#110188
getinkedtattoos
Participant
@getinkedtattoos

A bit of advice bro. Pull random images off the net, use a light table and do nothing but trace outlines for a long time, use Micron Pens. When you feel confident maybe re-try your apprenticeship. Hard work and dedication my friend will almost pay off. If you are diligent enough you can accomplish ANYTHING you set your mind to.

#110370
hutongsa
Participant
@hutongsa

I want to learn tattoo, but you writting too much! Please brifly intruduceuce it !!!!

#110372
Amok
Participant
@amok
ArniVidar;94400 wrote:
For someone of the country, you sure have a poor grasp on the language. 🙂

The only thing he has a firm grasp of is his cock.

#112203
NoGood
Participant
@nogood

do you make money if you are an apprentice??

#112224
DavidJednat
Participant
@davidjednat

The only money I make is if someone is kind enough to tip me. I didn’t even pick up a machine for eight months though. Even then I tattooed fake skin for a while. Fake skin doesn’t tip either. It’s a slow process. What you earn is knowledge and experience. I got lucky that I didn’t have to pay to learn.

#112226
NoGood
Participant
@nogood

ok cool its pretty hard being an apprentice if you have no other way of making money ,, i was thinking about getting an apprenticeship but i can’t quit my job need some money ahaha^^

#112240
DavidJednat
Participant
@davidjednat

I work a full time job on top of being an apprentice. I’m exhausted but it’s a small price to pay for my dream.

#112264
NoGood
Participant
@nogood

oh i thought when you got some apprenticeship you have to be at the shop for the whole day, i was thinking about it cause i have a day job from mon-fri 7am til 5pm somethin like that so ithought i cant get an apprenticeship

#112266
DavidJednat
Participant
@davidjednat

If you want it bad enough you’ll figure out a way to make it work. You should post some of your artwork.

#112340
Wardy
Participant
@wardy
DavidJednat;96756 wrote:
I work a full time job on top of being an apprentice. I’m exhausted but it’s a small price to pay for my dream.

Wow dude.. you mustn’t have much time for yourself :/

#112393
DavidJednat
Participant
@davidjednat

Yeah, I’ve been working about 80 hours a week between my job and my apprenticeship since October of last year. I’m pretty tired most of the time and I’m never home but it will all pay off soon enough.

#112644
ArniVidar
Moderator
@arnividar

And still you make time to come visit us and share. That’s just amazing.

#125121
roxyryder
Participant
@roxyryder

wow this is good advice 🙂 ive enjoyed reading this and its helped alot, im sure it will help alot of people. Reall nice of you helping others with advice as like you said nobody really wants to give anything away lol. thank you

#126532
ChrisR AXL D
Participant
@chrisr-axl-d
DavidJednat;89894 wrote:
I am currently an apprentice at a custom tattoo shop in Buffalo NY. I’ve been seeing a lot of posts from other people who are looking to get into the tattoo industry lately. Here are some thoughts and advise.*

Tattoos are awesome. You wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t think so. It has become a fine art in it’s own right. More and more people from all walks of life are getting tattooed every day. There are quite a few people who want to get into the industry. There are definitely perks. It’s a creative outlet where you pretty much wear what you want, meet new people all the time, and get paid for your artwork. Sounds pretty good doesn’t it?

Are you cut out for the job? The standards are higher these days and many people hoping to get in to the industry won’t make the cut. A lot of the really good tattoo artists are formally trained artists and have huge amounts of raw talent even before they ever get their apprenticeships. It is an extremely mentally demanding job. You have to come up with custom designs for most clients and not mess up. You can’t erase that lousy line you just ran on somebody. You are at a higher risk of contracting communicable diseases even with all the precautions being taken. Kiss your Fridays and Saturdays good-bye. You’ll work those days and evenings for the rest of your career. Everything you do has to be scheduled, not just appointments.*

If you want to land that apprenticeship here are some things you’ll need to know.*

-Have a portfolio. Nobody is going to offer you a chance without one. You’ll need a binder or portfolio with approximately 30-50 fully finished drawings. Include full color, black and grey, and photos of anything too big to fit into your portfolio. You’ll also want to include linework of any drawings in your portfolio. Think of it as the stencil a tattoo artist would use to start their tattoo. Include a few sheets of “flash”. Roses, hearts, crosses, anchors, birds, etc…

-Get tattooed. I can’t stress this enough. Why would you want to learn from someone who you wouldn’t even let tattoo you? Go to the best shops in your area. Get tattooed. Get to know the staff. Ask some questions here and there. Don’t bug them, yet…

-Go to conventions. Meet some other artists. Get tattooed there. Ask them how they got into it. Don’t ask how you can get into it. Keep it about them and they’ll tell you more. It’s a fairly guarded profession and very difficult to glean any info from anybody. Show off your portfolio and ask for suggestions on making it better.*

Read tattoo magazines. They are your best source of where things are going in terms of design and style. Books are usually outdated by the time they are published and they cost a fortune.*

-Don’t buy any tattoo equipment. Your mentor will guide you towards making the right purchases when the time comes.*

-This should go without saying…. DON’T TATTOO ANYBODY!!!! Most mentors won’t have anything to do with scratchers. They don’t want to have to correct the bad habits you probably have from teaching yourself. If you have tattooed anybody, forget it ever happened. Go into it from a fresh perspective.*

-Now you can start to bug your prospective mentor. Ask if you can show them some of your artwork and if they would critique it. Don’t take the critique to heart. Any suggestions they give you are given to help your art, not hurt your feelings. Take the info they gave you and apply it to your next drawings show them off. Ask them if they need help around the shop. Drop some hints at an apprenticeship. If they aren’t looking for anybody then maybe they know someone who is. It worked for me. I had to start at square one again but I got referred to another shop and started getting tattooed there. Made friends, dropped off my portfolio and was asked if I’d like to learn.*

-Work as hard and as often as you can once you get your apprenticeship. Draw constantly, watch while they tattoo, ask questions, pay attention, be polite. Don’t trash talk other artists or studios because you don’t know anything about anything yet. Scrub those tubes! Mop those floors! Take out that trash! Do it without being told! The more work you put into it the faster it goes. It took me eight months till I got to tattoo anybody. It takes some people two years. I took it seriously. I want this with all my heart. You have to want it with all your heart as well. Anything less is a formula for failure.*

I hope this helped anybody who is serious about tattooing and I hope it discourages the rest. Good luck!

Maybe we can make this a sticky?

Thanks for the advice….should I expect to pay for my apprenticeship or do some get lucky and land an artist that is just willing to teach with no money required?

#126540
mrchen
Participant
@mrchen

99.9% of the time you are going to pay, very honorable great artists like Russ Abbott (Ink and Dagger Atlanta) use all of your money to buy you equipment, not an ebay kit I mean the good shit, full load,

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