Artistic Criticism Wanted

Hey everybody! I was wondering if some of the artists out there would look at my online portfolio and give me an honest opinion. I have been apprenticing for almost a year now and wanted an opinion from other tattoo artists. If anyone wants to check it out you can go to our shop's Myspace - www.myspace.com/stevetattooshop my pics are under Leah (portrait of a dog). Thanks.

need some work but i see ur nac is in portraits.well done on a few...

Looks like your tattoo shop produces mostly garbage and you may be very good in the future seeing is how you are an apprentice and your work looks the same as your mentor....if not better ... I would go to a better shop if at all possible and yes portriats are your thing

Thanks for taking a look. I hate to say it but so far my apprenticeship has been a self learning kind of deal. I didn't realize it until I got into the apprenticeship that my mentor can't really do anything except a basic off the wall tattoo. He only uses one machine for everything and pokes fun at me when I use more than one machine for a tattoo. He has no idea how to tune a machine or what to do if one's not working properly. And he's constantly getting on my case about using different types off needles, like I said it's been a self learning thing and I am experimenting with different needle groupings to get different effects.. According to him you only need a 7 liner and an 11 mag special to do anything. Black and grey seems to be where my talent will be but I do love color and want to learn how to blend and lay colors better but he doesn't know how. I want to get into another shop but my stupid self signed a contract with him saying I won't work in another shop within a 100 mile radius of his which means I'd have to move somewhere else. And thanks again to anyone who's checked my work out, I know I have a long way to go but I am never giving up.

haha thes ppl r bafoons...ur work is good!...in the portrait section! portraits r u ! n those r prob the hardest type of tattoo so thats a compliment!!!! kudos!

This guys is a scratcher in fact thats offensive to scratchers most of the work ive seen they do are better. This is by no means a reflection on you but who the hell goes to this shop. What kind of mindless idiot would pay for that kind of work cos i would be really pissed and would have to kick the living shit out him for even attempting to put that crap on me. Not only that, but as you say he doesnt seem to be teaching you anything. He sounds like and his work looks like he cuts corners and has no real interest in this what hes doing. With that in mind i would be quite interested to know what the cleanliness of the shop and equipment is, please tell me he doesnt do any of that, because i wouldnt be convinced that he would know what to do. If i was you i would get out of there asap. He has nothing to offer but a tarnished reputation before you've even started. You work is good and will get better, but not working for him. Portraits are defo your thing but you really need to work with someone who knows how cos he will not be giving you any quality lessons anytime soon. I might be wrong but by the sounds of it as well he is starting to get on your case about needles etc, that might get worse as you get better and more professional. When i finished my apprenticeship i went to work in a shop with 2 guys. There were flash only tattooists. So i come in and within a few days they are giving me shit like you "why do use this needle and that?" your using to many inks etc. Then i wanted to do a spore test on my autoclave so i thought i would do them a favour and do theres. The results were shocking and when i questioned this i was sacked on the spot. So after knockin one of the fuckers out i left and went to find more work. It took me 6 months to get another job, not cos there wasnt work but because id worked for them arseholes for 1 month. You dont know how many of them tattoos your shop has done have been covered up at shops in the area or further afield. You move away and you might have that problem a bad reputation sticks around just as long as a good one. And it is hard to shake it. Find the contract, burn that shit, thank him for fuck all and find a real tattoo artist to show you the ropes and i can guarantee you will be far better than you will ever be hangin with that kitchen wizard.

Yeah, you are right about the scratcher shop. I checked into it and he's been doin tats for 17 years but never had any formal apprenticeship. He got a kit and started doing it at home (Virginia only recently changed the regs to require an apprenticeship) but did work for a couple of reputable shops but was so hard headed he refused to learn anything. The only reason he got his license was because the guy at the last shop he worked in was drunk one night and signed off for him. This is totally my fault for not researching this guy's work, I was kinda jumpy to get into an apprenticeship because the other local shops I had looked into wanted upwards of $10,000 up front and showed no respect for other tattooers or their clients half the time. I talked to this guy and his requirements for training were doable. I can tell you though that the only thing he did learn at the other shops was how to keep it clean. I've seen his autoclav which thankfully he tests often. I personally have opted to use all disposable supplies until I can afford to purchase the sterilazation equipent. I have lost sleep on occasion over worrying about my rep. There are a couple of really good shops in neighbooring counties but none of them have even heard of him or his shop and I hate to say this about the people in our town but the majority of our clients are used to scratchers and think its an okay thing. This town is crawling with scratchers and I try to educate my clients about going to such idiots. I know my rep and future skills are at stake so I am looking to hook up with another shop even if it means moving. Thanks again for checking out my stuff.

holy crap, get out of there! that is as dead end as it gets. no joke, artistically i think you guys are on the same level...which is bad for him. he should not be apprenticing you, it looks like he should still be in his own apprenticeship. he cant even write in straight lines! he needs to go back to tattooing oranges or melons for a while... i know noses are hard, but try not to get stuck in a generic mold of a nose shape. you leave a little bit of shading out that would give your faces more depth, and that small lack of shading makes your noses look flat. ( i also do portraits) my advice to you: stare at people. visually and technically break down their face, and pay attention to individual features. how the light hits different parts of the face at different angles and how they change. small alterations to how you see things can make a big difference on the quality of your work. you have staggering potential and you need not waste your time with this guy. he is defiantly holding you back.

I completely understand what you mean by my portraits not having enough depth. Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to put up some of my original artwork. I'm pretty proud of the art I produce with a pencil on paper but trying to transfer that skill to skin is waaay different and everyone is right this dude can in no way give me that skill (he's not even an artist in the traditional sense). I don't want to sound like I hate this guy, he's okay guy and gave me a chance but I know that I am not going to get anywhere if I stay in this situation. When I entered into this I was expecting to go through your traditional apprenticeship of starting from literally the ground up, sweeping the floor, cleaning the shop, drawing drawing drawing (which I did anyway) doing all the grunge work and taking baby steps. I was actually looking forward to it knowing it would help me not only learn the skills of the trade but the respect and disicpline that is required. I did none of that because I was doing what he told me to and scratching my head in confusion when he let me tattoo customers after 3 months. I have one goal right now and that's to seek out another apprenticeship wherever that may be. I plan on hitting Hellcity this May and any other conventions I can go to so I can get to know other people in this industry and maybe find the path that's right for me.