I have been a tattoo artist for nearly 25 years, and I have come across a ton of sources that attempt to explain how to get a tattoo apprenticeship and become a tattoo artist. Unfortunately, most of them are inaccurate.

Getting a tattoo apprenticeship requires complete dedication to the process of learning about the world of tattooing, meeting and making friends with tattoo artists, and developing your artistic skills.

Despite what you may read online, it is not always as simple as walking in with your portfolio and asking for an apprenticeship. This has happened before, but it's not the optimal way. The biggest drawback to this is that there is no established trust on either side. In this article, I will go into detail about what will make you an ideal candidate for an apprenticeship.

What is a Tattoo Apprenticeship?

An apprenticeship will carry slightly from shop to shop but each one will share a few key topics that are essential to the development of a safe and long-lasting tattoo career.

A tattoo apprenticeship is a period of study and learning under the guidance of an experienced tattoo artist in a reputable shop. During this time, you are a student and assistant, learning the technical aspects of tattooing, health and safety concerns, and the business of being a tattoo artist.

This relationship is very intimate and so it must be built on trust between both the mentor and the mentee. For this reason, I strongly advise against the decision to walk into a tattoo shop and outrightly ask for an apprenticeship. This approach may seem tempting because it gives instant gratification but in the big picture it is actually counterproductive.

You are going to spend a lot of time working very closely with the person you will be learning from so you need to be sure this will be a good relationship.

“Why Do I Need a Tattoo Apprenticeship?”

There are many reasons a tattoo apprenticeship is so important, but the primary concerns are for health and safety. Teaching yourself involves significant risk to your health and the health of those you must practice on.

The only safe way to get get the necessary hands-on experience is under the guidance of an experienced professional standing by you, teaching you as you go. There are no SAFE methods to learn tattooing at home, by yourself.

There are no tattoo artist education courses that are worth it. There are no good ways to learn to tattoo online. You can find self-taught tattoo artists. I'm not saying it has never happened, but the question remains: Is it worth the risk?

Even if you proceed despite the health risks, you will eventually have to unlearn many bad habits and acquire more effective techniques. This will require a teacher of some kind. So why not eliminate the risk and wasted time and just start with an apprenticeship, to begin with?

Is It Hard to Get a Tattoo Apprenticeship?

Finding a tattoo apprenticeship will require a lot of hard work. It’s best to not have assumptions about how long it should or shouldn’t take but there certainly are ways to make the process faster and more efficient.

The only thing that can limit your ability to get a tattoo apprenticeship is your own dedication and determination. Every obstacle you will encounter can be worked around if you keep moving forward.

The best plan is to treat the process of finding a tattoo apprenticeship as a series of short-term or mid-term goals rather than one goal you must accomplish. Take each step as its own focus, put all your effort into that phase and move on when you are ready. That way its just a series of little projects rather than one gigantic, overwhelming project

How Do I Prepare for a Tattoo Apprenticeship?

The thing that people are usually most surprised by is how much work it is being an apprentice in a tattoo shop. Apprenticeships are full-time commitments and will require the largest share of your schedule.

The best way to prepare for a tattoo apprenticeship is to treat it the same as if you were going to college or vocational school. For the best results, you should start planning months or years in advance.

Most likely you will be working long hours, during the day and studying or working on your art skills in the evenings. With that in mind there are a few things you can do to be prepared and make the workload feel less of a burden.

Start saving money. Before putting your full effort into finding an apprenticeship, it is worth spending at least a year, preferably 2 years saving money. Having a sizeable nest egg will give you the freedom of time to commit everything to your work as an apprentice. This will ensure you are able to complete the learning experience as fast and as effectively as possible.

Reduce your living expenses. As part of the money-saving process, you should be looking for all the ways you can reduce your living expenses. Ideally, you can lower them to the absolute bare minimum. Be brutally honest with yourself about the most essential necessities you need to live and try and eliminate everything else. This will allow you to save money faster while preparing for finding an apprenticeship and will make your time as an apprentice much easier.

Build a support network. If you are lucky enough to have supportive friends and family, talk to them about your goals. Good family and good friends will want to help! If it is feasible, you may even consider living with a family member or a friend who has enough space to host you. If you have friends and family in other cities this may even be an option to explore sooner than later if you already know your area does not have many opportunities for finding a tattoo apprenticeship. We will talk more about moving to other cities later.

Start working on art skills ASAP. No one will be expecting you to have advanced art skills but the more effort you put into developing your artistic abilities prior to seeking a tattoo apprenticeship the more likely it will be that potential mentors will consider you a good candidate. This process is important enough that I have given it a separate section below.

How To Improve Your Art Skills

you don’t have to be a master artist to get an apprenticeship but the sooner you start the effort of building strong art skills, the faster your entire career will advance.

Throughout your art career, the things that will help you improve the most is focused study and feedback. This is as an ongoing process rather than a destination you will eventually arrive at.

A fully detailed curriculum for learning strong art skills is beyond the scope of this article but there are some essential things you will need to focus on when developing and advancing your art skills. at the end of this list, I will link to a few articles I have written that give in-depth instruction for learning strong art skills.

Learn the fundamentals. It's vitally important to know the fundamentals and focus on each as its own area of study. By analyzing the individual components of art and focusing on them separately, your improvement as an artist will be more efficient and more rapid.
Study artists you admire. Aside from rapid, efficient improvement, the biggest benefit of learning and studying fundamentals is that you will develop the ability to recognize the things that make great art. This will allow you to study the artists you admire and analyze why they made certain decisions and why they work. Then you will be able to incorporate those lessons into your own work, further speeding your own advancing development.
Study tattoo art. Knowledge of tattoo history will be of great value. Study the great artists, study the major styles. Learn what makes a good tattoo design and begin trying to develop your own using the traditions and compositions you study as resources and inspiration.
Keep a sketchbook. Or 2 or 3. The more you are drawing, the faster you will improve. Keep at least 1 sketchbook close to you at all times and draw in it whenever you can. A sketchbook is also a way to experiment freely without having to worry about showing anyone. This sketchbook can be just for you, where you make art for yourself and that’s it. This freedom will help you improve faster while developing your own style.
Get as much feedback on your work as possible. Feedback and critique is actually one of the fastest ways to progress and improve as an artist. We often miss the weak points in our skills or don’t know how we can adjust and improve. The best way to get this information is by having others look at our work and give us helpful advice. You don’t have to wait until you are in an apprenticeship to get feedback and constructive critique for your art. Please do not be afraid of honest feedback. A good critique should help and not hurt. If someone is being rude, or belittling you, that is NOT a critique. Here are a few places you can get good feedback online
- There are many really good artists on Twitch who are happy to help with feedback. Some that I recommend are
- You are welcome to click here to join my Discord and post your art in the critique section. Every Friday (midday PST) I will give feedback for any work that was posted in the channel. Im also happy to recommend more resources if you send me a message.
Art Education. There are a lot of options for formal education and depending on time and money there may be one or more that suit you the best.
Art mentors. Unlike tattooing, art is something that is safe to learn on your own but there is still great value in having the guidance of more experienced artists and even those who are at the same skill level as you. Mentors and helpful peers can give you insight into the weaknesses you need to focus on and suggest ways to improve faster but focusing on the most essential information and avoiding the bad habits and pitfalls.
- Along with the articles, I have written that outline self-guided study I also offer mentorships of my own through Patreon. Click here to see my Patreon page and read about the mentoring I offer.
Art Classes. In the world of Youtube, blogs, Gumroad tutorials there is much less need for traditional art schools and even good reasons to avoid them. However, there can still be some great advantages to single art classes that focus on specific skills mediums. It could be incredibly rewarding to take beginner oil painting classes, portrait drawing, and so on. It’s never a bad idea to have more variety of experience and influences.
Ateliers. Ateliers are different than art schools. Ateliers are usually taught by a master artist and their assistant teachers. Students work on tightly focused studies to learn fundamentals and develop classical academic drawing and painting skills. If time and money are not obstacles for you this can be a very good option for learning incredibly strong techniques.

Here is a list of the articles on self-guided learning that I mentioned at the beginning of this section:

If you struggle with motivation and maintaining a steady discipline click here and read this article

This article is all about ways to find inspiration and generate ideas.

Click here to read a complete set of lessons for beginner and intermediate artists

Start Making a Tattoo apprenticeship Portfolio

Art that will make good tattoo designs. Above I mentioned studying tattoo art as part of your practice developing art skills. This might seem obvious but many times I have seen portfolios with no images in it that showed any study of actual tattoo designs. Studying and trying to learn what makes a good tattoo design will show that you are serious about tattooing and can take the initiative.

Don’t expect to share your Instagram. Even though everyone has an Instagram and its very common for IG to be an easy way to share your art, it is not the best option for showing your best body of work to potential mentors. IG will not showcase your best work upfront and because the images are so small, it will be hard to get a good look at their quality.

Professional presentation. The presentation of your art is very nearly as important as showing the art itself. Maybe even more-so. No one will expect you to be a master artist but they will expect you to conduct yourself like a professional who takes the art seriously. Here are some great ways to present your portfolio

Hard cover books can be printed on demand for very cheap. This is a sophisticated and elegant way to present your art. It looks very professional, it is very durable, and allows for another layer of creative expression in the way you choose to layout the images.
Make sure the focus is on the art. Don’t distract from the art by lots of funny doodles, captions, sketches, etc. If you have anything else on the page with the art, it should support the art not distract from it.
Just like for the art itself it is important to get feedback on your portfolio. Im open to giving feedback when I have time so feel free to reach out if you would like feedback.

Present your best works. Your portfolio should be full of pieces that really show your full range of skills and strengths. This is also an important place to get feedback. Sometimes, the things we think are our strongest pieces are actually not the best options for showing off our full potential.

Show that you are studying tattoos. Tattooing is its own unique medium with its own set of rules making good designs. The more that you can show you are studying the elements of great tattoo designs, and incorporating what you have learned into your own designs, the more impressive your portfolio will be.

Show some variety. Don’t get stuck on one theme or one style. Show that you can handle a variety of styles, subject matter, and compositions. It’s good to know a little about traditional Americana, Japanese styles, realism, and others.

Finding a Tattoo Apprenticeship Near You

The best apprenticeship experience will be at a reputable shop with an artist who you respect and who will respect you.

You will greatly increase your chances of finding the best opportunities if you spend the time connecting yourself to the tattoo world, making friends and building relationships.

You may also find tattoo shops that hire apprentices often and regularly, sometimes having several working at one time. This is a sure sign that the shop is unscrupulous about its methods and does not have the mentees' best interest in mind.

Every human interaction is unique, and you will have to do the hard work of making connections but there are several things you can do to create the right circumstances and make yourself an appealing candidate.

Consider what you have to offer. Finding an apprenticeship is a function of giving and take and the amount you give must outweigh the amount you take. If you only take away one thing from this article it is that relationships are paramount in this industry. Its one of the last remaining industries where trust and reputation are more important than your advertising budget. From the very beginning, people will want to see what you have to offer. They want to see that you are ready to bring something valuable to the table. They don’t want to see this so they can take advantage of you, they want to see it so they know that YOu won’t take advantage of THEM. They want to see that you will value your opportunities and have the humility to learn with an open mind. If you can make solid relationships based on trust then every single other thing you want to see happen will inevitably be brought directly to you. full stop.

Get tattooed. Ideally, an apprenticeship will be something that will grow out of a naturally formed relationship, and the best way to meet and make friends with tattoo artists is to get tattooed. Find artists in your area whose skill you admire, and go get tattooed.
- Do not open your first conversation with this person talking about how you want to be a tattoo artist. That conversation will inevitably happen if you stay calm and just be yourself. Ask a lot of questions first. Get to know them, like you would any other person you are making friends with. There is no guarantee that you will hit it off with the first tattoo artist you meet so, this might take a lot of visits to a lot of different tattoo artists.
- The artist that mentors you should be experienced, and hopefully, has mentored before.
Look for ways to make yourself useful. If things are going well while you are getting tattooed and you have hit it off well with a friendly artist, keep your eyes open for ways that you can show your enthusiasm and be of service. The best thing you can do to increase your chances of being offered an apprenticeship is to show that you have something to offer.
- Your best bet is not to just ask if there is anything you can do but take the initiative. Observe the shop as it functions and make notes of what is happening and when. Look for places where you might be able to step in and do a job.
- Bring skills that make you valuable to a business. Do you know anything about social media management? Marketing? Video editing for YouTube? Think of what businesses need in today’s markets and bring skills that will help a tattoo shop generate new revenue.
Look for opportunities to show your enthusiasm. If you have gotten far enough into a shop that they have started letting you mop and take out the trash, it's probably ok to start asking questions. You still don't want to be overly pushy about this. Let the opportunities present themselves naturally and ask questions as they seem appropriate.
- Take notes and observe everything. There may be opportunities for you to show that you have been picking up on things just by watching and asking questions, and this will show your value.
Look for ways to make yourself MORE useful. Most likely, you will start out doing very menial jobs. Swallow your pride and pay your dues. Eventually, you will see the opportunity to start doing more important jobs. Ask to learn the more complex jobs like setting up a station or cleaning tubes, and running the autoclave. There's always more to do at a tattoo shop.
Have your portfolio ready. At some point, it will come up and you will want to have it ready. Ready doesn’t have to mean within reach at every moment. It just means have it finished and presentable for when the time comes that someone asks to see it. If at all possible wait until someone asks to see it or bring it up when you are 100% certain there is an opening to do so and you feel comfortable with the person you are going to show it to.
Always be working on improving your artistic skills. Of all the things you can do to get an apprenticeship, this will ultimately be the biggest deciding factor, so even though I discussed this in detail earlier its worth mentioning again. Always have that sketchbook handy. The best way to tell everyone around you that you are interested and serious about getting an apprenticeship is to have your sketchbook with you and be taking any spare moment to do some drawing whenever time allows.

Moving Away for a Tattoo Apprenticeship

It could be that your area doe not have a good option for you to find a tattoo apprenticeship. There may not be very many shops of the shops that are available don’t have the opportunity to make the relationships you need.

You should be prepared for the possibility that you will need to move to a different city to find an apprenticeship in a tattoo shop. Prepare for this by doing as much research as you can in advance.

Learn to network. Thanks to social media and other platforms like Twitch it is possible to meet tattoo artists and research tattoo shops around the world. Start this networking early. Even if you do end up finding a tattoo shop near you that will apprentice you, the connections you make in the industry at large will be of great benefit later in your career.

Travel! Part of the networking process should be taking short trips to cities you have researched and visiting a lot of tattoo shops there. If you can fit it into your budget get small tattoos to start the conversation and commemorate the experience.

Couch Surf. While you are traveling to visit tattoo shops in other cities you should also be spending time in bars and other social venues in order to meet the locals, strike up friendships and create contacts you can maintain long distance. These friends can help along the way if you need places to stay for short periods of time while you are finding your way in a new city. But always remember to give more than you take!

How Long Does it Take To Become a Tattoo Artist?

Once you have found a shop where you fit in well and you have been offered an apprenticeship, you might begin to wonder how long this will take.

Tattoo apprenticeships can last anywhere from 1 year to 5 years, and very often, there is no set end date. The shop I have worked at for 20 years has had 3 apprentices, and each of them has taken different amounts of time to finish.

So much depends on the person; there is no good way to predict with certainty when they have learned all they need to know. Often, the apprentice may not feel ready and want to study a bit more before real tattooing starts. By the time you are having this conversation with your mentor, you should know each other well enough to have an open dialogue about expectations.

Do Tattoo Apprentices Get Paid?

In the modern era terms and expectations have changed and it might be tempting to expect compensation for the work you will be doing as an apprentice but most likely this will not be the case.

Tattoo apprentices do not get paid and for good reason. Taking on an apprentice is a massive risk for a tattoo shop. Relationships that start out good don't always work out and If an apprenticeship fails, it represents a considerable loss for a tattoo shop in time and money.

There are professions that refer to the entry-level as an “apprenticeship” and these positions will be paid. In some regions, it is even illegal to not pay someone in the role of an “apprentice” and for that reason, the role of a tattoo shop apprentice would be better described as an “intern”. However age-old customs die hard and tattoo initiates are still referred to as “apprentices”.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you are getting the golden ticket when you learn to tattoo. When you know how to tattoo, you gain access to a job with no restrictions on it. You become your own boss, You can work anywhere, and the only limit to your success will be your own ambition.

Do Apprenticeships Cost Money?

More often than not the value of an apprenticeship is worked off in trade. All the services that an apprentice will provide to the tattoo shop will offset the time and energy that is put into the teaching process on the part of the mentor.

Even though most apprenticeships are conducted with work-trade, some apprenticeships may cost money, but this is becoming rarer and rarer. If there is a cost, it may be as little as USD 1000 or as much as USD 10k.

If you are offered an apprenticeship that costs money, be very, very, very, VERY careful. You must be able to trust the artist you will be working with. Be sure to have a legal contract drawn up and don't sign anything that a lawyer hasn't reviewed.

How Much Do Beginner Tattoo Artists Make?

There is a period during your apprenticeship when you are actually tattooing for free, and this period will last until your mentor feels confident that you are ready to charge money for very small tattoos. When you start tattooing clients for pay, it is most likely that the shop will have you set a very low rate and then gradually let you charge more and more. The exact numbers will vary from one apprentice to another, so this should be discussed in detail when the time comes.

Are Tattoo Schools Worth it?

Please read this in-depth article I wrote about tattoo schools. In short:

No, tattoo schools are not worth it. In the best-case scenario, their curriculum will be sub-par, the education quality low. In the worst case, they are outright scams, operating as pyramid schemes for their own franchises

The vast majority of tattoo artists in the industry scoff at these schools, do not take their curriculum seriously, and will not hire artists who possess a “diploma” from one.

If you can be patient, cultivate a real relationship with a master tattoo artist, and learn slowly and methodically, I promise your chances of long-term success are 100 fold greater than what you will find in any tattoo school.

Thank You For Reading, and I Wish You the Best

If you ever want to ask questions or discuss anything you read here please feel free to reach out through the contact page or visit my Twitch channel and ask me anything in real-time! I stream Wednesday-Friday 10 am-3 pm PST.

I also co-host a podcast for artists called Art Condition where we discuss the business and mindset for artists. Click here to see past episodes and subscribe on your favorite platform.