apprenticeship

[daymon]

anyone have any comments on an apprenticeship i need to know what to do to get into one

[olboys]

save up alot of money,alot of the pros are asking 3 to 5 thousand.

[olboys]

so called pros

[Anonymous]

depends on where u live , what state are u in ? here in Oregon the cheapest was 6,000$ and the most expensive was 20,000$$$
if u can get into an apprenticeship then that would be the absolute best way to go . But remember to check ur state laws , dont just listen to what some artist says , cause they are all assholes !!!they will lie to u and not giv eu any info on anything other than how to go about fucking yourself ....let us know what state ur in

[daymon]

im in ohio the redneck state

[olboys]

i agree with runic,watch your ass them locals well nail you if they think your taking business.runic and framey will steer you the right way.

[daymon]

thanks for the advise

[soulwound]

I went to the worlds only tattoo school in detroit. It cost about $5600, they also teach body piercing and cosmetic for an additional price. It is well worth the money.
Here is the website: www.tattoo-school.com

[voodoo]

why the hell is it only 2 weeks? when i left hvac school i still didant know shit!

[DamienWolfe]

Hello,
new to the forum so be gentle. I am probably opening a can of worms all over again, but I just had to offer my humble opinion.
I live in Denver, CO. Here in Denver apprenticeship sort of runs like this:
You pay $6-10 grand. You work 8-10 hours a day in the shop (no pay, just work full time) The artist flat tells you that you will not touch one pice of equipment for the first year.

Now keep in mind that I have several tattoos, all but one done professionally, and I am happy with them. I respect tattoo ARTISTS. However I have to agree with Runic.
Here is my point, while I respect someone for talent, I'll be damned if I am going to go through 2-3 years of servitude to learn something.
I just bought my own machine and setup. I took a few health classes (bloodborn pathogens, sanitation, biohazard cleanup).
Now I have been researching, reading, watching, and even did a tribal on myself the other day.
All in all, books aren't helpful, watching is somewhat better, and trying to ask honest advice from a pro artist in Denver is just asking for a bad attitude and a lecture.
I have learned more in the last 15 minutes of going through these forums than I have in the last month!

Thank you to the administrators for this forum!!

[voodoo]

here in lv its $5 grand at the shop i go to.
i went to another shop & it was free but,you had to be there form 2 years... with no days missed. or it was over. he told me he could teach for $3 grand in 6 months.

[Luckyshot]

are you kidding me?!??! there charging for apprenticships?and there charging that much!!!!guess it must just be diffrent in california,most shops out here just ask for a decent art book and dedication from an apprentice

[Anonymous]

dont give them another dollar ......check the price on that book , and check the prices on the videos they have here, and see if its still worth it . I REALLY don tthik its a good idea.....If u try to use thier certificate of completion for a state licence u will get laughed at by the state , and by any shop u go to ....by the videos from here , they are prolly the same ones , and the book I would think u can get cheaper , if u really wanted it ....But if u really want to get a good education , then get an apprenticeship , otherwise I think u can pick up more usefull info here.

[KnightRum]

the $70 1st payment for the book also included the shipping costs, and i recieved it 2nd day, the cheapest i found the book was $45 with shipping fees would have been close to that anyways, so no big loss, but where else is there really to become """CERTIFIED"""?

[Anonymous]

well call your state health licensing dept . If they say there is no licensing in your state , then u simply need no certifacation from anyone ... but u do need to know what u are doing , and after looking at the site , I dont believe there is any way for anyone to learn to tattoo in a 2 week corse , it is a total rip off....If your state has only a few regulations u can just go fill out the papers and take a quik quiz and get whatever license they have , most states are really strict or have nothng at all . Like Oregon , its really strict , and u go over to Washington , and there is nothing , no license , anyone can tattoo and its legal....so if there is no licenseing in your state , then just find an apprenticship , and if u cant , then take all the info u acan take in from us ....

[Anonymous]

oh , and just because a shop is featured on a news segment, dosnt mean squat...what does a new crew know about tattooing ? they will just think "wow the worlds only tattoo school " There are several shops here in Oregon that are registered with the state Board of Education as Private Career Schools , its required by the state to do so in order to train people ...so theyre definatly not the worlds only tattoo school....

[framey]

:evil:

[theprofessor]

I am new to the forums and found this too be the best thing so far in my tattoo experiances. I try to start out on then right foot. I wanted to get into tattooing for a long time but held off till there was actually someone in my local area that knew something about it. Wellgot hooked up with this guy opeing a new shop. Started working with him, learning more stuff, doing alot of custom drawing for him and stuff like that. Well agreement was made that when the year was up, according to law, I would be able to get into the shop full time. Well when it came around to it he became a jerk personally and all kinds of crap. Said the shop was not big enough and he didn't want to share the space or move. I checked the state law that was a bunch of bull but what are you going to do.
So I have doing my own thing for the last 3 years and had great customers come back time and time again but the only aspect missing is I am still doing work out of my house. Sure I am sterile, I have a autoclave,glass coutertop, sharps container, all the antiseptics and even a hydralic chair and massage table. It just hard to get your own thing going when you started out so crappy and then question what you still might be missing. Just my two cents on that whole thing. Has anyone else had a shitty aprenticeship story??

[Chopper Mike]

OK. Here is my thought on app.ships. You will not "learn" from a video or a book no matter how well it is put together. I apprenticed 13 years ago for 2 years under Notorious Ed. Back then it was an unpayed (both ways) app. I now have tought dozens of young people to become tattoo artists.

To truelly learn you must first find some one who is willing to take the time and patients to teach and not just line their pockets. I have never accepted one dime from my students. What I do (and this is just me) is bring some one in with the understanding that they will not pay anything more than their time and dedication to the trade. I also require them to purchase their own machines and tubes when they are ready to start. I even order what they want at my cost.

You see I have a love and passion for the trade and want to see the next generation passing on what was tought to me by one of the greatest artists of his time. That is what you need to find. I am not saing come learn from me. This is not a ploy to get you to come in with me. I only take on one at a time. When a student devotes him/herself to the trade I feel they should recieve the same dedication in return.

Something ealse I do that you all may want to look for. When you are ready technically you should be able to tattoo for money as well as learn.


This is all just my oppinion. Bash it, take it to heart, it makes me no diffrence.

[Pigment Pen]

I wish I could find someone with your ethics in my area, Chopper Mike. I've been teaching myself through these forums, books, videos and trial and error. Every artist in my neck of the woods wants a lot of money for an apprenticeship where you don't learn anything useful for at least a year. I can't afford to pay big bucks to learn to clean a shop but my passion for tattooing is what keeps me learning on my own (with the help of everyone on this board of course). I think I'm doing ok at this point but I would love to be able to learn from an experienced artist. I know about sterilization and about the equipment, but technique is something that must be taught by a professional. I'm not saying that it can't be learned on ones own, but it would be much easier and better in my opinion to have a mentor.

[Chopper Mike]

It does make it easier and it expedites the prosess. I do not put a "time" cap on any one. I start out by doing the out-line and shadeing. When the app. is comfortable I then have them do the color (with me by their side). Then they move to the shadeing and out-line in that order. I had an 18 year old female drop-out pick up the techniques like pulling the skin, ect. so fast she was tattooing for money in 5 months. I have also had people who would never tattoo for money. Tips and "tricks" are tought, your own tecnique and style will only come over time.

[framey]

LOL

[olboys]

To truelly learn you must first find some one who is willing to take the time and patients to teach and not just line their pockets. I have never accepted one dime from my students. What I do (and this is just me) is bring some one in with the understanding that they will not pay anything more than their time and dedication to the trade. I also require them to purchase their own machines and tubes when they are ready to start. I even order what they want at my cost.

You see I have a love and passion for the trade and want to see the next generation passing on what was tought to me by one of the greatest artists of his time. That is what you need to find. I am not saing come learn from me. This is not a ploy to get you to come in with me. I only take on one at a time. When a student devotes him/herself to the trade I feel they should recieve the same dedication in return.

Something ealse I do that you all may want to look for. When you are ready technically you should be able to tattoo for money as well as learn.


This is all just my oppinion. Bash it, take it to heart, it makes me no diffrence.[/quote]AMEN THATS WHAT I'VE BEEN PREACHING,ITS ABOUT THE ART AND THE LOVE OF THIS ART FORM.HELL I DON'T REALLY CHARGE MYSELF AS LONG THEY PAY MY OVERHEAD IM HAPPY.

[skoochmagooch]

you know that notorious ed now runs a school and he wants 10 grand to apprentice there? Where I live these artists are all so called artists don't teach anyone anything and the still rack in between 5 and 10 grand per apprentice? What is that so we really have so much to be thankful for here on this forum so where do I begin to really learn something?? anyone know anyone in PA thats lookin for a slave apprentice for dedication?
Marie

[blackcat supply]

I live in Denver, CO. Here in Denver apprenticeship sort of runs like this:
You pay $6-10 grand. You work 8-10 hours a day in the shop (no pay, just work full time) The artist flat tells you that you will not touch one pice of equipment for the first year.


the way they run it at emporium isn't the way it is everywhere in the metro.
granted its a little jacked that the price can be that steep, but sometimes stepback and look at it from thier side.... train the compation for free?
but there are a lot of shops here that dont charge as much, most of it is to cover your equipment, and a split for the shop (itself) and whoever is training you. & there are lots of shops that will train for nothing, if you have skills (art) and tenasity (sp) ... you know the burning desire.

you have no idea how many scratchers fest, kitchen wizard & generaly fucked up tattoos walk into a shop on a regular basis w/ the I got this at some dudes house can you fix it story...... (100 dollars? I only paid 20 for it originally... )

I'm not knocking everyone that works out of thier house, there is a lot of talented folks out there, more than a handful of tattooers today (top shelf ones) started that way, & most will tell you they wish they had an apprenticeship. cuts down the learning curve a hell of alot.

with that being said........ a few things to think about

do not use the phone, go there w/ your portfolio & talk to someone....
do you want to work/train just anywhere? (granted sometimes this is yes)
but check the scene out. and when you call...... chances are your talking to an artist not the owner... you say "are you hiring/taking appr." artist says "sorry bro not right now"..... (thats his money you want, and they know it) dont player hate, thats just the way it is, only so much loot to go around at any one shop.

go there and look around, would you want to train - work there. how are thier art skills.......... how are YOURS, if you cant draw worth a shit, this isnt for you, the most important part of the term tattoo artist is artist. a monkey can make marks on skin, it takes a certain finesse and skill to make it art.

draw draw draw. its your knocker at the door of opritunity.

[blackcat supply]

and someone should move this thread, it really shouldnt be in the machine section.

[Jimdawg22]

How can anyone afford an apprenticeship even if it is free? I have a job now that is the same hours as the shops around here. I have child support, rent, bills etc.. to pay. If I were to work for free learning from an experienced artist how does one pay their bills/ survive financially. The only way I can see it working is a) you are really rich to begin with b) your a kid living with your parents with no responsibilities.

[poconosrob]

Well...the generic answer you will get is" If you want it bad enough you will do what it takes to get it i.e. move, get a part time job, etc .....not feasable in your situation. BUT.....you can find a shop that will apprentice you "part time" thats what I did.....I have a full time job, wife, mortgage, etc.
so I found a shop that would let me work weekends and one or two evenings during the week. takes longer but as they say...even the longest journey starts with the first step. :D