You're welcome! Thanks for the watch as well, I love your work!

It's always awesome to see aspiring tattooists! Good luck on your journey, it's definitely not an easy one. ;___;

1. It took me about 6-8 months to finish my apprenticeship. This solely depends on your mentor though. I know some who have had 3 year apprenticeships. A typical apprenticeship lasts for about a year though. Tattooing is a trade where you're constantly learning new things, so even after your apprenticeship is long done, you'll still find yourself learning new things every day. Don't get overwhelmed though! This industry is alllll about experience.

2. Make sure you put together a nice portfolio of your work. Literally include EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN. Tattooists NEED to be versatile, so you should have variation in your work, but the important thing is to stick to your style but not be confined by it.
Examples of what to include:
-Linework
-Hand drawn lettering
-Original full color drawings (colored pencil is a great medium to use because it's probably the closest medium to tattooing)
-B&W portraiture
-Some of your own ORIGINAL tattoo designs
-Sketches
(make sure you only include 2 or 3 examples of each, you don't want a portfolio that's too overloaded)

The important thing is to show variety, so if you do paintings or other kinds of art, include a few snapshots of those pieces too! It definitely won't hurt.
One last thing! Make sure you're well read and have a decent grasp of tattoo history (it's uber fascinating imo), tattoo culture, influential artists, and equipment. This will show initiative and prove that you're not just some random kid who wants to do this to be kool or piss off their parents.

Hopefully this helps and goodluck! If you have any more questions or just want someone to talk shop with/express apprenticeship frustrations then shoot me a note or something! I'd be glad to help you out!

Thanks for the lovely compliment! As well as all the faves & watch

Thank you!