Hey donn@
Getting an apprenticeship is a very tough thing to do, I have been an apprentice now for almost 6 months but it took me a solid 12 months of continual drawing, visiting tattoo studios, getting knocked back, throwing out artwork and starting again. It is something you need to be very persistent at and you need to be prepared to receive a lot of "no's" before you finally crack it for that "yes". Okay so here is my 2 cents of advice for what it is worth....
1. Do not ring or email studios, be prepared to visit the studio and ALWAYS take a folio of your work - Originals not photos (I was told numerous times that they wanted to see the technique in your artwork and photos don't cut it) - Put it the time to go door to door, pound the pavement, make appointments if they can't see you on the spot - I personally spent 6 hours a day at a time going to different studios.
2. LISTEN… Many good tattoo artists will give you advice on your folio when you show it to them. If they say no (and they will) ask them what you can do to improve, take it on board and do it! Some may even show you artwork of current apprentices to show you the level that you need to get to. Don’t take it as an insult, pay attention to the quality of their work and use it as motivation to improve your own skills. (Feel free to have a look at my artwork that I placed on here and use it as a guide as I too started on this site prior to getting my apprenticeship)
3. GO BACK… The artists who give you advice on what you need to work on, make sure you go back to them in future months and show them that you have listened. Show them that you have worked on what they have said and have improved your skills. Some will test you to see if you are prepared to earn your shot – By that I mean they will knock you back and see if you can dust yourself off and take advice and improve as an artist. Most won’t waste their time on someone who won’t listen and won’t work hard to become an artist. If you show you are committed, that you can take criticism and improve, one of them might take you on. But be prepared some will certainly waste your time along the way continually telling you to do this and do that and continually moving the goal posts with no joy.
4. DRAW, DRAW, DRAW… You must put in hours of drawing and continually improve your abilities and technique. Draw all styles of tattoos: Japanese, Old School, New School, Black and Grey, Colour etc etc. And always free draw, DON’T TRACE (yet)!! You will learn more and improve faster if you force yourself to draw everything by eye. Learn to sketch first (shapes, layouts and composition) and then refine and add details…
Okay to play devil’s advocate… Your portrait work is decent – You need to work on your toning and shading a little… Your definitely have the ability to get to the artistic level for an apprenticeship but you definitely need to put in some work to get to that level. PLEASE don’t take this as mean or nasty, you will hear much worse when you start approaching people, believe me I heard it all.
The road to achieving a tattoo apprenticeship is a very hard and it is a VERY difficult industry to break into. There are a lot of people who won’t give you the time of day, there will be a lot of people who will be rude to you, it will feel like a closed shop at times with people seemingly wanting to keep “secrets”. It’s funny because the best artists are not threatened, will make suggestions and will answer questions. And make sure you ask questions! I have written to some of the best artists in the world, you will be surprised that many write back and are so humble.
Don’t listen to guys that tell you that the way in is to get covered in tattoos! I got told this more than once! If your artwork is good enough, a reputable artist won’t care how tattooed you are. Saying that though, someone who has never been tattooed or doesn’t want tattoos, doesn’t really have an interest in the tattoo industry do they? Just know you don’t need to get covered unless you want to.
Finally understand that there are heaps of people wanting apprenticeships and very few places available. You need to be impressive and different from the other people who continually walk through that studio door. It is your artwork only that will open those doors for you, along with a good attitude, persistence and a willingness to learn. Read all you can about the industry, learn about machines, needles etc, show people how bad you want this. Be prepared to travel for work, the opportunity might not be close to where you live, this is all part of paying your dues! As is working for free!
Your work as an apprentice is payment for your education as a tattoo artist.
These of course are just my opinions and an insight to how I got into the industry, I would be happy to help in any way possible, so feel free to ask any questions you like and if you need critiques on artwork feel free to ask. Most of all though, heaps of good luck and don’t give up!
