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Had my first of three appointments at The Family Business (with Mo) on Friday. We're bringing an old half-sleeve he did on my down into a full sleeve. Got the outline on and some shading, but I'm really looking forward to getting back in to follow on with it... April and May should see it finished. Also squeezed in a brutal drinking session with two old college friends, involving 32% strength beer from BrewDog in Shoreditch. Had to snooze on a bench in the airport before my flight back. Getting too old for this shit.

Some amazing stuff posted here, wow! Here's my entry, by javi Rodriguez guesting at frith street

I think these are two of the top reasons why people end up with bad tattoos. They can't wait and they don't want to pay. If you get on his waiting list now you will have at least a year to save for it.

This is really awesome, I saw this reposted somewhere but the idiot did not credit the artist, I am so glad I know who painted this now, I just emailed him inquiring about a possible print. FYI, Freddy Corbin has been drawing black pin-ups for years, another reason to love Freddy.

First of all, you should have read the newbie guide: Last Sparrow Tattoo - Newbie Guidelines Do not go posting a bunch of meaningless posts just to hit your 10 post requirement! If you want to ask a question right away - just post it in your intro thread. Your first ten posts consisted solely of "Welcome" and "LMAO".... You could just as easily have posted this in an introduction thread. Second of all, why are you asking us for opinions when it seems as you've already made up your mind?

So glad other people quote Home Alone other than me and my wife.

This isn't unreasonable, but in reality the people who take on apprentices for a fee tend to spend that fee money on drugs or whatever and do absolutely nothing with the apprentice. Seems to be the trend with everybody I've met who have paid for an apprenticeship. I do know of a couple of cases though where the fee was actually used to buy quality equipment that the apprentice got to have when they had reached that stage (or the end of the apprenticeship, in some cases). I think that's pretty cool, and absolutely a great way to handle things. Personally, I feel there is a comparison to be made between apprentices and children... and that would be that too many of the wrong people are having them (and usually a LOT of them), and many of the people who SHOULD have them and would teach them well either don't want to have any part of it or only have one. This next part I probably shouldn't post but oh well. If certain people see it, so be it. I have had two full apprenticeships. The first one was three years long, and I didn't start tattooing until halfway through it. Due to issues under nobody's control (and completely unrelated to me or my apprenticeship), the studio was having difficulties and ended up getting little experience. After I'd been apprenticing three years, my husband and I were broke and needed to move for his job, so we did. I spent a year painting and doing my best to build up an even better artwork portfolio (I never once tattooed outside of a studio, as I knew it wasn't right). When I felt my portfolio was good enough (though really nothing is ever good enough), I searched out a new apprenticeship. I found one, and in hindsight I really have no idea why I was hired. My boss (mentor is an improper term here) had pretty much zero interest in teaching me anything at all. In fact, he seemed to have zero interest in his own progression and in tattooing in general, which is truly a shame. When my apprenticeship ended, my boss had zero interest in me getting clients, and in fact made efforts to try to keep me from getting any. I work hard and I have learned a lot basically on my own with little guidance, but have been very fortunate to have made some great friends in tattooing over the years who have been very helpful to me. I've had a pretty damn miserable experience trying to do things the right way over the past 6 years, and only in the past year have I really been doing any tattooing (and even then it's been quite limited). It's still worth it. I would still advise anyone to go the route of an apprenticeship, and work hard, and hope to hell you picked the right mentor. But sometimes, having miserable experiences teaches you how much you care about something, and how much you want it. Bad experiences can teach you a lot more than good ones, and will help you appreciate the good experiences you will eventually have. When I hear the entitled tone of "If you don't want me tattooing in my home then teach me" (I did read the whole thread btw, and yes I know @Kahlan has had enough lectures and I'm not going to add to it) - it frustrates me a great deal. If I had decided to just start on my own after the first apprenticeship, I probably could've made a lot more money and been learning a hell of a lot faster. But it never would have felt "right" to me, because I didn't feel I had enough experience (even if maybe I did). It would've been the impatient childish mentality of instant gratification. Maybe I'm wrong, but to me tattooing is a truly wonderful thing, and wonderful things should be difficult and even painful to obtain. But maybe I'm just mean and bitter and have too much of a "well I suffered so everyone should suffer" attitude. Edit - wanted to add that I am forever grateful to my first mentor for giving me my first foot in the door. I have a great deal of respect for him. This post is so going to get me in trouble.

Seems I just quit smoking. It's been weird for the last two days haven't touched one. Been a smoker since 13 years old. Anyone else ever quit?

We are, indeed - a homely bunch. :rolleyes:

All will be forgiven when you get a good tattoo.

Got this chola lady head from Paul Dobleman at Spider Murphy's in San Rafael, CA.

New one from Erik Bartholomaus

To this day i can't tell someone to 'keep the change' without wanting to blurt out "ya filthy animal" at the end. One day it will get me in trouble, i'm sure.

Horimomo is Japanese & based in Tokyo. He was trained by a traditional tebori master whose name, I'm afraid, I don't know. He visits Britain once a year and tattoos at Nine Tails Tattoo in London and - I think - MVL in Leeds. Obviously I'm biased, but I love the elegance and traditionalism of his work. When I saw his work & heard he was coming to Britain, I knew he was the artist for me.

Getting the script on my chest re-worked by BJ Betts last night. Super cool guy and a great experience :D Pix to come later when I can get my wife to take one! Update, here's a before and after...

I'm an apprentice... I started to learn from Richard in 2002, then we all got a long so much I bought his partner Stace out of his partnership, which was Skin & Bones, a completely different business in the same building... As a business minded person I had to set down the apprenticeship, and focus on the piercing business, but knew I would get to be around and maybe get to have time enough to pick up a few things... It never happened, we maintained a partner relationship from then on... In 2009, we were reunited somewhat... after about 6 months, I was his apprentice again, and still am... What I have gathered from my 13 plus years in the body art profession is this, Tattooers or some of them, are a lot like teenage couples that don't think about the big picture, they get all hot and heavy and forget to take that pill or wear a condom, and oops a baby is born, and they themselves are still children... Babies having Babies is not an ideal situation in population or profession control.... Especially if you care about people and people getting good work. And Richard has always ALWAYS said... Taking an apprentice is like getting married and someone taking your last name as theirs.... And there is no divorce, that's forever. Hence even too risky for him to teach or just trust even a friend to tattoo... They are bound to you for the rest of their career, and you want to teach good tattooing, and it's hard to teach something that we should constantly be learning about... especially if you love it.

I've gotta admit, I never noticed the lack of black women in flash/tattoos before. I feel kinda stupid now. Done by Dusty Neal (more info at THE STATIC AGE, I started thinking one day how I )

Tattoo by Chad Koeplinger done at Frith Street Tattoo in London, England Filled up the spot nicely! (and quickly 2 Hours!)

What the heck, I'll throw mine in the ring this month...Got this one back in Janurary. Done by Thomas Deaton at Twisted Reality tattoo

done by Nick Colella Chicago Tattooing Co. 3/2/2013

Got tattooed by Matt Arriola at the West Texas Tattoo Conv. Super pumped on how this came out.

@Kev Congratulations on your big day!! We are there in spirit :)

I am not a tattooer, tattoo apprentice or have any desire to be...i just like getting tattoos on the regular. Apprenticeship is mentorship. Learn the value of respect, dedication and loyalty to your master and craft. In this day and age a lot of folks have this self-entitlement, instant gratification thing going on. That's the problem. They want something and they expect to get it right away. You don't receive something because you WANT it...you have to EARN it. Why would someone who put the time and experience into their livelihood give it away for nothing? Reminds me of the Sifu-student relationships you see in the old kung fu movies. Do we need apprentices? What we need is more proper Master-Apprentice mentor relationships. Good mentorship to pass down the tradition and experiences and apprentices that value the read-between-the-line lessons and experience and reciprocate with loyalty, respect and devotion. I think the other problem is that there are a lot of skilled people out there, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are skilled teachers. Probably could use more Mr. Myagi and less Cobra Kai types in the tattoo world haha. To relate back to tattoo...spend more time in the shop. I'm not advocating becoming an annoying cling-on or fanboy, but just go get tattooed goddammit! Prove that you will be a good student, a good investment of time for the teacher. LISTEN ASK WATCH and you will be successful in whatever you do. And be aware of any opportunity that comes your way...take it...don't let it pass you by.

whatever it is, I wish it was mine :D

Hahaha. Since my first name is Kevin, I get "KEVIN!!!!!!!" all the time. And then ultimately someone faints. @gougetheeyes @ItsNewport

Well that post just killed any chance of me getting work done for the next hour or so, assuming this is the same place: Gallery 1

You can't expect this community to offer you any advice if you can't even bother to read and follow some very simple guidelines.

Hello LST! I've been lurking for a while and thought i might as well create a profile here. I have only gotten a single tattoo at the time, but I'm obsessed about getting more work done. I live in Thailand at the moment, but will soon move back to my native Denmark. I've been putting off getting more tattoos, because none of the tattooers here in my town - to my knowledge - do the kind i want - Traditional - very good. I have alot of good options when i return to Copenhagen, so i guess i'll just have to wait - even though it sucks! I was introduced to this site through the fantastic youtube videos, which i have seen at least 5 times each. I dont see myself posting to much, as i dont feel I have much to bring to the table in terms of knowledge, but I'm satisfied listening and learning. Thanks for providing an awesome board, Simon.

Thats my plan as well! My plan is to donate my right arm to his awesomeness, as soon as i get the money for it.

Welcome! You should get tattooed by Henning when you move back and make us all jealous.

Ahhhh, so lucky to have the job I have. Only rarely do I wake up not excited to go to work. (Not a tattooer, a speech therapist). :)

@Jennifer Stell I felt this today when I was with my mentor. Just watching. It's true. I'm a product of him, and goddamn me if I let him down.

I do have to say, I've always felt a bit uncomfortable about the fact that discussion of apprenticeships is considered "taboo" on this forum. I don't mean to say that we should have threads happening like "I wnt 2 aprnts, y no1 likez me?", nor that anyone is obliged to share knowledge or anything of the sort. I just feel it's a bit unfair that any time someone mentions a desire to apprentice, they get people jumping down their throat. I know it probably gets annoying for the tattooers here to constantly have people asking for an apprenticeship in real life, then to have to read about it online too. I think some of the more in-depth responses like many in this thread will serve better to lessen those incidences than some of the more harsh "keep out of my industry!"-type ones. On a personal note, I made the same mistake when I first signed up here in 2011. Since then, I've undertaken 40+ hours of getting tattooed, and absorbed as much of the general awesome-ness that this forum can offer. I still want to tattoo, but I know that I've still got a ways to go. This forum has helped with that, and I hope @Kahlan wont get discouraged and will hang around. Oh, and @Great Lakes Tattooing since you're the OP I don't want your point to be lost either. There are probably some dodgy operators who take advantage of keen apprentices when a paid counter-person/helper is probably what they need. It's a shame that there are bad attitudes on both ends: it gives a bad name to the genuine apprenticeship-seekers AND the genuine tattooers who want to take someone on.

@Kahlan No lecture here, everyone else seems to have done a great job of that. Just some straight up info: At the shop I work in (Which may or may not have a reputation on being harsh to 'wannabes') we get at least one person each week asking for an apprenticeship. In the summer months we get AT LEAST two per week, often more. Aside from the fact than none of them can draw and most haven't been tattooed at our shop, - I'm not even sure if any of them know what kind of work we do (hint: almost everything) they certainly don't look through any of our folios while they are in the shop. - There is no way that our city can support 52 to 104 new tattooers each year. I've been there since 2007. That would be over 800 new tattooers. But really, shitty tattooers should stop taking apprentices and helping them become shitty tattooers. If a good tattooer won't teach you, tough shit. If a good tattooer does teach you, I hate you because I never got that chance and I did a whole bunch of shitty tattoos while I was 'learning'.

"If you don't want me tattooing in my home then teach me." That sounds like blackmail. I try not to hurl insults on the internet, but after reading your posts on this subject I am a little annoyed. I don't have an opinion one way or the other about people getting apprenticeships. Every individual circumstance is different. I do however have a problem with people thinking they deserve something just because they want it. I am not sure why you think you are owed an apprenticeship, but until you get over that entitled attitude then I am certain you do not deserve one.

I know you've said you're looking for an apprenticeship, so firstly -- and this is not coming from a pompous holier-than-thou attitude -- tread lightly here. One of the reasons we've lost solid contributing tattooers to LST is for this very reason. Every few months someone joins up and says, "Hey, I want an apprenticeship, what's the problem?!" The forum is here to help and to share -- but not when it comes to technical how-tos and certainly not when it comes to the ins-and-outs of getting your foot in the door. Second -- and this is coming from only a very slightly more life experience -- go get tattooed. I know you've got two tattoos.. But apprenticeship aside, if you want to learn about tattoos and that world, go. get. tatt.ooed. Make that your primary goal, put the apprenticeship out of your mind. How do you know that you want to commit your life to something when you've only got two tattoos? I bet things will be a little more clear after having spent more than a few hours in a tattoo shop. Tried being as nice as possible here and there's a good chance it's as nice a response as you may get.. It's not that it's a cult or that people are assholes. Take a step back. Listen to what people are saying. Godspeed.

Just for fun, here is my finished dragon by Kore Flatmo. Its only eight days into the month and there are already so many amazing tattoos posted. Thats pretty awesome.

Car scratches can be pretty rough!!!

As awesome as Mason's tattoos are, he's an equally awesome guy. I don't have any work from him, but I've visited with him throughout the years while getting work from Kore. Can't go wrong with Mason...

Couple of new paintings I have done, One refereced from a Ukiyo-e print and the other a quick Sunday afternoon I forgot to buy a Mother's Day card!

I started an apprenticeship 3 or 4 months ago. I am in the shop 3 days and work 3 days plus a few hours on the days I am in the shop. I have been offered the desk job at the shop for a small wage to allow me to be in the shop more and hopefully learn faster. I feel very lucky to have been offered this and am working my notice now to allow me to take up the position full time. Things seem to be slightly different in the UK, it is rare that you would pay for a good apprenticeship, there is a shop fairly local that have 3 apprentices that have all paid £2,000.00 and are just sat around the shop as the shop just isn’t busy, as someone mentioned earlier it seems that the shops that charge over here are the ones that need the cash whereas if a shop thinks you have the potential to bring in clients they are more likely to actually try to pass on some knowledge. Back to the original question; I agree that there are too many tattooers, but certainly in the UK the majority aren’t great. I think in an ideal world good tattooers who are willing to teach things the right way and of course who actually want to apprentice someone do so as that is the only way that the right way will continue, I know that’s just common sense. I also think that people who are in it for the wrong reasons ought to stop taking advantage of people to make some quick ££. And finally I think people should stop looking to be offered an apprenticeship over the internet (obviously not aimed at anyone here). Some of the other forums I use every other post is just a request for someone to get in touch and offer to teach them.

Hilary Janes, at Tatouage Royal in Montreal.

I think I've read these articles 276 times already :D

There are plenty of tattooers out there, that is for sure. The world needs more quality tattooers and less of the garbage that is currently parading around as "professional" tattooers.

My mom tried to stab me with a pair of scissor when she saw my first tattoo. Haha

matthew gordon in sweden

Tony Nilsson at Blue Arms Tattoo in Oslo, Norway is doing incredible girl heads in my opinion. I just recently started paying attention to his work and it is very solid. I would definitely love to get a tattoo from this guy.

Sternum/lower chest near upper abdomen still makes me cringe.

This is currently my only tattoo, done by Johannes(Black Stallion Tattoo) who now works at Good Faith in Brookline, MA. I'd wanted a tattoo since I was 18. I'd been throwing around a lot of ideas in my head of band-related tattoos but couldn't settle on where I'd start. I'd been researching artists for a while and one day stumbled on the stencil for basically this bear that Johannes had on his Facebook saying that he wanted to do the bear on someone. No one had replied, so I volunteered and ended up getting it done at the Rochester convention in May.