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tophatpainter · Tattoo lover Joined: 06 Nov 2009 Posts: 2 Location: PDX

I'm new to this forum board... which is probably obvious by the fact that this is my first posting. I have noticed that there seems to be a lot less BS on this site than on the TattooNOW forums. That is why I am posting this here and not there.
Lucky you.
In any event, I live in Oregon. I know, my subject line may have betrayed that already. I've been an airbrush artist for 6+ years and have dabbled in a little bit of everything else from wood burning to painting using coffee as a medium. As much as I love the idea of airbrushing on cars and bikes, that has always seemed forced to me. More me trying to find a place for my art rather than find where my art wants to take me.
Then I got the idea to look into tattooing.
For some reason I had avoided this as a possibility. Mostly it had to do with my experience getting a few pieces done in prison. Lets not talk about that, it's a sore subject Crying or Very sad

(lets see how many soap and butt rape jokes THAT produces...). People realized that I could draw and everyone told me I should tattoo. I declined. There is something inherently wrong with the idea that people would get a tattoo using a motor that came out of someone's butt, a Bic pen, and a filed down guitar string. Don't get me started on the ink... I have been tested and thankfully I am free of disease. I dodged a bullet and I am thankful.
That avoidance sort of carried over into my release and I have been pursuing this airbrush thing. I love doing it, don't get me wrong, but it just feels forced. I am obsessed with details and I am obsessed with doing things exactly right. I am also scared of messing folks up, and just figured it'd be best not to take that risk with something as permanent as tattooing.
I'm also long winded so I'll get to the point. I am determined to tattoo. I live in Oregon where it is actually mandatory that one goes through a tattoo school in order to get licensed. I've heard of shops getting their license to teach just to apprentice someone, but that might be a rare occurrence. In any event, I've already ruled out the schools given the cost and response I've received talking to a few shop owners. Where I am now is I want to get some pointers on what it'll take to get apprenticed.
I've seen some very interesting responses to such questions as these. Usually they include such words as "entitlement" and such advice as "earn your... -fill in the blank-". That is fine. I understand that, for the most part, people who spent that 2 years licking floors clean are irritated with the possibility that others can earn their place a little faster and with a little less work. I get irritated when I see some knuckle head push out a 2 hour airbrush piece that looks like crap on someones car because he cut corners - but still got paid. I'm not on the forums to cut corners, I'm on the forums to get as much information from as many people as possible. Period. I wont be tattooing anyone in my kitchen but it might make a cool shop idea when I'm ready to open one...
In any event, long story short, I'm hoping to start making connections with people in the industry utilizing all the tools at my disposal.
To avoid any mistakes with trying to post an image, I'll put some links you can cut and paste (so you don't think it's loaded with any false locations).
Do I have some apprentice potential? I have appointments set to get some work done with plans for more. I know I need ink to give ink.

moondog · Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 6:46 pm Post subject:

do your best man. i didnt know the term scratcher, heard it in the past but didnt know what it refered to, so i got myself a couple good machines and got some grapefruits, fake skin, and my body. was having fun, and love it. but i am putting my machines away for the time being,

i missed a few appretiship chances. but if you find a good way to get into it aside from the problems you encountered. its a damn good thing my 2 cents.