With about 14% of Americans having at least one tattoo, and tattoos becoming more accepted, there’s never been a better time to get into the industry. Now that tattoos are common and mostly accepted, people have started to branch out and push the envelope further, which is making for an interesting time to be a tattoo artist. There are now up to 21,000 tattoo parlors in America alone, and this unique profession is ever-growing. Read on for some things you should know about becoming an educated tattoo artist.
There are basically two ways to become a tattoo artist: through tattoo apprenticeship or going to one of several tattoo schools in the country. A tattoo education is necessary, because when it gets down to it, your job affects people’s lives. You are putting something on them that will stay there for the remainder of their lives. This leaves no room for mistakes or half-learned techniques. You also need a tattoo education to ensure you understand the safety guidelines surrounding tattoos. This means using the right ink, clean needles, and providing guidance for clients to care for their tattoos. You need to understand how different pieces of the human body will take a tattoo, and how it affects the out come of the piece. This is just the beginning.
You also need to be able to design tattoos. This means taking art classes, practicing drawing and clean lines as often as possible, and much more. Most tattoo artists specialize in one type of tattoo and then practice makes perfect. When you first get into your education, play around with fonts, geometric shapes, portraits, etc., and find what you’re good at or what you most like to do. Then, you should find a mentor, and basically, practice as much as you possibly can. Everyone needs to start somewhere.
What do you think? Is tattooing for you? How will you go about learning?
