So You Want to Become a Tattoo Artist

With the incredible popularity of shows like Inked, Miami Ink, L.A. Ink, etc, every body and his brother wants to become a tattoo artist. Do you really know what it takes to become a tattoo artist? Let's look at the phrase "tattoo artist". You absolutely have to have raw artistic talent be become a tattoo artist. Having the talent is one thing, getting hired on as an apprentice is quite another.

Here is the deal. You must have artistic talent. Start getting a portfolio together. Keep your sketches. Work on them. Redo them. Expand them. Hone your drawing skills. Practice, practice, practice! Nothing is as important. Start by keeping your finished drawings in some sort of folder, preferably a hard sided portfolio. (Good practice for any artist. You don't want to ever find out what a Venti coffee can do to three years of work)

Study and research the great tattoo artists. Keep up with tattoo design trends. Start photographing your friends tattoos. Find images in magazines and online that you love. Whatever you find that may inspire you later, put in a file. This is called a swipe file. Do not get me wrong here. You must not steal any tattoo artists design! It is their personal artwork and you may NOT copy it without written permission of the artist. A swipe file is simply a file full of your favorite images. Tattoos that inspire you. Tattoos that have great design elements. When you sit down to draw, look through the swipe file. Love this bit of color? Use it somewhere in your drawing. Fold things, look at them upside down, let it inspire you. Now put it away and do your own thing.

After yo have built up a strong portfolio, you need to take it to the tattoo shops. You cannot become a tattoo artist without doing an apprenticeship at a shop. See if you can get someone to take a look at your drawings. You may have to go back a few times. (A few shop owners I have talked to said they never look at anyone's drawings the first time they come around.) Good to know. Leave your name and number and ask if it would be all right to check back in occasionally. They are looking for someone really committed by becoming a tattoo artist. They want someone with passion. Someone not easily bothered.

OK you have made your first contact. What now? On to the next shop. Don't give up. Keep working on your skills. Keep working on fresh ideas. Keep checking in with the shops. Don't bug them. That will not work.

So by now your skills are getting really good. You get a call back to one of the shops. They interview you and you are hired as an apprentice. Yeah!!

The good news is that you got the apprenticeship. The bad news is that you work for free. You will work for free for a number of years. Yes, Years! You will be in charge of every tedious, menial, nasty job at the shop. It could be a year before you ever touch a tattoo machine. Even then, you will not be tattooing anyone. You will learn the basics of setup and cleaning. You will learn the basics of shop management. You will learn how everyone likes their coffee. You will do all of these things happily because you now get a chance to watch the masters at work. You get to watch the flair with which they handle the machine as well as the customer. As the shop owner gains trust in you, he or she will give you more responsibility. Hang in there. You are almost there.

Eventually, you will get to do your first tattoo. What a thrill!! It has been a long road.

Good Luck!
Peace always.

Author: Olofsson

"A Working Artist Who Strives To Create"

[http://www.shouldertattoodesigns.com]

http://bestfoottattoos.com

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