Teach Me To Tattoo

Ok heres the deal..... I just bought everything i need to do a tattoo. Not a cheap skanky kit from ebay but i actually spent a bit of money on this shit. Im GOING TO start doin tattoos on people, startin with myself. Now i know what i should be doin (getting an apprenticeship and so on...) but after about a year of sending a portfolio to every tattooist in a 50 mile radius this seems slightly impractical. i know im gonna be met with the so called "elitists" telling me that this is a bad idea but its something i AM goin to do, with or without your help. For a few weeks now i have been scouring this forum picking up everything i need to get myself sorted. I have a machine, a power supply, a foot pedal, tubes, the pointy things for the ends (whatever theyre called!!) a shed load of different sized needles, ink in every colour of the rainbow, an autoclave and fuck loads of entusiasm. If theres anything i am missing please let me know. As far as I know theres only one thing i aint got..... knowledge. Is there anything i really need to know before i seriously fuck myself and my mates up? Please, if i have any questions can you please help me by answering them. My mum always said..... "If you dont have anything nice to say, dont say anything at all", im sure yours probabley did to. Bear that in mind when replying. Thankyou.

for one thing . what do you mean by pointy things at the end? whats your needle going into? just the grip part? the things you hold to tattoo have like 3 parts to them point thing you might mean the tip, the grip is what it sounds like you already have, what about the shank part the grip goes into ? .

an for gods sake dont let anything touch the needle tip. if it catches on anything at all even trying to put it in the tube an it catches the slightest its ruined. it turns into little claws that rip the flesh.

The pointy thing.http: ( //img.alibaba.com/photo/50620439/Tattoo_Tips.jpg ) One of those! I have plenty of these and even some plastic disposable ones. They are called tips, right? OK for 20 points........... why are some different?? Some have small round holes in them and i presume these are for my rounds. Some have kinda large square holes in the end and by my reconing these are for my mags. So what are these open ended ones for? ( http://www.razorbladeproducts.com/xcart/files/images/tattoo/TIP-A-FL-9-14_sm.jpg )

If you are going to learn how to hack yourself up on the internet you have to do it someplace else. If everyone denied you an apprenticeship you should probably get better at your artwork. Lets see some links to this kick ass portfolio of yours you think is worthy of tattooing on skin! and to be clear, this is not the place for open technical discussions about tattooing. End of story. Your welcome to explore your art and talk about getting tattooed, but no technical discussion is welcome.

Thats slightly harsh dont you think? I would link you to my portfolio but its not online. Im not really a whizz when it comes to computers and dont have the right equipment to put it on anyway. Its not kick ass but id like to think its above average. The thing is i AM going to tattoo, its always been my dream, and i AM going to be good at it. I just dont want to have to learn something by trial and error (and fucking up my mates bodies) that could have been easily answered on here in 5 minutes. Surely that cant be such a bad thing now, can it?

First let me say that I am not an elitist. I am self-taught and have no right to look my nose down on anyone. With that said, you're going about things the wrong way. I've truly learned that when artists continually tell you to get an apprenticeship, it's because it truly is the best way to go. I know you haven't been able to get an apprenticeship and are eager but that doesn't excuse you from the bad tattoos that you'll give your buddies. Secondly, respect goes far in this industry and your mention of "I AM going to tattoo" is sort of like trying to bully the artists into giving in since you're going to do it anyway. Change your attitude. Quickly. In this industry, if you're given scraps...feed on them. Don't bite the hand that's feeding you. Even if they're telling you what you don't want to hear, their is most likely truth in it. (example - Get an apprenticeship. OR your artwork sucks, improve on it and THEN get an apprenticeship). Another thing - you're doing things back asswards. Why would you spend a ton of money on equipment (good or not) when you don't have ANY knowledge? You may like tattoos but you may find out that you don't like to give them. Or that you suck (do you care?). Or that your body can't handle it. Had you done your homework, you would have found that there are (both good and terrible) books, instructional or seminar dvds...and other forums that do give technical information. But, you know what? I have found that the good quality stuff isn't even meant for beginners. It's meant for pros to excel even further. And none of these resources are over your shoulder telling you what you're doing right and wrong or catching you when you do something that will cause cross contamination. Another thing that bothers me is that you (maybe trying to be humble) but you say that YOU would like to think that your artwork is a LITTLE above average. Are you ok with that? Do you really expect to get an apprenticship with ok artwork and a crappy attitude? Is this how you will go about tattooing? Wanting to be ok isn't good enough. You need to want to be great. Then you come to this forum with "Teach Me To Tattoo". That's rich. Funny, I went onto a medical site and asked them how to perform my grandmothers cateract surgery. I don't know why I wasn't well recieved. I have recently learned that posts just likle the one I just made are not meant to bash, they are meant to help. You must learn to crawl before you can walk. So I echo what the pros have and will tell you: Get better at your artwork. If you can, take art classes. If you can't, buy some good books. And there are some great books that can teach you how to draw. Draw with professional art supplies, if you don't already. Get trained in Blood-borne pathogens (BBP) and cross contamination. You can do it online for a fee. Include your certificates in your portfolio. Lastly, remeber that what these artists and shop owners (some of them mentors) are telling you DOES matter. Why? They are the ones who will take you in or not. You may think that what they are saying is bullshit but this is what they go by when taking on an apprentice or hiring someone. So what YOU think doesn't really matter if you want to get a job in one of THEIR shop. I didn't type all of that for nothin', it's because I truly believe what I'm saying is right. Please take all of it into consideration. Thanks, Gina

Respect due Gina. I just want to say that I didnt mean to give attitude or bully anyone into anything, and im sorry if thats how i came across. Its just that every post ive seen on here from beginers looking for advice just seems to be met with people trying to disuade them. I was just making it clear that nothing is going to stop me doing this. Its not that im doing things backwards, I tried to do things the right way but as i said before, it didnt really work. I do own tattoo books but i dont see that these are really as much help as somebody that can answer my questions. And i was trying to be humble when i said that my art is above average. Personally i think its fan-fucking-tastic but i didnt wanna appear big headed. Ive been lookin for a BBP course online but cant seem to find one, maybe someone here could direct me? I dont think the reason I havent been able to find an apprenticeship is because i suck, I think its because all the tattoists ive come across have either got an apprentice already or arent looking to add more competition to their trade. I will feed on scraps all day long, like a junk yard dog, I just need someone to toss me some every once in a while.

The Red Cross will have the classes you need for BBP and cross-contamination.......I applaud your persistent attitude and hope that you do well. On the other side of that .an apprentiship will teach you very important things that you cannot learn just on your own....do you really want to spent the next few years scratching up your legs and your friends?? get some pigskin or some faux skin and use that.....I tell you I ruined some prime real estate(upper legs) trying that scatch shit...... The folks here that tell you to get an apprenticeship mean well not only for you, to keep you from harming others.......but for our industry and art form.......to bring tattooing out of the back closets and kitchens and out into light filled sterile studios where it belongs.......... Good luck to you........

Would this be an acceptable Course?; http://www.emergencyuniversity.com/indibbp.asp?src=Google&key=PaidonlineBloodBornePathogens&gclid=CNu9xdiR_Y4CFQ_dlAodwzBZwA

Would this be an acceptable Course?; http://www.emergencyuniversity.com/indibbp.asp?src=Google&key=PaidonlineBloodBornePathogens&gclid=CNu9xdiR_Y4CFQ_dlAodwzBZwA

Would this be an acceptable Course?; http://www.emergencyuniversity.com/indibbp.asp?src=Google&key=PaidonlineBloodBornePathogens&gclid=CNu9xdiR_Y4CFQ_dlAodwzBZwA

ok heres a tip that will go far. im not being a smartass by saying this, i know your just being silly about the 20 points thing, but when talking to artists about stuff like explaining things its a sensitive subject an if you kid around they will think your not serious enough to handle information, because when doing tattoos you cant kid around. i mean we all BS in between tattoos. but when it comes to actually doing tattoos an tattoo informations its very sensitive an serious , an if you kid around about it , you will likely not get any help. a good personality an light heartedness are good traits to have, an to be able to turn on your serious side when it comes to the serious parts are important. its like a surgeon saying for 20 points wheres my scalpel?! lol . if you were the patient youd be like WTF?! haha . so try to remember that. as far as points your link didnt work. but they are just diffrent ones for peoples tastes, i preferr diamond tips because i like the way the needles rests in the crevis. i cant go into detail about anything because this is a public forum. your best bet is to be friend an artist an as them questions. because if you randomis it on a public forum you have no chance, an artist would be more willing to tell you something personally then to post it for the world.

Thanks crabcakes. Point taken. Ive found somewhere more appropriate for what im after! Thanks to everyone that took the time to reply. Thanks

If your art is fan-fucking-tastic then you should make it a point to get it online! If your art is really that good, then you should be getting tattooed by the best folks you can and take their advice. Who are you getting tattooed by? Who do you want to get tattooed by? learning from the Internet and trial and error is a great way to make lots of mistakes on peoples skins, and you will create a lot of bad karma you will have to pay off somehow. Natures like that, you put shit on peoples bodies, and then they have crappy tattoos they are telling the world you did. and it sounds like you will do that no matter what smart people say, so well, get ready for years of coverups and mistakes!

i think you should go for it and fuck what anyone else thinks. most tattooists are self taught anyway so bollox to em. now theyre at the top they forget when they were learning, and most at some time or another have tattooed from their home but they seem to forget that when it suits. case in point, von dee - fuckin cat (of all things)running around the place and smoking AND tattoing out of a hotel room, like i say, when it suits. go and tell her how shit her attitude is. having said that she is better than a lot of tattooists out there and that somehow seems to make it ok??! tattooists just do things that suit themselves so when in rome etc etc. some of them are tossers.

here is the thing; yeah you can learn to do a lot of things on your own in your garage but when numerous experts tell you from experience how they would go about learning the right way i would listen to them. this guys attitude is crap, he is asking for help but basically saying he is going to do whatever he wants anyways. lets all line up and help him shall we? the world needs more responsible, well-trained and respectful artists that will bring the industry forward, not backyard scratchers that will further add negative stereotypes to the industry. he said he doesn't want to scar his friends, well then... don't!! if everyone is telling you to get an apprenticeship maybe you should, and don't give up because you think its becuase they don't want competition from some kid that has never even touched skin. you said you sent your portfolio to every artist around, did you actually physically go out and talk to people or did you just mail it out? people that ask these types of questions and give off this type of attitude don't realize they are basically slapping every true artist that lives and dies for their art a huge slap in the face. you don't realize that they are trying to help you by telling you to get an apprenticeship, how would any true professional act if you basically just asked them to teach them their job over the internet? sorry for the long rant, good luck to you and i hope you keep trying and do succeed. i am just glad i am not your friend, i don't wanna find out about lasering.

this whole tattooist/scratcher thing is just bullshit. what is clearly needed is a government run vocational course at college or whatever that could be 2/3/4 years or whatever, that would stop all this bitching by these double standard tattooists that insist they did it the RIGHT way - which we all know 90% didnt. but thats exactly the type of thing they wouldnt like isnt it? the government sticking its nose into their business. at least this way everybody would get a fair crack at the whip and the industry would be self regulating ie the good tattooists would be successful, the not so good wouldnt be etc etc. with the public explosion of tattooing at the moment im sure that this will be the way it goes one day, in some way or another.

listen here, kat shouldnt really be tattooing out of her hotel, but if she did, SHE HAS SHOP EXPERIENCE, she know how to keep it sterile! theres a couple things missing from the equasion as far as where does she dump out her ink water?? hotel sink? what about the next guy who needs to brush hid teeth there? but for the most part she knows how to keep a sterile field! now about colledge course THAT A JOKE. TATTOOING ISNT FOR EVERYONE WHO CAN OFFORD IT, YOU CANT BUY TALENT! you either have what it takes or you dont, yea you can learn how deep the needle goes but do you know how long it takes to learn how to make it look good? you have to have good art skills an knowledge about design. thats why you get turned away for apprenticships BECAUSE YOU MAY NOT HAVE IT! thats why you hear everyone talking about working on your portfolio because your art is what will speak to the industry whether your worthly or not to tattoo. except for the exception of some morons more intrested in greed. which happends in alot of aspects of life. if in fact they were gunna make a collledge course i would expect it to be at least 2 years in JUST art an design. not even getting into tattoo, an if you cant pass it your not going on to tattoos. i dont care if you have a million dollars to spend on apprenticeship, if you cant draw a stick figure your ass needs to be a lawyer or accountant. i didnt even have to ask for my apprenticeship, my art was good enough where i had NO problem an even had to turn down a couple offers, why dont you take some damn advice for once an work on your art

youre a tool. and a child, i can tell by your prose. if you could read properly you would find i mentioned something about self regulation which would answer your talent issue which just doesnt hold water. the fact of the matter is that some people may (or may not be) very good at tattooing but will never get the chance to find out because they will never be able to find proper tuition, as with most college, and especially university courses, some kind of entrance test is required to get on the course, so if youre crap at drawing etc etc, do you see what im saying? as tattooing gets ever more popular, it will, inevitably, become more regulated. thats the way life is. for people who want to learn now they are backed into a corner and some feel forced to take things into their own hands, this by the very people who slate what they do, its a no win situation, they cant learn properly and then get slagged off if they try to learn by themselves?! as for working on my portfolio, i'll remember to bring that into my studio that ive had for 19 years. dick.

[b] [i] quote "how would any true professional act if you basically just asked them to teach them their job over the internet? " [/i] [/b] Im a profesional In my trade, Im so good at what I do that I believe I could teach you over the net. Granted it would take time, but I could! I took my portfolio personally into the only tattooist in my town. Unfortunately this guy already had an apprentice but he seemed impressed and recommended a tattooist in the next town over. This guy gave me serious attitude and couldnt even be arsed to look at my portfolio, I left him a copy but never even heard from him. Every other tattooist in the area has had a personal visit from me but each and everyone has either already got an apprentice or isnt looking for one. Not many of the guys criticised my work and those that did didnt really have too much to pick up on. Admitidly I posted the work to the ones that i couldnt get to but I have a full time job and it would be impossible for me to hand deliver my portfolio to everyone. I have tried (and ive tried very hard and spent a lot of money) trying to get an apprenticeship but for a small hand full of apprenticeships there is a large pool of wanna be tattooists!! Getting an apprenticeship is difficult, probabley a lot more difficult now tattoos are more accepted in society, than it was when you were lookin for one. [b] [i] quote "TATTOOING ISNT FOR EVERYONE WHO CAN OFFORD IT, YOU CANT BUY TALENT! " [/i] [/b] Thats soooo wrong. If I had money I would be on a fantastic apprenticeship right now, with all these come learn to tattoo for $5000 deals. Its a disgrace. No matter how good an artist is, if he cant afford money like that (because the only qualification he left school with is an A-level in art and design) and he doesnt have wealthy parents, hes screwed! ! ! I just need a break, I dream tattoos, I spend my whole working day mentally designing tattos in my head, and every evening putting them on paper. This is my dream and I understand that getting an apprenticeship is the best way to get into the trade but its not the only way. Maybe I was a little over enthusiastic with the whole "Teach me to Tattoo" title, all I wanted was a little advice on where to start.

Enough, lets see how good your art is. If its all that then you should be able to make some $$$ off it... what are you doing now to sell your art? enough talking about how good it is, lets see it...

I havnt been tattooing very long and got a late start, but i woudlnt have it any other way. I first pursued just being artist way before i even thought about tattooing, in fact i never wanted to be a tattooer simply for the fact that tattoos in the magazine that i saw never impressed me very much and to my ignorance thought that it looked easy. So i ventured into a career in fine art and then after time struggeling to make money i finally met some tattoo artist whos art vastly impressed me but for the most part i respected them because they painted and did other forms of art. I see that as the biggest down fall in the tattoo industry is that its just such a cool thing to tattoo and there are so many people that tattoo because its just cool and you can make money. People who do art for just arts sake truly have a passion for it and will learn anything they can just to be a better artist, its a life long process. I grew up around graffiti and its a pretty comparable world to tattooing but because getting caught could mean getting a felony on your record it tended to weed out the people that were not really in love with it. This is the same reason that i think so many tattooers are so hard on people wanting to learn. They just dont want people to take whats theres and fuck it up. So my advice to you is not to concentrate on being a tattoo artist and just be an artist, and eventually someone will see that you have love for art, and perhaps some talent and want to teach you.

Gabe as soon as I get it online you will be the first person I tell. Im not doing anything at the moment to sell my art, Ive never really seen it as a way of making money, just a pastime. If anything my art has cost me money as, like the above poster, I too used to express myself using a spray can. Unfortunately this has landed me in a spot of bother on more than one occasion leading to hefty fines and a criminal record.

just been reading through "machine set up", same argument as this one. still think there should be a way for talented new people to learn, i would go on but i cant be arsed.

aw8one you said it better then i did. i said it out of frustration. an you said it rationally. thats exactly what is going on. listen to me on this as i worked many years on my artwork makeing it better. i had 3 offers for apprenticeship in my town an i didnt have to pay a dime. i ended up with the closest shop to my house. but point is , your artwork will buy your way. i am liveing proof an so are tattooests of the past an present. so can i say again why artwork is so important? or am i just talking out of my ass to deaf ears. im really not tryin to be an ass hear but no one seems to ever understand a point unless theres some curseing involved an then there ears purk up an the gears in there head start moveing again even if its enough to just come back with a witty comeback. but theres reason why text can sound frustrating is because its a hopeless plead whatever gets your attention to do whats needed if you wanna get into tattooing.

I just think that if your good at your craft and you start getting tattooed its inevatable that someone will eventually ask you why the fuck you dont tattoo. If no ones asking maybe you need to get better.

so if im good at driving someone will ask me to be a racing car driver? the above statement is utter dross.

Go to http://www.tattooflash4life.tk and check out the video for sale..It can help u get a head start in becoming a tattoo artist

really??? Just like that stollen flash collection you are selling on your site for 15 buck? Go jump off a bridge with no river at the bottom!

WOW!10,000 sheets of flash for 15 bucks,huh!On CD even.You will be fucking killed for stealing other peoples flash and selling it.Does Cherry Creek or Spaulding and Rogers know you have stolen their whole collection?Did you steal mine to you mother fucker?The hunt is on!!!!!!!!!!!!

Na I get this collection from ebay..I did not know it was stollen??

I am very sorry I will stop selling these flash ok.I did not even know I had bought them off ebay.. Hey man is there a way well i can get promission to sell and give u a profit off what I sell

Ok to everyone I have changed the picture.I am not selling those flash anymore.So to the artist that was mad saying I was selling his flash??Well I'm not that picture was only for an example not included in the flash I was selling sorry again..

OK Im not sure that anyone is reading this thread still but Id just like to let you all know that Im now doing tattoos! I worked very hard online to searching and researching my machine set up, lots of different techniques and asked advice off of hundreds of different people before finally finding a few that would take the time to help! I started by tattooing my own legs (which went perfectly apart from a couple of blowouts on the first line which ive now fixed) and then moved on to doing friends, one of which was having a progressive sleeve done by a guy with a parlour and at the next session, when he showed him, he didnt believe that it was the second tattoo id ever done on another person and offered me a guest spot in his shop on a saturday morning! My flash is now on display in the shop and Im learning like fuck! The thing is, Ive been tattooing for less than a year and when I first started, I came on here asking all sorts of shit questions, but you guys were so rude, and whether you like it or not, you were eliteists! Tattooing is not hard, anyone asks me a tattooing question, in the shop or on the net, and ill answer them. Ive done a couple of cover ups on some nasty pieces already that could have been pretty decent tattoos had the novice with the machine just been given a couple of simple pointers. Please guys, dont be so hard on the newbies.

Hey thats great. Lets see your tattoos and please dont answer technical questions on this forum, you may be ok being responsible for random people tattooing, but Im not.

No gabe I wont. Ive realised, that isnt what this forum is all about. There are other places on the net dedicated to that sort of stuff. All im saying is maybe you guys here could have directed me there instead of being so condescending on here. We all started somewhere!

totally agree L plates, wish more people were like you.

i have a question. i have a portfolio and my kids are finally of school age. i'm cleaning it up right now and adding in some final ideas. but before i go hitting the pavement, would anyone think it was weird to have a 32 year old trying to get an apprenticeship? is the industry age biased? what's your opinion? i don't look my age, but do these things matter? just pondering, Ivan I.

Testing testing again

Sorry, just testing this font color. Want to see if its good for the eyes and so on. I will jusst paste some stuff on. If you are a custom tattoo artist, you should join TattooNOW as an Artist Member! We get a lot of traffic, you could be uploading your portfolio for our viewers, who are well traveled tattoo collectors as well as locals looking for a reputable custom tattoo artist. Join TattooNOW and help our community grow! Sorry, just testing this font color. Want to see if its good for the eyes and so on. I will jusst paste some stuff on. If you are a custom tattoo artist, you should join TattooNOW as an Artist Member! We get a lot of traffic, you could be uploading your portfolio for our viewers, who are well traveled tattoo collectors as well as locals looking for a reputable custom tattoo artist. Join TattooNOW and help our community grow!

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm A tattoo with out written consent is battery. Blood Borne Pathogens can kill your mates. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Real life is not a TV show!

its all fun and games until someone gets sick

last year on la ink i seen them refill an ink cap i called them in it this year they seem to be worried about cross- contam issues while talking all over tattoos and not wearing surgical mask s

you "sent" your portfolio? your too damn lazy to go in yourself? yea, i can see why you didnt get an apprenticeship, you are lazy and will take shortcuts and thats why you are on here anyway, goodluck with that hepititus

this thread makes me rage. i hope you die

Im in the same position you are. I live in a small iowa town without a shop and the only ones close by really aint all that good much less the kind of place im willin to spend 1,500$ for an apperenticeship. Ive been tattooing for a while but its all been single to triple needle stuff...i got a decent portfolio started but i have so much to learn and cant get anyone willing to teach me. Sorry i dont have any great answers but if you come across a the holy grail of truth please let me know....your brother n ink...best of luck!

Congratulations I"m glad you followed your heart instead of idiotic advise from such negative people I too started the same way but practice does make perfect all artist have made mistakes in the beginning the Key is Learning from those mistakes which in return makes you better with time Good Luck & Happy Tattooing!!

Funny, this link came up when I was looking for the tattoo website that came with my book: "Basic Fundamentals of Modern Tattoo" and it is a website called "TeachMeToTattoo" but google brought me here first!! This is a great thread by the way - thanks! I also agree that you shouldn't give up - and you should improve your artwork.