Читать книгу Learn the art of Tattooing - Become a Tattoo artist - Dennis Nowakowski - Страница 7

I want to become a tattoo artist - How do I start?

“If you want to do something you've never done before, you have to do something you've never done before."

Congratulations, you've made a decision and you're going to go through with it. Three words will walk you steadily through this book.

“Hang in there.”

Everyone inks differently

Everyone approaches a tattoo differently, otherwise it would be boring. Nobody should copy my approach one hundred percent. It wouldn't make sense. It's just a guide to help you understand the material. Both technically and humanly. You're the operative hand, not me. To do something differently than I do is completely correct, if it’s easier for you and the work turns out even better. Now it’s time to explore to what extent your abilities are sufficient to stick a needle into the skin of other people. All prospective tattoo artists see only the technical execution of a work such as machines, colors, matrix paper “tracing paper for motifs”, outlines “contours”, ink depth, etc. They are keen on finally getting their art down. Full of zest for action, they get going and overlook details that ditattoouish a professional from a newcomer. Very often young people come to our studio because they want to learn to tattoo. Unfortunately, time hardly allows us to deal with them. Some tips and tricks are in there, but it frustrates me more and more to send these often times very gifted and grateful talents away. To hear that they were thrown out of other tattoo studios, literally chased away, I just can’t understand why. In our industry, as in many others, there is a real power struggle for the status position in society. Everybody wants to be the best, doesn’t tolerate any competition on the market and devalues other studios that actually do a very good job. One little look beyond the horizon and they would instead see a future employee who can bring in good money. Instead, you are frowned upon and thrown out. Unfortunately, this is not seldomly the case. But this behavior speaks volumes about the management qualities of these studios. You can safely turn your back on these people and laugh about it. They are exactly the same narrow-minded people, who later on can’t find any good tattoo artists because they all started something on their own. Fortunately, there are also the helpful ones who take a moment, listen and give good advice. Those who look at your work, give feedback on weaknesses and routinely ask questions. Those who don’t question you, but encourage you and strengthen your actions. The quality of the work says nothing about the person behind the machine. Nor does a huge shop with thousands of motifs on the walls and a giant reception area. If that is your stated goal, you have to work for it. If you have reached this goal and belong to the elite of the scene, then never forget that you also started at the bottom. Always be polite and give prospective tattoo artists a chance. There are enough customers out there for all of us, believe me. Whether they come to you or not depends not only on your work. I wouldn't get tattooed by some unfriendly dick either, no matter how good he is.

Find a place to start

Hang in there, find someone who is reasonably familiar with the subject matter and who takes you by the hand a little. You can also find many tips and tricks on the Internet. At least a correct execution from A to Z concerning the hardware. However, there is nothing like having a mentor on site to familiarize you with the details, which are not permanently available and applicable to all situations. I hope to be able to help you with this book and to help you get rid of all the questions that prevent you from getting started. Please don’t expect a patent solution for all your questions. Every situation, every tattoo and every client must be treated individually. Your task is to find an acceptable solution for your client. In case you’re looking for the quick coin you should be able to deliver solid pieces that take a lot of time.

Quality has its price

One of the most common phrases in this industry. Unfortunately said by people who can just draw outlines and fill in black. And even that doesn’t look particularly well in the end. As a newcomer, you are happy about every customer, which mostly come from your circle of friends and are available as guinea pigs. To ask for a lot of money from the beginning and keep quoting the above-mentioned quote is absurd. Be grateful for every person who voluntarily gets inked by you. In the beginning you will be fascinated by short phrases, names, dates, tribals, ornaments and the like. They consist only of outlines and some fill color, preferably black. Highly recommended for a more consistent way of working. So you get a better feeling for your machine, needles, color, shapes, skin and problem areas. But that's not enough to make your way to the elite. Personal talent, self-assessment and ambition play a major role here. Overestimating yourself, which explains all the cover up shows on TV, can end badly. A reputation is quickly damaged. A picture is worth a thousand words. Nevertheless, at some point you have to let go of what you have learned so far and move on. Here you should also slowly realize where you want to go, which style you want to ink. In theory, at some point you should be able to do everything if you are in a good mood. Diversity in tattoo artists can unfortunately only be found to a limited extent, as the artists eventually settle down for their favourite styles. Two rough directions are Old School Art and Realistic Style Art. You should also exchange your private rooms or basement for a studio at some point if you want to earn money professionally with your passion. The courage to do exactly that is missing in a lot of people.

Don’t hesitate

Such a short text and already so much information, I know. I'm glad that my good friend Harald took me by the hand and recognized and encouraged my drawing talent. For many years I was bobbing around as a cellar artist, who only inked small motifs at dumping prices on weekends. My real career only began at the age of 38, even though I had little hope and many people dismissed it as nonsense. Many discouraging years, with several jobs on my resume, did not make me happy. Asking what was wrong with me kept me busy. Having no goal makes you freeze and stagnate like you're in a state of shock. It was only when we opened our studio that I realized my true potential. Managing the shop, inking nice tattoos, talking to people, exchanging experiences with my business partners, developing my own techniques and much more. Now I ask myself why all this happened so late. Where would I be if I had done this fifteen or twenty years ago. Much further than today, of course. I want to spare you this dilemma and ask you to take this step as quickly as possible. Don't waste too much precious time and energy. Don't get discouraged and make the decision you think is right.

When you have done all this and worked your way through this book, you will be ready. After reading it, use it as a reference book if you get stuck. There will certainly be a situation that you have neglected or underestimated. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you and all I can say is,

“Hang in there.”