Professional Body Artist

Well, that was awesome. I just completed my apprenticeship at Happy Valley Tattoo & Piercing. I have an awesome certificate to prove it! My self-confidence is high and my understanding that my skills are still not perfect is ever present. All-in-all, I have had a blast with the hobby of tattooing.

Yesterday, I gave my boss's wife a tattoo portrait of her late mother. My mentor had mentioned that if I pulled that off, my apprenticeship would be over. He has been excited for me to expand and attempt this art style, since good portrait tattooists are hard to find. I am excited because I feel that I have accomplished something very difficult that directly relates to my lifelong dream of being a professional artist. Will I support my family on it? Not any time soon; but I love doing it on the side.

Right now, my art is in a state of change. I won't say that I'm better than any other artists, but I will forthright say that I am stretching myself and enjoying the results. You will notice that the most recent pieces involving color were more intricate than I had done in the past. Even the tree branches on the "Josh" piece were far more detailed than the client had expected or even paid for. What's happening is I am really getting into the art itself as I go. I'm not making alterations that can't be covered up if the client doesn't like them, but they are often accepted as improvements on the tattoo.

I will continue working with tattoos this summer while school is off and probably every other Saturday during the school year. It's rewarding to create art and intriguing to meet people from so many places, each with his/her own stories, interests, and creeds. I guess this marks when I am considered a professional, rather than a student or apprentice, but I'm going to continue on as normal with improvements each time I color skin.