I know plenty of tattoo artists in Houston but not one of them works for a shop that trains apprentices and none of them know anyone who is taking on apprentices. (most of them have this paranoia thing going on as well. Gasp! Another potential tattoo artist!)I'm not worried about my portfolio, I know it's decent.
What is the best way for me to go about kissing ass so I can get treated like dogshit for about two years?(Who said those years of sadomasochism wouldn't come in handy?)
I just got lucky and found a shop here in NY. I have been there for about two weeks and they are toying with the idea of letting me tattoo a client already.
It's really tough these days because the business is so saturated. But I'm seeing a lot of places closing down because of the people running the shops have never had a formal apprenticship. So, I'm thinking sooner or later it will come back around that reputable guys will take on someone to pass down what they know.
First off anyone who asks to be paid to teach you is full of crap. Mine was pretty old school..scrubbing floors, making needles, tracing flash, answering phones, talking to customers...7 days a week for almost a year.
The first six months of my career, my boss only had to sit down and tattoo. And when he was, I was right there watching everything that he did. That's where I learned the most was by watching.
Visc - I found a shop and hung out there A LOT. I would draw sketches for friends and tell them to take it into that shop for the guys to tattoo. I also spent a lot of money in there getting worked on and eventually became friends with all the guys there. That's a start.
A couple friends of mine just worked a tattoo convention in Houston this weekend..Mike Cole and Rodney Raines.
Check the more reputable shops in town. I don't know any right off the top of my head but I know there are some good guys out there. I'll check it out and see what I can find. Good Luck!
i just walked in with my drawing folder and they liked me so i just hung out for 3 months or so and watched the guys do tats, then i started the bitch work....