r/TattooBeginners

I started 2 yrs ago but i had few breaks. Practicing on fake skin and homies. Lmk

Im 10 days into learning how to tattoo and this took me 2 and half ours to do, do you guys have any advice on what should i learn and improve?

It just a hobby something else to keep

My mind busy really I used a 7 rd line on the lowest needle setting I think and on 6.0 volts . I’m going to practice again after work . Any settings anyone recommend for day 2

I freehanded the eye. I'll draw a proper stencil the next time I practice. I was just eager to try out my machine.

Hi!

Im slowly but surely making my portfolio alongside working full time where im spending a lot of time in the office and travelling but trying to spend as much time as possible on my passion!

Advice about what i can add/change to my portfolio would be greatly appreciated!

Just getting started with fake skin. Any critique is welcome good and bad I am just trying to get better. For background I do this for fun and myself so I only work on fake skin as a way to relax.

My second time doing something this small. Been having a lil trouble using the thinner needles like 3rl, 5rl, 7rl. Pulling and getting a nice saturated line has been a lil tricky. I was using 3rl, 4.2 stroke, and 8.0 voltage my hand speed was a lil slow.

I was doing well on fake skin (swipe for some of the ones i did), even on pulling clean lines so i thought why not try one out on myself.

So i did. And i was way too nervous. I’m a huge health anxiety person so i should just have waited longer. My stencil got wiped off, i didn’t check the reference photo and it’s just a mess. But it is what it is. I stopped at the outlines so there’s less obstacles when working around it. I know it’s salvageable at least and i’ll try to fix it in a few weeks. Until then i’ll stick to more silicone lol

So. What’s your biggest life regret? Rn i’m just hoping i didn’t manage to also give myself any future health issues besides the panic attack i’m waiting to pass.

most recent tattoos

& most recent fake skin

(i’ve tattooed the ankle designs like 3 times on fake skin before finally allowing my client to sit)

VS

my very fist tattoo

& my very first fake skin.

my mentor recommend i find people who are okay with some apprentice tattoos, which is what i did. they are very aware of my skill level on skin. yes they sit willingly and get shitty tattoos. i can see this as im covered in plenty of shitty tattoos AND very good, exceptionally well done tattoos.

i think it’s a right of passage to be a canvas for someone learning and i’m SO SO honored that i have a support system that is doing the same & giving me prime skin real-estate.

every time i work with a client or human canvas i learn SO much that hundreds of hours of fake skin practice hasn’t taught me. you gotta start somewhere.

i would appreciate constructive criticism but i can handle some light roasting 🤣 thanks for looking <3

I dont know what I'm doing wrong, ive tried to practice tigers so many times and they always come out looking really bad does anyone have any advice or know any good tutorials

For the first 12 months I was teaching myself to tattoo at home, watching online tutorials and giving my best every single day whilst trying to soak up as much as I could. I spent that year walking into studios around my area, hoping for a conversation, a bit of guidance, anything really… but most of the time I couldn’t even get 5 minutes of their time.

It was pretty disheartening at times. But I just kept going and improving quietly.

Fast forward a year, I finally landed an apprenticeship at a genuinely lovely studio. And things moved fast - after just 3 months, I graduated and became a junior tattoo artist.

Looking back, it feels like everything was slow… until it suddenly wasn’t. All those hours alone and repetition, they stacked up. And once I found the right place, it all clicked together.

I guess the moral is, if you’re in that phase where it feels like nothing’s happening - keep going. It might just be building under the surface. 🖤

I'm looking for constructive criticism and feedback.

it’s been a year since I practice for the first time (because of some circumstances), i’m so motivated, cuz i know i need to work hard to get a apprenticeship/ mentor ;,)

Hello everyone! I’ve been tattooing for almost 2 years now and I’m really passionate about drawing portraits, so I want to specialize in color portrait tattoos.

I have a question about skin tones. When I tried tattooing on myself, the skin tone looked quite patchy and dark. How do you usually approach skin tone in color portraits? Do you build it up with layers, or use a specific palette or technique to keep it smooth and natural?

In the photo I uploaded, I used stipple shading as an undertone on synthetic skin. Do you think this approach is transferable to real skin as well? Would the stipple shaded version look “empty” or unfinished on human skin if it’s not supported with a peachy or neutral base tone packing?

I’d really appreciate any advice or insight. Thank you!

These are from the very first time using a tattoo machine (yesterday) on fake skin, any kind of advice is welcomed!

After my last tattoo on my friend, I decided to get back to the basics. Linework first. Any constructive criticism?

P. S. The ghost girl and planchette are from Google/Pinterest and the key is custom made by yours truly.

🖤

Emala grand, reelskin, world famous obsidian black. About 4 hours of practice.

Recently I got a tattoo on Tuesday the first photo is the day after. as a lifeguard I had to go into the pools. I used tegraderm but it got cooked instantly. So basically the second photo is on Saturday 4-5 days

photos 2-4 were done on really thin fake skin (the way you can see through it 😭) and 3RL and 5RL until I got thicker 3mm fake skin and more needles.

1. What I did today, lines are shaky and I practiced tapering and shading while doing this (used 7RL, 9RL and 9RS)

2. first time using the machine, trying lines and little designs.

3. Tried shading

4. Again with shading and a lil guy

5. Got thicker skin, played around with voltage and pulling lies, used 7RL i believe.

6. Tried shading again..