This isn’t something that I’m realistically considering, I’m heading off into a totally different direction career wise, and I know how bloody tough it is to get into, but I do like to daydream so just humour me!
To get into tattooing, do you need to have an unbelievable ability to draw, or would simply pretty good, above-average but not the world’s best suffice for an artist using the transfer method?
And before you did try and get yourself an apprenticeship, would it be worth buying a cheap ebay gun and practicing on pig skin or whatever just to test out your technique?
I’m pretty decent at drawing but as I said, far from the world’s best, but drawing with a pencil and a tattoo gun are obviously two totally different things, and I’d worry that I’d go through all the hassle of finding myself an apprenticeship, giving up everything else only to find that I was utterly shit with a tattoo machine! I’ve read the disclaimer about talking about shitty ebay kit and scratchers etc, so just wanted to make the point that even if I DID attempt to head in that direction (extremely unlikely), I’d neverevereverever attempt to practice on a fellow human before getting an apprenticeship lol, I wouldn’t even do it to myself, the last thing I want on my conscience and reputation for life is having fucked up someone’s flesh!
Can’t draw and not an artist but from speaking with a few for my book;
They said that the potential to draw is a start but that you also need the right qualities patience and diligence.
They all said the same – the last thing you do is pick up tattoo gun/machine – you spend countless hours perfecting drawing and going over and over the same stuff until it is right.
Then it is learning the ropes on everything from personal hygiene to clean work space to sterlisation techniques.
Then it is the actual practice techniques with skins and fruits etc that apparently takes hours upon hours as well.
It took me 5 years and 22 exams to be ‘qualified’ (and experienced enough to do bigger cases) as a fraud investigator but after talking with artists and apprentices who spent 7 years or so learning and practicing – I felt I got off lightly.
I am sure there are ppl who could do it quicker or in half the time etc but my own opinion is it seems to be one of the toughest occupations if you are gonna do it right – I mess it up it costs money.
They mess up it costs somebody their skin or health if they don’t do it right.
Cheers Anyway
Matthew
first off…… it aint a f***ing gun.. its a machine.
if you are thinking that your drawing abilities are not good enough then it aint the career for you… you must be possitive and be able to push yourself out of your comfort zones on many an occasion.
if your artistic abilities are quite good then just practice your arse off as much as you can, and remember that tracing is not cheating, if you trace something over and over and over so much that you are sick of the site of it, for every time you trace it you will also be learning how to draw that subject free handed..
best thing is to post some of your work up and lets see what your styles are and your favourite mediums to work with.
Haha, beginners mistake! Many apologies 😮
Thanks for the info both of you.
As I said, I won’t be doing it. It is just a pipedream career, I have a few of them, mostly in the design field, I had a place on a fine art degree before getting pregnant with my son but now I’m heading towards history teaching as a ‘safe option’. But doesn’t hurt to know… just in case I win the lottery and can afford to take my chances! 😉 Aside from the talent question I wouldn’t have the right type of personality for the job anyway, I get on fine with guys but absolutely clam up in front of girls I don’t know, don’t know how to talk to fellow females at all, so that’d be 50% of my client base that’d never return!
Outlaw – got a new laptop recently so have nothing uploaded at all, most of my work is too big to scan but when I eventually get round to scanning in some sketchbook stuff I’ll make an album!
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