Well hello and welcome me lol

[tankgerl]

So to tell you why I’m here.

My husband started about 2yrs ago now and has been getting advice tips etc from his brother in-law who was trained by his well established father in the trade. My huby has also been more recently been getting private lessons so to speak from a friend of ours who runs a studio thats part of the Blue Banana chain.

Well my hubby clearly cannot reach all areas of his body to tattoo it, so has asked me to do some for him. Which I begrudginly did, now when it comes to skin and hygine I know more that the average novis, as I work in beauty as my main job. Where I do electrolysis (hair removal with a needle into the skin), I am also a make up artist so I’m not lacking on creativity and working on/with skin.
After doing a few tattoo’s for him 5 in total now. I hated it at first, as the vibration drove me mad and the weight of the machine hurt my hand. Now that he has a new machine and better tuned, I found on the last tattoo I did him I really enjoyed doing it. Tattoo No1 on him was a flash trace stencilled on to the skin, that due to shite transfure fluid at the time (back when he started), the trace wiped off and I ended up completing the design free hand – he was and still is happy with it. Tattoo No2 was again a stencil, but this time (several months after he had started, so we both knew a bit more), this one took me hours to complete given it wasn’t very big but I have been complimented on it as it was all black and is still never being patchy. No3 was a huge piece for me anyway, on his upper arm and was one of my designs that I transfured on and the first I did using colour. I can see my faults in it but again he is happy with it. No4 another large piece on the other upper arm, this time freehand drawn on with surgical pen as it needed to cover old tattoos, this one took me months to finish partly because I was frustrated by it (and him lol). Again I can see faults but applied the shading technique as advised by our friend. No5 I did recently, and was my first go a black and shade. It was a traced design again but far more intricate than anything I’ve done before, I originaly traced it in pencil so when I did it on the skin approched the shadding in a similar style, with the end result being very satisfying to me. The only fault I could find with the whole design was a rogue line from when he moved while outlining.

I think it has been my recent expereince with No5 that has now ignited a hunger to ‘want’ to do more. It was probably the fact that the design was more interesting and challenging more like drawing, that made me enjoy it. Plus my brother is a very tallented professional tattoo artist, and I have increasingly found he is inspiring me.

So there you have it my experience to date, which has now made me think I want to learn more before I talk either my brother or my mate into giving me an apprenticeship. Which I think I want, I hate working in beauty and its so not me regardless of being good at it.

[tankgerl]

Oh I’ll post pictures of all five at some point.

[xDreamerx]

Yes post pix of your work.

As you continue you will learn new techniques and get ideas with every tattoo you do. You will continue to get that hunger or thirst to continue and learn more.

Obviously read what material you can find. There are many books out there that discuss tattooing for beginners and plenty of videos now on youtube.

When I started there was no dot com to look for help, no internet for me, shops kicked me out when I asked questions, had to order from magazines that didnt require proof of business.

Now everything is online so that should be your biggest resource aside from your in-law. Glad your looking here for guidance and help. its a start and a journey that will no doubt in my mind bring you great satisfaction! Art is where its at I believe!

Post pix when you can.

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