If you are not being taught by a lisenced professional tattoo artist,you should stop trying to scratch your way,hurting people trying to get in the industry.To be perfectly honest kidies..you are making it very hard for society to take this industry seriously.It is possible to kill someone with "improper unlisenced tattooing practices" such as I am seeing posted in these forum discussions.Not to mention it is going to be hard for you to get anywhere if you keep it up because you are going to get the people mad who could help you out and get you where you want to be.It would be wiser,faster and safer to swallow your pride and ask your local shops for an apprenticeship,if they can't, go to another town.If you really want to tattoo you wouldn't hesitate trying to learn the right way.And the artist would rather people knowing the right way instead of the wrong people practing the previous I just mentioned.Stop miseducating yoursleves by your ignorance..I use to be in alot of your positions and I was told by a lisenced professional tattooist what I just said.And now I am further than when I was doing what I was doing in your shoes.
Persistence pays off people.If your shy..then this industry isn't for you.I know you have to start somwhere,I am so thankful he told me what he did,it made me stop imediately what I was doing.The best advise he gave me was read,draw,sleep,eat,drive,cook,tattoo,the better you draw,and the more you practice safe procedures..the bigger your name will be and your self satisfaction will immensly shine through your quality.Educate yourself without tattooing a human being.A tattooist would rather see a portfolio of wicked drawings than one of tattoos you have done.Becasue they know you have not been preprogrammed and have an open mind into their teachings,reason for their name attached to your name when you are a pro as the result of their lessons and morals.You guys have to take this industry seriously.The health aspects are the same as any hospital,O.R room.Could you imagine a person preforming surgeries in thier kitchen,with no proper sterilizer or lisence or certification or inspection.Would you like your loved ones in that situation.

Amen

You have great points, but you might want to break up what you have to say into body paragraphs. People would be more likely to read it.

thank god for the dd- keeping us aware of scratchers

i hate scratchers!!!!!!!!!

Wonderful post!!!!!

Unfortunately, we just had a scratcher in our town tattoo someone with house paint. Pathetic, Sick, and wrong. I can't understand not having and ethics. I'm predicting that in 5 years, tattoo artists will have their own Hippocratic Oath or some such.

It'd be lovely to see this industry regulated as the medical industry.

Too many 'back yard tattooers' exist and you are right - make it very hard for this industry to be taken seriously. I've been lucky to know great tattooists from the first time I was introduced to the art so knew what to look out for.

My hope is that forums like these and shows like MI can help others that are not so aware, to become aware of the dangerous things backyard tattooers do.

I aggree you shouldn't tattoo without the proper apprenticeship.
That being said if any of you have tried to be an artist you know how hard it is to get Tattooer's to apprentice anyone. Theres not a tattoo school with lesson plans and professors. It's not a profession you can get into by going to college, or attempting to "take class's" in.
Alot of ink slingers had to learn the hardway.
It's unfortunate, if you don't have connections, or alot of money on hand, your going to have a hard time finding an apprenticeship.

I don't remember the name of the school but I do remember an ad for a school that was either on this show or the show on the other TAT show.

PS the ad was show a few months ago but I don't remember which show the ad was run

PPS I just did a GOOGLE search and fould a bunch of schools

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-...T:en&q=tattoo+school

great post. very good.

Thanks for the post. My son has a friend who thinks he knows how to do everything - piercings, tattoos - and he does it from his home. My son's girlfriend had an infected piercing and she was advised by my family and a professional to go to the doctor. To my shock, I later found out that my son's friend advised her to just "pop" the cyst on her ear and she listened to him. She also had a horrible tattoo on the back of her neck but couldn't figure out why it turned out so badly. Gee, could it be the work of this moron friend of my son's? I'm glad someone is trying to educate people when it comes to tattoos.

Let me say a few things to all you wanna be tattooists out there who like to use the term, "scratchers". I want to just vomit when i read all these forums and these "so called pro's" bashing someone looking to get in the field. Not everyone was born with a silver spoon in their mouth and thus cannot afford an apprenticeship. I am guessing that many, many, many talented individuals with potentially amazing art, who could be the next star on a show like Miami Ink, are frustrated to the point where he/she has givin up on the art because of all you big headed morons cant get past yourselves to aid a brother or sister in need. I mean, wouldn't you rather teach someone the right way, give advice, and feel good knowing that you helped a future artist get one step closer to being a tattooist instead of a "scratcher"? I have to go now...and throw up in the toilet!

you took the post wrong...it's about getting experience and learning before you just pick up and tattoo away.but i do agree with you as far as the difficulty in getting shop work...and for sure their are many talented artists out there

I got my best tattoos from people that were in Prison myself.

great point jmm. and the thing is these new prison artist are not the typical jail tattooers, these days guys have skills as good and modern as many shop guys...

Another thing that was failed to be mentioned educate yourself in all aspects of the industry have knowledge and respect for those who came before you if you in return want respect.

great point collector