Dear tattooers,
Being one of you I notice a lot of the different things that go on and the way that some of you carry yourselves isn't always ideal. Here are some things that some of you do that I disagree with. Before I start let me state that my work is far from perfect and not where I want/intend for it to be and I am still very much learning every day. This is just a rant.
1. If you are only a year or 2 deep and have some potential that's great. However, please don't claim to have a "style" of work that is all you want/choose to do. You are no where near that point that you can turn tattoos away because its not the cool neat "neo painterly traditional zombie organic realism skool hotness" or whatever sub genre you're calling it. You are still wet behind the ears and fresh and should want to try to be as well rounded as possible and do every style within your skill level and get solid with all of them.
2. Also, if you are early in the game and haven't totally got a grasp on doing solid clean and saturated tattoos that involve linework, shading, color, highlights etc why would you jump into portraits/realism? Crawl before you run... If simple script is still difficult to you why not try to get that worked out before winging a color portrait of someones dead relative on them.
3. If you are a tattooer that likes painterly/realism that's awesome. However, it does not mean that every tattoo you do shouldn't have linework or black. I've seen traditional type Anchors, eagles, hearts and banners and shit like that with NO black or outlines. WTF!? Also, If you wanna do realism that's cool and all but use black for the love of fuck's sake! Black is the backbone to any solid well aged tattoo why change that now? Break out the big dusty bottle of Kuro Sumi or Dynamic and use it!!!!
4. Being an apprentice, or even a full blown tattoo artist for a year or two and having 15 tattoos that does not give you a legitimate right to get your face, neck, hands, or head tattooed! If you're a responsible tattoo artist you know and inform your clients that those places shouldn't be done if you don't have a substantial amount of tattoo work on you first. I'm pretty lightly tattooed for a tattooer and I get stared at in public for having most of my lower legs tattooed. If you are cool with being looked at, judged, and talked about in public that's awesome but try getting the other places filled and worry about the really visible unhide-able spots later.
5. If you do cover ups then DO COVER UPS not washy light and flat "Tattoo Overs" Why do tattooers think they can rightfully say they can cover up an existing tattoo and do a monotone, no depth flower over top of it and call it done. I recently watched a tattoo artist get called out on it by a customer that had like 4 tattoos...OWNED!
6. If you own a tattoo shop then OWN a tattoo shop. Don't lackadaisically let everything fall to shit in your studio. Keep shit nice and spend a little cash back into the place where you make a living.
7. What's with these studio's full of artist that all do the EXACT same type of work. I'm tired of seeing identical portfolios. If you are a tattoo artist and you do 1 style very well and really only like to do that style why would you hire 5 other artist that do the exact same thing. I understand that when tattooers work together they learn from each other and tend to use similar techniques. That's fine but don't assume that that style is the only style there is an frown upon everyone that does something else. I say make friends with artist and work with tattooers of every style and try to become well rounded and learn something. I never could learn anything if I sat in a shop all day with tattooers that did exactly what I do the same way I do it. I'd go crazy!
8. Why do tattooers still do racist/gang/nazi shit?! It's 2011 usually the type of people that want that shit don't have the money to pay for tattoos anyway. I wouldn't want to be associated with anything like that. What happens when a rival gang finds out where all their enemies are getting their colors and symbols tattooed and decide to take issue with it. Not a good look.
9. Why are there tattooers out there that rip off other tattoo artists work? Really, why does this happen? It isn't cool at all. Usually any tattoo worth trying to copy or reproduce is all over the internet and well known. People will figure out damn quick that you ripped it off and better yet that the rip off version isn't nearly as good as the original. Custom 1-off tattoos belong to the person that walks around with them every day and the portfolio of the artist that did them. Show some fucking respect! This is stealing! There's a difference between inspiration/admiration and plagiarism!
10. Pay your dues, deal with bullshit, work through your apprenticeship, don't be a rockstar, be humble, earn your keep, Draw your ass off, and never deviate from your morals as a tattooer.
Thank you all.
James
Being one of you I notice a lot of the different things that go on and the way that some of you carry yourselves isn't always ideal. Here are some things that some of you do that I disagree with. Before I start let me state that my work is far from perfect and not where I want/intend for it to be and I am still very much learning every day. This is just a rant.
1. If you are only a year or 2 deep and have some potential that's great. However, please don't claim to have a "style" of work that is all you want/choose to do. You are no where near that point that you can turn tattoos away because its not the cool neat "neo painterly traditional zombie organic realism skool hotness" or whatever sub genre you're calling it. You are still wet behind the ears and fresh and should want to try to be as well rounded as possible and do every style within your skill level and get solid with all of them.
2. Also, if you are early in the game and haven't totally got a grasp on doing solid clean and saturated tattoos that involve linework, shading, color, highlights etc why would you jump into portraits/realism? Crawl before you run... If simple script is still difficult to you why not try to get that worked out before winging a color portrait of someones dead relative on them.
3. If you are a tattooer that likes painterly/realism that's awesome. However, it does not mean that every tattoo you do shouldn't have linework or black. I've seen traditional type Anchors, eagles, hearts and banners and shit like that with NO black or outlines. WTF!? Also, If you wanna do realism that's cool and all but use black for the love of fuck's sake! Black is the backbone to any solid well aged tattoo why change that now? Break out the big dusty bottle of Kuro Sumi or Dynamic and use it!!!!
4. Being an apprentice, or even a full blown tattoo artist for a year or two and having 15 tattoos that does not give you a legitimate right to get your face, neck, hands, or head tattooed! If you're a responsible tattoo artist you know and inform your clients that those places shouldn't be done if you don't have a substantial amount of tattoo work on you first. I'm pretty lightly tattooed for a tattooer and I get stared at in public for having most of my lower legs tattooed. If you are cool with being looked at, judged, and talked about in public that's awesome but try getting the other places filled and worry about the really visible unhide-able spots later.
5. If you do cover ups then DO COVER UPS not washy light and flat "Tattoo Overs" Why do tattooers think they can rightfully say they can cover up an existing tattoo and do a monotone, no depth flower over top of it and call it done. I recently watched a tattoo artist get called out on it by a customer that had like 4 tattoos...OWNED!
6. If you own a tattoo shop then OWN a tattoo shop. Don't lackadaisically let everything fall to shit in your studio. Keep shit nice and spend a little cash back into the place where you make a living.
7. What's with these studio's full of artist that all do the EXACT same type of work. I'm tired of seeing identical portfolios. If you are a tattoo artist and you do 1 style very well and really only like to do that style why would you hire 5 other artist that do the exact same thing. I understand that when tattooers work together they learn from each other and tend to use similar techniques. That's fine but don't assume that that style is the only style there is an frown upon everyone that does something else. I say make friends with artist and work with tattooers of every style and try to become well rounded and learn something. I never could learn anything if I sat in a shop all day with tattooers that did exactly what I do the same way I do it. I'd go crazy!
8. Why do tattooers still do racist/gang/nazi shit?! It's 2011 usually the type of people that want that shit don't have the money to pay for tattoos anyway. I wouldn't want to be associated with anything like that. What happens when a rival gang finds out where all their enemies are getting their colors and symbols tattooed and decide to take issue with it. Not a good look.
9. Why are there tattooers out there that rip off other tattoo artists work? Really, why does this happen? It isn't cool at all. Usually any tattoo worth trying to copy or reproduce is all over the internet and well known. People will figure out damn quick that you ripped it off and better yet that the rip off version isn't nearly as good as the original. Custom 1-off tattoos belong to the person that walks around with them every day and the portfolio of the artist that did them. Show some fucking respect! This is stealing! There's a difference between inspiration/admiration and plagiarism!
10. Pay your dues, deal with bullshit, work through your apprenticeship, don't be a rockstar, be humble, earn your keep, Draw your ass off, and never deviate from your morals as a tattooer.
Thank you all.
James
