My First two victims...er customers

theballoonartist · 12-08-2005, 08:25 AM

Hi, New to the forums, new to tattooing. Here are the first two tattoos I've ever done in my entire life. Betty Boop and Detroit Red Wings Logo (Hockey Team)
Feel free to critique....More pics to come.

Andrew · 12-08-2005, 01:10 PM

Welcome to the board! I'll wait for other tattoo artists to give you a detailed critique of the work, but I'd say you are off to a good start. How long have you been apprenticing, or are you doing this freelance?

theballoonartist · 12-08-2005, 01:37 PM

Reluctantly, I must admit that I am a freelancer. I've had no formal tattoo training/apprenticeship. My artistic talents/skills have never been in question however. I have more photos to add once the tats have healed.

silat1 · 12-08-2005, 02:07 PM

i can offer you a little constructive crticism...you are tackling peices that are way to complex for your current skill level...(the betty boop especially) when you first start out, you should really only be doing small tribals and kanji....simple solid black work...it helps you get used to how your machines run (and its alot easier to hide any shaky lines.)

my other advise (and this is for ANYONE who is just starting out in the industry) PLEASE get an apprenticeship before you start tattooing.....there is so much more to tattooing than just putting ink into skin. (for a good example..check out this link, skip down to the last page.. http://www.pcshq.com/pcsweb/PCSCandPg.nsf/FNL/VATATTOOINGCIB/$file/TattooingCIB0106.pdf .
...this is the material you have to test on to get a tattooing liscence in va...if you dont know all of this information, you have no buisiness tattooing...you are just putting yourself and others at risk.

Jinx · 12-08-2005, 11:18 PM

That wheel looks great! Way to go!

m@rk · 12-17-2005, 10:48 AM

hi there,
im mark and this is my first posting .
firstly hi to everyone ..:):)

I see all the pro's keep banging on about training which is a good thing:), but what ifyou havent got anyone willing to train you.
thing is where i live is a small area with three artists in the same town and as work is kinda tight ,to be truthfull if i had to work under these guys (which i have already met) i know they wont teach me what i need to know for fear of me taking custom away.
my point is been there tried that and went down the freelance route(i know bad me....lol) i use disposable everything and follow all the health and saftey regs to the best of my ability.
i only ink freinds and family and have never charged as im not in it for the money, i see myself as an artist not a tattooist.
finally all i can say to anyone else doing the same thing is keep it up and stay safe....
later guys

silat1 · 12-17-2005, 01:15 PM

welcome to forum m@rk!

this is probabally going sound a little mean (its not intentional, im just trying to be honest) but if no one is willing to train you, its probabally b/c either your artwork isn't good enough or you have the wrong atttitude...we have people come in all the time looking for apprenticeships, and 90% of the time thats why they are turned away.

i used to drive an hour to get to the shop i apprenticed at (there were no shops in my town) and would have taken double that commute if i'd had to..my point is this.... so no one would apprentice you in your town? and?... what about the surrounding towns, or the towns beyond that? you should do whatever is neccesary to furthur your art.

the reason that a lot of tattoo artist get mad about this subject, is that we went through a lot to get to where we are, we paid our dues to the industry...we actually went through the trouble of getting an apprenticeship.
the apprenticeship process, does more than teaches you how to tattoo, its the screening proccess for the industry...it seperates the people who really want it from the people who are doing it for the image, or b/c its a "cool job"
i LOVE my job, and it took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (and 3 1/2 years of putting up with asshole shop owners and artists) to get to where i am...

and after all that, i see something like this in the back of a recent tattoo mag yesterday:
"Tattoo School - cant get an apprenticeship? earn your certification, no art skilled required"
NO ART SKILL REQUIRED? are you f-ing kidding me? now anyone can just buy their way into the industry without having the slightest bit of talent for art! its just sickening...im sitting here watching the industry i love go down the toilet, and it pisses me off.

m@rk · 12-17-2005, 01:27 PM

i do see your point as to what you and many more had to go through and i am ok with critisism. when you mention attitude and talent ,my attitude is fine theirs is not out of the three shops i am banned from 2 for asking to many questions and talent well how does a tattooist that will only ink the flash on the wall know anything about art and talent.
i know i havnt taken the accepted path but i learn something new everytime i apply and hope i continue to do so.

be safe..
m@rk

silat1 · 12-17-2005, 02:03 PM

id be willing to bet the the artists at those shops never went through any apprenticeship themselves (no real tattoo artist would take on anyone who wasn't an artist)...i think people who cant do custom work really have no buisness tattoing either (i think i said this on another thread already...) but it shouldn't matter that the people in your town suck, you can always apprentice in another town....

i (obviously) have no way of knowing what your art skills are, i can only speak from my personal experiances of others that come into the shop. but, if your that good, some tattoo artist will eventually recognize your talent.

it becomes even more important these days to go about things the right way. our industry is under the microscope, not just by the people, but by the government too...its a side effect of mainstream acceptance, everyone is watching the industry (including people tattooing out of their house) and if they dont like what they see, they could shut all us us down

silat1 · 12-17-2005, 02:13 PM

i just noticed your from the uk, i dont really know if my last paragraph applies to your country (i really dont know what the perception of the tattoo industry is over there)

which brings up a good question...what is the general publics feelings of tattoos in the uk? how involved is your government in the industry? ...just curious :)

Tattoo Gallery	Tattoo Magazine	Upload Tattoos	Tattoo Flash
Join TattooArtists.com today; Meet other artists, upload & host your pictures in our tattoo gallery for free. Everyone is welcome!
User Name: Password: Confirm Password Email Confirm Email Check to Agree with forum rules

12-08-2005, 08:25 AM	#1
theballoonartist Tattoo Artist Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Lawrenceburg, IN Posts: 981	My First two victims...er customers Hi, New to the forums, new to tattooing. Here are the first two tattoos I've ever done in my entire life. Betty Boop and Detroit Red Wings Logo (Hockey Team) Feel free to critique....More pics to come. Last edited by theballoonartist; 08-30-2006 at 10:34 AM.

12-08-2005, 01:37 PM	#3
theballoonartist Tattoo Artist Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Lawrenceburg, IN Posts: 981	reluctant to admit Reluctantly, I must admit that I am a freelancer. I've had no formal tattoo training/apprenticeship. My artistic talents/skills have never been in question however. I have more photos to add once the tats have healed.

12-17-2005, 10:48 AM	#6
m@rk Tattoo Artist Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: devon, uninted kingdom Posts: 61	tattooing yourself hi there, im mark and this is my first posting . firstly hi to everyone ..:):) I see all the pro's keep banging on about training which is a good thing:), but what ifyou havent got anyone willing to train you. thing is where i live is a small area with three artists in the same town and as work is kinda tight ,to be truthfull if i had to work under these guys (which i have already met) i know they wont teach me what i need to know for fear of me taking custom away. my point is been there tried that and went down the freelance route(i know bad me....lol) i use disposable everything and follow all the health and saftey regs to the best of my ability. i only ink freinds and family and have never charged as im not in it for the money, i see myself as an artist not a tattooist. finally all i can say to anyone else doing the same thing is keep it up and stay safe.... later guys

12-17-2005, 01:15 PM	#7
silat1 Tattoo Artist Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: NM Posts: 716	welcome to forum m@rk! this is probabally going sound a little mean (its not intentional, im just trying to be honest) but if no one is willing to train you, its probabally b/c either your artwork isn't good enough or you have the wrong atttitude...we have people come in all the time looking for apprenticeships, and 90% of the time thats why they are turned away. i used to drive an hour to get to the shop i apprenticed at (there were no shops in my town) and would have taken double that commute if i'd had to..my point is this.... so no one would apprentice you in your town? and?... what about the surrounding towns, or the towns beyond that? you should do whatever is neccesary to furthur your art. the reason that a lot of tattoo artist get mad about this subject, is that we went through a lot to get to where we are, we paid our dues to the industry...we actually went through the trouble of getting an apprenticeship. the apprenticeship process, does more than teaches you how to tattoo, its the screening proccess for the industry...it seperates the people who really want it from the people who are doing it for the image, or b/c its a "cool job" i LOVE my job, and it took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (and 3 1/2 years of putting up with asshole shop owners and artists) to get to where i am... and after all that, i see something like this in the back of a recent tattoo mag yesterday: "Tattoo School - cant get an apprenticeship? earn your certification, no art skilled required" NO ART SKILL REQUIRED? are you f-ing kidding me? now anyone can just buy their way into the industry without having the slightest bit of talent for art! its just sickening...im sitting here watching the industry i love go down the toilet, and it pisses me off. Last edited by silat1; 12-17-2005 at 02:27 PM.

12-08-2005, 01:10 PM	#2
Andrew Admin Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 1,026	Welcome to the board! I'll wait for other tattoo artists to give you a detailed critique of the work, but I'd say you are off to a good start. How long have you been apprenticing, or are you doing this freelance?

12-08-2005, 02:07 PM	#4
silat1 Tattoo Artist Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: NM Posts: 716	i can offer you a little constructive crticism...you are tackling peices that are way to complex for your current skill level...(the betty boop especially) when you first start out, you should really only be doing small tribals and kanji....simple solid black work...it helps you get used to how your machines run (and its alot easier to hide any shaky lines.) my other advise (and this is for ANYONE who is just starting out in the industry) PLEASE get an apprenticeship before you start tattooing.....there is so much more to tattooing than just putting ink into skin. (for a good example..check out this link, skip down to the last page.. http://www.pcshq.com/pcsweb/PCSCandPg.nsf/FNL/VATATTOOINGCIB/$file/TattooingCIB0106.pdf . ...this is the material you have to test on to get a tattooing liscence in va...if you dont know all of this information, you have no buisiness tattooing...you are just putting yourself and others at risk.

12-08-2005, 11:18 PM	#5
Jinx Tattoo Artist Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Tucson Posts: 656	That wheel looks great! Way to go!

12-17-2005, 01:27 PM	#8
m@rk Tattoo Artist Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: devon, uninted kingdom Posts: 61	i do see your point as to what you and many more had to go through and i am ok with critisism. when you mention attitude and talent ,my attitude is fine theirs is not out of the three shops i am banned from 2 for asking to many questions and talent well how does a tattooist that will only ink the flash on the wall know anything about art and talent. i know i havnt taken the accepted path but i learn something new everytime i apply and hope i continue to do so. be safe.. m@rk __________________ M@rk

12-17-2005, 02:03 PM	#9
silat1 Tattoo Artist Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: NM Posts: 716	id be willing to bet the the artists at those shops never went through any apprenticeship themselves (no real tattoo artist would take on anyone who wasn't an artist)...i think people who cant do custom work really have no buisness tattoing either (i think i said this on another thread already...) but it shouldn't matter that the people in your town suck, you can always apprentice in another town.... i (obviously) have no way of knowing what your art skills are, i can only speak from my personal experiances of others that come into the shop. but, if your that good, some tattoo artist will eventually recognize your talent. it becomes even more important these days to go about things the right way. our industry is under the microscope, not just by the people, but by the government too...its a side effect of mainstream acceptance, everyone is watching the industry (including people tattooing out of their house) and if they dont like what they see, they could shut all us us down Last edited by silat1; 12-17-2005 at 02:31 PM.

12-17-2005, 02:13 PM	#10
silat1 Tattoo Artist Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: NM Posts: 716	i just noticed your from the uk, i dont really know if my last paragraph applies to your country (i really dont know what the perception of the tattoo industry is over there) which brings up a good question...what is the general publics feelings of tattoos in the uk? how involved is your government in the industry? ...just curious :)