moving to buffolo NY and looking for aprent.

well im really trying to move anywhere i can! im just getting out of this state. so please check out my work...tell me what i need to work on and let me know if i have any chance at your shop or any shop prefferbly on the east coast as i have a friend willing to let me stay with him there. tear me apart when your looking over my work. keep in mind some are t-shirt desings hence why only parts of them are colored. also i will be leaving on the 20th to god knows where so please email me if you are inteasted in giving some one with a little experience under their belt a chance to relearn and scrub your floors,tubs,ass! [email removed] here is my photobucket of what i could recover from the ex-wife http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c31/OdeyDye/

hi there. i think you should practice more before apprenticeship. looks like you have good concepts though, i like the fact you have tattoo related drawings up, most people who post forget that THAT is the most important thing. my opinion is that you have great potential, and i don't see any reason why without a little more studying you wouldn't get better. you colors are nice, but you need to add a little more dimenstion, and you would get that by adding shading...try using messing around with color wheel things, draw some still life, use more shadow and you would get a little more depth. all in all, i think it's good, and much luck to ya!

Johne, if you can, would you mind posting the IMG codes to the pics? As of right now I can't view them because of a web filter here at work and i would like to take a gander.... But if not, it's cool. I can always wait until I get home...

yeah there is a lot so ill post as many as i can and hope im doing it right!!

there ya go!

Johne, Thanks for doing that...(didn't you post on here before with some of those?) either way though.... You do have some really good ideas going. I'll agree with Kooch, that if you refine them a little more that you will have some great tattoo material.... J

yeah a few were posted before...but i just wanted to repost and get shit started. im moving out and trying eagerly to even get some artists in any state to check me out and give me a chance. i have a friend in ny that will let me stay with him so that is my best chance to be a apret. for. but like i said...im willing to go anywhere to start! like i said before i got all my gear and such and have had one before, but im humble and know i still dont know jack and am willing to scrub tubs and do what ever to start to learn again! but thats and yeah even if by the time i move out of this state and i dont hear from anyone interested i will continue to work on my art and go to every shop until im good enough to relearn!

good luck to ya man, keep us updated

there are actually alot of great things happening in Buffalo, lots of art and music a GREAT yoga studio, east meets west on Elmwood and the Dahli Lama is speaking in Buffalo tonight! i understand the desire to move to find the apprentciship but while you are looking and working on your art buffalo aint a bad place to go

If your'e moving to Buffalo, there's also a couple shops in Niagara Falls (both sides of the border)... if you're not being paid, its not an issue to appr. on the Can. side, and you can always get a permit to work there.. there are a few good artists (there was a great one in Welland too)... plus the casino business. You could be the dirty low-rent version of Inked.. lol. I used to live 20 minutes away from that area, and Niagara's grown quite a bit since then.

awsome thanks a ton! yeah i got my ticket for the 24th and will be hoping for the best when i get out there. and all my art gear and tattooing gear is the one out of three things i am bringing on my train, so i at least wont have to start all over with that! thanks for the encouragement and i will for sure keep you all posted on if i get anything going and just my progress with my art work!

Let us know where you end up and let us see more of your work as it progresses... I'm always looking for new places to refer people to in that region.

will do emge! and its offical im moving on the 24th to Buffalo NY. its going to be rough for the first few weeks because my bank account is now at 1 dollar! but im selling all my shit so hoping for the best that i will make at least a few hundred to live off of for a while!

hey johne, let me know what shop you get into when you go to Buffalo... I'm originally from Buffalo, NY, and i have to strongly advise and suggest, that you may be making a bad mistake by moving there.. i don't what kind of drugs the rest of y'all are on saying Buffalo is a great place and has alot of things going for them... I lived there for 25 yrs. I also was in the music business/scene there for about 10 yrs.. Let me tell you, you'll do much better in Canada. There's alot happening in Niagara Falls, Canada... I did way better as a DJ in Canada then i did in my hometown. In fact, ppl in the music scene are moving out of B-lo cuase it's so bad.... serious musicians who want to make it that is. I can't make you not move there. B-lo and surrounding WNY areas have alot of tattoo shops... that's one thing i like about b-lo. canada has better though. Good luck.... and DRESS WARM. I HOPE YOU LIKE SNOW, cuase we get a shitload of it! ya know it's bad when your hometown is on the BBC cuase of how much snow it gets. At least take this piece of advice from me, STAY AWAY FROM a place called Hardcore. It's on Elmwood Ave. They are a dirty tat shop, and they also water down their ink. Not to mention over the yrs, the ppl who work there, do not treat their customers with any respect at all. They used to be good, but they've gone downhill over the years... Everyone knows to stay away from there. I know of a place that might be giving an apprenticeship. It's the place i have an in with cuase i know a couple of the guys there. i don't know if they're still offering... it's called H.O.D., which is also on Elmwood, right next to a great music store called Home of the Hits, and Mondo Video. Check it out. Read the classified ads, and def. pick up an Artvoice when you get there. Sometimes they advertise in there for apprenticeships. Ya can pick up an AV anywhere pretty much. There's another place on Hertel Ave...i think its called Blue Dragon or Blue Moon, not sure... but i know it's Blue something... nice place... check them out. Stay out of Lovejoy area... the guy there sucks... he fucks ppl up. goes to deep. watch your back also on the East Side, especially Sycamore st... and Doat St. West Side ain't too bad as East side is, but it's the 2nd worst place to be alone if you don't have connections w/ these ppz, but watch your back down Rhode Island st, Massachusetts, Connecticut, West Ave, Grant st, Niagara st, West Ferry (going towards the lake)... Those are some of the major areas for gangs, drugs, gang violence, and shit. drive by's and what not... I'm telling ya so you don't get lost, in case you do, you know, steer clear. don't walk the tracks by the break wall either (ask around, you'll find out what i mean) (it's on the lake).. Alot of really bad shit goes down there....trust me, you DON'T want to get caught there or be there at the wrong time, especially unarmed. if you got a piece, take it w/ you if you go down those streets or those areas. if you don't, i hope you know karate or some shit. you're gonna need it... Good luck & godspeed. let me know what happens...i may be returning back there sooner then i'd hoped..

oh yeh, forgot to post this, but if you want to check this out, it's a board i talk on. it's local board for buffalo. here's the addy: http://www.wnymusic.com/board/ it's a music board, but they have gen. discussion, classifieds, and alot of other stuff... free to be a member too.

http://buffalo.craigslist.org/ has free classifieds for just about everything -- people use it a lot, I find... if you're looking for a place check out the apartments classifieds (and pay attention to that neighbourhood advice!!!) Using the Toronto one, we found a 1 bedroom apartment in the 2nd most expensive Toronto neighbourhood.... for the price of a bachelor in one of the worst neighbourhoods... as well as good furniture and stuff.

yeah i actaully have a awsome friend that is living up there! he is letting me stay with him free of rent until i get a job and start making money! and even then its only 250 a month each for a 2 bedroom! and thanks for all the advice it is really helping for sure! so i leave sunday and i still am having a hard time packing...my entire life in three suitcase and two carry on's...weird. but anyways, i got one bag filled with all my gear and art supplies to make sure i can keep working on my art and trying to get some Apre. out there, and another carry on with more art supplies and something i really dont need to pack but couldnt say no to, Sailor Jerry Rum. to bad im moving in with a straight edge guy so i wont be drinking any of it until i make some new drinking friends!

so im living here now, been here for 2 weeks and had time to check the shops around here out. but yeah its a amazing city and im loving it so far. i came across hardcore...i only live a few blocks from it....yeah...not going inside. HOD seems very promising, the owner and Josh are my style so i may start to bug them about a app. but we will see

OK....Don't move to buffAlo, as a former buffalonian I will tell you straight up you will have a heap of trouble getting anyone GOOD to apprentice you (especially with drawings as unrefined as the ones you posted) dont take that the wrong way...im just giving you the inside scoop and a bit of a critique, and the fact of the matter is that you will need a normal job for awhile and the economy in the western N.Y area BLOWS.....you will struggle much.....wich will keep you there longer than you would like to be.....TRUST ME!! I had clientele there and only a select few could actually afford my modest rate......turn back now ....DONT DO IT!! and practice your drawing way more before you even consider an apprenticeship.....good luck! mike

Check out Mark Madden at Madd Grafix on Elmwood Ave. hes a cool guy. Also go check out Renasance gallery on main street some guys on this site are there ... ..i moved from buffallo last year Check out the guys at H.O.D. on elmwood nice stuff there too. good luck with the lake effect snow!

p.s Hardcore is /was a shitty shop owned by a real scumbag...he is dead now and his wife is running it .....they are really the best bet on a free apprenticeship , but you will have to really pay attention to what you are actually learning ...but as far as a foot in the door its a good bet .

Take it from me....You won't be able to get an apprenticeship with any of the 3 first mentioned shops, they are all friends of mine and would not take you on as an apprentice, again...I am not trying to deter you from tattooing I am simply giving you a solid heads up on what to expect...as for the fourth ..hardcore tattoo's, dont bother....you wouldnt learn the right way AT ALL in that place as the artist situation is always onn the move and no one truly knows the right way to tattoo in the first place, buffalo is saturated with tatoo artists, and plenty who want to be....save yourself the trouble and heartache, DON"T GO......it will be dissapointing. once again keep at the drawing. You have a ways to go.....good luck......mike

Take it from me....You won't be able to get an apprenticeship with any of the 3 first mentioned shops, they are all friends of mine and would not take you on as an apprentice, again...I am not trying to deter you from tattooing I am simply giving you a solid heads up on what to expect...as for the fourth ..hardcore tattoo's, dont bother....you wouldnt learn the right way AT ALL in that place as the artist situation is always onn the move and no one truly knows the right way to tattoo in the first place, buffalo is saturated with tatoo artists, and plenty who want to be....save yourself the trouble and heartache, DON"T GO......it will be dissapointing. once again keep at the drawing. You have a ways to go.....good luck......mike

yeah im here and im loving it. its smaller then the city i grew up but still has the city feel.and i grew up in MN so the cold here is nothing compared and we didnt even get snow. so im looking forward to that...well...its snowing right now so i dont gotta wait any more! i didnt move here to tattoo...but i would love to tattoo here. and yeah i have been drawing everyday all day since i still havent found just a normal shitty job yet. i am the kind of guy that wont take no for a answer and will just keep working hard until i hear that yes. but i take all the crit. seriously and to heart and will post some newer work soon when i get a comp of my own.