Kitchen Cowboys getting to much info

[inkmunky]

also check out http://www.tattoosgonebad.com

[BRANDON BOND]

yeah I know those guys - were not cool enough to be in the club anymore.


hahahaaaa

[appliedinsanity]

Why did I spend years learning from real artists, making needles, doing line drawings, reading books & videos, going to conventions, etc. when it's that easy to "tat me up?!" Don't let the Man keep you down! Scratchers unite!

I've also been doing some minor surgeries on the side... Appendix ain't that hard to find with a sharp knife...

[BRANDON BOND]

hahahaaa

[jerseyjaywymbs]

i heard you can learn brain surgery from an online course in only 2 weeks. f@#kin sweet.

[inkmunky]

i learned how to do titty implants in my kitchen... if you've got a steady hand you don't need a scalpel, a nice fillet knife does the trick fine...

[wheeliefreak]

Originally Posted by inkmunky

i learned how to do titty implants in my kitchen... if you've got a steady hand you don't need a scalpel, a nice fillet knife does the trick fine...

i think its fairly obvious that you know what you're doing with the implants... hence the professional terminology - "titty implants" ha ha... good one.

[l_Axis_l]

Originally Posted by SterileSteve

First off....You can't teach yourself something you don't know...You can learn from your mistakes...so self-taught is bull! Self-learned is the proper word for those that don't apprentice. It bothers me when Great artists say they were self-taught because it makes every scratcher feel that they can do it too.

Second...It doesn't matter where you are tattooing so much if you are a trained professional, as long as you use proper medical procedures.

Third....most professionals tattooing at home are doing so in a room set up for tattooing and it is not used for anything else.

Fourth....most scratchers don't bother to read forums about tattooing. They get their kit and are anxious to work on their friends. Some elevate themselves to a professional level by making friends with other artists and researching everything they can get a hold of. But the majority of them realize they are not good enough and they sell their kits after messing up all their friends.

Fifth....I haven't seen much on this board that would help many scratchers.....

I think this is a rather negative outlook apon things in gen not per say what steve has said but his post spurred me on so, here we go ill see how much hissing i get, if any. I remember one day when i was about 8 er so livin in santa cruz i was waitin outside ta hop in the van fer school n this dudes sittin on my side walk tattooing himself, was some gnarly spiral jagged sleeve going all around his arm and across his body. I remember he didnt say much other then answering my questions i asked, he told me never to tattoo myself, and showed me his arm he was tattooing up close, which was swollen and red and had a giant split down it. Now ive always takin this experience into mind, I just recently got a kit after a few years of trying to get an appr at a shop to no avail. A few being five and traveling from coast to coast, ive found more unsterile shops with artists who cant follow a straight line, no dout they dont speak for the rest of what we call civilization and the artists within it. But its still an issue that plagues us. Now im not what people call a scratcher, yes i tattoo my fellow travelers n street kids and friends alike, but here is the difference. I may not be able to afford an autoclave, but has anyone ever heard of a pressure cooker? works just as well. And as far as scaring someone for life and screwing up a tat, thats just a lack of commen sence on an individuals part, an artist knows what they can do as far as there current "talent" and skill, I myself am doing nothing other then simple black ink work. Only things that i can recreate by hand without a stencil, this assures that i can indeed do the artwork in which i have set out to do. all in all i just dont agree with everything said here, i think that with more passion towards like everyone has said education on such topics would be key to changing things if your so convinced it is in need of such. I myself, well im still looking not only for a shop that is sterile and i like but an artist i think is knowledgeable enuff to take on a student. Because like i said befor, we need to face it....not every tattoo artist app or not, can tattoo a straight line let alone anything else.

[l_Axis_l]

Originally Posted by ChristianBernal

Ok- not to be cheap- but I posted parts of this before on another forum-
Maybe the answer is- EDUCATION!!
Aside from the money- do you really like having to fix someone elses s&!t when someone comes in with thier "scratcher" stamp!! It would seem that over all the enire industry suffers from people doing bad tattoos! People outside the industry really have no idea theres a difference- and negative perceptions are stronger than positive one. Perhaps not being d**ks to those who want to learn or answering a question or two. Im not saying throw the apprentice/teacher model out the window- NOT AT ALL! But I do think things are obviously evolving- and so should the tattoo industry and the way things are done. Finding an apprenticeship was never easy, NOR SHOULD IT BE, but especially today with the industrys growth, and the "Ink" tv shows success theres just sooo many people out there now wanting to learn. On the one hand it has the possibility to increase the business of good artists and/or shops but it also seems to be opening up this niche of artists making money or supplementing thier income off "apprentices" who then just become "shop-scratchers", because its just about the money.
Maybe when a kid comes in asking questions- if you don't want to answer them, direct them to some books, vids, or websites you think are good. Stess the need for knowledge about safe practices!! Maybe just be straight and tell them what you think is necessary or what you believe is expected of those looking for apprenticeships. That can't be that hard!
If they don't even know what the term "scratcher" means- maybe you could explain why they don't want to be one!!
Hope this is even relevant to this thread-
yes- Im looking for an appreticeship myself-
thats just my 1.5 cents-

Amen to that.

[motelsicks]

lol...it doesnt come over night, and if youre tattooing out of a house without a liscense, thats illegal..along with a big fine.

your friends could get really messed up, sick, die even....yea that can happen.

if you wanna tattoo for a hobby, go buy a bag of oranges or something, really.