Hello all! I’m the second Belgian girl to invade this forum today. This is coincidental, but it’s nice, maybe Frae and I can help each other out :p
I’m an enthusiast who has been wildly infatuated with tattoos for… well, since I saw them on my uncle’s arm when I was a little girl. There are little things more intriguing than tattoos, the stories behind them and the meanings they have to their wearer, the different styles in which they can be drawn. I’ve been sporting a small one on my back for 2-3 years now and it’s the most precious thing I own, it’s not bigger than 10cm but every part of it breathes meaning. And if my budget for such things would be bigger, I would’ve had more tattoos, but alas – I’m a starving student. (Language and Linguistics of German and English, to be exact.)
I mainly joined this forum because I love talking about tattoos and hearing other people’s thoughts on them, seeing them decide what to get and why, then seeing the final result. I’m also pretty good with a pencil, so I might be able to help out once in a while when people need a custom design… in fact, I’ve drawn a few tattoo designs for people already. Including my own tattoo, of course 🙂
The big dream is to be a tattoo artist myself after I finish studying. Until then, I’ve got plenty time to practice on pig skin and find someone who’ll have me as an apprentice. (Question: do I need to buy a beginner set and a supply of pig skin to practice at home before asking a tattoo artist to be their apprentice, or are there tattoo artists generous enough to let me use their material for practice?)
And now I’ll be off, it’s almost 1 am here. Time flies!
Welcome to the forums.
If you like talking about tattoos, you ARE in the right spot.
As for your future apprenticeship… take it slow. It isn’t all about how to draw and how to tattoo, there are plently of other things involved. Aslo, buying a “starter kid” and “playing on pigskin” won’t cut it, even for practicing and we don’t allow that type of discussion. This is not something you want to rush into.
Welcome ^^ Student and future tattoo artist myself here 😉
and no. Don’t buy stuff like that. (I know discussing it isn’t allowed, but I hope I can get away with just a small advice that I once got myself from the guy I’ll be doing my apprenticeship with..?)
If you start by practicing on your own without guidance, you risk learning everything wrong. You don’t learn how to use the machine properly, and when you finally get an apprenticeship – they have to teach you everything all over again. And it will take way longer time!!! Equipment and stuff like that, is stuff you figure out when you start the apprenticeship, dont’t worry about it 🙂
Thanks 🙂 It’s not a plan for the very near future (graduation is still 1.5 years away and I might do something else first to earn some money), I just want to be well informed beforehand.
I know we’re not allowed to ask for techniques and stuff, and I’m not going to because that’s the job of the guy who’ll teach me the ropes. I just needed to know whether or not to buy practice gear up front because I was fearing one of two things:
1) buying a starter kit and lots of pig skin, while I don’t need it. It’d cost me a lot and earn me nothing, and I can use that money for other things.
2) not buying said stuff, then going to a tattoo parlor to apply as an apprentice and getting asked “Okay, nice drawings, can you show us a tattoo you’ve done?”.
I know we’re not allowed to ask for techniques and stuff, and I’m not going to because that’s the job of the guy who’ll teach me the ropes. I just needed to know whether or not to buy practice gear up front because I was fearing one of two things:
1) buying a starter kit and lots of pig skin, while I don’t need it. It’d cost me a lot and earn me nothing, and I can use that money for other things.
2) not buying said stuff, then going to a tattoo parlor to apply as an apprentice and getting asked “Okay, nice drawings, can you show us a tattoo you’ve done?”.
I think most artists who are serious about apprenticing someone frown upon already tattooing someone without working in a shop.
I’ve never heard of someone having to show what tattoos they’ve already done to get an apprenticeship – most places will just require a well done portfolio.
Even when you get an apprenticeship, you might not touch needle to skin until 12 or more months later!
I’ve never heard of someone having to show what tattoos they’ve already done to get an apprenticeship – most places will just require a well done portfolio.
Even when you get an apprenticeship, you might not touch needle to skin until 12 or more months later!
I don’t mean showing tattoos on people, wouldn’t even think about doing that until I’ve mastered everything perfectly. I meant showing bits of tattooed pig skin or something, as proof that you can already handle the needle and they won’t have to waste too much time and material teaching you. But now that I know they judge on portfolio, I’m a tad more confident 🙂
Like Poxphobia said, they’ll teach you the correct tattooing method once they’ve decided to take you on 🙂
Superb, I’ll spend some time putting together a portfolio then, maybe I’ll look for a teacher in the first half of next year.
What kind of tats have you designed? Do you focus on any particular style? I’d love to know about your work 😀 Ah, you’re only up the road, we could probably go out for a beer sometime 😉
Beste
If you know the PandDemonium or De Rots bars in Antwerp, there’s a good chance you’ll find me there 😀 If you like rock/metal, you may want to check them out.
What kind of tattoos have I designed? I usually go for a sort of comic book style, with prominent black lines. I don’t have any good pictures of the tattoos themselves, but here are some designs:
L Butterfly – A very small and simple design for a friend who wanted a temporary tattoo of an L shaped like a butterfly.
Foot fairy – Made this as a foot tattoo for a friend, but she chickened out when she heard how much it would hurt to get it done.
Rose ankh – This one is on my back. Unfortunately the purple accents didn’t quite show through after scanning.
Celtic cross – Tattoo with some basic Celtic knotwork for a very close friend. It also has purple worked into it, which (again) didn’t show up in the scan.
Warbeast – This guy wasn’t designed to be a tattoo, but a friend liked him so much he got the drawing tattooed on his upper arm. It’ll become a half sleeve soon!
And just for fun, my latest non-tattoo bit of art: No ordinary fish
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