I started a new apprenticeship at a different shop with a different mentor. Everything was going well until my car was wrecked as I have been unable to drive there in several weeks. Hopefully I get reliable transportation SOON so that I can get back to work/learning. 2 months ago
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...in the fabric. So far I have completed three tattoos on human skin & have one session left to finish my fourth (it is big). However, my mentor has been forced to quit his job due to personal issues and I will not be able to continue my apprenticeship until he secures new employment. 8 months ago
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How I did it: My friend's stepfather is a tattoo artist. I am very lucky to know him as he has a very good reputation as a tattoo artist and artist in our area. I had asked him in the past about an apprenticeship, and at the time he just said he didn't have enough room in his shop. A couple of years go by and I went in his new shop with a friend who was getting tattooed. I had asked him about apprenticeships in general, and asked if he'd take a look at my art portfolio. He did and said to come in the next week with a swallow design and a person to tattoo. I was flabbergasted. haha. Anyways, he said that this would not be an "apprenticeship" so to speak, and I wouldn't be doing dirty work for him which is standard of apprenticeships in this field, and that the only way to learn to tattoo is to tattoo. A good friend of mine was willing to get tattooed and I made the design. I tattooed it, and it was nerve-racking. But I kept coming in once a week as he told me to and tattooed the same girl for 4 months or so. Soon enough I started tattooing a couple of other people. But mostly the one girl I was practicing on. Recently I got a "promotion" and I'm able to go into the shop on my mentor's days off and tattoo then.
It's still very hard, and I've been at it for 9 months. It's one of the hardest things I've ever done artistically. But I hope to master the machine and refine my abilities in time.
One thing about this goal is that it's hard for me to say exactly when you become a tattoo artist, because I feel like an artist is one who has mastered their craft, and that's going to take a while.
Read how I did it… 9 months ago
8 cheers . Comment
...my first tattoo on human skin yesterday. I got the outline done and will do the shading and coloring next week. 10 months ago
1 cheer . Comment
Slowly…
This is my first ever tattoo on fake skin. 11 months ago
1 cheer . 1 comment . Comment
...to use a tattoo machine. 11 months ago
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I’ve wanted to do this since i was thirteen, and it’s the main plan i have. I already know two artists personally and know how to get a free apprenticeship. Thats a great thing, they can go anywhere from 5 to 10,000 dollars, just to be taught. I know i have the talent. 18 months ago
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