The Art of Tattooing

How many of you have ever wanted or currently have a tattoo? Being a tattoo artist isn't all about permanently inserting ink into the skin; it's a way to express your creativity through different forms of art. Tattoos are more than just used to help people express themselves, they can also be used to cover battle scars, unwanted freckles, moles, birthmarks, and so much more! They can also help build a person's confidence and boost their self-esteem. In order to be a successful tattoo artist, you need to be able to withstand the work environment, finish all licenses requirements, and understand that the earnings made will fluctuate.

Work Environment

Tattoo artists work in different environments including parlors, houses, and studios (Renee, M). While working for a parlor or studio you may find that you work six days a week that may include Sundays (Tattoo Artist). Though when you are working out of your house or going to what's called a tattoo party at other people's houses then your hours could be scattered throughout each day to fit around your schedule. Tattoo artists are responsible for keeping their work area safe and clean (Licensed Tattoo Artist: Job Description and Education Requirements). This includes changing gloves when there is contact with broken skin, sterilizing needles that aren't already sterilized, and making sure that all work surfaces are properly disinfected to avoid the spread of blood-borne viruses (Licensed Tattoo Artist: Job Description and Education Requirements).

These viruses include HIV, Hepatitis, and any other communicable infectious diseases (Licensed Tattoo Artist: Job Description and Education Requirements). The daily routine for a tattoo artist includes cleaning up your area that you tend to use for work and sterilizing any equipment that may need to be sterilized (A Day in the Life of a Tattoo Artist). Nowadays, most tattoo artists don't have to sterilize their needles because they are already sterilized in EO gas, which are brand new for each session (A Day in the Life of a Tattoo Artist). After everything is done, you start with your appointments for that day and those could take anywhere from an hour to five hours depending on the piece the customer wants (A Day in the Life of a Tattoo Artist). Most careers you need a college degree but when it comes to being a tattoo artist an education past high school is not required.

Education

Becoming a tattoo artist requires a lot of skill and patience. The basic things you need to start out is a high school diploma, portfolio of your art, and an apprenticeship. If you are wanting to become more developed in your art for your portfolio, you can take art classes at a college (Jones, L). When working on your portfolio you want it to be creative and as varied as possible (Tattoo Artist). This helps show tattoo artists, that you're trying to get an apprenticeship with, the many different skills you have within your art (Tattoo Artist). According to the Alliance of Professional Tattooists “ ATP “ an apprenticeship should last about three years to fully gain knowledge of the machines, proper sterilization techniques, and the art of designing tattoos (Jones, L). The ATP also states that an apprenticeship isn't usually free so just like you'd expect to pay for going to school, the same applies to the person who decides to teach you the trade of tattooing (Jones, L). Once your apprenticeship is finished and you become an official tattoo artist, most states will require you to become licensed (Jones, L). In order to become licensed, you will need to complete a certain number of hours in training and a specific number of tattoos applied within your apprenticeship (Jones, L).

Earnings

Making money as a tattoo artist will not always be the best unless you are really good at what you do or are famous. The national average salary of a tattoo artist is $117,730, but depending on your skills and how well known you are, you can make anywhere from $12,000-$397,000 year (Tattoo Artist Annual Salary). This can range from if you charge by the hour or by the size of the tattoo. Most tattoo artists will use both ways of charge. For example, if a tattoo is small and only takes thirty minutes, then it would be best to charge by the size of that tattoo but if you were to do a tattoo that took four plus hours or even several appointments to finish then you could charge by the hour to make more money. When charging by the hour it can range from $10-$149 an hour, though if you're really good you're going to charge people on the higher end of the scale (Tattoo Artist Salary).

Cons

Like any career you choose, there will always be cons to it, even if you love your job. When tattooing a client, you are putting yourself at risk for exposure to illnesses or diseases the client may have (Swain, K). To avoid these, wearing gloves and changing needles between each client is a must (Swain, K). Also, tattoo artists have one change to get their work for a client right (Swain, K). If you mess up the tattoo, or even injure the client you may be at risk for paying legal damages (Swain, K). To avoid this most tattoo artist, have their clients fill out and sign different forms that include medical conditions, allergies, drug and alcohol use pervious to their appointment, and a liability waiver stating the client was given aftercare instructions (Swain, K). Another con to being a tattoo artist is competition. If you are not keeping up with the standards and completing high quality work you risk losing your job and giving the business you work at a bad name that can result in less work (Swain, K).

Conclusion

Being able to get into a career you love straight out of high school isn't something many people get to do, but just like any other career, it takes hard work and dedication to prove you're good enough. You get to work with all kinds of people that keep challenging your skills to make even better art than you could imagine. Tattoos can signify so many different things for everyone who gets a tattoo and not just be some ink on some skin.

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