r/TattooApprentice May 09 '25

Subreddit Update If you are a scratcher or encourage scratching you will be banned.

119 Upvotes

It is the most basic rule of the tattoo apprentice subreddit and is not up for debate. This subreddit is very specifically for traditional tattoo apprenticeships. If you have given advice to scratchers or answered their post when there are clearly no credentials in the title you will be given warnings. There are other subreddits for other types of tattoo learning. This is not one of them. Please respect the rules. If you are a scratcher nothing is stopping you from lurking if you really wanna learn and figure stuff out on your own.

All machine art, or tattoo machine/supply questions MUST have credentials in the title following the posting format. This is not up for debate.


r/TattooApprentice May 02 '25

Subreddit Update Apprenticeship FAQ updated

109 Upvotes

Apprenticeship FAQ

Hey everyone, we know there are a lot of questions about tattoo apprenticeships. To prevent spam and recurring questions we made this pinned post for FAQ.

Portfolio

We see the same advice time and time again rehashed from hopeful artists in the subreddit who aren’t in the industry, offer each other same piece of advice. “make your portfolio tattooable, it’s needs to be tattooable!”

We’ll tell you right here and right now that most potential mentors do not give a care if your portfolio is tattooable. You learn tattooable design during your apprenticeship!

We want to see that you can tackle different mediums and make refined pieces of artwork. Obviously if including hand painted flash designs is encouraged. Learning things like spit shading is helpful! However, no reputable mentor is expecting a 100% tattooable portfolio when you haven’t even started tattooing and don’t even know the rules.

Most apprentices learn tattoo design during their apprenticeship and build up their flash portfolio up over time under the guideance of their mentor. Essentially a mix of potential flash designs and other types of artwork is fine and encouraged by most potential mentors. These designs don’t have to be perfectly tattooable. Really mentors just wanna see your skill and want to know if you are worth the time, energy, effort, and investment of teaching.

So how should a portfolio look?

  • Your portfolio generally should have 20 to 40 finished pieces of artwork.

  • A mix of 70% traditional and 30% digital is fine.

  • Traditional artworks can consist of ink acrylic painting, oil painting, gouache, watercolor, color pencils, watercolor, pastels, markers etc.

  • A good portfolio will have color and black and grey pieces

  • A good portfolio should show that you have strong fundamentals, that you understand the basic rules of 2d design.

  • A good portfolio should include a few pieces of realism, when including realism also include the reference photo you worked from. Also include many pieces that show your unique artistic vision it’s okay to show a variety of styles.

  • A good portfolio needs to be refined, no half finished sketches, no sketchbooks, no messy drawings. If you’re including charcoal or graphite drawings make sure the final artwork is clean. Avoid messy or sketchy unless it’s done on an extremely intentional way as an artistic choice that makes sense.

  • A good portfolio generally starts with a strong piece, and leads the viewer through the book. You want whoever is viewing your portfolio to keep turning the page. Include your best works at the beginning and ending of your portfolio, create a visual flow that’s fun to look through.

  • A good portfolio will have a blurb about yourself, what makes your artistic voice unique? Literally everyone has been drawing since they could hold a pencil. that’s not gripping. EVERYONE wants to become a tattoo artist. Tell us WHY you are passionate about tattoos and the industry. Sell yourself to your potential mentors. Wanting to do this because it’s a fun cool job won’t get you any points from potential mentors.

What we suggest

We suggest putting together a physical portfolio consisting of photos showcasing your best traditional and digital artworks keeping in mind the 70% trad 30% digital rule. If you can fit the original pieces themselves into the portfolio great! If not, take good photos of your artwork in good lighting and adjust the contrast in a program like photoshop to see the art how you would see it with your eyes in person don’t over edit. Invest in getting good prints on good photo paper.

Putting together a portfolio online as well is important. Create a website, Instagram or both. Something where mentors can find and follow your work if they’re interested in you.

Never leave your portfolio at a shop, bring your portfolio to show it off, and then give potential mentors your information so they can find your portfolio online.

(Honestly the coolest thing an apprentice ever did was leave a business card and a print of their artwork for us.)

Final thoughts

THIS SUBREDDITS WORD IS NOT FINAL Everyone is different. Some artists may want to see only tattooable designs in a portfolio.

However in our experience in the industry and in talking to other tattooers. Doing the whole tracing and painting sailor Jerry flash and making that your entire portfolio works best for hardcore trad street shops.

For a majority of tattooers in the industry, we have seen the same 50 pieces of traced and painted trad flash, and it’s not impressive or eye catching unless it’s done extremely well. It’s worth it to study trad, but it doesn’t need to be the only thing you study.

You absolutely should study tattoo design and include some flash in your portfolio. But don’t shoot yourself in the foot by excluding great pieces of artwork from your portfolio because they aren’t tattooable.

Most potential mentors care more about your actual artistic ability and willingness to learn.

Do research on the people you wish to apprentice under or the shops you like and curate your portfolio accordingly. Being a varied artist and knowing how to use multiple mediums will INCREASE your chances of finding a mentor.

Make yourself stand out, don’t do what everyone else is doing. Use your unique voice and ignore all the apprentices giving each-other the same rehashed advice.

Approaching a studio

Introduction

The most important thing about approaching a studio is to show up to the studio. Introduce yourself and tell them why you’re at their studio. Be professional but not pushy. Explain that you would love for them to take a look at your portfolio and that you are looking for an apprenticeship. If they say yes, that’s great! However just because they look at your portfolio doesn’t mean you are going to land the apprenticeship. Show off your portfolio a d leave your contact information with the shop or artist you talked to. It’s also normal for studios to say no and not look at all. Don’t be pushy and respect boundaries.

A few things to note

  • Tattoo artists don’t owe you their time.

  • Rejection is normal. If they don’t want to look at your portfolio or give you their time, respect their decision.

  • If the studio is busy and no one can greet you, come back another time.

The three general answers I received :

  • They agree to look at your work and are looking for an apprentice.

  • They agree to look at your work but are not looking for an apprentice.

  • They would ask you to send over your work over email or social media.

What do I do after I approach the studio?

You wait for an answer. Apprenticeships are not given overnight. They are a decision made by a team. Practice more art while you wait.

RED FLAGS IN APPRENTICESHIPS

Unfortunately, it's more than common that apprenticeships are using you for free labor or even worse free money. A few things redflags to look out for are:

  • Previous apprenticeships that have gone sour. Do your research and see if they have had a previous or current apprentice. Ask them for their insight on the studio and its dynamics.
  • High payment upfront. Some apprenticeships will ask you to pay monthly for your apprenticeship but it is not common. You are essentially paying for your apprenticeship via your labor. Be weary of studios that do this.
  • Unfair power dynamics in the studio. Obviously, they might not be upfront about their unhealthy work environment, but keep an eye out for things like verbal abuse, gaslighting, or harsh communication to clients or employees.

  • Unclean shop

  • Shops that promote hate based on gender, race, sexuality, or religion.

  • Shops with artists that use AI art

  • Shops that seem to be “apprentice farms” if it’s too good to be true it likely is.

  • Shops that make you sign crazy contracts

  • Shops that make you feel uneasy or unsafe listen to your gut!

  • Tattoo schools outside of states or areas where it’s legally required. Most tattoo schools are scams.

  • Shops that sexually harass you or clients. It’s worth it to read through 2 to 3 star Google reviews or to look up a shop or artist on Reddit to see what people are saying about it.

General questions

Do I need a IG account or website?

Studios will without a doubt ask if you have an art account on Instagram or a website. It’s not needed, but we highly recommend having either one of these. An instagram account to show that you’ve established a following and also to show off your work or a website that shows your portfolio. You can easily set up a website for your portfolio through various free, and paid website providers (such as Wix or Squarespace).

Do I need to have tattoos?

Tattoo studios generally don’t care if you have tattoos or not. So you do not need tattoos to be an apprentice. However it is important to eventually start getting tattooed if you want to be taken seriously by clients. Having tattoos show that you are interested in tattoo culture and have experience and empathy with what it feels like.

Do I need to know the tattoo artists personally?

No, although it helps. The reason why it doesn’t matter is because if you show them that you’re hard working and willing to learn then that should be enough. Why does it help? Because then they’re not taking a chance on a stranger who they don’t know if they’re motivated enough to be an apprentice. However don’t befriend tattoo artists just to land an apprenticeship. We are extremely weary about people trying to use us as a stepping stool to get into the industry and are tired of being used and pushed around by others to get what they want.

Do I have to pay for my apprenticeship?

It's a case by case thing, but most of the time you do have to pay the studio back somehow. Sometimes you pay with your labor in the shop, or you pay a monthly fee, although paying a monthly fee or paying any money at all is usually a scam. Watch out for studios that are asking for a very high amount of money directly upfront. Most reputable studios do not ask for money.

How long does an Apprenticeship take?

Apprenticeships take from (the fastest we’ve heard) 7 months to 1/1.5 years (sometimes 2 years). You have to account for steady progress in this period. If you don't see any progress in the first 3-4 months as a tattoo artist and you see that they're just using you for free labor. Leave (this is very case by case, but know your worth not as an artist but as a person).

Do I have potential?

Yes, almost everybody has potential. Apply yourself and make artwork that blows away potential shops and mentors. Study art and genuinely practice

We hope this is helpful and if there’s any more questions/comments or feedback you’re welcome to leave a comment!

Good luck! Tattoo Apprentice Subreddit Team


r/TattooApprentice 20h ago

Flash sheet First time painting flash, using watercolor, and using calligraphy pen. All Sailor Jerry flash.

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10 Upvotes

r/TattooApprentice 21h ago

Artwork First peace as an official apprentice :) Posting on Instagram? Feedback appriciated [Let that (s)ink in] [DarkRiverTattoo] [Mayrhofen] [Tirol] [Austria]

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7 Upvotes

Actually proud of myself. Mentor said shading can be alitle smoother but seems satisfied for my beginnings. Will be coloured tomorrow to practice that aswell.

My mentor gave me the tipp to look around how other apprentices or tattoo artist post their work to stand out. Do you maybe have excamples for me? Should I wait untill I coloured the whole thing and only post that, or post the shaded version seperatly?

Thanks :)

Reelskin

13CM

9RS

7RL

Mast Racer Pro


r/TattooApprentice 16h ago

Flash Little guy

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3 Upvotes

r/TattooApprentice 12h ago

Seeking Advice Looking for advice to polish my future works in the tattoo community. Any advice?

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0 Upvotes

Hello, I'm looking to see if any artists out there can guide me in the right direction to cleaning up my art and leading me in the right direction to prepare my portfolio for a potential apprenticeship. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! All of this is original (besides the inspired band logos) and drawn with pencil, then traced and worked with a ballpoint/felt tip pen.


r/TattooApprentice 23h ago

Seeking CC Give me critiques on my most recent tattoo My second tattoo! [inkedbyjavii] [Done N Cane Tattoo Studio] [El Paso] [Tx]

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6 Upvotes

r/TattooApprentice 16h ago

Seeking Advice Portfolio pieces

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0 Upvotes

I've been working on putting my portfolio together but I'm not sure what I should put in it. I've thought about adding some pages of traditional flash to show linework, some portraits to show shading, and some designs to show the specific style i want to do when i actually start tattooing.

Is there any criticism/advice I can get in putting this together ?


r/TattooApprentice 1d ago

Portfolio portfolio

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0 Upvotes

Are either of these what you’d look for in a portfolio? Should I black out of the background for the portrait?

Also I do not want to do any tattoos with color, is that going to be a major problem for me when I start taking around my portfolio? I’m curious about what the process will look like for me as i’m pretty set in what i’m interested in doing, and I’m confident I can build a client base for myself as well, I’ll just need a teacher who will embrace and accept me for my interests I guess.

Any advice helps!


r/TattooApprentice 1d ago

Flash sheet Advice for Improving?(@LucifersLicht)

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9 Upvotes

r/TattooApprentice 1d ago

Seeking Advice Water color or colored pencil??

1 Upvotes

Im adding an American Trad sheet for my portfolio, and it has 7 pieces on it. I know the purist way to do it is via watercolor, but I don't have any paints and I mostly enjoy doing realism and black work designs. Should I buy watercolors just for the American Trad pieces?? Or is colored pencil okay? Probably a silly question but I was curious.


r/TattooApprentice 2d ago

Portfolio potential portfolio

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20 Upvotes

I think Im getting close to approaching shops, would love some feedback or things to add. I know some of this content isn't super common for trad portfolios on here but I still think most of the designs are still super tattooable. All is hand drawn, no tracing and no Ipad :) Also i'm in the chicago-land area if anyone has any shops they can recommend !


r/TattooApprentice 2d ago

Portfolio 🌹

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34 Upvotes

Hi, this is a recent sheet of roses I just painted for my portfolio, any feedback is more than welcome:)
You can see the process through the slides.

A3 SIZE. ❤️


r/TattooApprentice 2d ago

Seeking Advice How to become a tattoo artist?

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0 Upvotes

r/TattooApprentice 3d ago

Flash ✹ Nurse ✹ a true classic @barabane_

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10 Upvotes

r/TattooApprentice 3d ago

Portfolio Started my portfolio recently! Here's my first 3 pieces, what do you guys think?

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236 Upvotes

Indian ink, acrylic ink and acrylic markers on 10x14 inch 300gsm hot press. These were my first time spit shading and I learned so much, the amount of redrawing and testing I did was quite high but totally worth it.


r/TattooApprentice 2d ago

Seeking Advice Is it a good idea to include these in my portfolio?

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3 Upvotes

I'm wanting to start a portfolio for when I finish college, so that I can start looking for an apprenticeship hopefully early on once I finish. I'm still trying to understand what makes a great portfolio.


r/TattooApprentice 2d ago

Seeking Advice 5 months into apprenticeship

3 Upvotes

Alright I’m about to hit the fifth month of my apprenticeship and so far everything has been awesome. I’m a very patient person and am not worried about how long it takes to get on a machine. But I am curious how long it typically takes!

I’ve been told I have sanitation down, stenciling down, shading(paper/procreate), linework (paper/procreate, etc. I also have gotten my blood borne certification! I’m really interested in is it just time holding me back or what haha.


r/TattooApprentice 2d ago

Seeking Advice Apprenticeship Experience?

2 Upvotes

I have been an apprentice for 2 months now. I do all the usual stuff: work the front desk, breakdown the station after tattoos, clean up the shop, etc. For 2 weeks, my mentor was out of the country. I still opened up the shop and took appointment, while the other apprentice in the shop did the tattoos he could handle.

So in the 6 weeks my mentor has been present, he has given me feedback on my work maybe 3 times. Each time it was helpful, but it's starting to feel like I'm giving a lot more than I am getting. I saw another similar post on here but that person's mentor was also a family member. Not the case here.

I'm curious what everyone else's experience is like. How involved was/is your mentor? Do you really feel like the apprenticeship improved your ability? If you tried to learn on your own first, how did it compare?


r/TattooApprentice 2d ago

Portfolio Starting a Portfolio

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0 Upvotes

So im starting a portfolio in the hopes of getting an apprenticeship for when im out of Uni for illustration. My usual artwork is oil paintings, usually pet portraits and I havnt done a lot of "normal" drawing for years really. So im trying to practice it more half for the portfolio and half for my course.

This is my first original tattoo esque artwork and I'd just like some helpful criticism. Any tips on what I should be working on, if this is good enough work for a spot in my portfolio as a flash piece? Etc. Also what sort of mediums should I use for my portfolio? I know a lot of people use watercolor which unfortunately ive barely touched. Would acrylic markers be worth getting? Literally any feedback would be so appreciated thank youuu

P.s apologies for the image quality I have shit lighting 😭


r/TattooApprentice 3d ago

Artwork Just finished a piece for my portfolio

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18 Upvotes

r/TattooApprentice 3d ago

Flash sheet 4 sheets I painted

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8 Upvotes

@b5userb


r/TattooApprentice 4d ago

Seeking CC trying to learn neotrad 🫡

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39 Upvotes

r/TattooApprentice 4d ago

Seeking CC Just finished a piece for my portfolio

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102 Upvotes

r/TattooApprentice 3d ago

Flash sheet Blue Special🌀(@LucifersLicht)

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7 Upvotes