Hello

Name is Randy. I've been tattooing out of my home just a few months short of a year. First started out by purchasing a kit and tattooing practice skin until my hand was steady, then I moved on to my thighs. Tattooed the wife and neighbors and after around six months or so I started making some money. I set up a studio in my house with a message table and chair, bought some better machines and am cranking out tattoos left and right. Right now im trying to build up my art skills with as much art books as I can. I've always had artistic talent, just not that much artistic education. Trying to work on my line weight and fine tune my black and grey work. I would also like to design my own old school style flash. Recently got my tribal to get alot more solid by first using 7 or 9 flat and then going back in and hitting up the weak areas with an 8 tight. I never want to touch a portait but loving doing realism and traditional. Havent done much for Japaese yet. Kinda disappointed with the lack of acceptance in the tattoo community, but I understand why it's out there. Would love to get an apprenticeship but I would never want to recieve the verbal backlash from the community for being a scratcher asking for an apprenticeship. So I keep my operations underground. I have a small loyal clientel base that suits me just fine for now. My wife is a certified nurses aid, and she helped me learn about disinfecting and sterilization. Most stuff I use is disposable, but I like to use metal grips and gorilla grips. We use cavicide and matricide, ultra sonic cleaner and a pressure cooker. Looking to get an All American soon. I'll put up some of my work soon. If you have any questions about how I got to where I am tattooing just ask.
Randy

Here is some of my more recent work.

I'm getting there!

Some of my black and grey. I did this one before learning about how to tune a cut back shader.

Looks like you're doing well so far, keep working and try going all disposable. If you like the weight of metal grips you could try disposable tubes that go into regular steel grips. You'll still have to sterilize the grips but the tube is disposable. World Wide Tattoo Supply makes a product called EZ-grip which is a steel grip that twists tight to lock onto disposable tubes and they work great, they also sell the disposable tubes in most tip configurations you'd use. Check out their website, I've been using the EZ-grip for over a year now and I love them.

Thanks. Ya I've been using the EZ grips too. I like them alot. I use disposable tubes so the only thing we have to sterilze is the grips.