Tattoo academy is a Scam
I have decided to work on this blog, in order to help and protect parents who don’t know what to do when their kid wants to be a tattoo artist. I have had so many parents approaching me, asking me if I could train their son or daughter to enter the tattoo industry, and i can tell how the parent have no information about how the Tattoo Industry works, and all they want to do is to help their kid to follow their dream. And that’s exactly what Tattoo academy does, and in this blog I’m going to explain how.
I’m the kind of person who believes in doing things properly, that’s why sometimes I have concerns tattooing some clients because not everyone has the same mentality and philosophy as me. I’m grateful for all my clients who have allowed me to spend the time necessary to take the tattoo to the best it could be.
Training someone up to be a tattoo artist is something really serious to do, so serious that not everyone can see that. Training someone to be a tattoo artist is like giving a weapon in the hand of someone who could be responsible or could not be responsible. So giving someone a tattoo machine because they paid a few thousand pounds, is letting anyone who pays the money carry a weapon with them, and that’s dangerous to tattoo collectors.
Training someone to be a Tattoo Artist in a couple of weeks is not realistic. You can not teach a skill full trade like tattooing to someone in a couple of weeks. Tattooing requires a strong artistic background, drawing is so important, and some tattoo academies are informing their students that you don’t have to draw to be a tattoo artist. Having an experience tattooing in a busy studio, everyday, you have to deal with the human body, designs have to flow in the clients body that curves so much, having to make designs flow and fit to someone’s body it requires drawing skills. Dealing with issues during a tattoo process it requires drawing skills, so basically teaching someone to tattoo without drawing skills, is like getting to the top of the mountain without climbing it, and missing a very important foundation in tattooing.
Having to draw before tattooing it takes time and dedication, and it’s the time and dedication that doesn’t work in nowadays philosophy, finding ways to make quick money by skipping steps, the make it happen faster attitude, and the get there cutting corners path, of courses online, it hides the reality of what a career reality really is.
I have been tattooing for 19 years and I’m still developing everyday as an artist, and I’m one of the few tattoo artist who still draw traditionally, I do it for inner fulfilment and skills development, in order to try to give the best for my clients.
Tattoo Academies are run by Tattoo Artists who cares about nothing but money. A lot of Tattoo Studios are not hiring anyone who’s been to a Tattoo academy, and the reason why is because Tattoo Artists who had former apprenticeships by other tattoo artists do understand what it takes to be a professional Tattoo Artist. And that means being in a Tattoo studio everyday, and being around that environment for years and years to come.
Learning from good artists it means earning the respect from good artists, and hanging out with artists you can learn from, it means earning the respect of good artists and that’s not an easy thing to do. They have to see that you are a serious artist too, and to be a serious artist it takes a lot of sacrifice that not everyone is willing or having the courage to do.
My advice to someone wanting to be a Tattoo Artist would be, focus on learning art, drawing and painting, build a good artistic portfolio, and get tattooed by the Tattoo Artist you want to learn from, because when you get tattooed by the Tattoo Artist you look up to, you are getting an amazing piece of art and building a relationship with that artist, and if your art work impresses the Tattoo Artist who you are getting Tattooed by, the tattoo artist who are getting tattooed by will offer you an apprenticeship, because they will not want to see your talent being wasted.
I did train someone, I did it once and I will never do it again, I tried to do it properly but as soon as he picked up a tattoo machine he stopped listening to me, once he got what he wanted, he wasn’t the same person anymore. Money changes people unfortunately, he became greed with money, his clients would spend thousands with him getting full sleeves, and he would still charge his clients for a t-shirt. If a clients is spending so much money, getting a half sleeve or a full sleeve from you, you give them a t-shirt. His tattooing was still developing and he was charging his clients £100 per hour, way over charging based on what he could do, but unfortunately I gave power to someone who runs before they can walk. I was expecting to respect him when I saw him tattooing, but to be honest even if i tried I couldn’t.
That’s why if any youngster asks me for a Tattoo Apprenticeship is a no from me, because I have too much respect for tattooing and it won’t be easy to find someone who I would be proud of and respect after I gave them a career.