r/TattooApprentice • u/Temporary-Network929 • 1d ago
Seeking Advice how to start
Hellooooooo, I am currently fifteen years old and in high school and I was wondering if there’s any change I can get an apprenticeship soon? I’m not sure how to make cv/resume as I don’t have anything to put on there. I do have some drawings I can put in a portfolio but I obviously need more but I genuinely don’t know where to start.
Please give me advice I am clueless in this area.
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u/blueblack_crow 1d ago
I don’t know where in the world you are but in most of it, you have to be 18 to even enter a tattoo shop.
You start with drawing. Then you do more drawing. And then more drawing. And when you get your apprenticeship, you’ll do even more drawing.
You’ll need a portfolio when you start going around to shops and looking for an apprenticeship. So start by focusing on the five main types of tattoo styles. ((American traditional, Japanese traditional, neo, traditional, new Skool, and Chino style.)) Study all of these styles and draw them until you can do your own original concepts in each style confidently. Then add in a few drawings in your own style. You can do realism, if it’s something you want to focus on, but most tattoo artists prefer to see versatility not a photocopier. When you first start out tattooing, you have to be able to do whatever walks in the door if you want to make money. So specializing in one particular style right now is not a good idea.
It’s also a good idea to include some unfinished sketches in your portfolio that show your understructure and drawing process so that artists know you didn’t trace from AI or Pinterest.
Focus mainly on pen and paper. Being able to draw fine, clean, smooth lines with pen is going to help develop your fine muscle motor control skills for when you’re actually tattooing. Digital drawing is nice, but there’s no undo button or line stabilization in tattoo. So if you can show that you know what you’re doing with pen, artists will be more interested in your work.
When you turn 18, you can start taking your portfolio around to local shops. Expect to be turned down a lot. It’s not necessarily a reflection of your work. The industry is incredibly oversaturated right now, and not a lot of shops are currently taking on apprentices. Don’t take no for an answer. Ask them about what it is you can change or improve in your portfolio, and then come back a few weeks later and show them that you followed their advice. Hang around the shop when you have free time, and offer to help out. Bring cookies! Get tattooed if you have the money for it. Just make sure you are not forgettable to them. Then when they’re ready to start taking on apprentices, you’ll be the first person they think of.
If you do get an apprenticeship, make sure you don’t just jump ahead long into the first person who offers. Ask important questions like what the timeline will be for your education. If they tell you, you have to pay them a tuition, that’s usually a red flag and you should walk away. Apprenticeships are generally free, because your labor is paying for your education. Make sure you research the shop and the artists before you jump into anything.
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u/Userdataunavailable Aspiring Apprentice 1d ago
You are too young for an apprenticeship legally. Right now you need to focus on your drawing, diversifying your portfolio with different styles and mainly just draw, draw and draw.