (wouldn’t surprise me if i was) is someone doing tattoos who is unlicensed. This forum doesn’t allow discussion on unlicensed tattooing by the way…

Then that would make ALL tattoo artists in Ohio scratchers. Ohio, like many states in the union, has no laws regulating tattoos or tattooing, therefore anyone can hang their shingle up and go to work, even if they reuse needles and give people arm herpes. It’s why word of mouth is so damn important to the business. It’s the only way to know who’ll give you a good piece with sterile equipment, and who’s going to give you the afore mentioned arm herpes.

So, for me, a scratcher is a tattoo artist who can’t draw worth a damn, doesn’t follow hygiene procedures, and most likely charges $30 for a sleeve he does out of your basement.

My art school part of the University of Cincinnati’s campus, which some genius put right in the middle of the city’s ghetto. Didn’t used to bother me before my car stereo got ganked, but that’s a different story. At any rate, there’s a very good tattoo shop right next to campus (seriously, you could throw eggs at it from the dorms) called Beelistic. As soon as you walk in, you see two signs, one telling you they charge the standard rate for professional shops around here ($100 per hour), and one right under it that reads like this:

“I don’t care what your buddy on Vine street will tattoo you for, unlike him, we won’t give you AIDS!”

As for “unliscenced” tattoo discussion, I’m pretty sure that only applies to actual tattooing technique, like how deep do I go, or what settings do I use. I would assume a philisophical discussion of the merits of online tattooing course would be allowed.

Speaking of which, I think it’s a bad idea. I’m of the “get apprenticed or STFU!” school of thought, but then again, I’m spending three years in art school so I can then go get apprenticed myself, so you oughta take what I say with a tad bit of salt.

Love. Peace. Metallica.

Thats certainly not the definition of a scratcher, KH is right, and also you dont need a license to tattoo in all countries.

Yup thats correct

Tattooing in NYC was illegal UNTIL the mid 90s and that’s when you saw all the SCRATCHERS!

Before that it was only the real guys working – who LOVED IT and had to do it and would pay a fine to the city of NYC every 6 months or so