Though the art of tattooing looks easy, it is not so. People think that buying a kit and practicing on others will be enough to become a tattoo artist. However, this is not true; it is very dangerous since the tattoo needles can easily pass dangerous diseases from one client to the other. The main and only thing needed to become a tattoo artist is raw talent and practice. You can develop your skill by attending fine art classes, learning new techniques from books and by working with an experienced tattoo artist.

You can not start your tattoo making job immediately, as it is a very dangerous occupation, it is very important that you become an expert in tattoo drawings on paper. Once you have a reasonable portfolio of all your work, you have to seek an apprenticeship. This apprenticeship may be free for you; but there are some people that charge thousands of dollars for it too! It is important that you not depend solely on your tattoo making abilities while learning because the income during an apprenticeship will not be enough, if at all. This is only a training period, so you have to have another job to sustain yourself in this period.

As an apprentice, you will learn things that may not be found in books; how to clean your tattoo equipment, how to operate your tattoo machine and to adjust its power supply, how to safeguard yourself, and your clients from any disease and of course, how to apply a tattoo the correct way. All this may take a period of many months. You never actually graduate from apprenticeship; the teacher just decides when you are ready to start your own tattoo making job. There may be some instructors who make you sign a contract at the beginning of the apprenticeship; in such cases, you cannot leave until the terms of the contract are met. However, if there is no contract for you to follow, you can leave the services of your instructor whenever you feel competent enough to start a business on your own.

There is no end to learning tattooing. You will be continuously learning more and adopting new techniques in your tattoo artistry. Give yourself room for improvements always! Once you have become an established tattoo artist, you will find that this is indeed big business. Once you develop a reputation, clients will start creating waiting lists of weeks or months, just to be tattooed by you!

Tattoos are nowadays worn either to make a statement, to show the depth of love they have for another or just to be different from the lot. In fact, millions of people have tattoos, many of them want another one, and many more want their first. Therefore, if you have a good hand for drawing, it would be a smart choice to learn the art of tattooing to become a great tattoo artist. This will form a great source of income for you too!

Resources:

http://tattoo.about.com/

http://tattoo.about.com/od/tattoosgeneralinfo

http://howtotattoo.net/