Hypotheitcal question; Would you...

Pauleeeeeeee

...get a tattoo from a tattoo artist who had an impressive portfolio of work EVEN IF the tattoo artist didn't actually have any tattoos on his/her on body?

Will

That would lead me to believe that the artist stole the portfolio... id never trust a thin chef, same thing goes for a tattoo artist who has no ink

Pauleeeeeeee

OK. How about if you had heard about this artist by word of mouth? seen the evidence of his work on friends of yours? Knew for a fact that this person had done these tattoos?

Will

hmm possibly, i dont think a tattoo artist like that exists though

Pauleeeeeeee

Not yet. I'm practicing though

Will

haha hope it goes well, most people who are apprentices practice on themselves for a start. have fun

spinandscribble

it would be weird if you wanted to tattoo ppl but didnt want any yourself. it would be like a doctor giving me drugs but not taking any for himself. wouldnt trust him. different situation thought

Eire_Tattoo

There are some very good tattooists with very little coverage. They seem to take a long time to get tattooed. Some of them came into the Tattoo game late or switched from other mediums into tattooing and had the sense to wait until they were 100% of what they wanted done.

If I saw a tattooists work and it was very good and I liked it, it would make no difference to me if he or she had no visible tattoos. But to be a good tattooist they would have had to practise on their own legs to get the feel for the machine.

Thinking about it Tattooing is a weird thing to get into if you are ink free. Usually Tattooists were around tattoos in some way before becomming a tattooist that is why they are usually tattooed. With all these Tattoo programs lately people will be trying to get into Tattooing through the glamourisation of it. Talented artists who never gave tattoos a 2nd glance will suddenly get their calling and if lucky will end up tattooists with little or no coverage.

Anyway, Tattooists would be very unlikely to give a person with little or no coverage an apprenticeship unless they were very young and very talented.

Pauleeeeeeee

Never say never. It's not that I'm totally against ever getting a tattoo myself it's just that I have had anything strike me that I'd like to get done. I will have it on my body for the rest of my life after all

I know it's not the same thing but I do have plenty of piercings which I'd imagine would make people a little less skeptical about receiving a tattoo from me. Either way, it's only going to be me, a tattoo gun and some practice skins for the foreseeable future

truthinwords

Jin in Middleton Tattoo (Louis Malloys shop) is one of the best tattoo artists working in England and she doesn't have a single tattoo.

xtruthx

longshanks

in a somewhat similar vein, a lot of actors dont watch films or programmes they've appeared in. there are crooked cops/lawyers, doctors who kill, so called genius's (genii, geniuii??) with no cop on. and priests, apparently there are some decent ones.
all about not judging books by covers

truthinwords

http://www.jintattoo.com

for anyone interested. She used to tattoo the yakuza in Korea using only homemade machines.

Pauleeeeeeee

OK so I'm gonna buy a starter tattoo kit tomorrow. More than likely gonna get it off ebay I guess.

Anyone have any recommendations as to what I should be looking for? Budget it €150-€200.

The Artist

Pauleeeeeeee wrote: »

OK so I'm gonna buy a starter tattoo kit tomorrow. More than likely gonna get it off ebay I guess.

Anyone have any recommendations as to what I should be looking for? Budget it €150-€200.

are you going to try to tattoo yourself?are ye a tattooist if not you must be mad!

truthinwords

Pauleeeeeeee wrote: »

Anyone have any recommendations as to what I should be looking for?

An apprenticeship.

xtruthx

amazingemmet

Pauleeeeeeee wrote: »

OK so I'm gonna buy a starter tattoo kit tomorrow. More than likely gonna get it off ebay I guess.

Anyone have any recommendations as to what I should be looking for? Budget it €150-€200.

Any starter kit you get for that price will be pure sh1te. You'd only get a decent power supply for that or one machine with that price range. do you even know how to set up a machine? Contamination control? Autoclave?

Pauleeeeeeee

Jaysus lads relax. I have no intention on practicing on myself or anyone else for a good while. I probably should have mentioned that in my last post though sorry

I've read one or two books and have a pretty excellent dvd on tattooing so yes I am aware of contamination control, autoclaves, etc.

The point of me getting this machine is purely for practice on practice skins. I'd like to give myself at least a hands on go of it first and see what it feels like to apply a tattoo on practice skins before I go looking for an apprenticeship.

I just think it would be a good idea to come in to a tattoo studio with a portfolio of work on paper as well as some stuff done on practice skins if possible.

Here's a link to a thread with some traditional artwork that I've done http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055245644. They're all just sketches and unfortunately none of them are really your standard piece of flash or anything but it should at least show you I'm not completely shíte at drawing. Although I'm sure drawing/painting and tattooing are two fairly different feelings and approaches (which is why I'd just like to just try my hand at a tattoo machine for a while without scaring anyone for life!)

amazingemmet, any advise on what kind of price range would give me something decent to practice with?

The Artist

Pauleeeeeeee wrote: »

Jaysus lads relax. I have no intention on practicing on myself or anyone else for a good while. I probably should have mentioned that in my last post though sorry

I've read one or two books and have a pretty excellent dvd on tattooing so yes I am aware of contamination control, autoclaves, etc.

The point of me getting this machine is purely for practice on practice skins. I'd like to give myself at least a hands on go of it first and see what it feels like to apply a tattoo on practice skins before I go looking for an apprenticeship.

I just think it would be a good idea to come in to a tattoo studio with a portfolio of work on paper as well as some stuff done on practice skins if possible.

Here's a link to a thread with some traditional artwork that I've done http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055245644. They're all just sketches and unfortunately none of them are really your standard piece of flash or anything but it should at least show you I'm not completely shíte at drawing. Although I'm sure drawing/painting and tattooing are two fairly different feelings and approaches (which is why I'd just like to just try my hand at a tattoo machine for a while without scaring anyone for life!)

amazingemmet, any advise on what kind of price range would give me something decent to practice with?

thank god for that lol i thought you were going to try to tattoo straight away!!!Anyway i saw your drawings they are brill at least you can can draw very good!Thats how tattooists start at the early stages of tattooing id presume.Id say any tattooist would love to train you in as a tatooist because your drawings would apeal to the tatooists good luck on praticing and let me know when you do your first tattoo!

Hellrazer

Pauleeeeeeee wrote: »

OK so I'm gonna buy a starter tattoo kit tomorrow. More than likely gonna get it off ebay I guess.

Anyone have any recommendations as to what I should be looking for? Budget it €150-€200.

As everyone here is going to say--get an apprenticeship.Your artwork is quite good(better than mine by a long shot) and if I were you Id get a portfolio together and start hitting all the shops around with it.Someone will give you a break if you have the right attitude.

What ever you do dont buy a kit from ebay.You`ll replace everything within weeks of buying it.
Ive just paid £200 sterling for a single machine(hand built by a well known UK builder) last week (Ive another on the way for the same price at the end of March)--believe me the difference between it and an ebay piece of sh!t is unbelievable and I know--I bought a kit at the beginning.The only thing I have left are the ink caps--the machines were taken apart for rebuilding and are a lot better than when they arrived.

2 new power supplies cost me 100 each aswell.

A decent set of inks will set you back at least another 200 euros and you now have to buy EU approved inks which cost a premium so there goes the good brands from the US.
You wont need an autoclave if you go all disposable.

Do yourself a favour and try for that apprenticeship.

Richie.

vangoz

I love the jack nick drawing man........ its class.

I hope your skills transfer well to the tattoo side on things.

The Artist

Hellrazer wrote: »

As everyone here is going to say--get an apprenticeship.Your artwork is quite good(better than mine by a long shot) and if I were you Id get a portfolio together and start hitting all the shops around with it.Someone will give you a break if you have the right attitude.

What ever you do dont buy a kit from ebay.You`ll replace everything within weeks of buying it.
Ive just paid £200 sterling for a single machine(hand built by a well known UK builder) last week (Ive another on the way for the same price at the end of March)--believe me the difference between it and an ebay piece of sh!t is unbelievable and I know--I bought a kit at the beginning.The only thing I have left are the ink caps--the machines were taken apart for rebuilding and are a lot better than when they arrived.

2 new power supplies cost me 100 each aswell.

A decent set of inks will set you back at least another 200 euros and you now have to buy EU approved inks which cost a premium so there goes the good brands from the US.
You wont need an autoclave if you go all disposable.

Do yourself a favour and try for that apprenticeship.

Richie.

well said razer

Pauleeeeeeee

davey180 wrote: »

let me know when you do your first tattoo!

I've no doubt I'll be back onto this forum the second I do! (unless it turns out shíte like )



Thanks for the advice Hellrazer, much appreciated.

vangoz wrote:

I love the jack nick drawing man........ its class.

I hope your skills transfer well to the tattoo side on things.

Thanks for the kind words man. And so do I!

popecatapetal

In response to the original question, would you trust a tattoo artist with no tattoos, I have this riddle:

Q. You go to a small town, wanting a haircut. In the town are two barbers - one with an excellent haircut, one with a piss poor one. Which barber should you go to?



A. The one with the bad haircut. The barbers most likely cut each other's hair, so the one with the bad haircut cut the one with the good haircut's hair.

(...that could be phrased better...)

But still. The tattoo artist with no tattoos could be such a perfectionist in their own work that they don't trust anyone else to work on them.

That said, I'd still rather go to an artist with decent coverage, but it is something to think about.

Pauleeeeeeee

popecatapetal wrote: »

But still. The tattoo artist with no tattoos could be such a perfectionist in their own work that they don't trust anyone else to work on them.

Strange you say that. The main reason I think I haven't gotten a tattoo yet is because I'd want to design it myself but that's where the problem lies; Anything I've ever painted/drawn/designed I get bored looking at about a month to a year later. So why would I get something of my own design tattood on myself knowing that I probably wouldn't like looking at it on a piece of paper in a year, never mind my skin.

N1njapirate

If you've witnessed the talent, and you know it's there, I don't see the difference... As long as the experience is there..