How to practice tattooing

The job of a tattoo artist is not easy. It needs a lot of dedication and hard work. You can face many challenges while being on a tattooing journey. Dealing with clients and equipment, practicing and replicating different tattoo designs, and many more tasks a trained tattoo artist can tackle.

Do you know that you are not allowed to tattoo a person during your apprenticeship? It also needs a year or longer to get specialized to tattoo a client.

During your apprenticeship, you also get to practice on different items such as fruit skin to learn how to practice tattooing. But apprenticeships are not easy to get, and not everyone is lucky enough to get an apprenticeship and practice tattooing under the supervision of expert tattoo artists. Apprenticeships teach you how to practice tattooing but what if you don’t get any? How will you practice making tattoos?

But how can you become an expert in tattooing when you can’t practice tattooing on a person? Then how to practice tattooing? Here in this article, we will explain how to practice tattooing and become an expert to tackle all challenges you might face in your tattooing career.

How to practice tattooing?

Tattooing is booming, and many people are entering the industry and learning “how to tattoo” to start their successful careers. At the same time, tattooing isn’t easy, and you must be qualified to start as a tattoo artist.

Apprenticeships are a great way to become a certified tattoo artist, but not every person can get an apprenticeship, but that doesn’t mean you can’t become a good tattoo artist.

With practice, you can learn the skill and can become an expert. But how to practice tattooing? Below we will share some tips explaining how to practice tattooing and become an expert.

Draw as much as you can

The best way to become a tattoo artist is to draw and draw a lot. Every second tattoo expert gives this advice. The tattoo experts say you should fill up sketchbooks with drawings in various styles to help hone your skills.

A love for art will help you get your apprenticeship in the first place and make you a better artist in the future.

Just like any other skill, tattooing takes practice. An excellent way for aspiring tattoo artists to practice is by starting with simple designs and tracing them onto paper. It will help you get familiar to the sensation of inking and steadying your hand to transfer the design onto the skin.

Practice on Fruits

Using a marker on the skin or drawing on paper can only get you so far, but if you want to learn to tattoo appropriately, you’ll need to use a machine on the fruit skin. This will help you get familiar with the machine’s vibration and understand needle depth. You’ll also learn the basics of tattooing: lining, packing, and shading.

To learn how to tattoo, you need to put in the hours of practice, including using a machine on fruits skin to get comfortable with the tattoo machine and its functions. This way, you learn how to practice tattooing on fruit.

Synthetic Skin

Many different types of tattooing materials are on the market today, from traditional skin to synthetic options. Many beginner tattoo artists start with synthetic skin, which is relatively easy to find. However, many experienced tattooists criticize this false skin, as it is not as close to the real thing, but it’s good to practice and learn to tattoo. Synthetic skin can be helpful to just start and get used to with the tattoo machine. Synthetic skin is the best option for learning how to practice tattooing.

Tattoo Yourself

Most artists will tell you that starting on yourself is the best way to learn how to tattoo. Tattooing your thigh allows you to use both hands and practice getting a good stretch on the skin. This gives you the best practice because you will be using both hands, and you will get the best practice because you will be using both hands while tattooing other people.

Additionally, starting with smaller tattoos can help ease some pressure inking human skin for the first time. If you’re looking to create a first tattoo, you may consider placing it somewhere on your body where it can easily be covered. This way, if you’re unhappy with how it turns out, you can keep it hidden until you’re ready to get it fixed or redone.

Tattoo Friends and Family

Another way to practice human skin is by friends and family. But to be a great tattoo artist, you can’t just start inking away at anyone willing to be your canvas. It’s frowned upon by most in the industry to tattoo friends or family unsupervised. It shows a lack of respect for the art of tattooing and is extremely dangerous. By tattooing unsupervised, you could seriously hurt someone as there is a risk of infection or permanent scarring.

That being said, under the guidance of an experienced artist during your apprenticeship, practicing to tattoo on a friend or family member is advised to get you started on real human skin. This way, you can remember your first tattooing experience every time you look down at your ink.

Get familiar with the equipment.

It’s also essential that you get used to the tattoo machines because in the future, you will be working with different tattoo machines, and if you don’t know how to hold or operate a machine, how come you can create a good tattoo?

That’s why it’s advisable to get familiarized with tattoo machines. You can attach a coil machine with a pencil when drawing on paper or can get yourself a cheap tattoo machine to practice on fruits or synthetic skin.

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