How I Got My Tattoo Apprenticeship | In-Depth | Tips for Success
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- Опубліковано 6 гру 2022
- In this video I talk about how I got both apprenticeships. I break down my finances, and why I chose an apprenticeship instead of other options. At the end of the video I talk about some things I've seen in the tattoo shop that prevent others from getting an apprenticeship, as well as some ways to gain favor with the artists.
this was extremely helpful and imforming. i've wanted to be a tattoo artist for about a year now, and going into my last year of high school. I'm trying to imrpove my art as much as I can, and gain as much knowlege that I can. I will defiently be checking out your other content. Thank you sm :,)
Don’t worry about the length of the video, you have so much great information to share 😊
Thanks! I'm glad you liked it :)
so helpful. thanks!
Thank ya so much, this is mega helpful and your definitely showing that this journey isn't a sprint, but more of a marathon.
I just passed my one year anniversary of tattooing another person, and I feel like I still don't know anything about tattooing haha it's definitely a marathon
The wall of colors though!!! I love it! ❤
Its a great reference when painting! They are a Pantone postcard set I got at the MOMA :D
Very helpful thanks girl :))
With my 1st apprenticeship i was literally more sanitary at home. I would get there and black ink handprints would be on my greensoap, open needles at my shared station. There was an instance where the cartridge fell out onto the floor while the owner was tattooing so i asked what size it was so i could get a new one and I got ignored and they sprayed it and rinsed it with tap. I left soon after and they have been shut down twice since, now permanently 😂. I want to start over. I completely agree that self taught is ok for some, but i really wanted a true mentor.
Same! Being in a shop environment is priceless and going to give an advantage in the industry. If you are self taught it's 100x more difficult to ever work in a shop. I constantly wish that I had a mentor to guide me, but both mentors I've had were pretty hands-off. I am jealous of the apprentices that have mentors that are present and involved. It makes the learning stage go by much quicker, and they are always better artists faster. In July I'll have been tattooing 2 years, and a tattoo artist for 1 year, but every day I'm thankful to the shop that I'm at for giving me clientele and a space to continue learning
My friend is looking for a tattoo apprenticeship. Thank you for making this video, it helps me more on understanding how it works.
Best of luck to your friend!
Awww so sweet of you to be so invested into what you friend says
i’m about to graduate highschool and this is my dream job
Thanks for your story. That is very interesting (I personally want to go in to art in general as a hobby).
Can you explain more why not to show previous tattoos that you did before the application?
Are tattoos that you did in the previous apprenticeship are fine (like in your case, show the second place your tattoos that you did in the first place)?
Did you draw by hand or use digital (what you recommend)?
How did you loss the first apprenticeship?
Do you get tattoos in an apprenticeship from others? Did you need in a way to get some in your apprenticeship ?
Can one with no tattoos get an apprenticeship ?
You don't want to tattoo at home, or show that you have tried tattooing unless it was in a professional setting. In my case, I didn't do any tattoos in my first apprenticeship so I didn't have any tattoos to show when I was getting my second. Tattoo artists don't want to take on "scratchers" for the most part because it's harder to teach them when they think they know how to tattoo already. Some artists will take on scratchers in some cases but take their equipment away until they think they are ready to tattoo again.
As far as the art goes, it's good to show mostly things drawn by hand. Digital art can be cool to show as an example that you know how to design and compose something. By hand drawings are more beneficial for the artists to assess your skill. On an iPad, the lines and circles can be smoothed and straightened; but by hand you have to rely only on yourself.
I didn't get tattooed by me mentors until after I had started my apprenticeships. It's not mandatory to get tattooed, as long as you express a desire for tattooing. It's harder to get an apprenticeship without tattoos, but not impossible. I wouldn't recommend seeking tattooing as a career unless you wanted to get tattoos in the future. You have no way to connect with the pain you're putting your clients through, and it shows that you don't respect the tradition of tattooing.
Like I said in the video, this is something that consumes you both physically and mentally, or you get burned out and do something else. How this helps!
@@krookedburger Thanks for answering. I really like to ear about your story.
Do you use pencil for hand drawing of something else(and what ?)? How you get interoperation to what draw?
Do you wish that tattoos school were more common?
What do you think about UV ink tattoo (it glows under UV light else cannot be seen)?
First video I’ve watched of yours, thanks for the story and explanation. I appreciate it. I will be watching the rest of your videos, I was just wanting to make a suggestion…. Edit out all of the swallowing, the noise is super loud and irritating (plus side is your mic is super good). I know it’s natural, just video wise.. edit it out. I have misophonia so it’s 100x more hard for me to listen to, but yeah. Just wanted to share.
Again thanks for the video.
Hi! Thanks for your input. I'm sorry it bothers you, but editing is already very laborious and difficult for me. I'm not going to go back and redo these videos but I'll keep it in mind if I make any future videos. Thanks. 😶
Thx for the info I live in Australia so I'm pleased to know they have to pay us
Each countries labor laws are different. In the US unpaid interns and apprentices are pretty common
We don't even "have" to do any infection control courses but it is HIGHLY recommended
Good luck finding an apprenticeship in Australia that doesn't break our labour laws, they're very rare (genuinely though, I hope you do). I'm in Melbourne and it kind of seems like even the "good" ones exploit their apprentices for labour to some extent.
@@krookedburger in Australia we totally have unpaid internships, just legally 'the person must not be doing “productive” work', so anything that isn't directly tied to their training, that someone could be employed to do. I see apprentices here answering phones, helping check people in etc etc here all the time though, I think even cleaning the shop they probably should be paid for. They are definitely not paid. I think no one wants to lose their apprenticeship by demanding their work rights are met, and the industry just seems to view this as normal, unfortunately. If I get an apprenticeship I'm going to ask a labour union for advice lol
@@aria6491 damb do you have any recommendations for tattoo shops in Canberra that follow guidelines
how big should my portfolio be before i start to apply? how many drawings/paintings? should they all be refined or can some of them be left as their original sketches/ with their guidelines? should i make some of them colored or just b&w? i’m completely lost.
* 20 pages would be enough. Then you can have pages with bigger pieces, cut in smaller designs to show what you been working on.
* Best finished results should be put in there.
* Show them Different Styles, even if it's not your style.
You gotta show that you can work with it, sence people got different styles.
*Keep it Neat, Clean and professional when you are taking it for the interview.
* They will likely interview you as well.
They can ask you how long you been studying.
Are you 100% sure you want to work like an artist.
Have you tattooed someone before?
And how do you setup, your setups?
Where?
Best known artist is good to mention.
Motivation and inspiration.
All good advice here! Definitely be honest about during the interview, and be open to any feedback they have. Even if they don't take you on as an apprentice, alot of artists are willing to help out with critiques
That's ridiculous how some places make you go to tattoo school and then after that literally you have to have an apprenticeship so you're paying for the tattoo schooling and the apprenticeship separately you're going to be poor before you can become a full-time artist. Hell before you even finish your apprenticeship you'll be lucky if you're not even living on the streets. And most of the time you don't make any money under your apprenticeship anyway. I know I didn't. Had to try to juggle a regular day job on top of doing my apprenticeship it's hard it really is. You got to really want it if you want to become a tattoo artist. Hardwork dedication, confidence I mean you need it all if you want to go in that field.
Yeah the tattoo schools are a point of contention in the tattoo industry for exactly that reason. There's no way to learn online, and all they teach you in school is cross contamination.
I had a quick question about something you mentioned in your video. You mentioned going in person to show your artwork in hopes to get some feedback and maybe earn an apprenticeship, how would you go about this? Would you just walk inside the shop, go to the front desk, and ask if a tattoo artist would be willing to look at your art? Wouldn't that seem a bit disrespectful to their time and the shop as a whole since there are other customers waiting to get tattooed and the artists are busy? So sorry if I misunderstood something in your video, I just didn't quite understand what you meant by speaking to them in person
No it's okay! I know it can be intimidating to talk to artists and interrupt businesses. What I've always done is just walked in and asked to talk to the owner about a potential apprenticeship. If they say that aren't taking apprentices right now I ask if they can give me a critique of my portfolio. If they are busy, or in the middle of tattooing, then you just wait at the shop or ask if you can come back in an hour or so. If they aren't there, ask when they will be in, or if any other artists are willing to give you any pointers. You want to be respectful of their time, but also show willingness to work with them, considering you might be working along side them for a while.
If it's a private studio, try calling or emailing them to see if you can set up a time that works for them. Most private studios won't take on apprentices, so be prepared to thank them for their time and ask if they have any helpful critiques of your work via email or Instagram.
Walking in with a physical portfolio, and giving them a brochure or booklet or business card with some example of your work and how to contact you are the easiest ways to make an impression on these artists. They get emails and calls all the time with people looking for mentors, but the effort of making the physical portfolio and being able to engage in a conversation will help you go very far
Sorry about such a long response, but it also makes a huge difference in the artists eyes on whether or not they want to work with you to see how YOU fit into the environment. They aren't just taking on a potential apprentice, they are taking on a potential artist one day and your attitude and artwork will both have to fit the shop. The artists can assess whether they want to dedicate a year or more to teaching you and see how willing you are to learn. If the initial meeting goes well, they might ask you back for a more thorough interview, but essentially going through your portfolio and talking to you shouldn't take more than 20-30 minutes of the artists time
it's the first time hearing about the automatic refusal because you showed you practice on fake skin. Is there a specific reason why there's such a visceral response to this ? I thought that fake skins were there for training and that it would be advantageous to show that you've practiced beforehand. I understand if it was on a real person but fake skin ? I've only received encouragement towards it and even been lent a machine from the tattoo artists I'm in contact with.
Its pretty common for shops to refuse an apprentice for practicing at home whether it's on fake skin or on another person. It's fine if you have shop experience previously, but without guidance people can teach themselves bad habits. Mentors won't take on potential apprentices because it's easier to teach them new things than it is to correct what they already are doing. I've seen alot of potential apprentices turned away because they were too eager to tattoo and messed up some of their friends or some fake skins.
I have already posted tattoos I have done on fake skin and some on people on my insta. shall I delete them in the case I give my insta to a tattoo shop??
If you have hopes to work in a shop, definitely stop tattooing at home. They will be more willing to work with you if you're honest, so I wouldn't delete anything until after you get an apprenticeship. I would recommend not promoting that you're doing tattoos though, and just focusing on your art and drawing. Some mentors will take on people that tattoo at home if they see potential to learn, or that you're willing to listen. Some shops will take you on, but confiscate your equipment until they think you're ready to tattoo again
What states/cities do you recommend that has a lot of tattoo shops? Can I ask where you started??
I started at a shop in Fontana, CA. I'm not going to disclose the shop name for personal reasons. Any town has at least one tattoo shop, but larger cities have more for sure
Hey friend would you help me to find tattoo apprenticeship for me?
what do u think of paying for a apprenticeship?
I dont think its bad, but anytime that money is exchanged make sure there's some sort of contract and timeline explaining what the money is for. Some artists think of an apprenticeship the same as a semester of trade school, so they might ask for $5k-10k depending on the area and the artist. When you are paying for an apprenticeship they should give you an exact time for when you're able to start tattooing, and exactly what your duties and expectations would be
If you teach yourself are you allowed to tatoo other people?
Not usually. Every state has their own requirements for licensing so look into that before trying to tattoo anyone. You have to be careful especially if you aren't working in a licensed shop because you can get fined by the health board or sued if you give someone an infection. If you teach yourself and are able to get into a shop (much harder than getting an apprenticeship first) then you should be fine working out of a shop as a self taught artist. The alternative is renting your own studio that has a business license and is up to standard with your counties health codes and getting proper licensing as a body modification practitioner
Don't you need a apprenticeship in order to get your license for tattooing? I would imagine even if you are self taught that you would still need to get a apprenticeship in order to get licensed. No?
Each state is different, so its best to check with the county laws. Most states require the owner of an existing business to sign off on an application for a body practioner license. I had my shop owner sign mine. I was thinking of making a video about that process as well!
I feel like every shop has a cute young female apprentice.
Would be nice to see women viewed as equals instead of accessories. There are plenty of female only shops being opened to keep women safe from this gross way of thinking.
@@krookedburgeri love you for this thank you 💗