paying to apprentice

ive been looking into becoming a tattoo apprentice for a couple of years now and needless to say with no luck as of yet,but have spoken to a few people and some pay substantial amounts of money ( upwards of 5000 dollars)and some scrub toilets. are there specific circmstances that may warrant this?(artist/spprentice relations) or is it just a shop to shop thing? why ? or why not? is it wise to pay for it? thanks.

I've been looking for an apprenticeship as well.. Around here it seems to be a shop to shop thing. Like one shop I talked to was willing to apprentice but Id be working part time around the shop for free and getting apprenticed at the same time kinda thing.. another shop I talked to wanted 5,000 dollars in order to give me an apprentice ship.. their claim was that they are better then any art college you could go to and can provide much more hands on and 1 on 1 so the 5,000 was actually a deal (I didnt think so since I really didnt like the shop nor the artists in it.. plus ive seen alot of friends that have gotten work done there and not many were thrilled with the final outcome.. ) I finally found a couple of shops (with awsome artist, both personality wise.. very clean, professional yet still fun and loving their art) and also extremly good at their craft.. I honestly think that is what you need to be looking for more so the then cost of the apprenticeship! anyways both of these shops were willing to offer me an apprenticeship as well as give me a parttime job working around the shop.. alot of it is getting around and meeting and talking with the artist. go to the shops BRING YOUR BOOK with you everywhere and just mingle with the artist/owner (dont stalk) do you have a good porfolio? another key feature.. you want your portfolio to knock someone back.. not everything in it has to be a 10 but you should have some art as well as unique deisngs that stand out and are eye catching (I think this is what helped me alot).. The Best to you man!!

That's what I did, brought my portfolio to show that you have something to offer. If you just walk-in without anything just your sales talk bullshit, I'm good with this & that, they're gonna give you shit & disrespect you... Best of Luck.

When u pay for the gig u learn nothing but Tattoo'ing.If u work it off u learn every aspect of the game.Hell after a succesfull apprentiship u could say screw tattooing and manage instead.

Appentice, from your last post 'When u pay for the gig u learn nothing but Tattoo'ing.If u work it off u learn every aspect of the game.Hell after a succesfull apprentiship u could say screw tattooing and manage instead.' kinda makes me wonder why you got into tattooing in the first place, and I would like to remind you that many of us got and are 'into this' because we love actually tattooing people and would never wish to be mere 'managers'. But I do think it's indicitive of a segment of this profession as it's become in recent years, unfortunately, IMO. Doc

Right, I applied for apprenticeship not because "if I learn how to tattoo, I'll be makin a lot of money". I have a good full time job that pays very well, I don't even need a 2nd job...I just want to learn how to tatto because I love this craft. "Fuck tattoiing" is a total disrecpect for the art.... Pathetic.

hey thanks to everyone that has repsonded. appreciate all your answers and opinions.

Pfft.That went totally over your head.If u pay to learn to Tattoo, thats what ul get.If u work it off ul know the business up and down.Atleast if u know your shit.Ive been here www.urbaninktattoo.com for 10 months everyday open-close.I will be a Tattoo ist and eventually a Tattoo Artist.BUT when i do burn out, il have a large collective of information to draw from and can co manage/run a shop. Sooooooo.Yah !

and mere managers? WTF is that? a good manager is someone who also was a great Tattoo artist.

Uh i've heard alot about this whole getting burned out thing, I dont' see it in the really really truly passionate tattoo artists. The guys that would do it for free if approached with an amazing idea they're excited about , or for free just because they love it so much. I'm with Doctor John on this one for the most part. I do this because I flat love it, dream about it, it feeds me , my kid, allowed me to meet some of the coolest individuals on the planet , and it's an honor to even put the ( in my opinion of course) stupidest tattoo on anyone. It's alot deeper than just drawin on skin lol . It's a bond of faith and trust that runs deeper than even some artists feel, and usually deeper than most clients know. I heard how much I could make tattooing and I was like wow cool that rocks I thought it'd be like pennies and nickles , but that wasnt' gonna stop me from doing it. Without this sometimes unseen and unknown relationship I have with every person I've ever touched with a needle , I"m just a damn idiot with a machine that makes needles go up and down. Like a barber in a world of bald men. Also lol a good tattoo artist doesn't make you a good businessman, period, no logic can rightfully prove that. It sure could come in handy i'm sure if you're skilled in the area of business you own or manage. But it's not gonna make or break you . Look at Gabe lol, Some of the best artists I've ever seen can't balance a checkbook let alone run a lucrative business.

Paying or getting it for free doesn't mean anything at all...or... it could mean a lot at the same time. You will find many people that will teach you for free, just for the sake of keeping the legacy alive. Other will teach you for free (at least that's what they say) just for the sake of having a free maid. Some other artist will charge you, and they may do it to see how serious and how much are you willing to risk for are career. Others, will just scam you and charge you just to pimping someone with true intentions and make a quick buck. The answer is pretty simple: Do your research, get references, check artist's portfolio, ask question, have they won any award, how long have they been in business under the same name, does the shop have every paper straight. There are good and bad mentors, just like good and bad tattoos. Use some of your common sense before jumping to any kind of deal.