How to get into tattooing ?

Guitarist93

Hi Guys,

I was just wondering, does anyone know how to get into tattooing, i'm 18 and i love to draw and design tattoo's so i would love to become a tattoo artist. i was told by a few people to go and do an art and design course but i was just wondering is that what i will have to do to become a tattoo artist or is there any other way ?

thanks

Atavan-Halen

Becoming an artist takes years of hard work and is a difficult industry to get into. Be prepared to work for very little or even nothing while doing an apprenticeship as this is the only way to get into tattooing. It might even be a couple if years before you get to tattoo somebody. My advice would be to put the idea on hold for a few years and go to college and get a degree so you have a fall back career. Then afterwards if you still want to do it go look for an apprenticeship. Of course you'll need to be able to draw too, which is something that art college can't necessarily teach you.

Guitarist93

Thanks for the advice. at the moment i am doing a sports and recreation course so i will be a qualified fitness instructor when i'm done after christmas. i am aware of the way i probably wont get paid while doin an apprenteship and this does not bother me at all.. i just love tattoo's and really would love to get into being a tattoo artist. finally i am dont mean to sound cocky but i can draw rather well, i might upload a picture i drew the other day if i can and you can tell me what you think..

Atavan-Halen

Well I'm not an artist so I couldn't really judge professionally. Best thing to do would be to show your portfolio to one. Best of luck finding an apprenticeship

Guitarist93

this picture is one i did the other day. its a tattoo design of two angel wings.. please let me know what you think 003.JPG

Guitarist93

atavan-halen wrote: »

Well I'm not an artist so I couldn't really judge professionally. Best thing to do would be to show your portfolio to one. Best of luck finding an apprenticeship

Ok so i may put a proper portfolio together so.. hopefully i can get an apprenteship but thank you again for the advice that you've given me

Star Lord

Guitarist93 wrote: »

this picture is one i did the other day. its a tattoo design of two angel wings.. please let me know what you think 003.JPG

As you are looking for feedback with relation to tattooing ...
The lines and the feather detail could do with being smoother and more consistent/uniform. It's not bad, but needs polish, and learning to tattoo, while drawing skills do not directly transfer to being able to tattoo well, definitely help. Continue to work on your drawing, and build up a portfolio of your best work, which might help convince someone to take you on as their apprentice. It could be a long and hard road though, so if it's what you want then just persevere.

Raze_them_all

Guitarist93 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. at the moment i am doing a sports and recreation course so i will be a qualified fitness instructor when i'm done after christmas. i am aware of the way i probably wont get paid while doin an apprenteship and this does not bother me at all.. i just love tattoo's and really would love to get into being a tattoo artist. finally i am dont mean to sound cocky but i can draw rather well, i might upload a picture i drew the other day if i can and you can tell me what you think..

Ace certified??

Actually it don't matter **** all jobs out there for the secter. I've even seen gyms hire people with no qualifications at all

Guitarist93

Thanks I appreciate what you have said. and just to let you know that the picture was actually a sketch, I can do them alot neater , and I have just started to put a portfolio together with some of my best drawings and I am adding more.
I am actually gettin my first tattoo soon so I am going to ask if they would take me as an apprentice or if they can give me any advice. I know that it will be tough to get into tattooing but, 'sure you get out, what you put in' and I will put in 100%, so with a bit of luck I will succeed in getting an apprenteship and then becoming a tattoo artist..
Thanks again for your opinion of my drawing and the advice you have given me.

Star Lord

No problem! Was thinking it was a bit 'sketchy' looking! Best of luck, and sure keep us posted on how you get on!

Guitarist93

ok. i will let you know how i get on.

Just Like Heaven

Guitarist93 wrote: »

ok. i will let you know how i get on.

Stick up a couple more designs if you get a chance too.

Guitarist93

fewtinsoffroth wrote: »

Stick up a couple more designs if you get a chance too.

here you go, i have uploaded 2 black panther pictures i drew and a koi fish that i drew today. i am going to colour the koi fish because i think it will look better.. 004.JPG 008.JPG 001.JPG

F.U.B.A.R

my you have great drawing skills (NOT Sarcasm)

Guitarist93

F.U.B.A.R wrote: »

my you have great drawing skills (NOT Sarcasm)

Thank you , hopefully being good at drawing will help me get an apprenteship for tattooing ha ha.

F.U.B.A.R

well it would be one of the mane skills required but there are less awsome menial duties aswell such as fetching things and cleaning By entering an apprenticeship you are more or less giving your sole to the devil

Sparkles:)

Guitarist93 wrote: »

here you go, i have uploaded 2 black panther pictures i drew and a koi fish that i drew today. i am going to colour the koi fish because i think it will look better.. 004.JPG 008.JPG 001.JPG

are these on your fb page or am i mental!? I think we're friends lol

Guitarist93

F.U.B.A.R wrote: »

well it would be one of the mane skills required but there are less awsome menial duties aswell such as fetching things and cleaning By entering an apprenticeship you are more or less giving your sole to the devil

Ah yea but it would be well worth it in the end if i become a tattoo artist so i wouldnt mind

Guitarist93

Who are you ? like whats your name because yes these are on my facebook page ha ha..

username123

I think you have a natural talent, and you should consider having that talent honed and trained in an art college. There is so much you could learn and it would open so many more doors than just one career.

Da Vinci wouldnt have been the artist he was if he hadnt studied his craft and learned everything he could about it. Being a 'good drawer' isnt enough.

Have you looked at some of the good work out there by professional tattoo artists? Have you also looked at some of the rubbish out there? There are people out there tattoing who wouldnt know (for example) perspective if it came up and slapped them in the face. Its usually obvious when a tattoo artist has had no formal training. It shows in the quality of the work.

Become an trained artist first - then start tattooing.

Guitarist93

Thanks alot. i understand where you are coming from and i applied for a place in NCAD and i didnt get it. i am going to apply again to ballyfermot college of further education to do a course when i am finished the course i have already started. but if i get an apprenteship in a tattoo shop they will teach me how to become a tattoo artist. i would not take an apprenteship with an artist that does not produce good work. it would be a waste of time.. but thank you anyways for your opinion and i wil take it into consideration.

Star Lord

Guitarist93 wrote: »

Thanks alot. i understand where you are coming from and i applied for a place in NCAD and i didnt get it. i am going to apply again to ballyfermot college of further education to do a course when i am finished the course i have already started. but if i get an apprenteship in a tattoo shop they will teach me how to become a tattoo artist. i would not take an apprenteship with an artist that does not produce good work. it would be a waste of time.. but thank you anyways for your opinion and i wil take it into consideration.

They'd teach you the mechanics of tattooing, not how to be an artist. If you're not artistically up to it, you probably won't get an apprenticeship.

Guitarist93

DamoElDiablo wrote: »

They'd teach you the mechanics of tattooing, not how to be an artist. If you're not artistically up to it, you probably won't get an apprenticeship.

If i sound cocky i apologise ( i seriously dont like cocky people so i dont like sounding cocky) but i think that i would be up to it artistically.. i would prefer to go college 1st and then start tattooing but i have been told by a few people i know that i should try get an apprenteship. so if i try get one and i do thats grand but if not i wil more than likely go college in september..

Star Lord

Being (brutally) honest, I wouldn't agree. I'm sorry if it sounds harsh, but in the drawings you've shown us, there are too many inconsistent lines and uneven areas (panthers tail for example) that shows that while you have some drawing talent, it would need a lot more polish before you should even consider inking someone, as they'll most likely be stuck with it for life.

username123

Guitarist93 wrote: »

If i sound cocky i apologise ( i seriously dont like cocky people so i dont like sounding cocky) but i think that i would be up to it artistically.. i would prefer to go college 1st and then start tattooing but i have been told by a few people i know that i should try get an apprenteship. so if i try get one and i do thats grand but if not i wil more than likely go college in september..

Theres no reason why you couldnt do both? Part time apprenticeship or part time college?

Just on the 'ive been told by a few people' - what people? Unless theyre art critics, or professionals in some area where they are very familiar with artistic skill then its no better than being told by your mate down the pub.

Dont mix up the two different skill sets - there is a skill involved in being an artist. There is a skill involved in the mechanics of tattooing. Two different things. The first will complement the second. The second is totally useless on its own.

sonyvision

your good at drawing i started a sleeve and i need a few things drawn up, if you want to help me out feel free

drawn on paper is very easy if you have the skill you seem to have.
doing a tattoo is much harder, try draw on a person who keeps flinching and moving while you try to maintain a certain depth with a needle. did you try approach a shop and asked if you can just sit in to see the skill involved in actually doing it ?

they might even off you a weekend job at drawing then finally tattooing ?

problem i found with good tattoo artists was they charger a bomb and the first hour is drawing with a pencil:(

Guitarist93

sonyvision wrote: »

your good at drawing i started a sleeve and i need a few things drawn up, if you want to help me out feel free

drawn on paper is very easy if you have the skill you seem to have.
doing a tattoo is much harder, try draw on a person who keeps flinching and moving while you try to maintain a certain depth with a needle. did you try approach a shop and asked if you can just sit in to see the skill involved in actually doing it ?

they might even off you a weekend job at drawing then finally tattooing ?

problem i found with good tattoo artists was they charger a bomb and the first hour is drawing with a pencil:(

Thanks i am getting a half sleeve in the next week or 2 which will be my first tattoo.. i will help design it if you want, i dont mind..
i used a pencil/marker thing that a friend of mine owns to draw a dragon on my friends back just to see what drawing onto someone would be like, i think the hardest and most skillful part in tattooin will deffo be using the needle which is kind of obvious, but i think that i could manage it with a bit of training..
i am going to approach a tattoo shop soon.. i might go just after christmas because i am already doing a course and i want to finish it.. and if i get an apprenteship that would be brilliant.
yes i agree that tattoos are very expensive but there worth it in the long run. how much is the sleeve going to cost you ??

Guitarist93

username123 wrote: »

Theres no reason why you couldnt do both? Part time apprenticeship or part time college?

Just on the 'ive been told by a few people' - what people? Unless theyre art critics, or professionals in some area where they are very familiar with artistic skill then its no better than being told by your mate down the pub.

Dont mix up the two different skill sets - there is a skill involved in being an artist. There is a skill involved in the mechanics of tattooing. Two different things. The first will complement the second. The second is totally useless on its own.

College is full time and i dont think you can do a part time apprenteship so thats why i cant do both. also I have been told by the art teachers in my old school and 1 of which was a tattoo artist.. And finally i know that they are two different skills sets.

Guitarist93

DamoElDiablo wrote: »

Being (brutally) honest, I wouldn't agree. I'm sorry if it sounds harsh, but in the drawings you've shown us, there are too many inconsistent lines and uneven areas (panthers tail for example) that shows that while you have some drawing talent, it would need a lot more polish before you should even consider inking someone, as they'll most likely be stuck with it for life.

No i dont think its harsh, you've got a right to your own opinion. I know that the lines are uneven in some of the drawings, i actually only noticed just after i uploaded them when i looked at them again. But most of the things like the panther and all, i just sketch them out most of the time, at the moment i draw for fun and for the love of drawing, when i get an apprenteship or get into art college then everything will be alot neater because i am taking it serious then. like the portfolio that i am putting together, most of the pictures i have for that are my best drawings and are a whole lot neater and better than them drawings i uploaded. But dont forget that i am still young so i have plenty of time to polish up my drawings, i wasnt saying that i can be a tattoo artist straight away, obviously i know that i still have loads to learn and loads of time to practise.

Melion

Just because you are able to draw doesnt mean you will make it as a tattoo artist. There is a big difference between drawing and tattooing someone. Ive got myself an apprenticeship in a shop luckily. A few weeks ago i couldnt draw a stick figure, i have improved so much in 2 weeks its unbelievable. It will be a long time before i am tattooing anyone and ive accepted that. Its a hard business to get in to, now that i am in it, im going to work as hard as i can to make sure i stay here.

Melion

And just please take one piece of advice. Do not become a scratcher just because you can draw. Do not buy a machine and start tattooing people out of your kitchen, no shop will ever take you seriously if you go in and say you were doing that.

Guitarist93

Melion wrote: »

And just please take one piece of advice. Do not become a scratcher just because you can draw. Do not buy a machine and start tattooing people out of your kitchen, no shop will ever take you seriously if you go in and say you were doing that.

I know, i wouldnt do that I much rather try get into a shop and learn from an artist than try and teach myself. A lad i know does that, he has a whole room in his apartment and it literally is a tattoo studio. i told him to go to a shop but he didnt. its a shame he's a fantastic drawer, but in fairness some of the tattoo's he's done are amazing but i still wouldnt do that myself.

Guitarist93

Melion wrote: »

Just because you are able to draw doesnt mean you will make it as a tattoo artist. There is a big difference between drawing and tattooing someone. Ive got myself an apprenticeship in a shop luckily. A few weeks ago i couldnt draw a stick figure, i have improved so much in 2 weeks its unbelievable. It will be a long time before i am tattooing anyone and ive accepted that. Its a hard business to get in to, now that i am in it, im going to work as hard as i can to make sure i stay here.

Obviously i know that just because i can draw doesnt mean i can become a tattoo artist. i know that it can take years of hard work and practise to become one, i would also accept that. i wouldnt mind goin 2 years or so without tattooig some1. its all part of the learning process and that doesnt bother me, i would put 100 % into learning how to tattoo and hopefully becoming a tattoo artist

sonyvision

fella that does my tattoo does not work from a shop, but has his own place set up at home, which at first hearing its in a shed put me off the idea, untill i seen it. Tbh its cleaner then any shop i have seen so far

ah about 90-120 a session thats from 2-4 hours, he does it as a hobby but is really after improving over the last 3 years

Raze_them_all

a scratcher you mean

Jimmy Bottlehead

sonyvision wrote: »

ah about 90-120 a session thats from 2-4 hours, he does it as a hobby but is really after improving over the last 3 years

Awesome.

I mean, when I'm getting ink that'll be there forever, I totally want the guy inking me to be improving a bit every few years.

andyro

Guitarist93 wrote: »

here you go, i have uploaded 2 black panther pictures i drew and a koi fish that i drew today. i am going to colour the koi fish because i think it will look better.. 004.JPG 008.JPG tattoo machines parts

I think you need is an apprenticeship. An apprentice is someone who learns a skill from someone else already skilled in the trade. Good job:)

Guitarist93

andyro wrote: »

I think you need is an apprenticeship. An apprentice is someone who learns a skill from someone else already skilled in the trade. Good job:)

Thank you, i know what an apprenteship is but there very hard to get. but i will make a portfolio and show some tattoo artists and see if they would give me an apprenteship. Sure if they dont i will go to college and study art then try grt into tattooing then..

morcheen k

you could just buy the gear off e-bay and declare yourself a tattooist. my neighbour did !!!!!!!!!!!! i don't think he could freehand draw a stick man

Guitarist93

morcheen k wrote: »

you could just buy the gear off e-bay and declare yourself a tattooist. my neighbour did !!!!!!!!!!!! i don't think he could freehand draw a stick man

Why would i bother doing that ? i want to work in a tattoo shop. i rather train for years to be a tattoo artist than be a scratcher, and i want to be known as a tattoo artist and not a scratcher..

Star Lord

Guitarist93 wrote: »

Why would i bother doing that ? i want to work in a tattoo shop. i rather train for years to be a tattoo artist than be a scratcher, and i want to be known as a tattoo artist and not a scratcher..

In fairness, I think he was being sarcastic, as obviously his neighbour is no good!

morcheen k

Guitarist93 wrote: »

Why would i bother doing that ? i want to work in a tattoo shop. i rather train for years to be a tattoo artist than be a scratcher, and i want to be known as a tattoo artist and not a scratcher..

sorry,i didn't mean to annoy you.you are going about it the right way,unlike my neighbour :mad:

Guitarist93

morcheen k wrote: »

sorry,i didn't mean to annoy you.you are going about it the right way,unlike my neighbour :mad:

You didnt annoy me, sorry if you think you did.. i was just aying like why would i bother doing it that way.. i didnt get annoyed at all ha