What's up /ic/ I'm considering trying tattooing for

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selfbump

cmon guys halp

Do a bunch of amateur self tats on ur own face and then other tattoo artists will think you're loco and youll have street cred and you'll get the job regardless of artistic ability

>>2323685
All the advice you need is already out there but let me break it down for you.
There are two ways to get an apprenticeship.
If you don't get an apprenticeship, you're shit and you SHOULD NOT tattoo. End of story. Don't even argue. Don't go down that road.
First way to get into a shop; know somebody in a shop. Shops have people coming in all the time to try and get a place, and you can bet that the assholes who are related to the owner will get a place before anybody else.
Second way to get into a shop:
Build up a portfolio. You'll need over twenty of your best pieces. Don't just copy other people's drawings, take some photographs and draw them. Do some paintings. Show versatility in your work. Graphite, watercolour, ink. Don't bring in shitty anime drawings unless you can back it up with foundational skills.
If you are a good enough artist, you will get a place, I promise you. Tattoo shops won't turn away someone who is SERIOUS about tattooing and SERIOUS about art. I got my way in by having a solid portfolio, a strong traditional art skill set and studied tattooing by reading and watching hours worth of videos. I knew nobody personally in the game and was offered a place at every shop I applied for. Sadly, I've seen people get a place just for sleeping with the shop owner's daughter so that's probably a third avenue.
But I doubt you'll listen to me because you don't even sound actually serious about tattooing. The industry WILL weed out those that are in it for the glory. You'll get chewed out and harassed if you're just a backyard scratcher.
>tldr; don't bother unless you're actually going to be serious about it. You're messing with people's bodies so you have to learn about the sterilisation process, skin cells and how they heal, how different ink pigments react in the body and actually how to draw.

tattoo artist here. get together a good portfolio of your best art. not just bullshit high school projects but good art. go around to shops in your area and ask for an apprenticeship. eat shit for a year learning in a shop. stick with it, don't switch shops because you get branded a runaway apprentice and no one will hire you. get 3-5 years under your belt, dominate.

never buy cheap ink or machines. don't tattoo out of your house. don't fill your portfolio full of shit you've copied from the web.

our industry is over-saturated. training an apprentice is creating your own competition. be worth it. don't give up. network and bust your ass.

>acquire pig skin
>double the amount of pig skin you've acquired
>do stick and poke doodles all over that shit
>cover every square inch in doodles
>waltz into tattoo shop and plop all of your pig skins on the table
>don't say anything just nod at them knowingly
>leave without giving contact info
>they will eventually find out who you are and hire you.

That's how it's done don't listen to these other d/ic/k heads.

>>2323685
My brother in law taught himself. He specialises in dot work.
I gave him my leg to practice on. And as time went by he improved alot.
He only works with black ink.
4 years down the line and he has his own tattoo studio here in Ireland.

Get yourself a Sharpie and paper and practise shading only using dots.
Check him out on Facebook it's Eoin18

Apologies
It's Eoin108