5 Portfolio Tips To Get A Tattoo Apprenticeship

How To Make Your Portfolio Stand Out

So, you think you might want to be a tattooer but your aren’t sure how to make the best impression when approaching a tattoo artist for an apprenticeship? One way to stand out (aside from your winning personality) is by having a solid portfolio to prove your artistic skills and commitment to the arts. There are several things tattoo artists will look for when considering an apprentice. Here are a few basics.

Pencil Sketches Do Not a Portfolio Make.

Fill your portfolio with hours and hours of hard work. This makes solid, completed art. NOT A SKETCHBOOK! Anyone can assemble a book of doodles and 30 min. sketches, but it takes a serious artist to create a portfolio of professional, quality work that demonstrates knowledge of design concepts and proficiency in multiple mediums. Do the work of a professional and that is what you will become.

Will It Make a Good Tattoo?

If your work shows a serious influence from the tattoo world, chances are you are seriously into tattoos. What does that influence look like? Take a look at some “tattoo flash” and you will notice that the designs are not filling the entire page, but rather have a shape of their own, making them more transferable to a 3D canvas. The designs are not busy or full of multiple tiny subjects. They can stand alone or be added to a flash sheet, and put emphasis on clean lines and high contrast to hold up well on the skin. There are countless subtleties that will indicate how much your art takes inspiration from tattooing. Not only will this stand out to a potential mentor and teach you to spot those subtleties, but it will also give you a library of original work to tattoo on your future clients. The best platform for finding inspirational tattoo art is Instagram, so follow as many artists as you can. (Be mindful of original artwork as design stealing is highly offensive!)

Vary Your Subjects.

We get that you have a style and subjects that you prefer to draw, but if you are not willing to leave your comfort zone, tattooing might not be for you. Humans love variety (it’s like a spice or something) and you don’t want to be pigeon-holed into the latest tattoo trends by always letting the client choose the design. Increase your skills and try drawing subjects you have never drawn before. This will show your commitment to growth and your versatility as an artist. Even if you just really love drawing faces, there is not a huge demand for tattoos of faces by apprentice tattooers for a reason. Learn/prove you can draw different subjects and it will help you add variety to your face drawings later on and you will be more prepared to handle client requests.

Please Just Don’t.

Do not include tattoos you have done! Better yet, don’t tattoo without a license! This was another tip I included in a previous blog, How To Get An Apprenticeship. But let me reiterate; a professional tattooer does not want to see your home-made tattoos any more than a dentist wants to see the cavity you filled yourself because you really want to be a dentist. It is not legal to tattoo without a license in most states, and tattooers work very hard to get into the profession. Skipping ahead without knowing what you are doing is not only disrespectful to the industry, but it shows you assume tattooing is easy and requires no skill or learning, and don’t get me started about the disease and infection you could cause! If you bought a “tattoo kit” and started tattooing all of your friends in your basement, you might want to keep that to yourself, and seriously, just stop.

Success Is Built On Many Failures.

Don’t get discouraged if no one is interested in taking you on right away. Apprenticeships are not easy to do or to give, and the responsibility of someone’s education is not often taken lightly. The tattoo industry is relatively new to the main stream, and many tattooers still resist the idea of it being a widely accessible career path. It can take 10+ years post-apprenticeship for an tattooer to feel skilled enough to teach, and there are no guidelines or requirements to follow, making expectations unclear and misunderstandings more likely. All of this makes many tattooers hesitant to accept an apprentice. So, if you are not well received at some of the shops you approach, just go on to the next one and try not to take it too personal.

These tips should be a good jumping off point for anyone interested in creating a portfolio for a tattoo apprenticeship. Putting in the hours developing your skills is paramount to stepping foot in on any career path.

Want to know more? Just ask in the comments or let me know what else you want to learn about! Interested in apprenticing with us? Sign up to our Aspiring Apprentice email list and we will notify you when we are accepting an apprentice, or offering workshops to learn more about the industry. You can also find more info at www.AlchemyTattooApprenticeship.com

Subscribe

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

How To Get A Tattoo Apprenticeship

What you need to know to break into the industry.

What does it take to get into the world of tattooing? There aren’t any tech schools or degrees, so how does one go about getting their tattooing license?  Here are a few tips for those of you curious about what I look for in a tattoo apprentice, after 13 years in the industry. The regulations vary greatly by state, so I can only speak for my home state of Missouri, however a lot of these preparations with get you closer to tattooing no matter where you are from.  

1. Portfolio, portfolio, portfolio.  And no, I do not mean a collection of your pencil drawings from your sketchbook.  That is not a professional artist portfolio.

This piece was taken from a former apprentice’s portfolio website, www.justinecho.com. You can see Justine had a clear attention to detail and the subject matter would be easily translated into a tattoo. She also has a degree in fine art and a full portfolio of work.

When I look for an apprentice, I am looking for a student that already has a grasp on the technical aspects of design, composition, and technique.  I look for portfolios demonstrating various styles, subjects, and media.  Just a sketchbook tells me you have not put in the hours to make a completed piece of art. The sketch is stage one.  If you have not experimented beyond that, you have not put in enough time.  I suggest using YouTube to research and practice professional drawing and painting techniques.   You want at least 15-25 solid pieces of various subjects and mediums that are not under-developed.  Your art should show attention to detail, without any part of the design being overlooked or underdone. The better your portfolio looks (and you should be comparing it to professional tattoo artist work, not fine artists) the easier it will be for a tattooer to see your potential and your tangible, demonstrated dedication.  

Subscribe to our email list to be notified when we are taking apprentices.

Subscribe

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

2. Get tattoos.  I know, they get expensive but, if you want to really be taken seriously as a prospective student, you have to show a passion for the craft.  Not only that, but there is a lot to know that just the process of being tattooed can show you.  If you are not willing to make getting a tattoo a priority you should question your dedication to that career path. Getting tattooed will also give you the undivided attention of a professional artist.  And, isn’t that what you are wanting out of an apprenticeship? 

There’s no shortage of terrible tattoos on the internet. Found this gem on https://www.reddit.com/r/shittytattoos/

This is what home-made tattoos look like folks. And, I can assure you the "artist" learned very little by not having someone available to tell them what was going wrong.

3. Do not tattoo on yourself or friends.  While many artists started by doing just that, it is still very frowned upon in the industry and is by far the most difficult way of learning anything.  Imagine if your dentist learned that way.  Tattooing without instruction communicates to the artist that you do not think you have anything to learn or any work to do before attempting a tattoo.  It is disrespectful to the hours an artist has put in practicing to get where they are.  If someone walked into your job and said they would cover your shift, but needed no instruction or training because they claimed it wasn’t needed, would you not scoff and say “good luck with that?”  Nothing is as easy as it seems to the outside observer.  Even the simplest of jobs require adequate training.  Just like learning any technical skill, you have a lot of preparation work to do before you pick up the machine.  I have seen first hand what home-made tattoos look like from your friend’s basement who was “a really amazing artist” in high school.  It’s not good.

4. Once you have a well-developed art portfolio, ask an artist you respect and trust (by now you hopefully know at least one from getting tattooed) to critique your work.  And expect to use their suggestions to improve.  The critique is an invaluable learning tool you will use throughout your whole career, if you are lucky enough to find an artist to give it to you.

That’s it.  If you are dedicated and keep the end goal in mind, I can promise you it will happen. There is no degree you can signup for or class you can buy your way into, but with a little intention and work, you will find a way.