How do I ask an artist I’m being tattooed by if I could be an apprentice for them?

I’m getting a tattoo by someone who owns a studio that I’d really like to apprentice at. How should I go about asking them if they’re willing to hire me? I don’t want to just jump in and ask as I think it’s a bit rude. I will also be bringing my portfolio just in case.

The facetious answer is ‘use your mouth and words’, but you probably want to demonstrate a bit more commitment than simply asking; some studios get almost daily calls from wannabe apprentices, and I’ve lost count of the moms and dads that tell me how great their kid is at art and could we interview them for an apprenticeship….I’d love to see some of their fridge doors.

Anyway, actions speak louder than words, so have images with you, physical or digital. Try and demonstrate 1) your drawing ability 2) a genuine interest in tattoo work and 3) a commitment to learning. I taught design in universities for many many years and interviewed several thousands of prospective students. For me, I wanted to see development work just as much (or more) as finished outcomes. I wanted to see how people resolved issues in their own work through critical analysis (understanding) and subsequent improvements. Ultimately this type of work tells a pretty revealing story, and is much more interesting than slavishly copied and rendered slick pencil drawings. Once you have seen one slick rendering, what’s the point of seeing twenty more that tell you no more about the persons skills and commitment. Note: if you want to do strictly realism, then this kind of work becomes more important, but even in that you should be able to show tangible progress from image to image.

Include your own version of tattoo designs and more general subject matter. Try and capture the essence of different styles that you’re interested in, the visual signature or trad, neo trad, realism, illustrative, japanese etc. You could apply these visual styles to untypical tattoo subjects to show how versatile you are.

A good studio will teach you ALL you need to know about the tattooing process (and more) so don’t stress about practise skins at this stage, just blow them away with your commitment to creating great visual work and a hunger for learning.

Final note, avoid saying ‘I like’, unless you can continue to talk about what specifically makes this piece or that piece effective in what it’s trying to achieve. ‘I like’ is purely subjective and shared understanding/appreciation comes from objectivity.