9545 Reseda Blvd. unit 2, Northridge, CA (818) 700-2818
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Can't seem to find an Apprenticeship, thinking about starting at home

I have a question as to whether it would be a good idea or not to start tattooing from home. I've tried looking for an apprenticeship in my area but most of the tattoo artists I have tried to go to have turned me down or asked me to pay them ridiculous sums of money to get apprenticed, while having no hope of actually working in the studio.

Background: I have plenty of tattoos, actually two full sleeves done by the same guy, I've asked him about an apprenticeship and he basically said he'd be down to give me one, just not yet because the shops been going through some drama, and their last apprentice basically dipped out on them the month before she was going to complete her apprenticeship . But here's the thing, I've been going to the same shop for close to 3 years now, and have been patiently waiting and drawing pretty much every day since then. I've even studied most of the methods the artist did while tattooing me (including sterilization) Actually I've been drawing since I was a child, constantly. The tattoo artist I go to loves my work, but like I said it's been close to 3 years, and still nothing. I'm 23 at this point and I've decided I can't keep waiting to start my career, so I ended up going to school for illustration instead.

But, as everyone knows, tuition is expensive as hell and I figure doing tattoos would be a fun way to pay for school while i'm still in school, and drawing more wouldn't hurt my cause in either aspect. Even after I finish I still plan on tattooing just because it's something I've always sought to do since I was young, and on top of that freelance illustration isn't always a guaranteed source of income (Being flexible with what you do always helps).

I'm just wondering what your guy's thoughts are on this, I've never half assed any form of art that i've done, and tattoos would be no exception. Here are some samples of my work, and I'd love to know if what i'm doing would be, I suppose wrong.

http://imgur.com/a/vBQqL


Replies:

RE:Can't seem to find an Apprenticeship, thinking about starting at home

sounds like you already know what your doing. save some cash and use it to get a space licensed and approved my the local DOH. and then you ha ve a private and by appointment only tattoo shop.
normaly i wouldn't say this, but in your care you know what a tattoo is supposed to feel like, and how you have to feather and pack and line.
All the famous guys were self taught.
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RE:Can't seem to find an Apprenticeship, thinking about starting at home

Hey dude.
You seem to be in the same boat as me. Im a bit further down the line having done my illustration degree and had a half apprenticeship before my mentor sent me out of the shop to develop a portfolio but in the meantime had to hire another 2 guys leaving no space for me for the future. Which I dont take personally, it is what it is.

So basically I have my drawing skills which were developed throughout the years and now Im at the stage of trying to catch up on my tattooing skill to match my drawing abilities.

I dont have a shop to go to, I dont have a source of advice apart from this forum and I dont have a plan yet.

The way I see it, you and I both know what we are doing, in the sense that we know how to develop a skill in a new form of art. We just need to tackle the situation as we see fit.

So watch as many videos as you can, scour all the forums and apply any and all information by yourself. We have two thighs to practice on, my right one has 2 tattoos and Im waiting to do something very challenging on my other thigh.

Its a long process when you;re a lone wolf, its challenging, its frustrating but at the end of the day its extremely rewarding knowing that whatever progress you made came from you.

So good luck with everything bro, stay determined and focused. And make every single tattoo you make be much better than the last. All progress I think comes from our imagination if we know how to utilize it.
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