Amatuer Tattooist

Ive been tattooing for a year now and ive gotten pretty well at it, and i love to express my art on other peoples bodys..i like to use alot of color..


and for proffesionals that have been doing it for years, if you have any advice, please respond

thanks.

 

yeh ill post them as soon as i get out of class at 330

its alot of my first tattoos so i have gotten much better.

 

I know very little about tattooing,
but I'm looking forward to seeing your work..
body art fascinates me.

 

There is some of it.

 

what are you talking about?

 

Excuse me i didnt go into this without knowing the safety percautions and not how to do it, my cousin is a professional, works in a shop, i know what im doing...this post was about my art, not the fact that i cant tattoo...im a beginner yes but like i said i didnt go into this not knowing what im doing

 

I think the art looks really good.
I especially like the bird.
I don't know anything about tattooing,
so you could be doing something horribly wrong that I don't know about.
But at least it's pretty..

 

no i would know if i was doing something wrong, i just need to work on getting picture perfect lines, but like i said im just starting out, but ofcourse someones gotta bust my balls. =p

 

Settletheocean,

Everybody starts somewhere, and I do think you have an artistic eye. I've worked in a very reputable shop, and have numerous tattoos. I'm no artist, though, so I admire your creativity. I'm not gonna bust your balls, but I'd like to point out somethings for you to consider. Answer these ?'s

Where are you tattooing?
A shop would be ideal, hence, getting an apprenticeship. However, at the very minimum, you need a comfortable place with non-pourous surfaces, and enough privacy that you won't be getting bumped into all the time.

Do you have an autoclave?
You need access to one of these. Alcohol/bleach/boiling just don't cut it. You can buy pre-sterilized needles, but you still need to autoclave your tubes. If you don't have an autoclave, you will have to use plastic disposable tubes. Also, you should be bagging your machine, using single use ink wells, and covering all surfaces with plastic wrap.

Do you have a dedicated sink?
You need hot and cold running water in a sink that is dedicated to this purpose. Kitchen sinks and bathroom sinks are unnsanitary unless completely bleached before and after use.

Would you really know if you were doing something wrong?
Of course not. If you knew, you wouldn't be doing it. Inexperience is perfectly fine, but you should have a experienced hand looking over you shoulder. You'll learn faster and not make as many mistakes.
I have to comment on your attitude. I know you're defensive because of other posts, but the tattoo idustry is full of hot shit tattooists that think the needle makes them the sexiest thing since the Stones. The people with staying power are humble, gracious, and willing to accept criticism. Grace under fire is your best asset.

Do you have blood born pathogen training?
This iis a license given through the state or county. It is the law in many places, and a great idea everywhere. Protect yourself and clients.

Do clients sign waivers?
If one person comes up with hep, hates the tattoo, or turns out to be minor, your ass can and will get taken to court. Even friends will turn if they're looking at 1000's of dollars to laser off bad work. Do yourself a favor and get copies of ID's and signed waivers.

Do you have a personal ethic against tattooing certain places or themes?
This is highly personal. Some people will tattoo hands and necks with swastikas without a hesitation. Most tattooists won't do racist or hate filled tattoos or work on hands and necks unless the person is already heavily tattooed.
Although you won't be wearing the tattoo, your reputation is very much tied up in the work others are sporting. You might not always want to be known as the guy who tattoos pot leaves onto people forarms. At least until you're established and highly skilled, you might want to limit tattoos to nuetral subjets in concealable places. If you look at a lot of artists thighs, they're covered in their own practive work.

Right now, you're probably either thinking "ahimsa is full of shit" or you're thinking "holy fuck, thats a lot of things to do." If you think I'm full of shit, then you probably aren't cut out to be a professional tattooist. If you are think that this is a lot of stuff to consider, you should go out and get a real apprenticeship. Taking the art to another level requires skill, which you have, and a lot of technical and trade knowledge that is best learned through an apprenticeship. Show the profession dedication and it will re-pay you.

Cheers

 

No your 100% right, your not full of shit, the only reason i got defensive is the other guy came out of no where saying that im a scratcher, acting like im some kind of idiot, before getting into it, i got some tattoos of my own, i dont own my own autoclave but i just have my cousin do it for me when i need the tubes cleaned, i use all sterile stuff,
im not making this my proffesion it is just a hobby that i do for close friends that trust me, i have not been payed to do any although some might say i should charge but i know im just starting out and im into it for the body art behind it, i have not taken the course and as for when i tattoo, i tattoo at my cousins shop when he'll let me, so i have all the given materials, but basically because his equipment is better than mine and he uses starbrite inks...which is better than moms ink (millenium) haha and as far as the ethic goes, i would never tattoo swasticas on someone or anything that is obsured like that. and i would know if i was doing something wrong i always have a proffesional over my shoulder, im going to college right now so i cant handle an apprenticeship and full time college, if i wanted one i could have a full one from my cousins shop. i wasnt giving the guy an attitude because i thought i was a hotshot, more because i have family in the business and it was pure ignorance that the guy was throwing out...which is different from you confronting me in a respected manner and knowing what you were talking about in the first place..so thank you for the respect.

 

Thank you for the respect, too.

 

respect is given where respect is earned =p

 

Fair enough im not one to argue about things any further than they need to be so thanks for the input corpfreak, because it is what i asked for =p

 

Thanks

 

I have to say, I think colour tattoos look mighty tacky, but it's all abut personal preference in the end.

If this is something your really enjoy, then keep at it! Why do some job that makes you miserable?
Best of luck for your future and remember: practice makes perfect!

 

Its something i love to do but im a graphic design major and i also like doing that alot...so im not exactly settling for anything less just choosing between the two i suppose but thanks for the advice.

p.s. i love color tattooing, some people have done some amazing things with it..

 

Before you pass judgement on color work, take a look at these:

carson hill tattoos
nathan kostechko
joshua carlton
mike devries
nick baxter

They all have myspace and webpages. You're entitled to an opinion, but I think some amazing stuff is beiing done with color. Its true alot of color work looks like cartoons, but alot of B&W looks like prison work.

Cheers

 

^^^I know, I know. Black and grey can look amazing. My point was that any style of tattoos will look like crap if its a crappy tattoo.

Cheers

 

Dont get me wrong, i love greywash shading and black work too, but its my own personal preferance is color, if you have seen my tattoos you would notice this fact about myself, ive seen some incredible black and greywash shaded work. so im not leaning either way..just saying that i myself prefer lots of colors

 

Ahahaha. Some of those are pretty bad. The worst tattoo I know personally is a guy who wanted a skull, but only wanted it to be 1 inch square. It looks like a raisin. A close second is the cave my friend haas which looks like a big black splotch.

Cheers