Learn the art of Tattooing - Become a Tattoo artist. Dennis Nowakowski
deter you from your intention, they should make you think. How would you react if someone torments you for several hours and the desired result looks like anything but your chosen motif? You would be really angry. That's exactly what the customer is if he doesn't get gentle treatment and solid workmanship. The term “butcher” is widespread in the scene and describes tattoo artists who are ruthless and unprofessional. This is also how the finished motifs look like, which take ages to heal, are scarred and can’t even be saved by a cover up. These people have very quickly lost their reputation and always mysteriously disappear abroad to “allegedly” make a name for themselves there. Such or similar stories about disappeared tattoo artists you will hear more often, when more and more customers come to you. You don’t want to be such a tattoo artist. Your name has to stand for reliability, solid, fast and relatively painless work.
Only in a few cases, a prospective tattoo artist brings all the basic requirements to be really good. Don’t worry about it. That's why you learn everything about the topic. At the beginning of this chapter, I talked about people who never inked and yet were able to gain a successful foothold in the industry. I also know of brilliant draughtsmen who are unable to properly ink a motif on skin. They can’t deal with the circumstances. A tattoo machine is not a pencil, skin is not paper, paper doesn’t move and doesn’t scream when it gets too painful.
Just as frowned upon as the “butchers” are arrogant tattoo artists. I admit it of-fen, I don't get along with most of the people in my business because they are too arrogant in my opinion. With mediocre work, which is honored far too highly, many people cheat their way through and consider themselves the greatest makers of our time. They present themselves self-confidently, can do everything, know everything and are beyond any doubt. Unfortunately, this is also the customers fault, who themselves have no idea of the matter and praise the would-be artists to the skies for their work. Thick, continuous outlines and a little color are apparently enough to make a large part of our society happy. The laws of nature, such as light and shadow, are overrated anyway. It's also astonishing that these customers voluntarily pay several hundred Euro for very little tattoo.
“What are they putting in your tea, folks?”
You see, talent alone is not enough. It's all a matter of practice. If you really want it, you will sacrifice every minute of your freetime learning, reading and practicing. Usually the passion for actual inking also awakens in you and you try out many other things. Maybe you will end up at an easel, with canvas, oil or acrylic. Or you discover your passion for good comics and want to write a story yourself and implement it in many pictures. Everything is possible. The advantage of tattooing is you earn some money. To make it as a inker or comic artist is damn hard, laborious and hardly recognized. You shouldn’t be distracted too much from your intentions by other influences. Besides your exercises you should familiarize yourself with your engraving tools and master them blindly. Know your tattoo machines, your power supply “transformer”, your pedal, your needles, your colors, your stencil paper “tracing paper” and everything else. The safe handling of your tools is the first step to professionalism. It is not only talent that counts, but your will to succeed.
The right equipment
“A craftsman is only as good as his tools.”
You want to start inking and you need the right material. In this chapter, I'll go over the basic equipment you need to get started. At the same time, I'll give you some tips on how to save money and what you should not do at all. Let's start with the tattoo machine. No matter if it's a bobbin, rotary or pen. Never order a tattoo set for less than a hundred Euro that includes everything. Usually these sets contain three or four machines, transformer, cables, colors, matrix paper, needles, pots, artificial tattoo skin and much more.
“This is China junk.”
that you definitely shouldn't ink someone with. If only because of the questionable colors. It'll do for a start, you say. No, everything you learn and maybe do with these inferior materials is a waste of time.
“A craftsman is only as good as his tools.”
Buy quality goods from the start and learn how to use them. If necessary, you can always resell them for good money. At the end of this chapter, I will prepare a price list for the materials you need so that you have a general idea of what you can expect to spend. Another hurdle in the purchasing process is being able to show them your trade license, which you don’t necessarily need if you have a few good connections.
My tip:
Go to the Trade Licensing Office and apply for a small business tattoo studio. It will cost around twenty Euro and you don't have to pay sales tax. No one really cares. You can find a lot of information about it on the internet. This little certificate makes your purchases much easier. Procuring machines and materials online is the easier option. Ask your online retailer whether you need a trade licence or not.
So what do you need to get started? I proceed chronologically, according to work steps. A good office chair that is adjustable in height, with which you can turn and move around a little. Preferably two chairs, because your client also has to sit somewhere. A small table on which you can place your materials. A good lamp, so that you can see everything and don't strain your eyes too much. A small bathroom shelf, on wheels, you can get in every hardware store for little money. A printer and scanner to scan in motifs or, you may have guessed it, to print them out. Depending on how you work, there is a light table to trace your motifs. I prefer to simply print the motif, apply it to the skin, change any deviations with a tattoo pencil and start. Everybody proceeds differently to get the desired result quickly.
Draw everything by hand
Many rely on a thermal printer to save time and effort. Here the cheap devices are not worth it, if you are thinking of getting one. As a beginner, I advise you to use a pencil. Draw your motifs by hand. This way you will get to know the motif better and it is a useful warm up before the actual inking begins. To draw through, you need matrix paper, i.e. tracing paper. There are different colors and qualities. Some are not approved on specific markets, similar to the various tattoo colors. Try some of them and find the right matrix paper for you. Above all, this depends on how they perform on the skin of the customer. Whether they smudge quickly, dry quickly or stay on for a long time. They should at least last until you have finished your work.
Transfer to the skin
The desired motif now has to be applied to the skin. You will need a skin disinfectant spray and a kitchen roll. For your hands as well as the body of the customer. Put on your disposable gloves first. After all has been cleaned thoroughly, the chosen area must be smeared with a transfer agent. Here you can find several expensive products on all tattoo accessory platforms. At the risk of being crucified, I still use a deodorant grease stick, which doesn't cost me even one euro a piece. It holds very well if you let it dry for a few minutes. What you use is up to you. After the motif has been properly transferred and everything fits perfectly, you should let it dry between five and ten minutes.
Preparations
I like to use this time to prepare the tattoo machine, colors and everything else. Disposable mats, adhesive tape, mouth spatula, vaseline (milking grease) and ink pots are the next consumables you need. The disposable mats are attached to the table on which your material will be placed. Hygiene is very important when tattooing. Pay attention to it from the beginning. With the mouth spatulas you get some vaseline from the pot. With that, you can fixate the color pots on the surface underneath. This is a well-tried method and holds very well. There are different sizes of ink pots that you can use. How much ink you need for what will become apparent over time. The size of the pots and the amount of ink pots to buy depends on this.
Ink and other little things
Put ink in the pots. Inks are a topic in themselves. One person does well with this brand, the other with another. As a rule, you don't