vegdad

Wow....... Just when you think you have seen it all........ A rose by any other name is still not a rose.......

My wife and I were talking about this as I start my apprenticeship next week in OKC... If she had not given her notice for the 24th we would have been right in the middle of it... I have family there and everyone was o.k., but like many fellow Oklahomans we are prepared to lend a hand once we get there.... We are donating clothes and stuff that we were going to donate locally before moving.... It is a bad place in that particular part of the city for twisters and I and many fellow Okies are frustrated with the lack of storm cellars in public schools... California prepares for earthquakes, and Florida for hurricanes yet our state had turned a blind eye to this issue till now... laws are already being discussed I just hate that it takes loss of life to evaluate the current standards....:(

that made my eyes & ears bleed :(

Lol.... Scratcher national anthem...... But in the end lots of blast overs and cover ups for legit shops for these individuals "addicted"....:rolleyes:

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I also feel that going in as an apprentice I consider where every future piece of artwork on my body is going to go. I have a wife and two kids and if my love and skills are not enough to provide as an artist then I will be forced to seek supplemental income and the crucial, neck, face, hands issue is one I will not examine for a long time.... although I am really wanting "STAY TRUE" on the knuckles for both a personal and line laying reminder... :confused:

I was gonna suggest a fifty foot white owl and bonfire... but then I realized that was the NWO.... or is it?

Nice to see another family man in the trade... I was constantly worried about becoming an artist as people constantly tell you that you will lose your wife and kids due to the demands. I am only in my apprenticeship, however my wife and kids support my decision. I feel life is to short and corporate america sucks.... been there done that....

every time someone walks into our shop the first thing they ask for is the price, they dont care to look at our work or view a drawing its just the price. I think that with popularity of tattooing increasing there is a natural increase of tattooers commited more to the money and less to the craft. In my general area there is 4 shops that have some very unexperienced people running them, one is a 22 year old that is barely going to open with zero shop experience, hes tattooed out of his house for god knows how long. Another got fired during his apprenticeship and opened up tattooing for 30 bucks/hr and 20/hr if he finished other peoples work around town. Another guy will tattoo you as long as you can sit for if you give him 150 bucks. What do all of these dudes have in common, no real apprenticeship and no respect to tattooing therefore theyre not educating the client that tattoos arent cheap and should be respected in that sense. You can tell the level of their delusion based on how bad ass they think their cheap work is...they even snub your quality work purely on the price paid for it while rockin some of the worst tattoos ive seen. Its all about the education of the community and the purification of those that are actual tattooers and not just glorified scratchers

Could not have said it better... I research daily on the history, styles, and trends. I am studying anatomy and traditional artwork along with drawing every day. I have landed an apprenticeship and plan on laying my equipment down until my mentor feels I am ready to practice on fake skin, grapefruits or pig skin. Reason being I do not want to develop further bad habits and I respect the heritage and the opportunity I have been given in my apprenticeship. I am a people person and a marketing minded person that looks forward to educating my clients about good and bad tattoos....

I feel sorry for those who go to a shop and still get a shitty tattoo. I would like to blame all the people tattooing out of their house for shitty tattoos, but realistically they still only represent a small portion of bad tattoos done.

On a slightly related note, I poked around the ads on craigslist portland today and found that many of these people offering cheap tattoos either aren't bad or are posting pictures of others people's work to trick people which is probably the case as their seem to be some difference in approach that don't add up.

Tattoo Tattoo Tattoo Tattoo Tattoo

great tattoos here

Now here's a shop located on probably the busiest intersection in the the most hipster neighborhood in portland, been there for years cranking out shitty work and their are three other shops on that street who's work is comparable.

jesse's tattoos | Facebook

Picking between the fake portfolio of the craigslist guy or the shop that clearly doesn't know what they are doing? I can see how people would rather go with people off craigslist who they don't realize are fake vs shops like these.

This kinda reminds me of my cousin that I did some of my first pieces on. I was looking at a barbed wire wrap on his upper arm that was way blown out and not that old. I asked him what the guy charged and he said $80 bucks and he was drunk when he did it....

I have to admit after looking at the above image I am really leaning towards filling out my arms with this... have some text , feathers, and a koi (not overly Asian) that could be worked into the over all design....

I have issues with ingrown hairs as well. I have been working on my Koi on my left arm for two sessions and the first time I shaved against the grain and my wife stated that was the problem. Well this last session I went with the grain still having issues. I think I might have to break down and go with the cream mentioned as well.....

Coming from someone that would kill for an apprenticeship...it's been rough.

The excuses I get is that they're worried they won't *like* the person. (Which can be easily solved!)

I also apparently need to become 'buddies' with these people first... and even then they get a million idiots like me asking for an apprenticeship. Kinda tough finding artists that don't have their nose in the air.

My issue is if you seriously don't want me tattooing in my home then teach me!!!

But until then, I'll continue to practice on fake skin & grow my own way. Not many options...

One shop OWNER told me he's not able to teach another because he's only been tattooing for 4 years....yet you own a shop..... wow...

This industry feels like a cult sometimes...

I understand your frustration. However here in Oklahoma you cannot take on an apprentice until you have been open for five years I believe. This may be the same where you are at. I recently landed my apprenticeship and would say don't give up hope and above all else stay positive.

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@Jennifer Stell "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."

That has to be one of the least talked about things in this thread. I had to remark only because I recently started and apprenticeship, and I really respect the man. He is an amazing artist and an outstanding human being. Respect between the artist and apprentice ( I think ) is a must. And for an Artist to take someone under his or her wing (a good artist) they must trust that the person is going to show the craft the respect it deserves.

Just my thoughts...

I second this whole heartedly... It was my respect for the history of the trade that helped me land my apprenticeship. I did not walk in as a kid with a stack of drawings, I walked in as a middle aged man with artistic talent looking to learn a trade I respected.

Greetings all... I am a soon to be apprentice based out of Oklahoma (actually moving to OKC for my apprenticeship). I have worked as a digital artist for years now 38 , and finally am pursuing my desire to be a tattoo artist in the future.. married two kids and full support from my ink loving wife.... Forum seems like a wealth of knowledge and respect for tattoo heritage of which I fully believe in as I come from a trade background. Hope to make many new friends and fewer enemies through leaving the corporate world... anyhow that's about the sum of it...