So you wanna be a tattoo artist?
What you should know before learning to tattoo.
Intro: It’s More Than Just Drawing on Skin
Tattooing is a powerful and creative profession—but it is not an easy path. Regardless if you’ve just graduated high school and are considering a future in tattooing or you are older and looking for a career change, it's important to understand what the career really involves. Becoming a tattoo artist means more than just being good at drawing. It’s a long, challenging process that requires patience, discipline, education, and a deep respect for safety, hygiene, and client care. Sometimes taking years to develop a clientele that will result in a sustainable income. Tattooing as a business is complicated, and the industry is evolving adding in new challenges we have not begun to understand as an industry.
You Need More Than Talent
If you enjoy drawing, you’re off to a great start—but tattooing is an entirely different art form. You’ll be learning how to work on living skin, which means understanding how to stretch, shade, and apply ink without causing trauma. Which also changes how you illustrate and or draw anything from here on out, the medium itself is so different that your art will have to change. As a result what you think works on paper may actually be a terrible idea for the skin because of how tattoos heal and age. You'll need to study line work, color blending, and composition, all while learning how the human body heals and reacts. Being "good at art" isn't enough—technical precision and adaptability matter just as much.
Art skills are the foundation, but tattooing is technical.
You’ll need to learn line control, shading, color theory, and how ink moves under skin.
Practice on paper, then fake skin—never human skin until you’re trained.
Apprenticeships Are Still the Gold Standard
Tattooing is not something you can teach yourself through YouTube or social media. A proper apprenticeship is still the safest and most respected way to learn, but also a safe guard for you as the person learning so your time is not wasted with years of mistakes or risking your reputation. A good mentor will teach you how to set up your station safely, break down equipment properly, and keep both yourself and your clients protected from infection and cross-contamination. But more importantly they will oversee how you are working and encourage you in the design process to design a tattoo that will age well. As for lifelong investments, its critical to the growing artists reputation to produce long lasting results.
However, apprenticeships often take time—sometimes years—and don’t always pay. Many artists work a second job while apprenticing. It's common to spend the first few years learning and assisting before you're even allowed to tattoo human skin.
Tattooing is a hands-on skill passed from artist to artist.
A good apprenticeship teaches machine setup, safety, customer care, and technique.
Be prepared: apprenticeships often require humility, discipline, and months (or years) of unpaid or low-paid learning.
And get ready to suck, everyone does the first time.
Bloodborne Pathogens & Safety Come First
Tattooing involves blood, broken skin, and serious responsibility. You will need to understand bloodborne pathogens, infection control, and state health regulations. Many states require official certifications in first aid, CPR, and sterilization before you can legally tattoo. These are not just boxes to check—they are critical to your clients' safety and your reputation as a professional. Tattooing as a profession carries a risk of becoming inoculated with some disease or transmittable virus, there is a risk- its important to understand that this will be a standard exposure if you decide to tattoo.While not common, people may pass out, vomit, or express their bowels or bladders in the event of some kind of panic attack. These things do happen, and its important to understand this before choosing a career path like this. What you see on TV is not every day in the tattoo shop.
You are opening the skin—this makes you a practitioner of invasive procedures.
Learn proper sterilization, cross-contamination prevention, and follow state/local health regulations.
Many states require certification in bloodborne pathogen training and basic first aid/CPR.
You’re Not Just Tattooing—You’re Serving Clients
Tattoo artists don't just apply art—they guide people through deeply personal decisions. You'll need strong communication skills, patience, and emotional awareness. Clients will come to you nervous, excited, or unsure, and it's your job to support and educate them through the process. Being kind, clear, and professional builds trust—and repeat business. Its common for tattoo artists to take courses on emotional intelligence to serve their clients better.
Communication is key—many clients are nervous or don’t know how tattoos work.
You’ll have to listen, guide, and sometimes redirect people while staying kind and professional.
Emotional intelligence is a huge part of being a successful artist.
Gear, Ink, and Setup Matter
Tools don’t make the artist, but good tools make learning easier.
Understanding the function of your machines, needles, and ink is just as important as using them.
Learn to create a sterile and efficient setup every single time.
Expect the Long Game
One of the most important things to understand is that tattooing is not a fixed-income job. When you're starting out, especially as an apprentice or new artist, you're unlikely to earn a steady or livable wage. Most professional tattoo artists work multiple jobs for years before they are able to support themselves fully on tattooing alone. There will be slow seasons, cancellations, and long periods without consistent clients. You’ll need to budget, save, and possibly supplement your income with part-time work or freelance design jobs.
Building a loyal clientele takes time, marketing, and skill—and success is often the result of years of dedication, not weeks or months.
Tattooing is always evolving. New machines, pigments, techniques, and safety standards emerge constantly. If you’re serious about this career, you’ll need to commit to ongoing education. The best tattoo artists never stop learning—from their peers, their mentors, their mistakes, and their clients.
Tattooing takes years to master. It’s not instant money, fame, or freedom.
The industry is competitive, and your reputation is earned over time.
The best tattoo artists are always learning—about skin, pigment, technology, and culture.
Final Thoughts: Respect the Craft
If you're serious about becoming a tattoo artist, approach it with humility, curiosity, and respect. This isn’t a shortcut career—it’s a lifelong journey that involves passion, patience, and precision. Start by learning the right way, and you’ll earn your place in this powerful, ancient craft.
Tattooing is a beautiful, respected, and life-changing profession—but it is not a shortcut to fame or financial independence. If you're willing to put in the years of work, embrace discomfort, and grow through experience, it can be one of the most fulfilling careers you’ll ever pursue. Take your time, respect the process, and remember: every great tattooer started at zero, just like you.