How do I become a tattoo artist? Tattoo schools, paid apprenticeships, books, dvds…where do you begin? So you have decided that you are in love with the art of tattoo and you have some type of artistic ability. How do you take that first step into becoming a tattoo artist? What is the first step? Who do you go to with these questions?
Learn How To Tattoo
If you have visited your local tattoo studio, chances are that you were ignored or even laughed at by the professional tattoo artists working there. Don’t take this too seriously; you have to remember that these “professional artists” get a ton of young artists trying to hit them up for information about tattoo techniques and apprenticeships all the time. You have to keep trying.
I have to stress that it is my opinion that you shouldn’t ever pay for a tattoo apprenticeship, especially tens of thousands of dollars. I am also against most tattoo schools that claim to have you tattooing professionally in a matter of weeks. You really must do an apprenticeship for 12-24 months. Sometimes this is difficult to do for the simple fact that you don’t make much money (if any) during an apprenticeship.
Okay, so I have to get an apprenticeship. What do I do in the mean time until I get a slot in a real tattoo studio? Because you can buy tattoo “guns” and “ink” online at so many discount / wholesale stores these days, and you can get tattoo DVDs and Books without working in a tattoo studio – We are not naïve to think you are not going to tattoo your friends and at home.
Before you can tattoo a human you have to know a few basic sterilization and sanitation things. Some tattoo suppliers will sell you tattoo “kits” with metal tubes and tips. You can NOT use these if you are tattooing without an autoclave. You MUST use disposable tubes, tips, grips, and needles.
A lot of people who want to learn how to tattoo don’t realize it, but you can actually buy practice skin from tattoo supply companies. This is a good place to start as well. You can also go to local butcher and get a pig skin or grapefruit and bananas are also popular (starting points).
So, how do I become a tattoo artist for free? You just have to build your graphic portfolio, paint draw, color pencil, charcoal, or whatever medium you work in best. You have to check out the popular artists and see what is actually considered a good tattoo. Head over to a tattoo convention (they are dime a dozen these days). Most importantly, the way you become a tattoo artist… GET TATTOOED! Get as many tattoos as possible! Talk to the tattoo artists, don’t just go to one tattoo artist either; each artist has something unique to offer so get some variation in there. Lastly, keep trying to get an apprenticeship…Best of Luck!
Check out “Basic Fundamentals of Modern Tattoo” it’s a book I wrote, not to get rich off of selling books, but to get some helpful information out about the tattoo community to the newer artists (ie apprentices). I started TeachMeToTattoo.com a few years ago, just as a free hobby forum. I was trying to help people with basic tattoo questions. The forum grew to over 1000 members in 2 months (without advertising it online). So I started to collect all the forum posts and the answers to all the questions people had, and I consolidated them into a book. “Basic Fundamentals of Modern Tattoo: Tattoo Apprentice Basics” is the result of that consolidation.
