How to Become a Tattoo Artist?

severedsnakes

Hello, I'm 18 and currently studying for my Leaving Cert in 5th year, but I'm wondering how you would go about becoming a tattoo artist?

I plan on studying fine arts for a four year course in Limerick but I have no clue how to go on from that and become a tattoo artist. I'm super passionate about art, obviously, and I've recently bought a tattoo kit to just practice on skins for now.

It is something I would really like to pursue and I'm thankful for any and all help!

Just go to local studios and explain you're interested in becoming a tattooist. Bring a portfolio of your work and maybe offer to help man the front desk in exchange or help out with cleaning and stocking etc.
With any luck you'll get someone to take you on

LirW

As far as I know from my own tattoo artist, there is no formal training required in Ireland, you could go on, open your shop, congrats you're now a tattoo artist (you only need some health and safety certs).
The more professional approach would be a really good portfolio and find a studio that's willing to take you on as apprentice. Apprenticeships are very rare, take a long time to finish and are in the very most cases unpaid. It has the upside that you have access to supplies, experienced artists to mentor and supervise you and get to build your own customer base.
But it's difficult to get there, the field is very saturated and you need to be really really outstandingly good if you want to establish yourself in the long run in a particular style. Long rocky road.

Dramatik

Most shops won't care much for digital stuff drawn on iPad they want to see if you can actually draw on a page not screen, I mention this as a lot of people these days are showing vector based designs and wouldn't be able to draw these designs properly on paper. Simple and clean designs that look sharp is really the way to go in my opinion, nothing too complex, draw designs that can easily be read from a distance.