If you want to land a tattoo apprenticeship then you need to build a rock-solid tattoo portfolio. To do this, you need to know what a potential mentor will be looking for. A well put together portfolio almost guarantees you an apprenticeship in the shop you want to work at. Plus, you won’t have to deal with the constant rejection most newbie artists face when they harass tattoo shops for a job.
In this article, you’ll learn how to build a portfolio the right way, as well as:
Here’s five ways to make sure you’re building a portfolio that gets you hired:
1. Make Sure You Have a Physical Portfolio
What Does a Quality Physical Tattoo Portfolio Look Like?
A portfolio is a collection of your best artwork. Always use a black folder. Black is professional, which is a quality your potential mentor or employer will be looking for. If you are trying to get an apprenticeship, keep it about the size of an A4 notebook. As an apprentice, you’ll be doing smaller work, so you don’t need a portfolio of large scale work yet.
Below is an image of Tattooing 101 Instructor Nathan Molenaar’s portfolio that got him an apprenticeship back in 2013.
Why You Need a Physical Portfolio (Why Won’t a Online Portfolio Cut It?)
You need to have an actual portfolio with you when you approach a shop. Do not come into a shop only with the photos on your phone, even if you have an entire Instagram account with only artwork.
Coming in with a physical portfolio shows that you have put in effort - and that you take pride in your work. It makes you look more serious and professional, which will be important to a potential mentor. If you can’t be bothered to make a portfolio, then it’s unlikely you’ll last as an apprentice. A mentor will know this, and they won’t want to waste their time and effort training you.
Note
It’s still good to have an online portfolio for your tattoo art. However, an online portfolio is for potential clients to look at your work and follow you. To get a tattoo apprenticeship, you need a physical copy.
How To Create a High-Quality Physical Portfolio
If you want to get hired as an apprentice, you’ll want to buy a quality folder, decide on a medium that you are going to create your designs with, and use the correct paper for that medium. If you want to get hired as a tattoo artist, your portfolio should only include pictures of your tattoos.
You’ll need the following tools:
Markers or Prismacolor pencils are recommended, since that will show your raw drawing ability.
However, your overall goal is to impress. You want to use the medium that displays your best possible work, and that means understanding the pros and cons of each method before you start developing your designs:
*This is not a sponsored post. These are, however, the materials we use ourselves.
Tattoo Portfolio Media Comparison
Pros | Cons | |
|---|---|---|
Hand-Drawn: Markers + Digital Paper | ||
Hand-Drawn: Prismacolor Pencils + Strathmore Tanned Paper | ||
Digitally-Created: iPad Work + Professional Prints |
Pro Tip: Use One Medium
Only use one medium while creating your portfolio. It will make your portfolio look cleaner overall, allowing for a more professional look.
2. Quality Over Quantity
What a Quality Portfolio Image Looks Like
The only images that should be in your portfolio are drawings or prints that are 100% done and could be tattooed on someone right away. These tattoos should be designed for a specific part of the body.
Each piece should not be rushed and should be done to the best of your ability.
Why Quality is More Important Than Quantity
If the tattoo artist you’re presenting to isn’t impressed by the first three images, they won’t go on to the fourth. Tattoo shops are busy (and sometimes hectic) places. Artists oftentimes have back-to-back appointments. They don’t have time to look at a ton of unfinished work and sketches. Make sure you’re showing them finished pieces.
It is much better to have ten amazing tattoo designs than 50 “okay” drawings.
How to Put images Together in a Quality Portfolio
To create a portfolio that gets you a tattoo apprenticeship, you need to plan out your pieces before you draw them. Do not cut out a bunch of drawings and paste them together on a page. This “scrapbook” look is unprofessional.
Every piece of artwork should have its own piece of paper and its own page in your portfolio. The only exception is flash sheets (where you’ll have multiple flash tattoo designs on the same page).
Pro Tip: Visible Effort
Nothing gives a bad impression to a potential mentor like a book full of half-finished sketches. It gives the impression that you are unorganized and unwilling to put in the necessary effort. Showing up with a beautiful, professional portfolio goes a long way with first impressions.
Note:
It’s always a good idea to create a professional website to display your portfolio pieces. While you always want to take a physical copy of your tattoo apprentice portfolio when you visit a tattoo shop, having a site with a contact page, gallery page, and pictures of your work with high image quality shows that you conduct yourself in a professional manner and that you’re serious to your potential mentors.
3. Include a Variety of Different Styles
What Styles to Include:
Your portfolio needs to feature a variety of tattoo styles. In short, you need “a little bit of everything.”
Beyond stellar art skills, your portfolio should show your versatility. Being a “one trick pony” will not land you an apprenticeship, even at a shop known for a specific style.
Why Versatility is Essential:
To a shop owner, the only real reason to invest in you as an apprentice is if you will make money for the shop. To be an asset to the shop, you need to be able to craft a tattoo for any client that walks through the door – no matter the style. If you can tattoo all different styles, you’re far more likely to be hired.
Make sure your portfolio shows off black & grey work as well as color. Being able to do both while showcasing your creative ideas makes you a more versatile artist and an even better asset to the tattoo shop.
Include at least 2-3 of the following tattoo styles:
Pro Tip: Specialization
As you become a more established artist in the tattoo industry, you can begin to specialize in your favorite style. However, when you’re first starting out, you’ll be expected to handle every style.
4. Be Aware of the Trends in Your Area
Knowing What Tattoos People Want: Trends
Trends come and go when it comes to tattoo art. What's popular today won't necessarily be popular tomorrow. Tracking the trends in your area simply means understanding what styles clients are asking for in your area most often. Every area is different so it’s important to do some of your own research so you know what tattoos styles are popular.
Why Understanding Trends is Important to Your Career:
If you become good at drawing art that people already want on their skin, your chances of getting a tattoo apprenticeship go way up. Why? Because a shop is a tattoo business, being able to offer designs that are in demand means the shop will make more money from your work, and you will be a better investment.
Additionally, it’s much easier to get customers by giving them what they want than what you want. It’s important to remember that, as a tattoo artist, you are drawing for clients, not for yourself. If you specialize in an artistic style that is not popular - even if you are really good at it - you will struggle to get clients. If you can’t get clients, then you won’t make the tattoo shop any money. This means you will be much less likely to get hired by a shop.
When it comes to trends in tattooing, it’s far easier (and more profitable) to swim with the tide than against it. Specialization comes much later in your career. When you’re first starting out, find out what clients want in your area and give it to them.
How To Identify Trends:
The best way to figure out what style is trending in your area is to look at the social media profiles of shops in your area. Look at their Facebook, Instagram, and website gallery page to see what styles and designs are commonly posted - and which posts receive the most attention.
Ask yourself:
To figure out which artists are the most popular in your area, you can call to see how far out they’re booked and check their follower count.
You can also check out which shops have the best reviews on Google. Typically, the shops that have the most reviews are the busiest. Look at their websites, find out who their tattoo artists are and follow them on Instagram. From there, you can figure out what type of work they do most often and look for patterns.
Once you start to see what is popular, make those trends the focus of your portfolio. If you can get really good at drawing those popular styles and designs, your chances at an apprenticeship will be much higher.
Pro Tip: Success Leaves Clues
As you learn who the busiest tattooers are in your area, try and figure out why. Observe how they promote themselves and their art styles. Are they running ads? Do they have a personal website? When you see what they are doing differently, you can model it for yourself. Finding the quickest path to success means finding someone who is where you want to be...and doing what they did to become successful. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel if it’s already been done before.
5. Get a Tattoo Artist to Look at Your Portfolio
Be Specific With What You’re Actually Asking For
If you put tons of effort into your portfolio, you obviously want a tattoo artist to look at it. Approaching an artist - particularly one you admire - can be intimidating. But getting them to take a look is easy when you go about it the right way.
You’ll need to be specific with what you’re asking. Do not ask “Are you hiring apprentices?” This will usually lead to their immediate reflex to say “No.”
Instead, say something like: “Hey, how’s it going?” (Wait for them to respond.) “Oh cool. Hey listen, I’ve put together a portfolio of tattoo designs that I’ve drawn. I was hoping you had a minute or two to take a look and tell me what you think of them.”
Why The Phrasing of Your Question is Important
If you walk into a shop and immediately ask about an apprenticeship, you’ll almost always be turned down. Essentially, you’re asking a person to put their own time and effort into your career. They don’t know you, and they don’t know your art.
Asking an artist to take a moment to look at your art is a much smaller commitment than asking for a job, making it far more likely they’ll look at your work.
Tattoo artists have to interact with “wannabe” artists coming in and expecting to have an apprenticeship handed to them all the time. Most of the time, they don't have a portfolio, they haven’t put in the time to learn how to draw well, and they don't want to work for free. Because they put in no effort, tattoo artists tend to get annoyed after a while. To deal with the issue before it takes up their time, they just say no to everyone.
Coming in asking for a small favor and revealing an incredible portfolio will make you refreshing and exciting.
How to Approach an Artist
First impressions matter, and a potential mentor is going to be looking at more than just your portfolio. They’ll be noting your attitude and how you approach an apprenticeship.
- 1Go into the shop by yourself: Don’t bring friends with you. It will make you look unprofessional and timid, as if you were scared to go alone.
- 2What to wear: Jeans and a shirt. You should dress well and wear clean clothes, but there’s no need for a collared shirt or tie (you’ll get made fun of). You want to look neat and casual, so don’t have any holes in your shoes.
- 3When to go: In the late afternoon around 3pm. That is the time when the artists will be the least busy – and you’ll be more likely to get someone to look at your work. Don’t go on the weekend. That is the busiest time for the shop.
- 4How to approach the shop: Casually. Do your best to relax and go to the front counter. You can ask them how it’s going. Then, you can ask them if they have a minute to look at your work.
If your work is good, they'll show your portfolio to the other artists in the shop. They'll ask you more about yourself and your art, and a conversation about apprenticeship can bloom from there.
If your work is good and you're still denied, it could be a test. Some shops may deny you just to see if you have the resilience to come back with an updated portfolio.
If your work isn't good enough, they will tell you what's wrong with it. While it might sting, listen to this feedback. Go, make adjustments to your portfolio, and come back in a few months when you've improved and fixed the issues.
Pro Tip: Resilience
Whether your art needs work or you’re suspicious a shop might be testing you to see if you’ll return, don’t lose hope if you get rejected. It’s not over unless you decide to quit.
Prepare for a Tattooing Career with the Artist Accelerator Program
Putting together your portfolio is an important step in your journey, but it can also be pretty eye-opening to how difficult tattooing can be. Without the right knowledge, it’s impossible to level up your skills and become a professional tattoo artist.
However, finding the straightforward information you need to progress is difficult. And with so much out there online, it’s hard to avoid picking up bad habits from incorrect and outdated resources.
This is one of the biggest struggles new tattooers face, and too many talented artists have given up their goal of getting into tattooing because of the years it would take to unlearn their bad habits.
That’s why aspiring artists are learning to tattoo with the Artist Accelerator Program’s structured course. As a student, you learn every step of the tattooing process from professional artists with the experience and advice you need to build your skills and create incredible tattoos.
With the Artist Accelerator, you can stop wasting time searching through incorrect information. You just get the clear, easy-to-understand lessons you need to start improving fast… along with support and personalized feedback from professional artists in our online Mastermind group.
Over 2500 students have already gone through the course, with many of them opening up their own studios. If you want to join them and learn the skills you need to start tattooing full time faster…
Click here to learn more about the Artist Accelerator Program.
