Some of my artwork

i really like the converse painting. what medium did u use for that one? im a tattooist and machine builder. first off i wouldnt be paying for an apprenticeshipwhen money is exchanged u may have some unrealistic expectations. and if ur mentor is gonna give u an oldschool apprenticeship (recommended) ull be asking urself.wtf i paid several k to wash toilets and autoclave needles and throw away trash all day? that should BE ur payment for apprenticeship. being the shop bitch for a while. it affords u the chance to be around to hear all kinds of convos ud never be privy to otherwise. and most artists who make it can take would they learn just from those convos into an understanding of many of the things they should be doing,and how they should be doing it when ur mentor finally puts u in the drivers seat. also my best advice is to go get tattooed by artists u respect. then u can ask questions,and seeing how they work is priceless. to know when ur using grey wash with a mag. what motions do different artists use. how fast are there machines running.what kinda of hit do they have.how deep are they running them. how hard is he stretching the skin with his free hand. u wanna pay attention to as much as u can. and u should watch for all this shit in ur apprenticeship to. find an artist u get along with in the shop. he/she will most likely not mind u hovering around asking questions.

now as far as your art, u are very talented no doubt. but try and do more art that is tattoo related. by that i mean designs that would translate to good tattoos. study old american traditional flash (the art on walls in tattoo shops) and understand why they work,and why they were drawn the way they were. now with ur realism work and portraiture, u need to concentrate on all different values. uve got ur gradation down. but u need to have pure black in ur tattoos,all the way to the lightest of greys. u have both in MOST, but ur missing a heck of alot of midtones. those midtones would turn these portraits (last being favorite (which is all midtones,lol.) the only true black in there is on his sleeves which will never allow ur portraits to look like pictures. i can tell ur not spending enough time on them building up ur values, from lightest to darkest. the background should be BLACK. try getting some speedball ink,or kuro sumi tattoo ink,and make a grey wash. meaning one ink cup with one drop,then filled to top with water,next two drops. then 4 drops in next.8 then 16. 16 drops in a large ink cup which is like the size of a large thimbal(sp?) is about 50/50. ur exact midtones. then have one of full black. work from lightest to darkest,spending time building up the tone. not just going after the shade u think u need in a particular spot. as remember theres no going backwards or taking away in tattoing.so always best to go too light then to dark. u deff have alot of potential. look for a mentor ur art speaks too and they may not want money from you. as uve not tattooed before,and are a shapeless lump of clay (in the tattoo world) thats rare first off. most ppl try and learn on their own before realizing how hard it is and seek help. and mentors hate unteaching these punks all there bad habits. u sound like the perfect apprentice if uve never tattooed before.and ull see thats one of the first things most artists thinking about taking u on will ask. dont say yea thinking ull impress.ull do the oppossite. be honest. keep ur ears open.keep drawing whenever u have free time,and if this is really what u want to dedicate ur life to. it will happen for u eventually. good luck on your journey

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-G

 

no prob girl. there are many great artists who are also self taught. so i wouldnt rule out learning some on ur own, IF. you go about it the right way. meaning never tattooing anybody but urself (i practice high "no pun intended" on my thighs.) and on pigskin when i was starting out. it will do wonders for your ling and color packing and whip shading. grey wash shading, or soft shading is very tough to learn on pig skin,and u can pick up bad habits on it that need to be un-learned. but it is wonderful practice medium. again. u dont want to put off ur dream for years or w/e. any practice u can get is good practice. also i heavily recomend joining a tattoo community like ink-trails or any other. i mention this one cause there are alot of world class artists all the way to newbs posting art and getting critiqued on its own merit,and how it would fit as a tattoo. if u say thats a prob of mine,blah blah.one of the really good artists will give u a good practice regiment. i mean i could give u one. but better hear 5 and chose which one fits ur artistic style and personality in life. again.anything u need. pm me. im always happy to help if i can. remember dont worry about stepping out of ur comfort zone. thats a great way to practice art. goodluck again girl !

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g