technique advice

[pretty-pistol]

k, cool.

not really "in the moment helpful"
and was kinda already on my to do list.

but thank you for your input

[DrayBono]

we don't give the answers you want.

we give you the answers you need.

[Lonnie]

Originally Posted by DrayBono

from what you've said it's pretty damn clear...GET A NEW MENTOR aim high, as high as you can possibly fathom. the less you settle for when it comes to your apprenticeship the greater your potential right out of the gate.

99% of artists i've known and worked with, myself included, have had 'complicated' apprenticeships. you have to be made of pretty stern stuff to overcome crap like that, so be smart about it from the get go and make it easier on yourself

Exactly. I didn't get the apprenticeship I thought I was going to get. Looking back, I was shown just enough to get going. Fortunately I'm nit-picky and obsessive so I had the drive to learn every day and still do. My apprentice on the other hand, is getting my 17 yrs. of learning out of the deal. Everything from needle making to machine building and all the good stuff in between. I'm teaching her the stuff I wish I was shown from the very start. It makes a huge difference.

Your goal shouldn't be to just be a tattoo artist, but rather to be the best tattoo artist you can be. That means learning as much as you can and it doesn't sound like you are in the place to do that right now.

Nobody ever said it was easy to become a tattoo artist.