Custom Art Tattoos

As a tattooist and body piercer, I am often approached by people who would like to get into the trade and want advice about how best to do so. A few months ago, I received an email from someone who asked a number of specific questions which I found relevant and interesting to answer:

Entry into the job – what training/experience/qualifications do you need?
What personal characteristics come in handy?
How does it pay, and what are the career opportunities?
What advice would you give to aspiring tattooists?

This post is a slightly edited version of the emails I sent in response to these questions. It is quite lengthy, but if you want my advice about becoming a tattoo artist or body piercer please do read it carefully. All future requests for info on this topic will be directed to this post, and it is pretty much all I have to say on the subject! Of course, it represents only my personal experience, not any sort of absolute truth about the body art industry.

Entry into the job – what training/experience/qualifications do you need?
No formal qualifications are needed.
A few years ago, there was talk of creating a relevant NVQ qualification, but people in the industry were strongly opposed to it and members of the Tattooing and Piercing Industry Union especially saw to it that the plans were laid aside. Reasons for not supporting the creation of an NVQ include:
a) Classroom based learning cannot adequately prepare a student for the realities of tattooing clients in a studio environment.
b) Being surrounded by, and comparing oneself against, other beginners rather than experienced artists may give the student a false sense of ability.
c) Experienced tattooists might have ended up having to waste their time obtaining a formal qualification when they are clearly already at a level far above that being taught.
d) Who would teach? Capable, successful tattooists with a real passion for the work will be too busy doing the job to teach in a classroom! It was feared that mainly those with theoretical knowledge but few practical skills would end up teaching, leading to a decline in the general standard of ability in the industry.
e) The standard of artistic ability required to earn a place on the course would be lower than it is to gain an apprenticeship. This would lead to both a decline in standards and an overabundance of qualified tattoo artists, which in turn would lower the ability of every tattooist to earn a good living.
To my dismay, I see that the VTCT now offers qualifications in “body art”, aka tattooing. This may be an interesting course for those who wish to learn some theory before or in conjunction with an apprenticeship. I do not believe that it would, alone, qualify a person to work as a tattooist. I have grave concerns about this certificate on the grounds that both the holder of the certificate and members of the public might consider it qualification enough to work as a tattooist when it is merely an introductory course . On a personal level, I am particularly dubious about the VTCT running this course, having experienced a short, part-time course in aromatherapy massage run by the VTCT and come away qualified, having achieved large amounts of paperwork and very little improvement in my practical aromatherapy or massage skills.

I strongly believe that the best way to learn the trade continues to be via an apprenticeship in a professional tattoo studio. The apprentice will need a portfolio of excellent, original artwork to be considered. While there are no formal age limits to give a tattoo rather than receive one, many studios would not consider a person under 18 as an apprentice, so ages 16-18 could usefully be learned improving artistic skills and building up a portfolio (for example, by doing art at a level) and by acquiring skills and experience in a job which can be done outside normal retail hours, such as glass collecting in a pub or working in a restaurant. The apprentice will generally need to support themselves for something in the region of 2 years before they start to earn money at the studio. Assuming that the apprenticeship will be local enough to allow living at home with parents is a mistake. If offered an apprenticeship anywhere in the country, I strongly recommend to take it. They are not easy to get. However, see the artists portfolio and the cleanliness of the studio and decline if these are clearly poor. Although it is possible to eventually rise above the skill level of your original teacher, learning bad habits from the start is clearly not helpful.

There are rules about hygiene which the environmental health department will enforce to a greater or lesser extent (I think they should visit more often than they do to ensure standards are kept up, but they do at least visit before a license to tattoo can be given). So, there are rules about hygiene. When it comes to the quality of work done, this is not something that can, or should, be a matter for legislation. How can art be subject to such rules? It is very much up to the client to look at a portfolio and decide if the artist is skilled enough in the sort of work they want to have done. A tattooist with extremely poor skills will soon get a bad reputation and go out of business, while a skilled and professional artist will gain a good reputation and see their business flourish.

The only advice I can give about finding an apprenticeship is to look at adverts in relevant publications and consider placing your own.  Skin Deep is one magazine which publishes “jobs offered” and “jobs wanted” adverts for the UK tattoo and body piercing industry.  It worked for me

What personal characteristics come in handy?
I think there is flexibility here, because different personalities will attract a different type of client. It is impossible to connect with everyone and since many people are nervous and need an artist who will put them at ease, all of us will not be chosen at some point due to our personality and the general “vibe” the client gets from us. It is impossible to please everyone and this should not be cause for too much concern, although this is not to say that improvements should not be made when one is lucky enough to get negative feedback from a client or co-worker (most of it is probably said behind the back of the tattooist- I hear so much bitching about other artists, over very little really, I can only assume that as many insults are said about me! Emotions can run high when receiving a tattoo and anything the artist did that felt wrong may stand out vividly in the memory). At first, the apprentice may need to work hard to fit in at the studio which has taken them in, but once they are a capable tattooist they can look around for a studio run in a way they connect with, and can relax and be themselves to a greater extent.

That said, the following are very useful:
A patient, polite and honest way of communicating. A tattoo artist must accept the reality of having to have certain conversations day in, day out, for their entire career. Frequently asked questions like “does it hurt?” (or “how does a person become a tattoo artist?” ! ) must be dealt with each time in a friendly and reassuring manner. Some people are really nervous and their behaviour can seem a melodramatic to those of us who are not very scared by the process of being tattooed or pierced. Allowing irritation to show is very unprofessional. A good “bedside” manner can make all the difference between making a good impression or a bad one, either of which the client will probably report back to their friends. Sometimes questions will be asked which seem really stupid to anyone with a basic knowledge of what happens when a person gets a tattoo. It is easy to become out of touch with the level of general knowledge about a subject which one knows well. A willingness to explain politely, honestly, and at an appropriate level (neither giving so much information that the person becomes confused nor making them feel patronised with a very simplistic answer) is very important. There exists a vast amount of misinformation about tattooing and piercing. Disappointingly, some of this originates from tattooists. Some may be in the habit of making something up when asked a question to which they do not know the answer, so as to make themselves look more expert than in fact they are. Others will tell “white” lies to make a client feel less scared about the process. I’ve had experience of a client with a strong psychological need to use an “anesthetic” cream which they had been sold by a different tattooist. After looking at the formula I saw clearly that the cream was was a placebo and, worse, might have a somewhat negative effect on healing. I had to spend quite some time explaining the implications of the cream’s use and encouraging her to let me work without it. Most frustratingly of all, many tattooists and piercers will wildly exaggerate or even make up stories about what can go wrong when a mistake is made by a tattooist or piercer. This is intended to scare the client and stick with the same tattooist, who claims to know what they are doing better than most (this is not to say that some tattooists don’t truly make serious and dangerous mistakes, as clearly some do, just that a certain type of person will feel the need to give dramatic and dubious warnings). It is important not to vent frustration about the misinformation about the client who has mentioned it, but to explain how things really work in a helpful, convincing and reassuring way. Last but not least, don’t fall into the trap of blagging. It is OK to say something like “I don’t know for sure, my guess is that..” or “That is a good question. I will try to find an answer and get back to you.” or “I cannot give you advice about that. It would be better to ask your doctor/ careers adviser/ partner/ etc.” or “It is not possible to make a guarantee about that”.

Perfectionism and motivation. While it not good to beat oneself up about not being perfect, I think it is a real shame to take a “that will do” attitude to rather than continually striving for improvement in every area of the job. Competition is stiff and the general standards of artistic ability, hygiene and customer care in the industry have increased so much over the past 20 years. What is more, I believe that they will continue to do so. A tattooist who is complacent may not have what it takes to succeed. Everyone has a life outside of work and days when they cannot give their best to work for whatever reason, but if the usual attitude is one of enthusiasm and dedication then this is enough. Most people in a skilled and creative job find that they need to make a few sacrifices in life to leave more time and energy for their work. For example, I gave up regularly drinking alcohol soon after becoming a tattooist because I realised that I could not give my work 100% with a hangover and that it was not fair on my clients to arrive for work in this state. This lifestyle change has improved my general health and well-being, so I do not regret it for a moment. However, there are more healthy activities which I have also given up such as seeing friends or family on Saturdays. Saturdays are an important time in this industry. I know very few tattooists who do not work on a Saturday and several who also work on a Sunday. It can make staying close to friends difficult because many people do their socialising at weekends. If a tattooist found themselves unwilling to work hard and make sacrifices, I would doubt that they had the necessary drive for this career.

An awareness of issues around personal space, sexuality, boundaries, body image and professionalism. Being a tattoo artist or body piercer is a role akin to that of being a doctor, nurse, massage therapist, etc. in that during treatment the client may need to be touched on or close to an area which would normally be off-limits to a person they did not know well. It is vitally important to take a professional approach which makes the client feel at ease, minimises any feelings of embarrassment and avoids any situation where the tattooist is perceived as having any sort of sexual response to the client. To speak frankly: In my opinion, a body artist who has a fetish for the tattooing/piercing process, or who becomes easily aroused from touching a person they find attractive in a non-sexual context, should not practice their trade in a mainstream environment. There may be BDSM environments in which they can learn and practice the art in that context with other consenting adults, and may even be able to make a career out of this (although the legality of that career may be dubious), but to allow a sexual atmosphere to develop in a treatment when this has not been explicitly requested by the client is deeply inappropriate. The client may wish to bring a friend or partner to their appointment rather than be alone with the artist. Making clear that this is allowed can be reassuring for the client even if they have no wish to actually bring someone.
Conversely, the artist should not be too prudish to calmly accept that a small number of clients will experience sexual arousal from the process of being tattooed or pierced. I don’t wish to imply that this is a regular occurrance, but the very fact that it is not can leave an artist shocked and unprepared. The tattooing/piercing experience is usually intense in one way or another and occasionally this will manifest in some sort of erotic bodily response, which may be as unexpected to the client as it is to the artist. What the artist must fully understand is that even where such a response occurs, sexual advances by the tattooist will still be perceived as invasive and inappropriate in most cases. A physiological response to a sensation does not equal a wish for anything else to take place. A physical response to physical stimulation is a world apart from an attraction to the artist as an individual. Any suggestion that the artist and client are sharing an erotic experience may be false and very threatening (it may be, for example, that a heterosexual man experiences an erection in response to nerve stimulation when he is having a tattoo on his lower abdomen, done by a male artist. Despite this physical response, any suggestion of taking part in a sexual act with the artist would remain genuinely distasteful to him). In most cases I believe that the tattoo artist should not comment on such a bodily response if the client does not do so first. If it is mentioned by the client the artist should give reassurance that occasionally such things happen. If necessary the artist should then clarify the situation by stating that any emotional or physical reactions on the part of the client are neither offensive nor exciting to the tattooist but a normal part of the job, and that the procedure will be completed in the usual manner regardless of such responses. There may occasionally be cases where the client does feel a personal attraction to the artist, but few will behave inappropriately if they clearly understand the boundaries. The artist should make the boundaries clear by emphasising the difference between feelings and actions, and also the need for the artist to work without distractions and the client to remain still, in order to produce high quality work. The analogy between the career of tattooist and that of doctor etc., as I made above, is also useful. If a client does exhibit inappropriate behaviour then of course the artist can take action: a) Threaten to abandon the procedure without refund if the behaviour does not cease b) Do so if necessary c) Ask client to leave premises and threaten a call to the police if they refuse d) Do so if necessary.
The other vitally important issue about the client’s body is that of how the client may feel about it, insecurities and so on. Clients will vary hugely in their need for reassurance before revealing the area which is to be worked on, and in their need to have surrounding areas covered rather than on display. They will also vary in their response to comments about the colour, texture, hairiness, size or shape of the body part to be treated, or about any scars, cuts, scratches, bruises, moles, spots or other conditions which are present. Do, of course discuss relevant issues about the area and the expected results, but do so with care and tact, and always avoid discussing aspects of the client’s body which are not directly relevant to the expected results of the procedure, unless the client initiates such a conversation themselves.

Pay and career opportunities

The final attribute which I would like to highlight as an important one for a tattoo artist, and one which ties in nicely with the next question about pay and career opportunities, is a responsible attitude to money. The vast majority of tattoo artists are self employed. This is not to say that they are “their own boss”. The owner of a tattoo studio may put many rules in place to help the different artists and any support staff work well as a team, and will usually have the right to “fire” an artist without notice or proof of a fair reason because no written work contract is usually in place. Self-employment means that the artist should save for and organise payment of their income tax annually.
Income is very variable, and will tend to be higher in the summer than the winter, as more people seem to get tattooed in the summer. A person who cannot deal with financial uncertainty would be advised not to pursue this or most other self-employed careers; although there is a good living to be made, there will never be a guaranteed income the way there would be with salaried employment, nor is there any sick pay, maternity leave, etc. unless arranged via private health insurance.
A client will usually pay a fee of £50 or more per hour to be tattooed (few tattooists would charge an hourly rate of more than £70, but very small tattoos which take only a few minutes would incur a fee which, if expressed as an hourly rate, would be very high indeed.) The usual arrangement for an artist working in another person’s studio is a 50/50 split of fees. Any other percentage split is very unusual, and a tattooist should be suspicious of any deal offering less, unless clear benefit are provided in addition to the norm. In return for their 50% of the clients’ fee, the business owner provides a suitable, licensed premises, and covers all rates and bills associated with the business. An autoclave is usually supplied for use in the studio and it’s routine maintenance may be paid for. Tattoo artists should normally expect to handle their appointments, make sales and keep the studio clean as part of their job but in the busier studios the owner may find it makes sense to supply support staff, frequently a receptionist/cashier and sometimes sales or cleaning staff, to help free up the tattooist’s time. Advertising of various sorts may also be provided by the employer, although most high quality, well established studios need little advertising other than the ink their clients wear and the good reports they make to their friends about the studio. Some types of consumables may also be provided by the business owner but in general any such expectations should be clarified at the start to avoid later disputes. In general, a tattoo artist will be expected to purchase all the equipment and consumables needed for the tattooing process with the exception of the autoclave. This allows them to make many choices in line with their preferences and skill; no brand of tattoo machine, needle, pigment, etc. will suit all artists. A beginner will have no real understanding of different brands or types of equipment, pigment, etc. and how they can affect performance; the teacher will teach the apprentice their own preferences; the new artist will later experiment and perhaps make some changes to what they buy. There is no rush!
A £25+ per hour income sounds amazingly high to most people, but it must be remembered that not every hour at work will be spent earning. Many studios do not attract as much work as an artist can handle, and not a single one will do so every day of the year. Even when demand is high there are many things to do, such as drawing up the tattoo designs clients have asked for, thoroughly cleaning the areas and equipment used between each client and talking to prospective clients about their ideas or concerns, which do not directly generate income. While good time management and time saving products such as off-the-peg tattoo designs (“flash”) can be useful to some extent, I prefer to accept the non-paid work as part of a whole and extremely fulfilling career. To deliberately turn the process of creating art and leaving a permanent impression on a fellow human into something akin to a production line seems wrong-headed to me. Isn’t this the sort of working environment that artistic, alternative types are trying so hard to get away from when we enter the industry?!
The whole concept of “career opportunities” made me laugh. This is IT, dude! Being a tattooist doesn’t lead to anything except, hopefully, being a better and better tattooist. Sure, the artist can change studios when the atmosphere in one isn’t working for them or they want the chance to exchange knowledge with a new crowd. They may even wish to open their own studio.
I am sometimes sad to see apprentices who have not even learned the trade properly talking happily about when can have their own studio as if they can hardly wait. A lot of artists seem to resent the 50% they give and underestimate how much it costs to run a studio, both in money and in time, effort and diplomacy. If you’ll forgive the stereotype: I’ve noticed that a lot of the younger artists in the industry have an uneasy relationship with authority and need to be guided and motivated in a gentle but effective way if we are to stay focused and produce our best work in a clean and professional environment. Lateness and absenteeism is a big problem in the industry. A boss who will give you space where possible but a proverbial kick up the arse when needed is, in my experience, a wonderful thing. However, I have noticed a lot of people want to have their own studio as a solution to the problem of being “hassled” over their attendance, attitude, etc. While running a studio can be personally and financially fulfilling -I’d go so far as to say I love it!- this is a step to take only when you have finally got a handle on issues like on turning up or time, working hard, sensibly managing money, keeping the working area clean and being good with customers, on a fairly long-term basis. Imagining those things will fall into place after the event is a recipe for disaster. There are some prestigious and lucrative studios out there. There are studios which plod along in a low key way that keeps everyone happy, which is also good. But there are also a lot of studios which run on drama, debt, and stressed colleagues trying to locate an artist in a panic because their client is ready at the studio and they aren’t .. again .. It’s a shame, and one which can be avoided by thinking about the realities of running a business a little more and about the wonder of a full £50/hour a little less. If you take a week off earning and just have your rent to pay at home, it’s one thing. If you take a week off when there is a business to run, not only does that business lose momentum but it’s cash flow can be dangerously compromised and take a long time to recover. Maybe lack of motivation or excessive partying would not cause a certain person to take a week off work, as many tattoo artists with colourful private lives have been known to do for these reasons, but lets hope they don’t get sick or bereaved, or have to look after someone else, or want to have a holiday, or.. well, you get my point.

The only other advice I can think of is to mention drug and alcohol use as a potential problem for some tattoo artists. Because the industry is a relaxed and (decreasingly, but still) non-mainstream environment, some studios are more tolerant of drug use than many other types of workplace. Additionally, a newly qualified tattooist who, as an apprentice, had a habit of modest drink/drug use may increase their use rapidly as they start to earn a full wage. Those who have neither a dependent family, an expensive home or the need for lots of expensive status symbols may indeed find that they have some disposable income- and I should think so too! Otherwise, what hope would there be for those who did wish to support a family? There are lots of better things to spend “spare” money on than drugs and excessive drinking, and I sincerely recommend to any individual having a think about what the best investments might be for them, rather than pissing it all away out of habit. Popular references to “a rock and roll lifestyle” are somewhat unhelpful as these glamorise a situation which is hardly positive and imply an income that few really achieve. One tattooist I met who nearly “burned out” (read: was asked to leave the studio they had been working in because of heavy drug use and it’s effects) from “living the rock and roll lifestyle” (read: going out every night to take drugs. And probably having sex a fair bit too. Gosh! ) did so while living in a rather downmarket studio flat. Fair enough, this is fine for a single person, plus this was London so it probably cost more than my house, but the point is that it’s not all glamour, groupies and limos here in tattoo world