How to get sponsored as a tattoo apprentice.
I get this question asked more than any other. I also get people in the shop everyday asking how to become an apprentice.
Most tattoo artists only teach a few people in their life time. Since the invention of “reality tattoo TV” there is more interest in tattooing than ever. More people want to become artists. Unfortunately most people will not succeed. Even when someone does get and complete an apprenticeship sometimes they are not cut out to work in the tattoo industry.
Some people will never develop the personality needed to thrive in a shop.
Tattoo schools are the biggest joke in the industry. If someone comes into a decent studio looking for a job after “graduating tattoo school” they will be laughed out of the shop and maybe roughed up a little.
If you can not draw then do not tattoo. Yeah, at one point in time drawing skills meant little in the tattoo world. Now with the progression to an art form, only those who can draw well should be tattooing. If you can not draw then you probably have little sense of design. Even if you took every design course offered at your local community college you would still not have a sense of design in relation to the human form. What looks good on paper does not always look good on skin.
I guess in theory one could spend 10 years or so trying to figure out design on their own, and they might eventually do good at it. But why spend a decade or more screwing up tattoos when an apprenticeship would have taught it in a fraction of the time?
An apprenticeship might cost you some money. Some do charge to teach so don’t expect to get away free. If you do not pay with cash you will pay by doing shop duties and whatnot.
To find out if you have what it takes go and talk with an artist at a reputable shop. Take your artwork, and if cash is involved always sign a contract reviewed by an attorney just to cover yourself. If the artist is honest they should not have an issue with making everything legal.
