Three Steps to Tattooing Success

Tattoos have become a popular form of self-expression and even a fashion statement. The growing demand for tattoos and the potentially high income available to tattoo artists has led to an increase in the number of people who want to learn how to tattoo.
Because tattooing is both an art form and a body treatment, it's important to learn the best procedures for safe tattooing before embarking on a career as a tattoo artist. No one should consider buying a tattoo kit and starting to tattoo without becoming familiar with the best procedures for tattooing.
Learning these procedures will help any tattoo artist achieve lasting success.
There are many steps to becoming a successful tattoo artist, but here are 3 of the most important steps to tattooing success.

Step #1 - Build an Art Portfolio and Find a Tattoo Apprenticeship 

If you want to be a tattoo artist, you should be comfortable with your drawing skills. Tattooing requires a good sense of line and color. If you're not confident as an artist but have a desire to learn, then take an art class or buy an art book and begin to practice your drawing. Look at tattoo designs by tattoo artists (known as tattoo flash) and begin to create some designs of your own.
Assemble your best work and display it in an artist's portfolio or binder.
Once you have a portfolio of your best art work, you'll be better prepared to find a tattoo apprenticeship. An apprenticeship is a form of on-the-job training, where an experienced tattoo artist teaches you how to tattoo. Don't expect to be paid as an apprentice - in fact, you may end up paying for the privilege of learning how to tattoo from a master tattoo artist. Prepare to save money for an apprenticeship and to work at another job while you're apprenticing. Finally, give serious thought to which tattoo artist you apprentice with and make sure it's someone whose work you respect and that you can get along with well.

Step #2 - Create Stunning Tattoo Designs 

As you learn how to tattoo in an apprenticeship, you will become more skilled in creating tattoo designs. Each tattoo you apply becomes a permanent feature on the body of your client, so you want to make sure you deliver a stunning design. This doesn't mean you have to create each and every tattoo design. A client may come in with an existing design from a tattoo magazine or clients may select a flash design from the shop's collection.
The important thing is to listen to the client's requirements and provide suggestions about how to get the most impact from a design.
Often you will begin with flash and then customize it for the client by adding or removing design elements. It may be necessary to provide a client with several paper drafts of a design before you arrive at a piece of art that you both love. Don't worry too much about the time you spend doing this - it's all part of the job. Just be sure to charge the client enough to cover the time you spend on the design stage of the tattoo.
Once an eye-catching tattoo flash design has been chosen, it's up to the tattoo artist to create a work of art on the client's skin. Different outline and shading techniques can be used to enhance the basic design. Color should be carefully introduced to help bring the tattoo to life. As you learn more about how to tattoo and your experience in tattooing grows, you'll learn how to use the right amount of detail in a design, how to position it correctly on the body, and how to create clean outlines, graduated shading and even color.

Step #3 - Practice Sanitary Tattoo Procedures 

The final important step in knowing how to tattoo is to understand and follow standard sanitary procedures.
A tattoo requires penetration of a client's skin, so you must recognize and eliminate the risk of infection and disease transmission. One of the most important sanitary procedures is making sure that tattoo needles and ink caps are single-use only and replaced for each new client. In addition, the work area where the tattoo is applied must be cleaned thoroughly with disinfectant before tattooing begins and the tattoo artist must wear gloves during the tattoo procedure. Following sanitary procedures will help ensure that each tattoo client receives the best possible treatment during the tattoo process.

Tattooing Like a Pro in 4 Simple Steps

Due to the growing popularity of body art, the profession of tattooing has boomed in recent years. If you'd like to become a tattoo artist then it's important to take all the right steps that will lead to a successful career as a tattooing professional.

There is no room for amateurs in this highly competitive field.

The first step to get started as a tattoo artist is to begin an apprenticeship with a professional tattoo artist and learn all the tricks of the trade first hand.

Tattooing itself is not simple, but if it's taken one step at a time under the guidance of a mentor the process of learning how to tattoo is less intimidating.
These 4 simple steps will have you tattooing like a pro in no time.

Step 1: Learn how to use tattooing equipment

 Professional tattoo artists use tattoo machines rather than inserting a tattoo needle manually into the skin. A tattoo machine has an electrical motor and a group of needles attached to a bar. The needles are dipped into ink and then the machine rapidly pushes the needles up and down. In order for a tattoo to be permanent, the ink must be injected into the inner layer of skin known as the dermis. A tattoo machine precisely controls the depth of needle injection and ensures that ink is correctly inserted into the dermis by the tattoo needle.
A tattoo that is properly applied with a tattoo machine will keep its bright colors with minimal fading during the client's lifetime. A tattoo artist can also work more quickly and efficiently with a tattoo machine, since several needles are inserted into the skin at one time.

Step 2: Learn proper sanitary procedures

In recent years, professional tattoo artists have become more aware of the health risks associated with improperly applied tattoos. Unsterilized tattoo equipment can cause infection and spread disease. This can be avoided by using sterilized equipment and single-service needles.
Tattoo artists should always wear gloves and make sure the client's skin is washed with antiseptic before tattooing begins.
It's important to make sure the tattoo client feels like the tattoo procedure is safe. Keeping the tattoo shop clean and neat helps put a client's mind at ease. All equipment should be sterilized with an autoclave and the client should be informed how sterilization was done. The tattoo artist should be willing and able to answer all the client's questions about the safety of the tattooing procedure.

Step 3: Develop a tattooing style

 
A professional tattooist is an artist at heart. Listening to the client's expectations and finding the perfect tattoo design is an important part of the tattoo artist's job. Whether an original design is created or a flash design is used, the tattoo artist must be able to transform it into a piece of living art on the skin of the client. Skillful outlining, shading and coloring are what set the truly professional tattoo artist apart from an amateur.

An apprenticeship with a skilled tattoo artist is the best way to learn the skills that will give you a professional tattooing style.

ust as the old masters of the art world passed on their craft to apprentices, a tattoo artist will teach an apprentice how to achieve masterful tattooing results.

Step 4: Become savvy about tattooing businesses

Once you feel confident with your tattooing skills, it's time to focus on the business aspect of tattooing. You may even decide to open your own tattoo shop.

The first step to take when starting a tattooing business is finding out about tattoo laws and regulations related to professional tattooing. There are no federal laws governing tattooing, but most states and many local communities have regulations. Many areas require tattoo artists to be licensed.
Talk to other tattoo professionals and find out what type of waivers they ask clients to sign. A waiver is a legal form that will free you from liability if a client doesn't perform the proper aftercare for a tattoo that you've applied. If you exercised all the standard sanitation and safety precautions, a waiver will protect you from possible lawsuits and other legal issues. Once a waiver is signed by a client, you'll have peace of mind and will be able to focus on the art of tattooing.