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try to use as much as you can.

When you find someone who will apprentice you, for your own protection you should get a written agreement to teach. This should be something like a contract that lists what they will teach you, and states what will happen to you when you're done learning(i.e. will they hire you? for how much pay? for how long?) It should also estimate the length of the apprenticeship to within a few months. The price of the teaching and the amount of "gruntwork" should also be listed. This can easily be put together by sitting down together and just writing down as much of the information as you can, and both signing it.

To be a tattoo artist, you'll need OSHA training in bloodborne pathogens and cross-contamination controls, as well as CPR/first aid. You'll also need to learn a lot about dermatology and the nervous system. Learning about equipment, maintenance, and supplies is also pertinent, as is learning about the engineering of the human body.

Tattoo artists are cross-trainers; their knowledge straddles many fields. Learning from a good artist is the best way to obtain all of this, and learning one-on-one is the best way to do it.

Be very wary of "schools" that have more than one or two students for each "instructor", and be cautious about paying for any apprenticeship that lasts less than ten months. These may be state-licensed but can't possibly give you the worth of your time and money. The amount of information you'll need to work as a tattoo artist is vast, and can't be taught in a classroom or seminar, or in a few weeks.

You should try to apprentice from someone who will hire you when you are finished. The demand for brand-new tattoo artists is so low as to be negligible. Try to get a job with your instructor when you are done, at least for a year or two. Talk about this before you pay any money or invest time in learning. If they won't hire their own student, that says very little about the quality of their teaching!

Last but not least, if you are serious and determined about tattooing, if you love it more than anything, and if you are willing to spend your life with it, you WILL find a teacher. Don't give up hope! As a famous tattoo artist once said, "Tattooing is a special job for special people, it takes care of its own, and you'll always get out of it what you put into it."

Learn more about this author, A.R. Marth.
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