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Post by shawnhartnell on Jan 11, 2017 10:02:00 GMT -6
I've always wondered how people "initiate" into being a tattoo artist. From my perspective it seems that there's got to be some striking similarities between being a tattoo artist using a tattoo gun and a doctor using a scalpel.
Specifically what I'm wondering is how did you first learn to use the tattoo gun on someone?
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Post by Beast Xeno on Jan 11, 2017 16:30:55 GMT -6
I've always wondered how people "initiate" into being a tattoo artist. From my perspective it seems that there's got to be some striking similarities between being a tattoo artist using a tattoo gun and a doctor using a scalpel. Specifically what I'm wondering is how did you first learn to use the tattoo gun on someone? It is interesting that you draw a parallel between the two. In my state, tattoos are considered to be minor surgical procedures. In fact, prior to 2010-2011 tattooists were required to be vouched for by a doctor in order to acquire licensing. They change the laws in 2011 so that it is now treated more like the food industry. Meaning that you simply have to pass a blood born pathogens course. Now in response to the overall question of initiation. I've seen it come about in 3 manners. 1. Self-initiation - This is the most frowned upon way. You simply pick up the machine (BTW "tattoo gun" is offensive to most tattooists), and begin practicing. Hopefully it isn't on human skin at first, but I have know guys that start there. Though in the eyes of the public and through the rhetoric of other tattooists, this is the "dirty" way. Still yet no one seems to be able to tell me who taught* guys like Norman Collins to tattoo. That is because, they obviously self-initiated. 2. Traditional-initiation - This is where you take your "artwork" and money, and then go around begging until someone agrees to take you on as a paying "shop bitch". You'll learn a lot about sanitation and the basics of applying a tattoo, but you are limited to learning whatever "tricks" your mentor or the other tattooists in the shop know. Mostly you'll learn how to do ridiculous chores, like washing your mentors F350 with dish-soap and a tooth brush. 3. Trade school-initiation - This has been a trend as of lately... Where you go and take a curriculum style training course to earn a certificate. This one is the farce to me personally. Most examples of courses being for this is more theory based and is less focused on the hands on learning needed. Just a few of my own thoughts on the subject.
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Post by shawnhartnell on Jan 11, 2017 17:48:29 GMT -6
Thanks. Before continuing, what's the accepted lingo for 'the machine'?
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Post by Beast Xeno on Jan 11, 2017 19:25:04 GMT -6
Thanks. Before continuing, what's the accepted lingo for 'the machine'? The technical name is an electromagnetic coil machine. Most tattooist just refer to it as a tattoo machine or a coil machine.
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Post by shawnhartnell on Jan 11, 2017 22:35:43 GMT -6
I need to revise my question. More precisely, what I'm wondering about is this:
How do you go about first applying the coil machine to someone else's skin and getting used to it? How do you go up to someone and say, "Hey, I've never done this before. Bzzzzz...." Is that even an accurate characterization?
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Post by thejasonsorrell on Jan 12, 2017 1:09:46 GMT -6
"It's like a new pair of underwear: At first, it's constrictive, but after awhile it becomes a part of you."~Garth Algar, Spiritual Guru.
I spent months during my apprenticeship observing the tattoo process and learning to draw, again. There is a difference between traditional art and tattoo design. After a sufficient amount of time observing, learning all the best-practices to keep yourself and your client safe, I was set to tattooing pig-skin. This is the closest you can get to human skin without the human part (a distinctively advantageous state, in many cases). You go to a butcher and can buy it by the sheet. Tattooing on pig skin allows you to study the needle-group going into the skin, the effect of depth, to develop a sense of speed (adjusting both yourself to the machine, and in the case of a coil machine the machine to you).
My first victim was a friend who volunteered, and I was far more nervous about the prospect than they were. The anxiety is palatable; I sweat profusely, felt sick to my stomach... But, drawing those first few strokes with the machine was magical. With time, it just becomes natural. You know what to expect, how to deal with the unexpected. Skin becomes just another medium.
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