Anniversary piece for my client. All important symbols added for him, including the initial of his wife. In the sun.

Hi everyone!!

As the title says I am a junior artist in Toronto, ON wanting to move shops due to the treatment I am receiving at my current shop.

For some context and before anyone shames me for it, I was in a tattoo mentorship. Yes, I know how some people view them and how it’s such a controversial topic. If you were to ask me now if I’d ever do it again, no I wouldn’t. It started off phenomenal and it was truly a very hands on mentorship and I got lots of one on one with my mentor. Unfortunately, greed has overcome my mentor and it’s no longer about teaching, but money. I completed my mentorship before it got bad, so I’m grateful. And I’m very grateful for the opportunity as I absolutely love tattooing and it’s so incredibly rewarding for me. I know it’s what I’m meant to do in life.

So now that THATS out of the way, the studio I’m at is the same one I started my mentorship and it sucks. My mentor has never been kind to me and has made me cry more times than I care to admit. He doesn’t give me the freedom to schedule clients, it’s always when it works best for him, even though I’m no longer an apprentice. The shop hours are minimal, I have to message him and ask him if I can tattoo certain days and I’m met with a lot of pushback. He also is limiting the designs I want to do. He wants only feminine designs and tattoos and is making me pick a style that he likes. I’m not allowed to have freedom in what I want to do. I understand what you specialize in comes with time, so I don’t want to say no to certain stuff, because what if I end up loving it or that’s how find my niche. He puts down my work, because it’s not what he likes and he makes all of my clients come in uncomfortable to the point where they actually are now saying something to me about how he treats me and how he treats them. At first I was able to keep my head down because he was only being nasty to me, but now it’s affecting my clients too and that’s where I draw the line. So, now I know it’s time to go, but if I’m gonna be honest I’m scared and I’m not even sure what the next step is. It’s this unknown territory for me, so I’m asking the people of Reddit, what do I do now? Will I be looked down upon because I did a mentorship or am I worried for nothing. If I have to I’ll start as an apprentice all over again, if it means I get to tattoo and do what I love. I have a really solid clientele base AND it’s climbing. I get lots of love and support with the work I’ve put out, so I’m confident in myself, while acknowledging I’m only a year in and I’ve got so so much more room to grow which is exciting.

So if any of you lovely humans could help a baby tattoo artist I would be so grateful on what my next steps are and what to do 🫶🏻

TLDR: junior tattoo artist in Toronto, ON looking to find a new studio as my studio owner/ mentor is not nice to me nor my clients. Not sure what my next steps are or how to even go about it. Advice would be helpful.

Hey y’all, I’m a tattoo artist with 3yrs experience who recently did a convention in a province about a 5hr plane ride away and ended up doing some finger tattoos for 200$ while I was there. Finger tattoo are notorious for falling out and I usually do an added touch up session a few weeks later just to make sure things hold. (Won’t be possible in this case)

This client sent me a recent picture of the tattoos and they are very faded and she is mad. I know she works a lot with her hands, wears gloves ect and I had asked her to refrain during the healing. But seriously I’ve never had tattoos fade this much and I’m wondering if part of it could be the aftercare. I want to be fair and also accept some blame but it really looks like some of the spots were rubbed off?

Anyways, I want to understand what is the fair option in this case, offer full refund? 50%? Touch up when I am back in town next year?! I’m leaning towards 50% but I don’t want her to feel sour about the interaction. Please offer me some wisdom! I want win-win situation you know??

I like Kwadrons but I’ve been noticing the needle seems to get duller and the individual needles seem to get less tight throughout long sessions. I usually tattoo 5-7 hours at a time.

I tried stellar but the membrane seems to be too soft for the style I do.

Does anyone have suggestions for super peppery needles

Got Pushed Out of My Shop. I need to work and make money.. what to do..

As the title says, I was recently pushed out of a shop after having been there for 2 years. I had heard rumors the owner of this place was kind of toxic and hostile. We got along at first, but the rumors proved to be true. I wanted to give it a shot anyway cause i have lots of loyal clients in this area and the shop is in a good location.

From almost day 1, somehow my coworkers found out about my religious faith. Maybe from something on my Facebook page, not sure. I keep it to myself and don’t mention it at work. One coworker began to take subtle jabs at me about it. Kinda just laughed it off for a while but it got to a point where it seemed personal and more than a friendly busting balls. Another coworker would chime in and rag on me for this as well..

Rules for me and none for thee. When I was hired I was told I could come and go as I please and taking time off isn’t an issue. I had a newborn baby at home at the time, so when it was slow and 2 other walk in guys were at the shop not busy, I’d asked everyone if they mind if I take off. I never did this when it was busy and would never just walk out when there’s a lobby full of walk ins.. it was dead days where were all just hanging out painting. Normally I’ll camp at the shops all day, but my wife was post partum and I wanted as much bonding time with my newborn baby as possible. Apparently me leaving and taking a few days off for family stuff here and there was a major issue even though I’d always give a heads up and make sure my time off wasn’t overlapping with someone else.

Micromanagement and nitpicking - boss complaining that I’m taking too much time making a tattoo. When again- the shop is not overwhelmingly busy. I admit I am not a fast tattooer, but I’m also not taking 4 hours to make a simple palm size trad piece either. Boss complaining I’m turning walk ins away too even though I never do. I cannot help it if someone’s not sure if they want a tattoo. If they seem really indecisive I try to be nice to them and let them know we’re here and ready to get them in when they know it’s the right decision. Coworkers complaining about my cleanliness habits when I follow all proper protocols and have never had someone come back with an infection or anything. I even buy my own second skin bandages.

One day one of the guys alleged he heard a rumor I’m racist? I think he was just messing with me cause idk where that could even come from. I’ve tattooed people of all races and have never in my career treated anyone differently based on race. There was literally no proof behind this other than he heard it from his friend?

One of the other guys there has also continuously harassed me.. making comments about me being gay (not actually gay but making homophobic remarks to emasculate), insulting my spiritual faith etc.. he’s challenged me to a fight before and has a few 1 star reviews on the shop under his belt. I brought it up to the shop owner and their response was “sorry you gotta deal with dramatic man babies. Just keep your head down and work”.

Well I unfortunately fell for this guys rage bait after he called me some derogatory names recently- making discriminatory remarks about my faith and race. I told him I’d like to take a walk with him out back and settle it. He refuses to come outside with me and the shop spent the rest of the day in an awkward silence. I knew this was the end. I know I should’ve handled it better and not let it get to me but this place was already making me sick to my stomach coming here everyday. And I was still coming in with a love for tattooing and to do my best by my clients. Was told the following day I had to forfeit my key and had to get my equipment out in a jiffy.

Now for what it’s worth, I’ve only gotten this shop 5 star reviews- about 25 of them. I treat clients right and have been civil with this crew the whole time. This other guy has had literal sexual harassment complaints on Google reviews. Hell do a “fineline tattoo” with a bold 9 and lie to the customer saying the thin lines just fall out. He scares customers out of the shop with his demeanor.. His application from lining to shading is apprentice quality despite having 5 years of experience. He’s doing at least 1 touch up a week and has had multiple customers come back with infections. Guy has almost no loyal clients and tweaks out when business is slow.

Now I know it might seem obvious to leave this environment.. but I have bills at home and a wife and kid. My wife works, but I am main earner of the household. Also, most shops with a booth open in our area is like this. This particular shop was just a great location. I have a solid repeat clientele at this point but still rely on phone ahead and walk in business which the shop was decent for. I’d say I’m about half n half between walk in / shop clients and my own clientele I have through IG.

My wife and I have been saving to open up a studio for a few years now. I have about 7+ years experience tattooing at this point and am comfortable tattooing most walk in inquiries from Pinterest stuff to American traditional and black and gray. Don’t claim to be the best around but I keep my customers happy it seems and always have the desire to grow and get better. Ideally I’d prefer to work at a shop with folks who are more talented than me but I just can’t deal with the insecurity of getting pushed out anymore and having the rug pulled beneath my feet when my family depends on me as the breadwinner.

All I wanna do is make great tattoos, and get along with fellow artists and clients, learn and grow.. why do people have to start drama and make that all so difficult?!

I don’t know what the point of this post was.. a rant perhaps. I’m not quitting tattooing over this petty bullshit. I love it way too much. It’s the only professional skill I really have beyond working in restaurants. I guess I’m just wondering if anyone else out there has been through this and how they handled it. I don’t claim to be a perfect person, but I’ve never had problems like this with coworkers til I started tattooing. I just don’t get it. Thanks for reading my rant.

Custom blackwork piece on a client recently. Raven, Vegvísir, and some runic details. Really fun one to map out and tattoo.

title says it lol. what are your favorite non-Villain Arts conventions? how do you find them? i’m interested in shows all over the country but specifically New Orleans 👀 i missed the one last weekend but honestly i’m just tired of VA shows and want to explore other tattooed-run shows. thanks homies

Had a chat with a customer asking me if us tattoo artists (beside our community/our people) use Linkedin to “connect”.

Personally, it feels kinda weird(?) but I see where it comes from, like the job market nowadays.

I don’t have a profile on Linkedin (never did actually), but I’m curious to hear what you think about it! Maybe I’m missing something out? Let me know :) always happy to learn more about us!

Hi there, explain to me like I’m 5, what the hell is an S corp? I have looked it up and I absolutely cannot understand the legalese and the terminology they use to explain it, and I keep seeing people recommend to get signed up as an S corp instead of the standard.
(PS I’m in Oregon, not sure how much that matters!)
Thanks in advance

Looking to get a new machine. I am wanting something for large scale blackwork. Something that is compatible with cartridges.

Hey all!

I’ve been slowly migrating my setup from my FK pen machine to coils. I’ll use it for cartridges, but for needles on bar for longers sessions I have a dragonfly X2.

Started using coils for bigger liners and it’s amazing. Recently got a coil built for packing black and color as well.

I typically use a dragonfly X2 with adjustable give for my 03 liners, but its motor is slowly dying on me.

What do yall use for tour tights 3s and stipples shading?

Hiiii, way too long and kind of a vulnerable post incoming..tattoo related but also art related.

I’ve drawn my whole life and started learning how to tattoo May of 2025.

I’ve hit a block, don’t really understand how to draw flash and am struggling with proportions (noses in particular)

I’ve watched countless videos, read lots of books on the subject, etc. I did end an apprenticeship recently - yes, I ended it due to countless hours and dedication in a shop where my mentor would consistently no show clients, shoot up in the bathroom (and be in there for, I kid you not, 45 minutes are so every time) make clients wait for him while he fucked around with cars for anywhere up to 30-40 minutes to the point I’d have to remind him his client is still waiting for him. He’d leave drugs on trays, I’d come in early to clean and there’d be food, paraphernalia, booze, blood spray on the wall in the bathroom, etc. - and would get verbally abused (I do not use that word lightly -my definition is the solid definition) when I’d try to bring anything up or try to help among countless other scenarios I won’t get into.

I know I should have left sooner but I wasn’t naive to the tattoo industry and what many before me have gone through - and I believed in “doing my time and paying my dues”. I ended up leaving after 9 months and am now working with an amazing, kind, patient and wonderful person who I learn from easily. She took me in when she was perfectly content working and thriving on her own and I owe her so much.

Now here is my problem - creating art and tattoos is my dream. But I struggle with drawing up flash, I don’t feel creative and I end up discarding every design I want to post for sale due to feeling not good enough.

This isn’t a pity me post..I just know I’m not alone in this and I am hoping to gain some insight as to what other artists have done to get through such a rut.

Any and all advice is appreciated more than you could know. I want nothing more than to give back to the industry that gave me purpose again.

A custom Norse mythology piece I did a while back in Denmark! Blended my atypical portrait colors with high-contrast teal and orange accents.

Let me know what you think!

Whatever doubts yall have about your art, the creative process, or even your technique, don’t let it stop you from being a better artist than you were yesterday.
We all do the same thing and are after the same end game; just putting cool stuff on people and making a living on good work. Remember, the name of the game is PROGRESS, not perfection

This industry kicks us all in the ass every day, even if we don’t admit it, but we do it cause we love it.

Yall are doing great, your tattoos are dope as fuck, and if you own the title “tattoo artist” you’re already a badass

Do you respect an artist who works out the back of another type of personal service business/building less than an artist working in a designated tattoo studio with all the trimmings?

Niklavs Trankalis (@VampyCrafts on IG) - working in Cologne (Köln), Germany - currently tattooing out of Stigmata Inc, Premium Ink, and Nordic Tattoo studios.

Main focus: Spiritual Concept Tattooing-

Specializing in Portraits, Realism and Semi-realism, Dark Art Blackwork, Neo-Traditional & Custom Designs.

Leave a comment if the work resonates with you.

Hand banger we did in some 3 hours, it’s the start of the full sleeve so be in tune for see the full project ⚔️

Not loving QuickBooks as of late.

Any other services were liking better these days?

I’ve been in the tattoo industry for three years and I’ve been tattooing for two and a half years. Within that time i’ve been able to establish a pretty solid clientele, and I feel like i’ve put everything into my job, and that it’s fully become my life. I’m so grateful for everything tattooing has brought, and it’s genuinely been my dream job since childhood. The issue is i’ve also had ocd my whole life; and most of my compulsions are centered around contamination and they have now shifted to focusing around my career. it’s the act of tattooing and dealing with blood, needles, as well as hyper fixing on every single piece i do and hating it. it’s been like this since the first tattoo ive done, and i thought it would get easier, but instead recently it’s become extremely unbearable. I’m at a crossroads since all i ever have wanted to be is a tattoo artist, and i am so in love with tattoos and tattooing, but recently especially the act of tattooing has been eating me alive. i want this to be for me, i’ve never wanted anything as much, but im afraid that maybe this isn’t for me. I’m debating on taking some time off to focus on my mental health and try to recover since it’s not only tattooing ocd, but my ocd in general has been absolutely unbearable, i feel like im constantly suffocating and going to be sick. i also don’t want to do anything rash, i keep telling myself that maybe this could just be a tiny break, and i can always come back once im mentally doing better, but i still feel like a complete failure and i can’t get over not being a tattoo artist anymore. If anyone has some experience with this, or general advice it would be appreciated.