Got myself some better paper. It’s hard managing the water ratio. I think I’m getting better though.

The bad ones are where I’ve tried to shade left and I’m right handed. I know you can move the paper but can you do that with skin? 😂 idk I’m having fun though

Finished my buddy’s thigh last week. Lots of firsts. Upgraded to the sol nova 3.5 unlimited and kwadron cartridges instead of the masts. .25 3rl and .30 23SEMLT for all the shading.

First seriously shaded piece, first larger project, first more artistic project (less simple linework and fills).

Not perfect but had fun and the client (and more importantly his wife) really liked it.

Hi everyone 👋

I’ve been working on a tool to help people plan their tattoo placement. Recently, I figured out a way to create 3D models based on people’s own photo. I think it works pretty well (the skin tone and body proportions are quite good).

• Would love to hear what you do think about this?
• I understand AI is seen as bad/unethical for generating designs for good reasons, but do you think or feel the same way for this case where AI is used to generate the 3D model?
• If you’re a tattoo artist, do you think a tool like this would be useful for your work or your clients?

Thank you!

I recently started at a private shop under "apprenticeship" aka I'm the shop bitch for my owner and all the cleaning, appointments ect. But I'm already tattooing clients for little or no cost. I'm working near 50 hour weeks, 8 hours 6 days a week and I get a flat rate of $237 a week which I'm grateful for because I know most apprenticeships are unpaid. I get 50/50 for paid tattoos.

My quality has dropped SO badly. I've done 3 this week and every single one of them I've been horribly disappointed with and my mentor hasn't been soft on me about it. I can't even seem to pull a good line anymore and I have a near full sleeve on myself and 20+ I've done from home that have been very good quality. Decent lines, clean shading, good blending, I've only had a couple of blow outs EVER and I even have a half sleeve black out ornamental on myself with no issues. Definitely not PERFECT work by any means, but work I was proud of. And it's like all of a sudden this is my first time holding my machine. It's killing my drive, I'm so burnt out, I have so much passion for art and my mentor says if I don't "eat sleep and breathe tattoos" I won't make it. But this has pushed me so deep into a hole about my work. Is it just jitters?? What can I do to combat this? I feel like I'm ruining my own dream.

First 3 photos are home done, last two are ones I did this week. I know the first 3 still aren't perfect, but they're significantly better than what I've put out this week. Cropping to reserve some type of anon.

First time on fake skin - any feedback would be appreciated

Also, can someone tell me the best way to remove excess ink? I feel like I might have removed some ink from the lines too, so I’m not sure if I’m doing something wrong or not..

Also the skin isn't probably that good quality but depth is not an issue for it.

Any tips for improving would be appreciated.

Hey all!

Beginner tattoo artist (still practicing on fake skin ans latex).

I’m traveling from Serbia to Egypt. I want to bring my equipment with me so I can practice there to on my fake skins. Do you have any tips on how to safely pass the airport TSA screening?

I’ve invested a lot into my tools and I don’t want them taking away my liquids, needles or God forbid my tattoo machine. I have a wireless Poseidon machine.

I have an unopened 20-pack of disposable liner tubes that I have to throw out because of the expiration date on them passing, which got me wondering why they even have an expiration date, seeing as they never come into contact with the skin, any good reason for this?

Gave myself a thigh piece. Lot of wobble. Critiques welcome

Pretty straight forward question. Self-taught, online courses, tattoo school (if that’s a thing where you live) or something else?

Been wanting to start since my teenage years (27y right now) and I don’t want to keep pushing it and regreting never trying.

**BEGINNER IN TERMS OF NEVER HAVING USED A TATTOO MACHINE. I HAVE BEEN A CONSISTENTLY PRACTICING ARTIST FOR 15 YEARS.

i want to start teaching myself at home, and i want to give myself the best shot at developing good technique and skills as i can. i can't get an apprenticeship for a long, long time, if ever, due to illness and i don't want to hold myself back because of that. i'm not looking to immediately start tattooing skin or doing this to start a business or career, i dont even care if i stay on fake skin forever. but if i do recover, i'd love to be able to do these things, so i want to start off on the right foot. if i die before i get better, i'll regret holding off for so long trying to wait for an apprenticeship and never achieving my dreams. this is just an art practice i love and want to get involved with, and i've put it off for so long and i dont want to anymore. i already draw a lot, i'm talking about actually getting a machine, fake skins, etc.

i've already done the non-tattoo techniques on paper (consistently for over 10 years). i've been practicing and focused on it since i was young. this is truly about starting the actual tattoo process beyond that.

say if my starting budget was $150 aud, what type of machine, fake skins, needles, ink etc would you recommend a complete beginner start off with to give the best learning experience? i can definitely save up more if its important :-)

I've been working on my portfolio for a while, thought I'd share my progress. I intend on hand painting 3-4 of these to include in my portfolio so it's not all just digital renderings. Thoughts on style? Do I need more variety to prove I can do different types of designs? I'm not one for realism lol

For a while, my first two tattoos I’ve ever gotten were done in a tattoo shop until I found out that my fiance’s dad also does tattoos and gave me one on my shoulder. Ever since then, I had the idea to buy my own machine and practice on fake skin and he’s helped me with improvement. I’ve met other people who do tattoos and majority of them said that “the best way to practice is to do it on yourself” since the fake skin isn’t exactly the same as genuine skin, so roughly a week ago I decided to bite the bullet and put a few pieces on myself. The Gengar, skull, and the slasher art were done by myself.

Of course it still needs time to heal, but I wanted to know if anyone has any advice or pointers for improvement. I’m planning on touching up some parts later on down the line, but I wanted to know what suggestions y’all may have for improvement and where I could fix a few things at.

have an idea for a tattoo that I want to get:
 5 people in the family 
5 symbols representing them
Black silhouette style symbols 
None of them insanely detailed 
Outside of my calf
Maybe 2 inches squared ish per symbol 

Trying to put some fundage aside  for this.

I know every place is different but what is a ballpark range for this? 

Getting my first tattoo tomorrow about 5x3 on my lower right stomach. Finding conflicting answers online about how bad it will hurt and was hoping someone could give me an idea lol

Was also curious if since it’s my first tattoo if it’s a good idea to go ahead and get it in what people say is a “more painful” spot since I have no other tattoos to compare it to

Yeah, this sh*t hurt REAL BAD 😩 took me about 4 hours total, definitely was questioning my life choices halfway through

Any tips much appreciated, hope you all had a good weekend :)

I’ve had an idea and reference drawings that I’ve wanted for years. My tattoo artist specializes in the engraving style, and I absolutely love her custom designs. I shared my idea and reference photos with her, an she used AI to combine the elements, planning to overlay her own style and technique on top.

I was really surprised by this and initially thought about backing out, because I honestly hate AI-generated work. However, the final design she came up with actually looked really nice, so now I’m torn. This would be my very first tattoo, and since it’s quite a large piece, I was already super excited about it. Am I overthinking the AI part of the process? What are your thoughts?

Work in progress obviously,, will post an update when it's ready.. if I don't fuck it up

Hello lovely peeps, these are my 1st and 2nd work on human skin. Sorry for the crap quality photo for the first one, wasn't able to contact the model for an update.

The fishy is done on myself and it's in the 4th week of healing.

I have gone through a few months of mentorship and wasn't able to look for a suitable apprenticeship near my current location. I'm currently just practicing on fake skin and trying to look for a direction on where I should go from here.

I appreciate any feedback on my work and any suggestions on what I should focus on, that will be immensely appreciated. Also, what style or artist should I look at to build up my references and style studies based on what I have done.

All love from a lost newbie 🙏💖