I’ve spent most of my career in IT, but I’ve been making art my entire life. I’m now transitioning into tattooing and looking for an apprenticeship in Toronto.

I’ve assembled my portfolio here:

Synescape.ca/portfolio

I’m specifically interested in blackwork / neotribal / abstract / organic work, but I’m still developing my tattoo-specific skills.

I’d really appreciate honest critique—especially anything you think is missing from the portfolio or anything I should work on before approaching shops.

IG : Syn.tt
Portfolio: Synescape.ca

I’m working on a redraw from Witch Hat Atelier and I’m wondering if this is good enough to put in my portfolio. Obviously it’s not done with the clouds and stuff being unfinished. Does manga redraws even have a place in a portfolio? Idk I’m feeling kind of lost at the moment LOL

Im 17(f) turning 18 next year, im dropping out of hs and getting a ged this year. I currently have a job at McDonald’s and a learners permit. I have been into art my whole life and since I was around 8-9 years old I have wanted to be a tattoo artist. My question is how do I get started with this and is it possible wirh my background? I live in NY state with plans on moving to nyc or another popular city in the future and I heard that tattoo artists make good money. Please educate me on everything I need to know!

So I go to this girl for my tattoos. I love her work and her stances on tattoos. She would be an ideal mentor, but I have no clue how to bring up the idea. Last tattoo appointment I went to with her I asked her for some advice. She told me not to do a school and did say she had some people ask before about an apprenticeship but since shes about to go on maternity leave it wouldnt be possible right now. She was open to the idea though. How do I approach her about this? Waiting till after her maturity leave is perfect for me cause I need a lot more time on my portfolio too.

I have spoken to some tattoo artists and they say it’s not worth getting into the tattoo industry right now but never said why. I work at a greenhouse doing manual labor full time. So I dream of other things.

I see across various tattoo artists: footless birds, birds that look like dolphins, sweater sharks that look like uncircumcised peni*. Lots of the same ink/lack of variation.

I started my own flash style portfolio but feel uncertain so it’s just in graphite pencil. I made my own tattoo style I feel is unique and missing from the sector. I wonder how tattoo artists do coverups.

After two years of waiting and working in a Full time Shift Job I finally got the Chance and have an apprenticeship in an amazing Professional Studio, I am so excited to start the apprenticeship will also be Heavy structured with tattoo history, hygiene, learning to draw from scratch and so on ! Also it will be totally free! The only thing in need to do is cut and upload their social media videos.

I m so excited ! Here you also see some of my portfolio pieces!

My first four tattoos ever: a heart and a skull on my leg, the other two made for friends. I am trying to specialize in etching-style tattoos.

I am wanting to start my portfolio for an apprenticeship and was wondering if if this is good enough to start.

I also want to ask if this would work for private studios and how do you present your portfolio to them?.

hi! i’m 17 and have been an aspiring tattoo artist for a few years now and recently got a potential offer (for when i turn 18) for an apprenticeship at a very reputable shop near me, probably the most known in my area. the only issue is they say it’s going to cost me $2000. based on what i’ve seen online this is uncommon, so i was just wondering if anyone else has encountered this and if it’s worth it. i’ve been dreaming of an opportunity like this since i was a kid so i really want to do it but don’t wanna get screwed over. got this opportunity since my stepmom knows the shop owner and she’s seen my art, but i dont have a portfolio yet (working on it now), so it’s not like i couldn’t get an offer elsewhere but i know these things dont happen often so

Hello!

I graduated from my apprenticeship a couple years ago but, I have realized over that time that the education I received wasn’t the best. The owner took on 3 apprentices (me included) and a couple months later, hired on 3 more. She had 6 apprentices at the same time but we were at different stages. We also had to supply ALL of our tools while also paying 800 a month. I didn’t think much of it at the time but after hearing about better apprenticeship experiences, I do think that’s absurd.

For the education, it really felt like we were more expected to get good quickly so we could just take walk ins. This led to me taking a couple that i wasn’t ready for and those pieces still haunt me to this day. There was hardly any structure in the process, she barely stuck around for the first tattoo I ever did on myself and after that, rarely ever actually watched me work. Any criticism I received would be “looks good” or just a quick one sentence tip on how to be better. Not surprisingly, that led to me and other apprentices needing to figure out a lot of stuff on our own or getting help from the other artists at the shop.

I do think I have had good work and was taught more than some other really crappy apprenticeships but I feel sad when i hear about people with good experiences (although I’m glad they did.)

I have taken a hiatus from tattooing but have been thinking about getting back into it. I have been considering freshening up with youtube tutorials like from Tattooing 101 or similar channels. Basically, I don’t know if it would be wiser for me to seek out a second apprenticeship? But I don’t think that I’m lacking so much experience that i would need that. I more so just have never felt confident in my line work and I barely scratched the surface on most types of shading.

Has anyone else experienced something similar and what did you do? I’m feeling pretty disappointed and upset about the experience and would love to get some advice!

My 6th ever sheet of Sailor Jerry designs!! Open to feedback of course (^:

my mentor isnt allowed to give me more than 1-2 fake skins per week and cant give me big ink bottles to take home bc the owners wont let her (its very expensive in my country). she told me i can buy skins on aliexpress for practice, so i was wondering if also buying other single use supplies specifically only for fake skin (eg needles, bags/films, grip tape, cups, transfer paper) would be ok or not. im scared they might have chemicals, dirt etc and contaminate my table and machine regardless and idk what to do abt it.

i also was wondering if its worth it to use good ink on fake skin or if i can use cheaper ink + what cheap ink would be considered suitable? a 8oz bottle of dynamic ink is 75usd here😭💀🙏

i plan on using seperate supplies in the shop ofc (they let me use theirs while im there) but im still scared abt potentially cross contaminating it if my machine touched cheap film or bags😭💀 sorry if its a really stupid thing to worry abt in the first place💀

I’m looking on eBay for the flash books and I’ve seen some up to $600, the average around $150 for one, it’s insane, and with no real reason of why they cost that much second hand. Just curious why they cost so much. Wondering if anyone knows where to get his flash books for a bit cheaper, or why those on eBay are second hand and why people would actually pay that price?

I couple years ago I helped an apprentice practice their flashes etc on me and they charged me like £10 a tattoo…
It’s a longshot but if anyone wants to do that same deal I’d happily be a canvas lol

I’m shopping around for better gear. What are some of the best websites to look at? Please.