How to get into the tattoo business?

How does one get into the business? Can it be as simple as being a great artist and buying your own kit, learning how to use it then get a job at a tattoo shop? Or would you have to apprentice for say.....2 years.
Second question, if you are just starting out but are really really good, how does the pay work? Can you make money right away adn make it your career?
thansk for any feedback, just looking for some thoughts and answers from the public. Sorry, one last question what is a good product to buy? tattoo kit? how much are they for quality tools.?

I just wanted to say so far, everyone has been so informative thank you so much and keep the answers coming

First off artist makes the worst tattoo artist.

You are not going to find very many people which will teach - and the best way to learn is from people who are not in business - I say this because they know the tricks of the play.

Kits can range from a few hundred dollars to the thousands - the thousand ones are the best!! better quality, percision and motors. Spaulding and Huck could help you out more.

You have to tattoo a lot of people before getting a job in a shop and you MUST have a portfolio and a damn good one.

Even if opening your own shop you need the port. but mainly you need to have people which are willing to spread the word - which is why underground tattooing is the best to start. You build a rep fast and make money even faster. Trust me I know - the business here are crappie, infection high, fading work because they all learned from apprenticing within shop which they had to pay for anyhow...... I learned underground and my rep speaks for itself plus being a girl is ALWAYS a plus - so I have shops wanting me because of the rep and the people which I tatted - without EVER seeing my port. but I refuse to work for them because of their bad reps so I will be opening my own soon.

Problem with your own shop is - recuriting other to work for you (which it will be who I say and NO ONE which EVER worked for these shops and the insurance.

I know some of the best artist and they sucked at tattooing - just cause you can draw doesn't mean you will be able to tattoo they are TOTALLY differnet.

i have no idea about the kits, but to work and you are a good artist, you have to go to a tattoo shop and talk to the owner, sometimes they would rather you apprentice for a while, and some will give you work and see how you do, then they may hire you right off, and the pay depends on the owner too, some will base is as an hourly pay, and some will make you work off of commission it really depends on where and who you work for everyone does things different

First of all you need to put together a portfolio of your work and start showing it to tattoo artists and ask if any of them would take you on as an apprentice. You won't get payed as an apprentice and you'll be doing it for awhile. Some apprenticeships require you to pay a few thousand dollars. No good shop will hire you if you go out and buy a kit and try and teach yourself at home. There's so much that you don't know about that only a professional can show you. Pay varies from shop to shop. Good luck.

Its best if you are an apprentice for a while, because someone cant really just go buy a kit and expect people to come to you to get something permanent on their body if you dont know what you are doing. And I am very sure no shop owner would hire you right off the street. Its their street creditability that brings back customers.

There is some variance to this. Culled from the posts of the artists who frequent this place, here is a fairly tough but respected way to do it:

Become a good artist first - take classes, build up a portfolio, work through different styles, that kind of thing. Consider it like how you need to do pre-med before medical school. You might want to get a two-year degree bachelor's in art to show you're serious and not just into it for the recent public increased interest in tattoos.

See if you can get a generic job in a tattoo shop, preferably one where an artist wouldn't mind apprenticing you. You might be hired to work the front desk, manage orders, sweep up, or whatever is necessary to keep the shop running. It's quite possible that you can get this before the artistic training and portfolio buildup, or during. Endearing yourself to the artists may help you convince one of them to take you on.

How long it takes varies, depending on your skill among other things. Working the generic jobs can pay the bills. Being an artist will be a step up pay-wise.

If you want to be successful & respected (read: good, comfortable career that pays better), it's not a good idea to buy a kit and strike out on your own. The real artists see that as cheating and will not want to associate with you. You'll also miss out on the non-artistic training you'd need, especially cleanliness and bio-safety stuff. The professionals in the field are *very* sensitive to the stereotyped perception of tattoos as dirty and disease prone & that cheating strongly enforces this stereotype on all of them.

I understand tattoos are a very personal choice and most tattoo artists have at least one tattoo, if not many. While some of those tattoos may stem from an initial practice at learning to tattoo and not meet the standard of perfection, it should be understood that through perseverance and a love for the art form of tattooing it is possible to greatly improve. Even though you may be just getting started at tattooing, you can become a great tattoo artist. The first step toward that goal is reading this guide and acquiring the necessary knowledge. learning to become a top tattoo artist requires proper knowledge and skills as well as a focus on using quality equipment. I can鈥檛 stress the importance of starting off on the right foot enough. Take the time to visit a local tattoo shop and observe one of the artists.

You can find 12 easy steps in 鈥渉ow to鈥?tattoo guide in the source below. Be sure to read through the entire handbook before attempting to get started. This will provide you with a good overview of what is involved in learning to tattoo, the proper tools and equipment you will need and very importantly, the right safety precautions to follow.

You become an apprantence for a few years. You may have to pay you usually don't make any money.. look at Superior Tattoo online I have used their kits/ products in the past.

You have to have artistic talent, first of all, and then you work as an apprentice until your mentor decides you are prepared to do a few tattoos, usually starting with friends. That's when you find out if you can do it or not. Yes, the good quality stuff is a little pricey.

I have the answers in my website
http://tattoocity.com.my/howtobeartist.h...

go into your artists and ask dont be afraid to ask all they can do is give you advise what have you got to loose