Great Lakes Tattooing

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:)

Of course the craft of tattooing must live on through new blood...pretty sure there is plenty of young tattooers with another 40 or 50 years ahead of them. Seems a good shop helper is what most tattooers really need, but why pay someone when you can get free help from an apprentice?

Bukowski?

With the tattoo world saturated with tattooers, do we really need to bring anyone else into the fold? Is every shop incomplete without a "yoshi" of their own? Are most tattooers too lazy or busy to help with general stuff around the shop or is bringing new blood into tattooing necessary? How good do you have to be qualified enough to teach this?

If you are getting what they are drawing and painting during that time, Its a safe bet they are being genuine.

done by me

he would be better off playing the game. that way when it looks like crap healed, he will have a reason other than picking out a bad artist.

lived there for a couple years. - - - Updated - - - lived there for a couple years

get a bus schedule. best way to get around.

In 15 to 20 years, I would like to be getting referrals from people I tattoo today. Its easy to avoid trends and poorly crafted tattoos when youre busy doing what you and your peers deem good. Im not in that position yet so I am faced with making decisions on craft verses art all the time. I try to plant seeds of education while I talk of how their tattoo idea isnt the best case scenario. In the end, they make the decision, and I get the final say on awful ideas. Sometimes we, as tattooers, can have all the right equipment and theory, but the customer determines if they will get a quality tattoo or not.

nothing worse than redoing an old tattoo. I tell the folks that they got that back before it was popular for soccer moms to have their mantra tattooed on their wrist and they should keep the patina and wear it proud. Shoot, today, kids would pay good money for a ready made "old" looking tattoo.

Pretty much cant go wrong anywhere you eat in Autstin

I am new to this. I am still trying to figure out the format, so I have not dug very deep yet. Most of the things Ive read do sound like counter talk. I get enough of that and have nothing to add. Some of the threads i have read(the ones i get the most out of) are a little out of my league and if i had something to add, its already been added. I do have some things to discuss, but they seem to come too close to giving away information to whoever may be on here. I own and am the sole tattooer at my shop and I am at a turning point in my ten year career. I have a customer base that needs education, but shows potential. I have nobody around me to take advice from, but I know I have a chance to bring real tattoo culture to my town. I am hoping this site fills some of those gaps for me and, in turn, I can find folks I can trust with advice i have to give. I am a tattooer and i am here, learning the ropes and waiting for my turn to contribute. Thanks for this.

Free Touch-ups for Life!