So you want to break into tattooing?

No sugar coating, let's dive right in.
Don't... this industry sucks. Ok, not completely, but dealing with morons all day and putting your body through all the stress is probably not worth it. The income is unstable at best and the competition is getting harder. You have to find your own health insurance and retirement plans, because you are on your own.

Douche bags a'PLENTY in this job, and that's just your co-workers and boss. Not trying to sound sexist, but women get the shaft a LOT in tattooing.

Still interested?
Start drawing your ass off. People come to tattooing now with art degrees, and serious backgrounds in fine arts and design. Days of "if you can trace a line you can tattoo" are slipping away, besides just repeating stuff off a wall of flash is lame and boring. The better your art the better chance you have of finding an experienced mentor.

A note about the "self taught" method (which applies to a bad apprenticeship also) and using the trial and error method: How can you teach yourself what you do not know? Also what will you learn from a half-assed apprenticeship from a hack?

The error part of the trial and error is the kicker. You gain little more than a bad reputation this way. The bad habits you learn will make you unappealing as an employee or as a hopeful apprentice. Unlearning is a LOT harder than learning.

Cross contamination is a large factor with self-taught or poor apprenticeships. Not knowing how to protect your clients and most importantly your SELF from infection or contamination is CRIMINAL. The Hep-C you get will be a huge bummer. The infections you spread to clients can include anything from Hep-C and Staph (MRSA) to cellulitis or scarring. And the list can go on forever.

Really useful apprenticeships are very hard to come by.
Most people offering apprenticeships don't know what they are doing, and have no idea how to teach. Considering...

So you want to break into tattooing?

No sugar coating, let's dive right in.
Don't... this industry sucks. Ok, not completely, but dealing with morons all day and putting your body through all the stress is probably not worth it. The income is unstable at best and the competition is getting harder. You have to find your own health insurance and retirement plans, because you are on your own.

Douche bags a'PLENTY in this job, and that's just your co-workers and boss. Not trying to sound sexist, but women get the shaft a LOT in tattooing.

Still interested?
Start drawing your ass off. People come to tattooing now with art degrees, and serious backgrounds in fine arts and design. Days of "if you can trace a line you can tattoo" are slipping away, besides just repeating stuff off a wall of flash is lame and boring. The better your art the better chance you have of finding an experienced mentor.

A note about the "self taught" method (which applies to a bad apprenticeship also) and using the trial and error method: How can you teach yourself what you do not know? Also what will you learn from a half-assed apprenticeship from a hack?

The error part of the trial and error is the kicker. You gain little more than a bad reputation this way. The bad habits you learn will make you unappealing as an employee or as a hopeful apprentice. Unlearning is a LOT harder than learning.

Cross contamination is a large factor with self-taught or poor apprenticeships. Not knowing how to protect your clients and most importantly your SELF from infection or contamination is CRIMINAL. The Hep-C you get will be a huge bummer. The infections you spread to clients can include anything from Hep-C and Staph (MRSA) to cellulitis or scarring. And the list can go on forever.

Really useful apprenticeships are very hard to come by.
Most people offering apprenticeships don't know what they are doing, and have no idea how to teach. Considering anyone who has been tattooing for less than 10 years is not a good choice. Time is just a guideline though because there are 15+ year vets in the tattoo biz that SUCK BALLS.

The best way to find an apprenticeship is to drive hard at your art, and impress a talented tattooer with your portfolio. That way you can start with an art foundation and then learn to tattoo. Apprenticeships are usually 2-3 years BARE minimum.

If you find a paid apprenticeship, then GET A CONTRACT. A professional won’t mind, and in fact should have you sign one. Consult a lawyer if necessary. This should be one of the most important investments of your life.

That is not to say paid apprenticeships are bad, but you should definitely keep your eyes open. Shelling out $2-5k just to be kicked out on your ass a few months later or get bad info is the beginning of "Scratcher" as your nickname.

In keeping with being blunt, if you aren't really into your art, don't bother with tattooing. That is just the start though, after your art comes more dedication (like mopping the shop and scrubbing tubes and toilets for your first year).

Hope this helps... no point in being all nice about it because the competition is getting stiffer and stiffer. The gap between quality custom tattooers and flash jockey scratchers widens every day.