If you want to become a tattoo artist, getting an apprenticeship can be highly beneficial.
A tattoo artist apprenticeship allows you to learn important trade skills, including safety, sanitation, and how to build and manage a machine. It also gives you the opportunity to become employed at the shop you apprentice at.
Read on to learn more about how to become a tattoo artist apprentice and what to look for in your apprenticeship.
Creating a Portfolio
Before you start searching for a tattoo apprenticeship, it is important to prepare a portfolio that shows your skills as an artist.
When creating your portfolio, pick around 50 to 100 designs that show your technique and creativity, as well as your understanding of the fundamentals of design. You will want to choose artworks that emulate a variety of popular tattoo styles, including:
- American traditional
- Japanese
- Neotraditional
- Realism
- New School
- Dotwork
- Geometric
Try to include some works that are in full color and others that are black and gray.
Portfolios should have both a physical and online copy. Physical copies should have sheet protectors and a hard case to protect your pieces when displaying them to potential mentors. Online copies should be uploaded to a professional website with an online gallery that a potential mentor can access digitally.
What to Look For in a Tattoo Artist Apprenticeship
When searching for a tattoo artist to learn under, there are some qualities you should look for.
You should look for an artist that wants to teach and has already graduated with multiple apprentices. Even if you know of a tattoo artist that does fantastic, high-quality work, that does not mean they will also be a good teacher. If you are not careful in choosing a tattoo artist, you may find yourself being treated as little more than a free assistant.
Alternatively, you can join a Florida tattoos academy. This will ensure you get good training and practice tattooing human skin.
Questions to Ask
When choosing a tattoo artist apprenticeship, there are a few questions you should ask.
You will want to know the length of the program, what milestones there are, and how much you will have to pay. You should also make sure that you will be working on human skin, so you can get some hands-on experience under the tattoo artist’s supervision.
Lastly, you should find out how likely it is that your apprenticeship will lead to a job at the artist’s shop. While experience and training are important, one of the most beneficial parts of an apprenticeship is the chance to go right into a job after training.
One of the best ways to find out your chances of getting a job from your apprenticeship is by talking to other artists in the shop. This will give you the opportunity to find out if any of them were previous apprentices of the artist as well as what experiences they had.
Finding a Tattoo Artist Apprenticeship Near You
A tattoo artist apprenticeship can give you the training and experience you need to become a professional. It can even lead to a job at the shop you apprentice at.
However, the quality of your mentor determines the quality of your apprenticeship. If you get the feeling that a tattoo artist or shop is not a great fit for you or something just feels off, there are plenty of other options to choose from.
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check out some of our other quality posts for useful tips and information.
