Inside: how to become a tattoo apprentice & what exactly is that?
You must know already that securing a job without proper training or at least a few internships is near impossible. Similarly, becoming a tattoo artist is not simple – just like an internship, you need an apprenticeship to become a proper tattoo artist. If you plan on becoming a professional tattoo artist later in life, you need to art working on it from today. Which means you need to start looking for apprenticeships around you.
Most people don’t know much about tattoo artists; some people don’t even take this as a serious profession. However, they can’t be more wrong. Becoming a tattoo artist takes as much hard work and training as it takes when choosing any other profession. Whether you want to become a doctor, a firefighter, or a tattoo artist – you need a certain level of education, knowledge, skills, and training – and that is exactly what your apprenticeship will teach you.
Most young people interested in becoming tattoo artists are unaware of apprenticeships and how much they have to spare for their training. If you are interested in becoming a tattoo artist and are unsure how to become an apprentice tattoo artist first, this is the right place for you.
Let’s tell you all you need to know about tattoo apprenticeship.
What is an Apprenticeship? Who are Apprentice Tattoo Artists?
As we have been discussing, every profession requires you to complete a few years of training; similarly, becoming a tattoo artist requires you to take up an Apprenticeship first. An apprenticeship is considered the first step toward becoming a full-time tattoo artist, as the skills you will learn and the connections you will make during this time will take you toward certification and professional credibility. Hence, tattoo artists in the training stages doing an apprenticeship are known as apprentice tattoo artists – however, most of the time, during Apprenticeship, they are also called students.
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Why Do You Need an Apprenticeship?
Are many people eager to start off professionally argue why they take up an apprenticeship? Well, the answer is simple – it is not only an Apprenticeship that is helpful for you, but it is also legally required for you to do it.
- Firstly, Apprenticeship is the perfect time to build connections in the industry and get hands-on experience with the work.
- You can learn skills and work ethics required to become an expert tattoo artist during this time.
- But even if you are confident about your skills and think you don’t need to spend time training, then also you need to get an apprenticeship because it is a legal requirement.
A tattoo artist is supposed to get a license to work in the US, and most licenses like the one needed for tattoo artists require a certain training, which in this case is the Apprenticeship.
How long Does a Typical Apprenticeship Last?
This depends on you and the tattoo artist you are getting your Apprenticeship with. Sometimes people take more time than usual due to many reasons such as they like learning new, more complicated types of tattoo art or because they feel like they need more training to become confident with working on someone’s skin.
However, a typical apprenticeship lasts 2-3 years; most apprentice tattoo artists are good to go within two years.
How to Find the Right Tattoo Apprenticeship?
To learn during your time as an apprentice tattoo artist and become a skilled expert tattoo artist, you need to make sure you find the right Apprenticeship opportunity, and for that you need to consider the following things:
- When choosing a mentor, make sure they have a good reputation of successfully training tattoo artists. The reason is that you might find many experienced and skilled tattoo artists, but not everyone is a good teacher – and to make sure you can learn well during your training time, you need to find someone who is a good teacher. Therefore for that, look at their previous record.
- Do not only look at the tattoo artist’s previous apprentices but also talk to them. Discuss with them the behavior and the good and bad points about your future mentor. Base your decision on what people tell you about them.
- Make sure you know the likelihood of getting a job at the studio you do the Apprenticeship – it is always better to be offered a job right after your Apprenticeship at the place you trained for so long. You will be accustomed to the clients coming in, and you will be familiar with the place as well. However, some apprentices do not offer their trainees a job afterward, and this can be a problem.
Becoming an Apprentice Tattoo Artist
If you want to become a tattoo artist, taking an apprenticeship is very important. You need to make sure you find the right apprentice or mentor to guide you through this time – and during this period, give your utmost dedication to your training to become an expert in the field!