Shannon Shirley

I'm an apprentice...
I started to learn from Richard in 2002, then we all got a long so much I bought his partner Stace out of his partnership, which was Skin & Bones, a completely different business in the same building... As a business minded person I had to set down the apprenticeship, and focus on the piercing business, but knew I would get to be around and maybe get to have time enough to pick up a few things... It never happened, we maintained a partner relationship from then on...
In 2009, we were reunited somewhat... after about 6 months, I was his apprentice again, and still am...
What I have gathered from my 13 plus years in the body art profession is this, Tattooers or some of them, are a lot like teenage couples that don't think about the big picture, they get all hot and heavy and forget to take that pill or wear a condom, and oops a baby is born, and they themselves are still children... Babies having Babies is not an ideal situation in population or profession control.... Especially if you care about people and people getting good work.
And Richard has always ALWAYS said... Taking an apprentice is like getting married and someone taking your last name as theirs.... And there is no divorce, that's forever. Hence even too risky for him to teach or just trust even a friend to tattoo... They are bound to you for the rest of their career, and you want to teach good tattooing, and it's hard to teach something that we should constantly be learning about... especially if you love it.

In the 1980s, I, along with most of my friends,who tattooed- made an above average living. Today I make an average living.
Granted, I still get paid well, considering that I love what I do-- just don't make more than the average ( middle income American wage earner)

I think the thing to remember is that everyone who is tattooing as a career got into it differently. There is very few tattooers I know that had a real apprenticeship. Most worked for free as shop help first. Learning to tattoo is a lifetime commitment and it takes years just to understand the basics. All the good tattoos posted on here are more than likely executed by people who are more than seasoned. Its easy to look at this industry from the outside and think it would be great to be in. You know, tattooers are on tv and at celeb gatherings, they look like they have lots of money and have spare time to be in bands. Shops are portrayed as super fun spots to hang out where you dont have to take life too serious. What could be better than doing "art" for a living and making money doing what you love?? I think a steady paycheck is better, health insurance is better, retirement...There are a huge amount of sacrifices that come with this demanding job. Its not all roses and especially not until you start to really get a handle on the craft and the drawing and coloring aspect. Just about the time you have something figured out, you get humbled right back down by something else or, maybe even that something you had figured. Now, tattooing is so mainstream, that a fair amount of people treat it with a lot less respect than they did say fifteen years ago. These are only getting worse with the amount of people now tattooing. With all that said, Support your Local Tattooer, give them lots of money in exchange for tattoos. Support the industry and the people doing the thing everyday and maybe someday, someone will invite you to clean the nicotine stains off their bathroom walls:)

Well,I've already voiced my opinion on this subject- but.... One thing nobody has mentioned is that there are still shops out there willing to take on an apprentice- for payment.
In the 70s I knew of a few people that were charging thousands of dollars for the opportunity to learn and work at an established shop. ( Set up equipment usually went w the deal.)Today it would not be unrealistic to be asked to pay tens of thousands of dollars. Think of the money you would pay to attend a trade school or university.
If a person is serious and committed, a financial obligation along with an agreed upon length of time/work commitment- isn't unreasonable.
So find a shop that you love, get tattooed there and ask if they would be willing to take you on as an apprentice for 2-3 years, if you would be willing to pay them ( what ever amt) you agree upon, $10-$15,000 a year, let's say.
Unless you just want them to give it to you, which seems to be what everybody wants.

The same reason why Dave Navarro is a judge on Ink Masters...

Was going to comment early on in the thread but wanted to know where it would go, my question is why are non-tattooers trying to respond to this tread?

@Kahlan No lecture here, everyone else seems to have done a great job of that. Just some straight up info:
At the shop I work in (Which may or may not have a reputation on being harsh to 'wannabes') we get at least one person each week asking for an apprenticeship. In the summer months we get AT LEAST two per week, often more.
Aside from the fact than none of them can draw and most haven't been tattooed at our shop, - I'm not even sure if any of them know what kind of work we do (hint: almost everything) they certainly don't look through any of our folios while they are in the shop. - There is no way that our city can support 52 to 104 new tattooers each year. I've been there since 2007. That would be over 800 new tattooers.
But really, shitty tattooers should stop taking apprentices and helping them become shitty tattooers. If a good tattooer won't teach you, tough shit. If a good tattooer does teach you, I hate you because I never got that chance and I did a whole bunch of shitty tattoos while I was 'learning'.

That letter was amazing.
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This thread reminds me of when I occasionally eavesdrop on my kids from the next room. Sometimes if I don't get involved in their arguments, they figure out how to work it out themselves without me running in and yelling at everyone. I'm not saying that you're like children, I'm saying that I'm so proud of how LST has grown. You guys are awesome.

Too many chiefs and not enough indians, as we used to say back in the pre-PC days. Far too many tattooers have simply put a few pieces on their legs, rented a shop, and look ma, I'm a tattooer.

I started on here about a year and a half ago, I would not like to see this site crumble. It seems to me that lately, less and less knowledgable people are commenting,posting etc. It also seems that thier are more lurkers with "I know some shit" attitudes. those that fit this profile should understand that you are ruining this site. This site was started in hope of an intelligent place where some could learn about the nuances of this craft. Stating amateur attitudes on here does not help.Having gotten three tattoos does not make you an authority.

Hey,I wanna go fishing......

Hey,I wanna go fishing......

I started on here about a year and a half ago, I would not like to see this site crumble. It seems to me that lately, less and less knowledgable people are commenting,posting etc. It also seems that thier are more lurkers with "I know some shit" attitudes. those that fit this profile should understand that you are ruining this site. This site was started in hope of an intelligent place where some could learn about the nuances of this craft. Stating amateur attitudes on here does not help.Having gotten three tattoos does not make you an authority.

A place where tattooers can discuss techniques and information in a private environment away from 'the public'? Sounds great...
Wait, I work in one every day. It's called a tattoo shop.
Also I travel hundreds, often thousands of miles to go to these places in the real world. They are called conventions.
By visiting the cream of the crop of both shops and/or conventions, we grow as tattooers and humans. There is no excuse not to visit if you care about tattoos, tattooing, learning and getting tattooed.
LST does something else and does a damn fine job at it.

Um, no you didn't. And I hope I didn't sound condescending or bitchy, either. That's the funny thing about the internet, without seeing someone's face, and hearing their tone, things that are meant as positive can read neutral, and words that are meant neutral seem negative. That's why emoticons are supposed to be used in forums, but we all seem to same the emoticons for our bodies. Plus they make me feel like a teenage girl.
@David Flores, I think you're right about cleaning/consolidating some of the threads. And you're right, there would need to be an actual tattooer mod if that section existed. Our mods work really hard and spend a lot of valuable hours on here, I don't know what tattooer is ready to take that on for us. The politics of who's accepted sounds like a nightmare. Talk about sounding like a dick!

Thanks for the ideas and suggestions here guys - Team LST is having a pow wow about this and we will do our best to implement what you're suggesting. We can merge threads, but the posts tend to intermingle based on their timestamp, so moving them is typically a safer bet. Stay tuned while we pontificate upon your suggestions..

I'm telling you merging threads as soon as you see redundant threads. People would get the hint right away if every time the asked a question that was already answered it was moved to a thread where 20 other people asked a similar question, it would promote searching the board and clean up the board. I have some suggested titles
What should I get tattooed ( people not sure about design, or people's first tattoo)
Who should tattoo me (thread people can ask advice about what tattooers are in their area)
This one should probably include links to the shops page on this site and the endless days blog about tattooers and the forbes tattoo list.
What is wrong with my tattoo( People freaking out about the healing process)
That would be 95% of threads right there.

Last Sparrow Fight Club, oh shit I talked about it.
I just wonder what we have to talk about that would be so secret. I Also, does it become a popularity contest to gain access, like if Rubendall and Grime (just examples) joined the forum, would we make them rack up some posts before allowing them access to good stuff.
But I am really up for giving anything a try.

I started on here about a year and a half ago, I would not like to see this site crumble. It seems to me that lately, less and less knowledgable people are commenting,posting etc. It also seems that thier are more lurkers with "I know some shit" attitudes. those that fit this profile should understand that you are ruining this site. This site was started in hope of an intelligent place where some could learn about the nuances of this craft. Stating amateur attitudes on here does not help.Having gotten three tattoos does not make you an authority.

I started on here about a year and a half ago, I would not like to see this site crumble. It seems to me that lately, less and less knowledgable people are commenting,posting etc. It also seems that thier are more lurkers with "I know some shit" attitudes. those that fit this profile should understand that you are ruining this site. This site was started in hope of an intelligent place where some could learn about the nuances of this craft. Stating amateur attitudes on here does not help.Having gotten three tattoos does not make you an authority.

I started on here about a year and a half ago, I would not like to see this site crumble. It seems to me that lately, less and less knowledgable people are commenting,posting etc. It also seems that thier are more lurkers with "I know some shit" attitudes. those that fit this profile should understand that you are ruining this site. This site was started in hope of an intelligent place where some could learn about the nuances of this craft. Stating amateur attitudes on here does not help.Having gotten three tattoos does not make you an authority.

I started on here about a year and a half ago, I would not like to see this site crumble. It seems to me that lately, less and less knowledgable people are commenting,posting etc. It also seems that thier are more lurkers with "I know some shit" attitudes. those that fit this profile should understand that you are ruining this site. This site was started in hope of an intelligent place where some could learn about the nuances of this craft. Stating amateur attitudes on here does not help.Having gotten three tattoos does not make you an authority.

Back in 1973, when I was in the USMC. tattos were not an issue. Only because "arms" and "backs" were mostly the only part of the body that was tattoo'd. However, back then, not many people other than military, or bikers, had tattoos period. Not that were visible to the public anyway. But the major factor in these "new" regulations, is street-gangs. Its true. Gangs are now sending the young prospects off to bootcamp, and on to further assault training, for the soul purpose of them using that knowledge when they get back home and become a warrior in the gang. Its already a issue with law enforcement, and their lack of ability to get a grip on these individuals who in most cases have more power than the average cop. I have seen special documentaries on this subject over the past 2-3 yrs. It seems to be a real problem for the politicians and military brass. but in reality, its only a diversion, smoke screen, to keep the publics attention off of what is really going on. business as usual.

Recently some young guy came in with a brown pride tattoo and needed it covered up for Army. Whoever he spoke to at the Army told him he couldn't get a big tattoo, he had to try to cover it with two smaller tattoos. It turned out okay he has a panther covering one word and an eagle covering the other. The only thing that looks odd to me is having the tattoos right next to each other. If you choose to only get 2 tattoos, usually you don't cram them in one spot. Would have been nice to do just a big panther.
Getting a Chris Trevino tattoo sounds like a much better idea than joining the Navy.

f#ckin facts,hilarious.....yeah......I'm sure Ive got better things to do.
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hell yeah.....