More and more people are being attracted to tattoos as an art form. Now, there are perhaps thousands of people wanting to become professional tattoo artists. However, sadly, not everyone can achieve their dreams.
Most people usually launch their tattooing careers by using a basic tattoo kit and experimenting on their friends. Others come across their latent tattooing skills by sheer accident, while still others sign up for a formal art course to learn the art of tattooing. Whatever route you adopt to learn tattooing, you must commit time and energy to your art if you want to be successful in it. Besides, as any experienced tattooist will tell you, there is no shortcut to success.
Here are some hot tips for anyone wanting to become a professional tattoo designer:
Tip #1: Draw your design!
Even if you only make simple tattoo designs you must begin with a fantastic sketch. To be a tattoo artist, you must be skilled at drawing. Sketching out your pattern will help you visualize the final outcome, and then you can decide on the best colors for your design.
Simultaneously, you can see how the design looks on your customer’s body. With this, you can make any changes required before applying the tattoo design. Your sketch is the basic planning phase of your entire design. At this stage, fantastic tattoos are created.
Tip #2: Keep your hands busy.
To grow to be a good tattoo artist, you need to practice your skill. You can practice tattooing by experimenting with as many mediums as you can. Use your hands as much as possible to improve your art, and to become a quick and mature tattoo artist. Take sufficient time to draw your tattoo designs on a sheet of paper and then try inking them on artificial skin. With time and practice, you will be a much better tattooist.
Tip #3: Develop your own specialties.
With practice, you will develop your own niche area. You can categorize tattoos under hundreds of headings. As you develop your own custom tattoo designs, you will discover the category that you like most. For instance, if tribal designs are your forte, work with them and be successful in this niche. But don’t stop with that. Try to increase the number of designs in your niche. The aim is to begin with one specialty and move on to others till you cover all aspects of this art. Doing this, you will find it easy to master your art.
Tip #4: Experiment with styles and colors.
As mentioned above, don’t stop at developing just one tattoo style. Keep trying to widen your skill base by merging various styles, colors and designs. The internet has many resources you can use; all you need to do is to do some research.
Tip #5: Overcome your weaknesses.
You must take real notice of this tip and work on overcoming your weaknesses. To develop into an excellent tattooist you must know your shortcomings, and face them. For tattoo artists, this is perhaps the most difficult part of this art, but once you work on your weaknesses, you can do just about anything.
If you work on these five tips, you can become a successful tattoo artist.
Kristen Dunn is a tattoo enthusiast and professional tattoo designer who has created thousands of thought provoking, elegant, and funky tattoos for her clients. She has a vast collection of custom designs to her credit. Winner of several awards and accolades, Kristen is now a founding member of the world's largest custom tattoo design community at CreateMyTattoo. View her tattoo collection or read more on her blog here.