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Mar 07, 2023

How to Become a Tattoo Artist: How to Draw Tattoos?

Tattoo artistry has been around since prehistoric times and is considered one of

Tattoo artistry has been around since prehistoric times and is considered one of the earliest art forms ever created. Almost everyone nowadays has at least one tattoo, and the demand for professional tattoo artists are now higher than ever.

So, if you’re a creative person, with a knack for creating visual art you might be interested in knowing how to become a tattoo artist? Well, here's the basics:

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The short answer? Three words: Just. Keep. Drawing.

If you’re already a hands-on artist, making the transition from drawing on paper to drawing on skin won't be that hard. If you know how to draw, it’ll be easier to learn how to draw tattoos than if you were starting from scratch. Here are a few tattoo drawing tips you can easily practice at home:

A tattoo machine can weigh between 220 grams to 226 grams, depending on the style. To mimic the feel and weight of a real tattoo gun, you can tape batteries to your drawing pen. Let your hand adjust and let it get used to the added weight. Practice keeping a light hand as well.

When tattooing, you’ll be able to use a stencil and just trace on your tattoo drawings to your client's skin. So practice working off stencils, and work on straight lines, curves, and getting your shading just right.

What this basically means is to practice drawing without making mistakes, without going over your mistakes, and making something entirely new and cool out of your mistake. You’re going to be tattooing permanent ink on human flesh, you’re damn right you should be confident about it!

Knowing how to draw tattoos isn't as easy as simply knowing how to draw. Human bodies aren't flat and one-dimensional like a piece of paper or a tablet. Bottles can make for great tattooing test dummies.

Once you think you’re comfortable enough with your makeshift tattoo pen, time to bring in the big guns and get yourself an actual tattoo machine. If you've ever used an airbrush, you’ll be familiar with how to use one already.

There are 5 types of basic tattoo machines: rotary, coil, linear, shader, and pneumatic. To keep things simple, focus on either coil or rotary. You’ll learn more about their differences as you study up on tattoo knowledge, but the main difference is that the coil machines make loud hammer-like motions compared to the rotary machine which work with quieter, circular motions.

Whether coil or rotary, they bring the same result. It's really more of your personal preference as an artist on what you’re comfortable with. The cost of tattoo machines generally start at $AUD200 and can go as high as thousands.

Ask any professional tattoo artist or tattoo artistry mentor, and they’ll all tell you that the best things to practice tattoo drawings on are fruits and pig skin. The best fruits to use are thick-skinned citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit, though some also use unripe bananas. For pig skin, not a lot of shops sell the skin by itself so try to befriend your local butcher.

Becoming a tattoo artist is tough work, and requires a lot of networking, so it doesn't hurt to already know a few people in the industry. Whether a state or country requires it or not, you’d be dumb to try to get your name out as a tattoo artist without doing an apprenticeship or training first.

In Australia, prior to starting an apprenticeship, you’ll need to have a design portfolio ready. Aspiring tattoo artists can apply for apprenticeships with local certified tattoo artists or they can head online and search for tattoo shops accepting apprentices.

Tattoo apprenticeship is where you’ll really be trained and learn the ropes of being a tattoo artist. You’ll not only learn skills on how to practice tattooing, but you’ll also learn business skills, people skills, and the best hygienic practices.

A tattoo apprenticeship or training can last anywhere from 1 to 5 years. How long it lasts is up to you and your professional tattoo artist mentor. After your apprenticeship, you’ll be able to file for certification within your state or area.

It's pretty rare that tattoo apprentices get paid. A tattoo apprenticeship is pretty much equal to a college or summer internship. Best to get a side job while you’re doing your apprenticeship.

Yes, and no. Technically, there's no BA in Tattoos or PhD in Ink-jection Artistry, but most tattoo artists have an art degree or background before starting their apprenticeship. There are tons of online courses that you can take, but you’ll learn the most during your apprenticeship.

In the US, some states mandate tattoo artists to have licenses which require the artist to be at least 18 years old with a high school diploma and to have spent a certain number of certified hours under apprenticeship. Requirements can differ depending on your state, city, and country. Fun fact: In South Korea, tattoo artists are required to be licensed medical doctors.

In Australia, tattoo artists don't necessarily need a tattooing licence, but will need an operator licence if they intend to work from home or put up their own shop.

The standard for paying tattoo artists is by the hour, though some artists also charge per tattoo or on dimension size. In Australia, most tattoo artists charge by the hour, with a base of $AUD17.70 per hour, to as much as $AUD500 per hour. Annually, the average tattoo artist salary would start around $AUD48,000 per year.

Now that you know the basics of how to become a tattoo artist, it's time to start practising! As you start your tattoo apprenticeship, you’ll realise how much gruelling work it takes to become a tattoo artist. You’re hunched over for hours, trying to create a perfect—permanent—piece of art that you might not even see ever again.

Once you start tattooing people, you realise as well that you somehow become a bit of a therapist. You also learn to appreciate your zen moments of focus. It's a job that will continuously challenge you not just as an artist, but as a human being.

RELATED: How To Help Your Tattoo Heal: An Aftercare Guide

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