What do you think of part-time artists?

It seems to be a pretty strong sentiment that tattooing takes talent, committment, and a motherload of work. I occasionally see ads for "part-time" artists -- and I wonder how common this really is, and if reputable shops ever do that. The reason I ask is pretty simple - I'm graduating this year and going into another field where full-time employment is very difficult to come by, and I'm still deciding what I'll do for a second job and if my art is of the caliber that I could go into tattooing. Would a longer part-time apprenticeship be possible, and working part-time afterwards, or is that just wishful thinking?

Learning to tattoo is a full time commitment. Loads and loads of work and hours. If you want to learn to tattoo and have a full time job, hopefully you arent married cause you will spend every waking moment not at work at the studio where you are learning. After years of tattooing, some artists cut back their tattooing to produce more painting type art projects, but for the most part tattooing is more than a full time job, its a complete lifestyle.

Can't say from experience but I don't completely agree with Gabe on this one, I've met more than a handful of part time tattooists in and around Kansas. Most of them have been single parents who work more than one job , and some have been full time tattoo artists with part time employment elsewhere to help make ends meet or what not. I guess it's kind of about priorities , do you follow your dreams and your passions first or try to make a buttload of cash? I'd say if you aren't personally dedicated to the art and industry of tattooing , find a different part time job or maybe just try running the front desk or something in a parlor that'd help you with the extra money and at least you'd still have your nose in the industry right? I guess it just seems that there are alot of people who want in for the money not the love, and well it makes it hard for others, and I think it sorta gives the art form a bad rep. granted that's to be expected with so much exposure in any art. blah blah blah the good and the bad.

I'm a part-time apprentice, about 20/wk. Working out pretty good, it's all about priorities. Tattooing for me is not about money, it's about the passion of the art. My full time job pays very good so can't really complain...

Wrong type -- 20 hrs/wk

i completely agree with gabe. but, part time apprenticeships are a good way to go. putting 40 hours a week into something for free is near impossible with rent, gas, and just surviving with the such essentials like a cell phone and internet access which allows you to converse on such great forums like this one. you start out 20 and start pickin up more hours when you feel you are ready. I started out part time, and when i started tattooing public, i switched to full time and it was really hard. I used to drive to this shop an hour and a half everyday, just to watch peope get tattoos and sweep the floors. Its a hard gig at first. But being part time i had the cash to fill my tank to get me down there 4 days a week. Find a flexible forgiving job. I had one. i know they arent easy. and to gabe about the painting thing. i havent even been at tattooing for a full year yet, and i already want to take time off to paint everyday. There are no rules, and it alows be to hone my style. Theres no Cherry Creek at my house.

after about 3 months i was already a better tattooist than people who've been doing it for 20 years. i heard the same bullshit before i started painting, that i would have to spend countless hours perfecting my craft and years of struggling before i could truly be an artist. within 6 months of my first stroke i was getting $3,000 apiece for my work as fast as i could paint them. if you need to eat sleep and breathe anything to be good at it, maybe you're a little short in the talent department. this is fine, i've always said that i could each a monkey to paint if i was given enough time, but if you really have a gift, then these things come easily.

show us your work dez, and the copy of the $3000 receipt. Nice to hear a humble guy, haha

Yeah, that was kinda silly to say after X years then folks start painting... many times people paint extensively first! dunno what i was thinking... Its awesome you are learning, cant wait to see some tattoos. It seems like you need at least 20 hours a week to really learn, ideally the other 20 are working in an art related field (so your learning full time). There are a zillion ways to do it.

that was years ago, my paintings go as high as $7,000 these days. and, no, i'm not showing you any "receipts" (receipts are what you get when you purchase something, not sell something) my work is solid. there are folks here who can attest to that. humble??? hell, no.

Well Dez, Id pat you on the back about your quick rise to the top, but if you in the middle of no-where where people dont get custom tattoos then maybe yer competition isnt so hot... :-) I know a few artists who developed very fast, many put out amazing quality work in a year or two or three. The common thing they all have is talent and drive and an art portfolio that kicks ass. And the fact is, though they may learn quick, the more they do the more they learn and after 5 - 10 years of zillions of hours those artists are fucking GOOD and only getting better and better. Needless to say, everything I have learned has taken me years to sink in. It would sure be nice to be a born genius, but I had to get learn everything the hard way by making mistakes for a long time. Ah well, tis my lot in life, at least I'm not a tattoo artist. I have seen one small watercolor pic from Dez and I could see originals going from 3-7k. Dez, is there a place online were we can check out more work and/or purchase prints?

we get some custom tatt work in here, but they are usually not real big and not much of a challenge.but sleeves and backpieces, or anything else that would be alot of fun are rare. i'll send some more images when i get around to it. but i'd prefer not to post them on the board.

What state are you in that you're getting that kind of money for beginner art? And who's the buyer? I've been in plenty of galleries with awesome artwork and what sells is the artists name, not the quality of the work. I would love to see some of your artwork, especially when it sells at those prices right out of the box.

Agreed , one who bosts so much surely wouldn't be ashamed nor afraid to share these great works with like minded individuals , I think I've seen this situation before. At any rate, Like Gabe said there's more than just one way to do it in the business. Hell he's proof of that and he's not even an artist. Like Vishu explained it's hard to pay the bills and put full time hours into what you hope to make into a career( unless of course your paintings sell for so much right ). I believe the intitial poster was wandering about a part time tattoo artist , not apprenticeship. I beleive most people don't have the means to jump into something like an apprenticeship full time , there aren't exactly any grants or scholarships to help you along the way. Maybe that's why so many professionals seem to come off with an untowardly attitude. You can't just jump in the door everything about getting licensed, at least as far as where i'm living, is a pain in the ass , you gotta jump through an awful lot of hoops and make the right friends and bust your ass as often as your finances allow it. Doesnt' make it impossible but the desired end effect should make on very proud to have done it. Like I said I do know part time artists and full timers. What ya put in is what you get out and this could drag on all day but I"ve got things to do so. Maybe the part timers are in love with the art just like the full timers but don't wish to push themselves as far into it as they can? Maybe they're completely satisfied having bits and pieces of themselves in all sorts of industries or entertainment, art, music , and so on. I wouldn't go to a part time tattooist and I wouldn't pay any decent money for a painting by just anyone, and I wouldn't by a car that yamaha made, nor a truck that harley davidson built, or a refridgerator by ford.

stopped reading your post after you spelled "boast" wrong.

lol

Jeesh. Princess Jer is one of a few that makes an intelligent conversation, actually uses capitals at the beginning of a sentence and uses punctuation in the right spots and ya gotta knock her on a typo lol. I personally get really annoyed by constant stupidity on forums. if ur riting lik this i cna't be bothured to reed wat ur sayin cuz u dun haf enuff smartz to hav a valid opineeon But an occasional typo is forgivable :) Hell I'm guessing a long time ago when dez was lil he mighta made a mistake or two. Maybe.

god hates part-time artists. and typos.

hey dez you don't have to put your paintings on the board, create a website that people can view your work and buy it. If your work is that good that people will buy it for 7000 i think it would be worth it for you to go bigger. Maybe you are as good as you say maybe your not. Walk the walk other people have been chased off this board for talking the talk. And by the way receipts are kept by both the buyer and seller. Its called records. IRS loves those things.

I don't see anything wrong with a part time tattoo artist as long as their other job is art related or related to tattooing in some way.....or if they just spend their free time creating art. I also think that maybe the part time thing would come after tattooing for many years, like taking a break, enjoying life and other activities a little. These experienced artists would know enough to not screw up people's skin...I would worry if a tattooist of only a year or so were tattooing part time. (by the way I'm not a tattoo artist, just an opinion).

I can understand needing a real (read:bullshit) job in order to be able to pay dues in time and money to learn, study and devote yourself to tattooing. That being said, if you're already up on your skill and you're just dicking around tattooing part time for any other reason then for the love of the craft, I'd rather get my work done by someone who cared.

I guess that's one way to look at it. I can see that point...if you're not completely passionate about it why bother. On the other hand, why can't a person be passionate about ART in general....or about more than one thing. Seems like a lot of tattoo artists were artists first...I could understand if an artist would want to spend some time on other media.

I agree. A tattoo artist is an artist first and foremost and if another medium is calling your name by all means go nuts. Painting can be just as technical and complex if not more in some cases then tattooing. Isn't part time just a figure determined by "the man" and everyone else busting theirs 8 hours for a check? As far as I'm concerned even my full time job is still just "part time"

i have a website from which i sell my artwork. there's just no way in hell i'm posting it here. i sent gabe a couple of pics, if you want to e-mail him, then it's ok with me if he sends them to you guys.

What's the website?

The pics I got are pretty awesome, and very senic. But Im not gonna get in the middle of emailing Dez's photos around to people... I dont have any idea who you are dez, email people your photos yourself. Better yet, just post a link to your website and stop being so mysterious if you are going to post so often.

confession: i'm whitey bulger.

I don't care about dude's artwork too much to get into little tiffs with the person on a forum none the less. Back to the subject I guess, I have known more than one accomplished tattoo artist to go more than just part time. Hell I've heard of some great artists just simply stepping out of the shop and doing some travelling and selling flash all over the country for years, not even tattooing part time. I don't think that makes them less of a tattooist by any means. Once you're established , your shop is up and running , you've got a couple people you can trust to run things while you're out and about , go for it. If you can't pay your bills or your apprenticeship fees , get a full time job and spend whatever you can dedicated to bettering yourself. Life happens . Circumstances outside of your control may force you to change things up a bit idk. But doing things in an unorthodox matter doesn't necessarily mean you're less passionate than the man who's mommy and daddy can foot the bill for his rent , his food , his car insurance, and his clothes, or whatever , so that the person can devote ALL of their time towards tattooing. Just means you'll have to work harder to achieve the same desired outcome. oh well lol later,

Why would an artist refuse to post a link to his work online? Especially after he talks it up? Unless, of course, he has something to hide.

i'm hiding my penis in your mom's poop chute.

My guess, well maybe he is actually a phenomenal artist and his paintings do sell for quite alot of money and it's given the person a rather large ego and perhaps he thrives on drama , net nazi keyboard warrior types aren't hard to find. Or he's not really all that great at all and just enjoys the attention ? I'm not sure but people are a lot of fun to try and figure out so long as you don't let your emotions get the best of you in the process. I've seen other people in similar positions offer up some great advice and support to some then turn around and be deliberate pricks to others, at random mind you. There are no absolutes in human life said someone. and it holds true all the way across the board. I like tattoos , the people who do them (even the assholes) , the people who collect them ( even the morons), and the people who aspire to do them( like me). It just gets tiring dealing with so many people who don't seem to be on the same wavelength I'm on or who have such opinions that clash with my own , but all in all I've seen a lot of great things come from everyone for the most part. eh fuck it sorry I fell off the subject , part time tattooing isn't for everyone, but neither is rocket science.

Hey, you can say whatever you want about my mom, I'll probably agree with you. This is the women who kicked me out of the house at 18. But you're still using insults and trying to create a smoke screen when all you really have to do is show your work. You supposedly have a website, it's more than a little strange that you're intimidated to post it. The vast majority of people, myself included, who have a website want people to see it.

I dont understand why either. If the images he sent me are his real watercolors, then hes being really stupid for not getting that shit out there, cause then he would be getting some real people traveling to get real tattoos... but, then he probably couldnt get away with being a prick 49% of the time if everyone knew who he was, so, he hides...

i get away with being a prick at least 70% of the time. if i posted my website, what would you cry about? i'm working on a charcoal drawing, i'll e-mail it to you when it's done.

about all the scratchers calling tattoo machines guns, duh.

You know, if you have to finish a drawing just to post something, when supposedly you have a whole website of finished pieces , there is something a little fishy going on. No one is crying about anything, they're just calling you on your bullshit and you're squirming in your seat and trying to cloak everything under juvenile bravado. It's easy to talk shit, it's another thing to back it up. It's what seperates the men from the boys, and so far all I hear is your mangina talking.

not sure where you've been, dillhole, but i've sent pics of my art to gabe which were, you guessed it, finished. next time you feel like saying something, have an idea what you're jabbering about first.

I read that, sending stuff to Gabe, and then sounding off on a message board about how great you are, but refusing to post anything, is what I'm talking about. You could have sent pictures to George Bush for all I care, no one here is viewing them. Just post the fucking pictures, or shut up, stop being a drama queen. And the high school level insults are only making you look bad.

that's a lotta tears. why do you guys wanna see my shit so bad? george bush doesn't buy my work. cheap bastard.

You know, this is why I don't go on message boards much anymore. I feel like I'm arguing with a little fucking kid. I should actually be working on drawings for appointments instead of wasting time. Do whatever you want, I have better stuff to do.

You know, this is why I don't go on message boards much anymore. I feel like I'm arguing with a little fucking kid. I should actually be working on drawings for appointments instead of wasting time. Do whatever you want, I have better stuff to do.

You know, this is why I don't go on message boards much anymore. I feel like I'm arguing with a little fucking kid. I should actually be working on drawings for appointments instead of wasting time. Do whatever you want, I have better stuff to do.

I think well ok in my opinion the only reason I'd like to see some of your work is because you've spent an awful lot of energy on putting down the work of others as well as telling this forum at least how great of an artist you are. Damn right I wanna see some work lol. It's not about someone trying to swing on your dick buddy. I kinda think you put yourself in this position. Mr. Henk kinda hit it straight on ,if this art of your's is your bread and butter why not exploit the opportunities at hand? You that rich you don't worry about money? I envy you if that's the case most definately. I don't claim to make thousands hell sometimes not even hundreds , on anything i've ever drawn , but I'd be more than happy to present you with some of my pieces. at the drop of a hat. and I don't even have a website lol anyhow, hope to see some of your work if not then i'll force myself to write you off as a fake.

i heard ya the first time, dan!!!!! send your e-mails to me a [email removed]. i'll send ya'll some shit if it'll shut yer pieholes. i don't remember putting down anyones work here, other than hotsparks machines.

Until this got stupid -- thanks for the responses. Mer