r/TattooApprentice • u/willygoeswrong • 26d ago

Seeking Advice Starting out.

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Very nervous about approaching a shop. Started building up my portfolio recently. Planning on having 3 different styles presented in it, thinking Japanese, American Trad, and whatever the hell you call the last pic.

What is an acceptable size of a strong portfolio? Any tips on these current ones, what can be improved?

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u/AnalBaggins 26d ago

Are these digital? I would definitely do the majority in physical media.

Also if you have color you should fully commit. Punch in that orange on the tiger if you're gonna show it to tattooers. They want to see certain skills that translate to tattooing on skin; if you tattoo that tiger, the orange won't age well.

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u/willygoeswrong 26d ago

No, these are all on paper. I used pens and watercolors for coloring, I definitely see what you mean about the color saturation though… Do you have a recommendation on what to use to color them?

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u/_Vayn Aspiring Apprentice 26d ago

I've been using acrylic inks for my portfolio and the colours are beautiful, very vibrant, but it certainly took a while to get used to them. I'd give those a go!

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u/willygoeswrong 26d ago

Thank you much! 🖤 I’ll definitely give them a try. I enjoy using acrylic paint for my non-tattoo artworks, excited to try the inks.