How to start off as a tattoo artist and get my own guns?
I have no idea where to get the tattoo machines, i want to get one so I can start off by giving the fruits in my house some tattoos. I can’t order online, are there beginner kits and could I just call my local tattoo shops and see if they have kits for sale? Also how much would it cost to get all this
Tattoo machines are easy to come by. You can even buy them through Amazon or Ebay. But it takes more than just equipment and ink to become a tattoo artist. First of all, to become even moderately good, you need training. A lot of it.
First you have to learn the techiques behind tattooing. When do you use a liner vs a shader gun. How deep do you press the needles into the skin in order to get the ink into the right level of the dermis without causing the skin to keloid. Learning to have a very steady hand in order to have clean lines and smooth shading. Learning how to do both grey shade and color tattooing. Like many things, there’s a big difference between learning to do something at a basic level and learning to do it really well.
Then you have the safety considerations that have to be learned. Tattooing must be done under sterile circumstances so that you do not inadvertently spread diseases, Blood born diseased (like HIV and Hepatitis) and regular infections can be transmitted with contaminated tatoo equipment so knowing how to sterilizing your equipment and having the proper means to do so (an autoclave) is critical. Many municipalities require training in maintaining a sterile work area for tattoo shops and dept. of health certification and while tattoo machines might be relatively inexpensive, autoclaves aren’t but are critical for preventing the spread of infection.
Finally there is the artisitic training that good artists have. My artist has a fine arts degree and a lot of artists are now coming out of arts or graphic design backgrounds. A degree in the arts isn’t necessary, but it allows an eye for designing beautiful original peices and an understanding of color theory that will greatly help an artist.
There are no shotcuts to becoming a good tattooist. The first step generally would be to try to get an apprenticeship with an established shop. This will mean a chance to observe artists at work, learn proper techniques from them and see how to maintain a clean work area. The established artists will, over time, teach you how to do a tattoo properly, how to design, judge placement on the body, etc. It will likely be several years of training before you are really ready to actually tattoo a living person.
YOU MUST BE LICENSED TO TATTOO. TO START, YOU NEED TO FIND A SHOP THAT WILL PUT YOU ON AS AN APPRENTICE. COULD TAKE A YEAR OR MORE. YOU’LL START BY DOING THINGS LIKE CLEANING UP. RE SUPPLYING THE ARTISTS SUPPLIES, RUNNNG ERRANDS,ETC. DON’T THINK YOU CAN PURCHASE TATTOO EQUIPEMET LEGALLY .
References :
Tattoo machines are easy to come by. You can even buy them through Amazon or Ebay. But it takes more than just equipment and ink to become a tattoo artist. First of all, to become even moderately good, you need training. A lot of it.
First you have to learn the techiques behind tattooing. When do you use a liner vs a shader gun. How deep do you press the needles into the skin in order to get the ink into the right level of the dermis without causing the skin to keloid. Learning to have a very steady hand in order to have clean lines and smooth shading. Learning how to do both grey shade and color tattooing. Like many things, there’s a big difference between learning to do something at a basic level and learning to do it really well.
Then you have the safety considerations that have to be learned. Tattooing must be done under sterile circumstances so that you do not inadvertently spread diseases, Blood born diseased (like HIV and Hepatitis) and regular infections can be transmitted with contaminated tatoo equipment so knowing how to sterilizing your equipment and having the proper means to do so (an autoclave) is critical. Many municipalities require training in maintaining a sterile work area for tattoo shops and dept. of health certification and while tattoo machines might be relatively inexpensive, autoclaves aren’t but are critical for preventing the spread of infection.
Finally there is the artisitic training that good artists have. My artist has a fine arts degree and a lot of artists are now coming out of arts or graphic design backgrounds. A degree in the arts isn’t necessary, but it allows an eye for designing beautiful original peices and an understanding of color theory that will greatly help an artist.
There are no shotcuts to becoming a good tattooist. The first step generally would be to try to get an apprenticeship with an established shop. This will mean a chance to observe artists at work, learn proper techniques from them and see how to maintain a clean work area. The established artists will, over time, teach you how to do a tattoo properly, how to design, judge placement on the body, etc. It will likely be several years of training before you are really ready to actually tattoo a living person.
References :