What to Expect as a Tattoo Apprentice
The art of tattooing, a form of body art, is now popular with people from all walks of life. Senior citizens, parents, teachers, athletes, businessmen, actors and actresses, singers, members of the military services, and many others now are tattooed. Convicts have prison made tattoos, and gang members have tattoos done by amateurs.
Tattooing has been around for thousands of years. The 1992 discovery of the 5,000 year old “Ice Man”, found that his clothes, equipment, and his body, packed under layers of ice, were extremely well-preserved. He had 58 tattoos on his body.
With the popularity of tattooing today, there are many who would like to become tattooists, because it is a well-paying skill. The would-be tattoo artist needs to consider is if he has the artistic skills to gain an apprenticeship in tattooing, research tattoo artists who take apprentices, have money to pay for the apprenticeship, and have money to live during an apprenticeship.
A tattoo apprenticeship includes much more than just perfecting your tattoo skills. An apprentice must learn sterilization and cleaning techniques required by that state’s laws, the business aspect of having a tattoo shop, needle making, learning how to design tattoos, how to make stencils, and how to use tattoo equipment. To apprentice with a master tattooist, prepare to spend a minimum of three years and up to five years in an apprenticeship, according to theAlliance of Professional Tattooists(APT). A written exam and a skills assessment are typically necessary for licensing. Make sure alegal contractis signed before beginning an apprenticeship, in case it doesn’t work out well.
An apprentice will initially do menial, yet necessary tasks, such as running errands, and completing tasks the tattooist is too busy to perform. During the apprenticeship, the apprentice will have to do about 100 free tattoos in order to qualify to become a certified tattoo artist. The apprentice will have to pay for all the supplies needed for the required tattoos. Photographs of each tattoo should be taken to add to the apprentice’s portfolio.
In many states, an apprentice can expect to attend seminars in disease prevention and skin diseases, skin infections and training in blood-borne pathogen prevention for hepatitis, and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), and will receive a certificate upon successful completion of the courses in the seminars.
A tattoo apprentice can expect that for three-five years, there will be long hours, menial work, and the privilege of paying for it. The apprentice can also expect to learn how to run a business, how to comply with state regulations to prevent transmission of blood-borne pathogens, how to make stencils and design tattoo designs, how to use the equipment properly, perfect his artistry, and learn how to build a good reputation and gain future clients. At the end of the tattoo apprenticeship, the apprentice can take the state licensure tests, and, upon passing, will be a certified tattoo artist with the Alliance of Professional Tattooists. As a certified tattooist, one can expect to make as much as$300.00-$400.00/ hourfor masterful creations.
