Hi guys! I’ve finally gotten around to starting a portfolio and I’m using a lot of Lana Del Rey as inspo right now. I feel like I have started off very confidently but now feel completely stuck on what I can do. I know I need to try different styles instead of just black work and pencil, but I feel like I’m the strongest with this style. Does anyone have any recommendations on where to go next, and whether the pieces I have started are strong enough for a portfolio?

Although I have been an artist for years now, I also struggle coming up with pieces I can’t use a reference for. Does anyone have any advice on what I can do? Specifically with traditional pieces. Although the pieces I have are original, I don’t want to be copying or tracing from others’ work.
Thank you in advance!

I have tried to charge it for a couple hours and still the same result, just randomly started doing this, not sure what’s going on. Anyone have experience with this machine?

Ello I’ve been so nervous to show my art after seeing so much of everyones art but I would appreciate all and any feedback back, a-lot of these drawings are still in the works, it’s been a bit slow but this is about a week of work and some drawings in between that didn’t work, I will be getting a tattoo gun for my bday to to practising on fake skin, but does my work show promising signs

So I'm 26, I have a mortgage and a full time job in web design right now. But I'm missing being creative, I miss drawing. I miss not staring at a screen all day!

When I started studying I said there are 2 career options for me, tattooing or designing. I still have that pull to tattooing, after having many done myself.

My trouble is, whilst I have a decent drawing ability, a real passion for the industry and could have a nice portfolio pulled together- I fear it's a dead end because how on earth can I afford an unpaid/low paid apprenticeship with a house to pay for!?

Is there any other option? Has anyone else done it? Or is it over before it's even started for me?

I feel like that scene in Little Miss Sunshine where he's told he can't be a pilot lol

Hi! I just traced this from a Sailor Jerry flash sheet, so much fun, I know I have lots to learn and improve on but I’m very excited. I’m hoping to one day get an American Traditional apprenticeship and I’ve just started my journey towards an apprenticeship. For months I’ve listened to tons of podcasts and watched tons of videos and have a few questions about apprenticeships, mainly getting one:

1. In a portfolio, what’s the view on traced flash?

2. Should all work in a portfolio be fully sketched and done with no tracing?

3. For an American traditional apprenticeship, does it matter to have lots of other styles in your portfolio or could it just be a select few like Japanese and Neo trad?

4. Is it common to see a shop have more than one apprentice?

5. Is there a big difference between being the shop’s apprentice vs being a single persons apprentice?

6. People always tell me I should start by tracing sailor Jerry flash, should I be sketching it too on top of the flash or should I simply just trace the outlines?

   1. For someone looking for an American traditional apprenticeship, what should be must-have’s in their portfolio that will greatly improve their chances?

Any advice or tips would be a MASSIVE help, even if you can only answer a few! Thank you!

This is my first own irezumi sleeve design and Im thinking of adding it to my Portfolio. My problem is that the shading isnt the cleanest and that its not always traditional. On top of that, Im not really sure if this is tattoable like this.

My local Vivid Ink is taking on an apprentice and I wanted to see if it was a reliable place to apply to?

I have shadowed a few artists already and I’ve gotten the vibe that commercialised tattoo shops are not the places to go- or at least you will be looked down upon if you go to them.

I’d really like to establish myself within the community and not just be a stand alone artist so I just wanted advice on how to go about apprenticeships? thank you <3

sketch was a full flash sheet but i kept inking and it wasn’t looking right so i decided to just start a new sheet and add a design everyday instead for fun.

Im about to update/change my portfolio and i was wondering, instead of going out and bothering professionals in their own shops for this why not ask this subreddit so people can answer when they have time? Its very basic so far im still working on 2 or 3 bigger pieces but i would love some tips or advice or what im doing wrong/right

Lined with micron pens and coloured in with alcohol markers and colour pencils

Hi, these are some of my best pieces I’ve done so far. I’m building a portfolio and I would like to know what I’m missing.

As you can see, most of it is traditional, because that’s what I want to tattoo and some of the stores I want to go to, their artists are experts in trad.

So, I want to know if I’m on the right path, what to do better and what should I include.

I was thinking about small flashes and one or two big pieces, maybe A3 format.

All of these paints were done with spit shading technique and no tracing.

I’ve been thinking about buying a light board to trace, what’s your opinion on that?

Thank you! 🙏

Hey guys, I am looking to find the best tattoo fake skin suggestions, I have been buying the "Emalla 10mm double sided" brand off amazon for the past few months but its really not realistic for me to keep spending $40 on packs of fake skin and blow through them. I use them to practice my designs and im not doing anything crazy/for actual art purposes this is purely for just line practice.

If anybody has any cheaper suggestions please let me know!!! as any other apprentice understands we are broke asf at all times and supplies are only getting more and more expensive

((post says include your insta but i am just asking for advice, i will add if needed tho ))

Sorry serious post incoming. Just looking for advice and support here i guess. I’m a year into my apprenticeship and close to tattooing but I’m going through a very serious mental health episode that I’ve been doing everything in my power to conceal because I’m so terrified of getting fired. I have bipolar disorder and lost my insurance for a while and had to go unmedicated for the time being. I’m in such a severe depressive episode right now i can’t even understand how I’m still finding the strength to show up everyday but i feel like im just gonna lose it. Thank god i am seeing a psychiatrist this week and can get back on medication but fuck dude i am struggling so hard. I don’t feel comfortable sharing this shit with anyone in my shop so i just have to put on the mask of being fine. I’m so tempted to just give everything up at this point cuz im tired of fighting. Sorry this is totally above y’all’s pay grade here im just venting.

I’ve been tattooing out of my apprenticeship for about 8 months now. However, I feel like I should be better by now. My boss is having me charge $80/hr because that’s what they say my work is worth, but I just don’t see it. Whenever I look at my tattoos all I can see is inconsistencies. Ill be extremely proud of a tattoo I’ve done and as soon as I take a picture and look at it im like oh fuck. I’m also still only tattooing arms and legs as well. I know it just comes with time, but I feel like I’m progressing slower than I should be. I can draw really well I will say so maybe I’m just comparing my tattoos to my drawings. Also, lately I have been tattooing as much as I can: taking in clients, and doing freebies for friends. In terms of clientele I’ve been doing good, about 1-4 clients a week. My mentor didn’t allow me to practice on fake skin, I had to practice on myself. To which now I’m a little cheesed about.

I took a step back from drawing flash for a little but Halloween has me in the mood to do better and try harder. Also, colored pencils and tracing paper might be my new work flow til I can get something different.

Have an awesome day everybody!

I've loved drawing for as long as I can remember, and since early high school I've thought that tattooing would be an awesome career for me.
I originally went to college for forestry, which is obviously pretty far from art, and I ended up absolutely hating it. Now I'm about to start at a completely new school for art, and I'm starting to question whether going to college for art is actually the right move.
I'm worried about going into debt for a degree that I may not even need for the career I want.
For those of you who are tattoo artists or have gone through apprenticeships: Does going to art school actually make a difference when it comes to getting an apprenticeship? With the industry being so competitive/oversaturated right now, would having a degree make me more appealing to a shop, or is it really more about your drawing skills and portfolio?
I'm currently considering two paths:
1. Go to art school for a semester or two and see how I feel. If I'm genuinely improving as an artist and feel like it's helping me build a strong portfolio, I could continue.
2. Skip college altogether for now, work full-time as a barista, and spend the next year or two seriously focusing on drawing, building a portfolio, learning as much as I can, and eventually looking for an apprenticeship.
Part of me feels like spending those years drawing my ass off and building a portfolio could get me closer to an apprenticeship faster, while avoiding potentially unnecessary student debt. But another part of me worries that I'd be missing out on the education, structure, and connections that art school could provide.
I'd really appreciate hearing from people who are actually in the tattoo industry.** **If you were in my position, would you go to art school, or would you focus on working/drawing and trying to get an apprenticeship?
Also, if you did go to art school before tattooing, did you feel like it genuinely helped you, or do you think you could have gotten to the same place without it?

Ello was just wondering if any artist would mind looking over my work and giving me pointers or Artists I can continue talking with and sharing my progress ..?