thinking about looking for an apprenticeship

I read threads on here for about 4hours gettin information and tips on gettin an apprentice ships and over all just finding out how to act when i eventually go and ask around I'm only 17 so i dont have any tattoos yet but im intending to get one as soon as Im 18, i would really love to get into the industry nothing to do with money or anything like that but purely because i love drawing and i love tattoo art more then anything else alot of the stuff i draw isnt really tattooish really however i have designed a few things for people and would love to get some professional oppinions on if my work is good enough to have a chance of getting an apprenticeship. http://loserdraven.deviantart.com/gallery/ / i wish i could give a link but i dont know how to so people will just have to copy and paste it to there address bars. but i would love more then anything if people could give me tips on what i could draw to add to my portfolio and im willing to do almost anything for who ever i eventually apprentice for . thank you for your time

Tom...first read the 4th thread from the top...about aspiring artists...click on "apprenticeship 101 by my pal JRod...Lot of good info there! Now I looked at your art and you have a long long way to go...at this point if I were you I would take any art classes you can find...make art your life...draw CONSTANTLY ...go to sleep with a pencil in your hand...when your art is AMAZING start a professional portfolio and when ya get it done and it looks PRO hit the bricks and start getting tattooed by the best around...keep your eyes open and your mouth shut...watch EVERY move the artist makes!!! Start attending any tattoo convention you possible can and again...Keep your eyes OPEN!!! Work hard and be dedicated and disciplined and it WILL happen!! Good luck!

Yep, all the art school you can get. and never stop drawing. You have a long road ahead, but you will get there. Check out our art galleries and study everything you can everywhere. How do people acheive effects, what are the things you like and dont like, classes are very very very helpful. And get bad ass tattoos!

cheers for your honest i don't really like art courses seems a bit stupid but i don't, however i would like tips on what to practice on. i don't mean practice tattooing like most people who ask on here but just my drawing skills. and for a portfolio how much can be on tracing paper cos some of my stuff i do i use tracing paper to make sure that everything is in proportion as if i was in the business i don't think people would be happy if u drew someone out ta proportion so it doesn't look like them. obviously i only do this for work that already exists or from photos if i make it up myself its just a piece of paper for me to work on, even with out a art course i do draw a lot and the only reason alot of stuff wasnt on the site is simply because i didn't want to show someone all the work on there is for people who have requested to see a specific thing. thanks again

Ummm NO!! Tracing paper in a portfolio?....HELL NO!! No one wants to see what you have TRACED!! They wanna see YOUR work!! AS far as art classes being stupid, well ya just showed us how smart you are!! You are defeated before ya start pal!

just realized i missed a , in the last post i didn't mean art classes are stupid i meant me not liking them is stupid but its true prob from my experience from trying a few i improve a lot more from just drawing doodling and generally looking at art then i ever have from doing an art course, i do however do art in the course i do at the moment. which is a media course which involves film and stuff which i always end up doing story boards for everything in which if you don't know is just drawing the shots that we'd be filming as a reference. i did art at school but way to much of the course was about writing when art shouldn't have to be that way. anyways made myself look stupid before and thanks for the tip on the tracing thing i don't trace on my own work obviously but some of the stuff i copy i sometimes trace. or reference materials if i cant draw something ill trace it a few times till i realize where i need to put the lines in,

Don’t Let all these domineering persona’s get to you……. You don’t have to write or compose music to play a guitar, I know more tattooist that can only “ fake draw “ than can actually draw as a college trained art student. Be the tattoo is just as clean as the big barkers. If you have a good heart and honesty you should still seek out the information which will teach you smooth line’s & clean shading. Tattooing is technical once you learn that, The only thing holding you back would be art training.

Miscommunication man!! Anyway...there is nothing wrong with tracing FOR PRACTICE!!! And if ya find a GOOD teacher art courses are GREAT and a lot of fun!!

cheers, i have another new picture on there that i did today its not the most clean picture but its there half done, finished pre-colour and coloured, i dont like the colour version that much prob do it again some time maybe more simplified

why would your name be LOSERdraven?? or am i miss reading it.. i would suggest changing that name, if you ever get to tattooing.. don't trace, that don't work.. just copy pictures (and i don't mean with a copy machine) start with simple ones.. there are lots of tattoo artists that cant draw for shit, but still tattoo amazing.. it just that you're very limited (to standard flash) and you will never get far.. and it wont be easy to land an apprenticeship if you don't have anything to show for.. don't give up, never give up!

cheers, most of my work isn't traced i do as much custom work as i can and keep it like it would be if i was in the buisness designing for other people rather then just designing stuff i think looks cool. the tracing stuff tends to be artist that i really like and just want to draw for myself so i trace them altho i only ever trace outlines of the full picture cos its no fun if theres nothing, to do yourself, but cheers anyway the main reason i posted on here was for tips from pros or other people trying to do the same thing rather then just people i know who love my work as they don't see it from a tattooing angle they just see it as a picture. so cheers to everyone so far and keep the posts coming

I got my apprentiship with nothing but digital and sculpture pieces in my portfolio and a huge willingness to learn and dedicate myself to life drawing and all that other fun stuff.Man i remember my first stencils.....YIKES ! (as we do not use a carbon fax ( OL SKOOL FOO's) ).As long as you have a good sense of art and determination youl get there.

ok 2 questions. professional oppinion. are people who live near by to a tattooists less likely to be able to get an apprenticeship. i live 5min away from a really good tattooists in sheffield and if i could work anywhere it would be there. second question would it be better to ring a place asking if they'res any chance of getting an apprenticeship there and asking if they'd be willing to look at your work before u turn up at the shop and ask them to look. was hanging around in the tattooists near me today having a laugh and a chat with the tattooists whilst my mates were gettin tattoos. the owner offered to sell me a car for £200 that he was gonna sell for £300 id buy it but i cant afford to have it put on the road and im not gonna be driving it anyway as im still learning

Ok Tom I see your looking to find the easiest way in the Tattoo Business, You have already stated you’ll not spend anytime training in art. You read as if your too broke to buy your way in, either by opening a studio or buying an apprenticeship. Your options are shrinking quick I doubt posting on a tattoo board is going to help. So I’m going to give you one more way that will probably be your best option: Spend at least $ 1000 dollar on Tattoo equipment I Recommend 2 machine heads, sample bottles of inks, disposable needles & tubes. Then go around to every tattoo studio your car less ass can carry you & beg like a hungry man showing the equipment, If it looks as if you are going to be turned away make them aware that they can teach you the “ right way “ or you have no choice but to learn trail & error. Let me know how that works out 4 ya !

Yeah! Thats it!!! Then let us know how long it took the emergency room doctors to get those machines out of where the tattoo artist stuffed them!!!

ok first im a 17 year old college student in england. hence the lack of lots of money and i dont mean i cant afford the car. i mean i cant afford the ridiculas insurance and tax prices over here. as a learner driver it costs me alot more to have insured and i dont what to have to pay for a car that im not driving for a good 6months or so. as for the easy way in im not looking for the easy way in i was just asking about the local place as i live 5min away from the best tattooists in sheffield so i was wandering if me living so close would make it harder to get a place there as there is the competition factor after i learnt and the possibility that i could set up across the road. which i wouldnt do as it would be stupid. so yeh i dont have a car cos unlike over in america we dont have our daddys buying us cars and teaching us to drive at the age of 14 or wenever. we have to pay for it ourselfs with the stupid insurance and tax to go with it. so sorry for asking a simple question which u took as me being some person that wants to walk into a tattooists and get given an apprenticeship and everything else. and by the way if ur wandering about the insurance thing being expencive. me gettin the car would basically mean im spending about £100 a month for a car that isnt being driven. after the original 200 and the possible 150 tax so yeh. american double it and see how much it costs for u

if u werent clever enough to figure that out it means. that im spending £950 on nothing for the time that i wont be using that. American that would be $1900. and thats not even touching on the prices it costs to learn to drive