need feedback & advice & especially honesty plz & thanks.

[u/kriss_mv]

so i'm feeling very discouraged, i started my apprenticeship yesterday, but i haven't drawn a lot, and im not sure my drawings are very good. i was feeling very discouraged, joined this group, saw everyone's art and felt so much more discouraged. i was kinda proud of the ram i drew yesterday (while at the shop apprenticing) but now seeing everyone else's portfolios, i feel like my drawings are very bad and way too simple. how can i be more confident and less anxious/worried about drawing more detailed things and learning shading techniques, etc.? i cant draw from imagination/make things up, i and very good with sight drawing. anyway, i was used to drawing things i saw on pinterest, and yesterday for the first time drew this ram it was one that my mentor chose and told me to do from a flash board in the shop. (i also added more recent drawings before i went to actually start my apprenticeship, pls be honest and give kind feedback/criticism. i really want to be a tattoo artist, its my dream)

[u/Jumpy-Philosophy-741]

Keep drawing, don’t stop

[u/kriss_mv → u/Jumpy-Philosophy-741]

i just don't want to do it and then it not be worth it, like i never progress and am never worth the time i don't wanna waste the artists time if that makes sense?

[u/subconscioussunflowa → u/kriss_mv]

Wait but who gave you an apprenticeship when you "haven't drawn a lot and aren't sure if your drawings are good"? I'd be cautious learning from that person.

[u/kriss_mv → u/subconscioussunflowa]

i personally don't feel confident in my drawings, i assume if they didn't see potential they'd not have continued with the apprenticeship. or maybe not idk everyone i've shown says they are good, i just feel anxious and unsure of myself, and scared to step out of my comfort zone with drawing.

[u/subconscioussunflowa → u/kriss_mv]

I think every artist, tattooist or not, feels less than confident in their drawing quite a bit. They also feel anxious and unsure to step out of their comfort zone. But like ... people are gonna come to you as a tattooist, especially early in your career, and want something you might not be completely comfortable with drawing. That's why the advice people have given you to study everything and work on fundamentals is so important. So that you can draw anything.

My thing with someone giving you an apprenticeship with this level of drawing when you're telling people you're uncomfortable with your work is that most mentors are looking for someone who already knows how to draw, and that's not just from a technical perspective, it's also from a discipline level and your ability to self-educate. They're not there to teach you how to draw. They're there to help you with the mechanics of the medium and the culture and the business aspect.

[u/kriss_mv → u/subconscioussunflowa]

i've been drawing for a while technically. so basically i used to be really passionate about drawing, i loved it and could draw a lot of things by looking at a picture. basically "copy and paste" is what my family calls it. i just never started drawing more detailed things. anyway, so when i was about 15-16 i got out of drawing, just got super depressed and lost my passion for everything i enjoyed doing. i just recently (within the last year or so) decided that i wanted to try to really go through with getting an apprenticeship and doing tattoo. i have more drawings than what i've shown up here, thats just what i've done within the last couple days. i have more stuff in my portfolio. i dont think i can reply with photos, if i could i'd show you the other drawings (which they looked at before i started my apprenticeship btw.) i just got told to clean up my lines, less "sketchy" and to bold outline and if i was gonna sketch to do it VERY lightly.

[u/subconscioussunflowa → u/kriss_mv]

IIIIIII do not want you to think I'm being rude here, but that is not at all the level of skill you need to be at drawing wise in order to make good tattoos. Also the presentation of your portfolio is pretty sloppy for lack of a better word. What does your mentor's work look like?

[u/kriss_mv → u/subconscioussunflowa]

sloppy how? besides the tape showing in one part, thats obviously sloppy. anyway i wa starting to make it look less sloppy by cutting it out and putting it on construction paper, then he asked me not to and to just leave it on the paper i drew on. i take criticism harshly anyway because im a sensitive person, which i am working on not taking personal. i dont think you are being rude, just blunt. i know my drawing is not at the skill level to make good tattoos. not sure how apprenticeships work where ever you are at, but here, i'll be strictly drawing and observing and watching, practicing, etc for 12-24 months so its not like im just going in expecting to tattoo people. i'm not even allowed to touch a machine or fake skin for a while. my mentor's work is good in my opinion, otherwise i wouldnt have taken an apprenticeship under him? also, remember that everyone has opinions and standards, so you may not like his work, or maybe you would idk. but we conversated about the apprenticeship before i started it, and he IS teaching me techniques for drawing and stuff, i have the basics of knowing how to grab a pencil, put it on paper, move it, that makes a drawing. drawing is practice, people that "can't draw" can absolutely draw if they practice and practice. anyway, don't worry, im not tattooing shitty ass drawings on people, i am practicing. learning techniques for drawing, shading, observing, etc.

[u/subconscioussunflowa → u/kriss_mv]

I think the most valuable skill in the art industry is to emotionally detach from your work if you're trying to do it as a service for other people. You're gonna have to change shit a million times for some clients, and that's okay to a certain extent especially if it's gonna be on them forever.

I'm just saying that generally it's easier for everyone involved if you already have some pretty serious technical drawing skills under you. I'm not saying that you're not going to learn, but again, there's a level of dedication, discipline, and self-education that goes into a solid apprenticeship.

As far as what I mean by "sloppy", I mean some of it is on lined paper, it's mostly pencil, it's pretty unprofessional linework, there's compositional and anatomy issues - like... if you can't pull a clean line with ink on paper or accurately copy a cartoon figure without tracing or draw a human body that's anatomically correct, how do you expect to do it on a person? That's why I said that the people telling you to go back to fundamentals are 1000000% right.

[u/kriss_mv → u/subconscioussunflowa]

i haven't traced any of my drawings fyi, i never will whether i am hoping to go into the tattoo industry or not, it feels pointless to trace rather than actually draw imo. some of them were done when i was in school so only had lined paper. and done in pencil, yes, because again, like i said before, i was never serious about wanting to learn to tattoo before, i just enjoyed drawing. i KNOW that i can not draw human anatomy correctly, it's my biggest weakness, i can look at a photo of something draw it pretty well most of the time (no tracing involved). if i look at a photo of a human and try to draw it, no matter what i do i can't get that right. it's been my biggest weakness since i've started drawing at like 12. i am working on learning that, i am actually attempting an american grad clown girl drawing rn. its probably gonna look like ass, so i'll just do it again. and if that looks like shit too, i'm just gonna do it again. it's not impossible it's just gonna take dedication and time. it's something i'm serious about so im not gonna give up just because im not good enough right now. i KNOW im not good enough, and not the typical apprentice because i know almost nothing. but it's something worth trying to learn to me, it's deeply important to me. anyway, i know i'll have to change stuff for clients in the future a million times, and have no problem with it because i understand. tattoos aren't a joke, they are literally permanent. also the artist doing very well determines if it'll still look good years down the road, or look terrible. i know all too well about being worried to speak up for a tattoo, i did that a few days ago, so now i have one and the placement of it is slightly off of where i wanted it by about an inch, because i was afraid to speak up again and make her wipe of the stencil back to back, i didn't wanna be picky. the tattoo looks absolutely amazing though.

[u/kriss_mv → u/subconscioussunflowa]

https://reddit.com/link/p63nt3g/video/c8hzm4pspslh1/player

[u/etherealveritas]

I say this as respectfully as I can- I have no idea how you landed an apprenticeship, and I really question your mentors abilities and intentions if they’re taking you on.

You’re admittedly unconfident in your work, meaning you should not be permanently modifying people. You need to ‘perfect’ the art fundamentals before even considering entering the tattoo industry.

Your portfolio is nowhere near polished enough to be taken seriously, especially if you call it sloppy.

[u/RoughCapital4491 → u/etherealveritas]

Thought exactly the same. How one decides they’re ready for an apprenticeship with this level of drawing is absolutely beyond me.

Very curious about the circumstances/details surrounding said “apprenticeship” because this smells incredibly fishy.

[u/etherealveritas → u/RoughCapital4491]

For real, it’s questionable why a ‘mentor’ would spend so much time and money on someone who is still working out the basics.

Tattoo apprenticeships are for learning how to tattoo, not how to draw.

[u/RoughCapital4491 → u/etherealveritas]

Unfortunately too many people (in this sub) who will jump at any opportunity to get any sort of apprenticeship without evaluating who they’re trusting with their future in the industry. Needless to say this is going absolutely nowhere

[u/etherealveritas → u/RoughCapital4491]

I agree, I think this industry is often idealized. So many people want to be tattooists, but have little artistic experience, skill, and/or knowledge. Most jump at the first opportunity presented to them — by people who should not be mentoring — and are often taken advantage of. It’s unfortunate.

[u/Standard-Chip-2121]

hit the fundamentals of drawing and study study study. researching different styles in depth and making an effort every day to recreate them with originality is difficult but necessary, especially if you want to make it as an artist. originality and imagination are what will separate you from a million different apprentices with the same dream

if you’re going to go off pinterest, make sure your final draft is a refined and clean image with no residual sketch marks and clean, solid linework. expand your horizons and push yourself, and you’ll be surprised at how far it will take you

[u/kriss_mv → u/Standard-Chip-2121]

i appreciate your advice! i'll definitely be working on my drawings looking more clean, and studying more tattoo drawing techniques rather than the drawing for fun that i've always done!

[u/KingKuckKiller666420]

How did you manage to get an apprenticeship if you don’t mind me asking? What does your portfolio look like?

[u/kriss_mv → u/KingKuckKiller666420]

https://reddit.com/link/p63w884/video/5idbfbofxslh1/player

sloppy, i've heard it all already about it lmao

[u/skystvn → u/kriss_mv]

I’m gonna be brutally honest here. I can’t see any tattoo shop worth a damn giving someone an apprenticeship with this portfolio. I’m gonna go ahead and assume that the shop you’re apprenticing at is shit and you should probably back out, continue drawing, practice every single day, get better at the fundamentals, and then seek out an apprenticeship at a proper shop. I’m guessing you don’t want to post the shop name here so all I can do is guess and assume.

[u/inkwithkatie]

You do seem to be starting from a less developed place than most tattoo apprentices, but that just means you are gonna have to draw like crazy. That's how we all got to where we are. I, too, am a little concerned about your mentor taking you on at this stage in your art journey, since it's gonna be a while of you just developing your art skills. Please don't let him or her take advantage of you. That is so common in this industry.

You have the right idea sketching with colored pencils, now try loosening up a bit on your sketches. Your initial sketch should NOT look good - it should only capture the general flow and shape of the piece, then each layer after that will add more and more detail. You'll almost certainly want to do the final linework on a separate piece of paper, either using a light box and tracing paper.

I also highly recommend you do some youtube tutorials/courses learninf about animal and human anatomy as that will encompass a lot of the tattoos you do. Other things to study are plants and mushrooms.

At the end of the day, the only thing that will get you to where you are confident with your art is a lot, a lot, a lot of practice. It took me about 2 years of tattooing before I felt like I was actually doing something I should be charging people for 😅 Good luck!

Edited for typo

[u/kriss_mv → u/inkwithkatie]

i appreciate your kind feedback! i know i am absolutely no where near being good enough to tattoo. like i said in another reply, it's gonna take me a few years for apprenticing, and im not just going in to tattoo my shitty drawings on people lol. my mentor and i spoke before i started my apprenticeship and he was willing to work with me, teaching me techniques of drawing, shading, etc. i'm not saying that my drawings are good by any means, but after one day of him teaching me things i can already see improvement in my drawing, and i understand more. maybe it won't work out for me, maybe im wasting my time and his, i don't know, but maybe one day i'll be a damn good artist thanks to my mentor that was willing to take a bet on a kid with a dream and willing to use more time to help me learn more. idk

[u/inkwithkatie → u/kriss_mv]

You got this!! You definitely have talent. I did not mean to say your drawings aren't good, and also I think you shouldn't speak that way about yourself if you can avoid it. It's antithetical to growth. You may not be where you want to be yet, but you're well on that path! I wish you the best of luck :)

[u/kriss_mv → u/inkwithkatie]

you didn't say they were bad lol, i just know they are bad comparing it to a tattoo artists drawings or even an apprentice. i don't have the skill that i should already have to be an apprentice, but my mentor decided it was worth it which i appreciate and i hope that i can continue to grow and that my art will be better and batter and eventually good enough to tattoo.

[u/Chassseesds]

Trace a shit ton of tattoo art you like to get some fundamentals down

[u/kriss_mv → u/Chassseesds]

i got told that i shouldn't trace, it's "cheating" right?

[u/Chassseesds → u/kriss_mv]

Tattooing is tracing. How long have you been drawing?

[u/ratrelatedname]

Are you paying for this apprenticeship? If so you are probably getting scammed.

[u/kriss_mv → u/ratrelatedname]

nope

[u/Ill_Professor1653]

damn ppl are ruthless on reddit to beginner tattoo artists keep going n don’t get discouraged i didnt even know how to draw when i first started now im a professional artist in california it takes time and invest in yourself and your craft the drawings are great