How much does tattoo apprenticing cost? and how long do you have to be an apprentice?

Answer 1

there are really a lot of different factors that go into it. every shop is different. even the shop up the street may be different then the shop two blocks down. everyone has different policies on how things run. some shops don't charge at all for apprenticeships, some do. some shops don't even hire staff (as someone suggested getting a job as a shop aid) and some do. it really depends.

some shops charge about $5,000 for 2 year apprenticeships, some charge $200/mo ($2,400/yr) for a certain amount of hours (like say, 1500 hours). these are all real examples from shops in my area. the shop i started my apprenticeship at didn't charge me anything. that's just how they did it. they tipped me at the end of the night though for work i had done, so that was kinda cool. eventually after a year i quit that shop because they really were trying to hold me back, i'm not trying to sound cocky, but i think the owner was jealous of my potential because i was a way better artist then him, so i left. i continues my apprenticeship at a much better shop. they charged their apprentices 200/mo which is where i got that example from. and while some shops specify the number of years you have to apprentice for, this shop just stated that you had to be in the shop for 1500 hours. atleast i think that's it, i don't remember. anyway, they didn't even charge me (apparently i was only the 2nd one in their 10 year history that they didn't charge) because they were so impressed with my artwork. i did barely 300 hours with them before they actually let me start tattooing because they saw that i was so willing to learn and learned so fast that i surpassed all the other apprentices there that have been there for over a year. i was there maybe 2 months and i started tattooing.

basically the whole point on this story is to tell you that every place will be different and it will also probably depend on you skill level. i, by no means started out as a fantastic tattoo artist but they knew i would get there quick. i still have so much to learn, you will never stop learning in this field, that's one of the great things about it. you wil keep getting better, even after you're amazing, you still get better if you have the drive for it.

good luck with everything and don't give up if it's something you're passionate about.

Answer 2

depends where you go to get it. some artists will charge you $1000 and up to apprentice. other shops will simply ask you to contract with them for so many years so you dont just learn and skip out. Essentially the shop is investing in you and a good shop shouldnt charge you money to learn.
The time it takes to pass your apprenticeship is debatable. it depends on how fast you learn as well as several other thigns. You way draw like leonardo on paper but it might end up being a picasso in the skin. Some people can never get the hang of it. State law on apprentice licensing differs from state to state. The best thing to do would be to put together a good portfolio of your artwork and go around some of the local studios. Ask if you can talk to their apprentices, check their portfolios. (if they look good they can teach good).
DO NOT BUY A MACHINE AND TEST IT. The easiest way to get a bad start in the tattooing world is to become a scratcher before just cos you think trying it out might help. you will learn more bad habits than help. and many artists will refuse to apprentice people like this. Check out the apprentice sticky note at the top of www.everytattoo.com tattoo forum. Has a lot of good start out advice in it.

Answer 3

well i know that you don't have too buy one put the apprentace as a shop helper and the get pais that way... Now your anwser to the how long do you have to be one it's up to your teacher but some times it's 2-3 years, but it's all worth it...........!

Answer 4

it depends on the state your in!