Lennart82

[Lennart82]

Most of the time, I have given what I think works for me. I might have mentioned that a few times, and sometimes I havent.

Appreciate the honesty. ;) And now Im certain your not this Mad reaper guy :P

But could you do me a fawor?
Check out the picture I posted today, and give me some advice, what I did right, but more importantly, what I did wrong. I dont know why, but everytime I have posted a picture here lately, I get zero respons. I mean, is it so bad that its not even worth sayng I suck?

I want to learn, no secret there, but all I have is, books, dvds and forums like this. And yes, a sound apprenticement would be the ultimate thing. Problem is, that amostly every established tattooer here, are selfmade, and they have apprentices. They have experience yes, but questionable skills, and if they learned everything from a mentor who was selfmade aswell, were do that leave me?
I have been to shops that I thought good, but most of the time they dont take in anybody, unless its someone they know. And they will not teach anything to a competitor.
Thats the biggest problem. All shops hate each other, since its competition.

As you mentioned, Cant move country, got a family. So I have to suck every little thing in I can find. Yes I have had some flawed information and bad advice, And I have learned from them. I like to think, if your gonna learn the way I have to learn, there will be fails and there will be successes. But again, this is just me, and I only tell what works for me, and if people point out Im doing a thing wrong, and theres a better way, I do that.

To sum it up, no hard feelings or anything.
You really should see most the self made tattooers here. You would be shooked. ;)

[Lennart82]

Ha I must be Leonard then :P

[Lennart82]

None taken.

You should see some of the stuff 85% of tattooers produce in Denmark. Its a disgrace for the field.
Thats why I am still in the learning process. And will be for a loong time yet.

And thats why people actually pay me. Some even say I should charge even more. Want to make big bucks, come to Denmark. Start a shop. Just Watch out for those pesky bikers.

So even though you think my stuff is of poor quality, I can agree, Im nowhere near where I want to be. But then think about the equation in what I have accomplished. I have only tattooed in roughly a year. And this is roughly perhaps 3 or 4 times a month.
Before that. I did portrait drawings.
Yub, discovered in 2011, that I could actually Draw. Never knew this. After two month of just drawing. I actually got my first commission. And then it just went fast from that point.
2013, a tattooer wanted me to come to a shop for a chat. She placed a machine in my hand and asked me to tattoo a practise skin. Next time, told me to tattoo myself (At her shop ofcourse and under her supervision)
Now, if you read a bit about my back story, you would learn Denmark is WAY different then the rest of the World. Tattooers here are still stuck in the protective sixties. And you would know I cant do a god damn thing about it.

So back to the equation. 1 year of tattooing. I get paid, sure. But if I didnt I would undermine te Danish market, and get a littel visit from your friendly neighbourhood biker gang, when they can see they are loosing business. Danish people want cheap tattoos. Cant argue with their bad standards.

But point is. Yub, I may not be very good. I may even be of such poor skills that everybody should shout STOP TATTOOING. But you know, I will not stop.
I want this, and if this Means I have to hear/read this kind of stuff over and over Again. It just lights my fire even more.

So, now that you know this. What would be your best proffesional advice to me? Now you know, I woundt listen to the STOP TATTOOING, thing ;)

[Lennart82]

So, just stopped by to show of a Little Work.

What you think?
First try at adding background

http://i62.tinypic.com/28v4ylc.jpg

[Lennart82]

Hmmm Think the link is broken… ;)

[Lennart82]

Perhaps….

Okey, what do;
Adam Jackson, Alan Padilla, Alexis Vaatete, Ben Corn, Andy Engel, Alvin Chong, Big Sleeps, Billi Murran, Bob Tyrrell, Boog, Brian Ewing, Britton Mcfetridge, Bullet BG, Camila Rocha, Carl Grace, Carlos Rojas, Carlos Torres, Christian Nguyen, Chuey Quintanar, Conrad Florez, Cory Norris, Dan Chase, David Olteanu, Dmitriy Samohin, Domantas Parvainis, Dr. Hill, Freddy Negrete, Grant Cobb…. And many more, have in common???

They are all members of the Sullen Family. And they ALL didnt apprentice…

NOW, you go up to Bob Tyrrell, and tell the fella…. YOU SUCK BOB…. SINCE You DIDNT APPRENTICE…… And then take a picture or better, record it… Cause I want to see the respons. :P

[Lennart82]

Please do, if you got any secret hints and trick, by all means, let me know.

I have to go over the thing again. The guy, well, he never showed up for his finishing setting. And just heard rumours that he lost his, job, his wife split, and his dog just lost 7 puppies.
So I plan on giving him it for free. Cant have all bad things going on in life, ;)

So any tricks, Be sure to give em up :D

[Lennart82]

Yeah, thats always a big problem, I wented some ideas for a background. He wasent entireliy rejected by the idea. Although he was firm when saying, No Color.

So any ideas of a background will be appreciated.

On to my newest project

http://i62.tinypic.com/30c1w6x.jpg

My first big time color project. Done on my mother. Unfortunatly she fainted. And we had to stop here. I still need to fix the line work. There are places were its a bit to shaken :oops: :oops:

She held on for 2 hours.
I used;
Kuro Sumi Blackest for both outline and the grey shading. (used Spiders formular :D)
Starbrite Ink colors (Powder blue and Country Blue)

Kwadron Needles:
7RLLT Round Liner
9MGLT Magnum long taper
(I’m beginning to enjoy those long taper ;) )

Yes… Theres still some linework that needs fixing. :oops:
And I dont know if I like working with colors. Yes, its fun, but I dont know if I’m more set with black and grey.
Comments are welcome. What would you do, just to give it a little extra?

[Lennart82]

Now thats a question that could have a lot of different answers.

BUT, I dont think its expected of you to know everything there is to know, on history and such.
On the tattoo jargon, all the technical things of machines, inks and so on, is not a place you should cover that much, since a mentor would like to teach theses things as he/she knows themselves.

And about the symbolic meaning of tattoos… Thats an even harder question. Since its mostly what the client thinks that the tattoo means, that matters.
Although, it wouldnt be a bad idea, doing some symbolic studies, but its not expected of you. Your an a path to become a tattoo artist, not a historian ;)
If you plan on studying the meanings, then study the symbols, not the tattoo. For instance, dont search; What does a butterfly tattoo mean.
If you do, you will find a hundred different meanings ;)
For best symbolic studies, you have to know each and every symbol has different meanings in different cultures. ;)

[Lennart82]

Yeah I know… Think I can get a cheap knockoff from china?? :D

[Lennart82]

Ohhhhh I want the coffey mug :D

[Lennart82]

Yes it really is a complet mess of things.
The government wants to controll everything, rumour has it, that they want taxes on the inks bought and sold in Denmark. If this is so, you can ad another 30 % ontop of the already high pricing ink.

If they get this through, I bet you all a million bucks, that they will leave the tattoo business to it self again. They just wants a profit on the area, since they dont know a thing about it in the first place, there are no actual laws against it.
And when bikers blackmail honest tattooers, the government dosent do jack.

Theres just recently been an incident in a bigger town. A tattoo shop, thats been around for a few years. The guy reminds me of me. :P Across his place, a tattoo chain opend. And as you would expect, 5 days later, he had a knocking at his door, by 5 huge bikers, wanting him to close his shop, or they will smash it. Then breake his hands.
They guy was in chock, and knew he couldnt go to the police, they wouldnt help. He then made an ad on his facebook page, asking people for help.
The next week the bikers came again. But this time 10 people were in his shop. The bikers left. The next day, 500 people were in front of his shop, all wanted to help getting rid of the bikers. The bikers shop closed a few weeks later. No business came their way, and everyday a bunch of town folks stood guard at the tattoo shop.
Now THATS a sunshine story right there. :D

[Lennart82]

Hehe Danish guy here ;)

But yes my country is stuck in the 60s. There are no rules, no laws, no standards. Just retards wanting to make a quick buck, they hire help from other countries, such as Hungary, Polan and such. And you know why? They are cheap.
These artist are good, BUT if they were as good as these shop chains claims, then they wouldnt be working there.
Heres the reason;
The shop chains, with these artist, charge as a minimum standard 150$ (800dkr) pr startet hour.
These artists get around 10 percentage of that money. They dont have any ensurance on them, they dont get vacation money or time. They have to have their own equiptment.
And the business man (Biker lawyer) cashes in. Cares NOT about the art work being made, only that the costumer is satisfied. Dosent give shit about sanitazions, sterilization and so on.

The other kind of shop, are trying to be legit, but is own by one gang or the other. (Most of the time, these shops, starts to get money loans from the bikers, and it sounds amazing, but they owe you afterwards) These ones, dosen last long. And those two who wanted me, I do believe goes in this catagory.

The next in line, the good artist, or in their own mind, these are the expensive ones. Tattooers I call them. Not artists. They charge insane money, just cuase they have an autoclaver, they dont know how to use it, but they got it. They are also members of the Danish Tattoo Lauge. Which actually is just a bunch of hipocrites. You CAN get an apprenticeship, but you have to follow their rules. They have a loooong list of unspoken rules, I know, I was almost shanghaid by one of them. Basically, you cant open a shop once you apprenticeship is over. If so, you have sign a contract that states, you owe them some of your cash every year in a periode of x times the years you have studied.

Next. Those who actually makes a living of doing tattoos. I have seen 9 or so, under this category. Their work, not bad, but not brilliant either. They mostly have a shop. Nothing wrong with this category, except, they are paranoid as hell, they will not talk to you, if your another tattooer. They will not tell any secrets of any kind. And they even tend to smack talk other artists. Which, in my mind, says they are insecure.

The next type in line, are the basic kitchen barbar. Those who bought a kit, thinking they can earn some extra cash, while collecting unemployment money from the state.
These makes decent scripts, tribals and such. Since they dont go to work, and have a lot of friends who dosent work either, they get lots of practise doing basic tattoos. These are your common ones. Those who are under the category Tattoo copyists.
They dont want to learn, and just does what the first dvd kit says. They cant afford the expensive stuff, since they dont price their tattoos that high.

The last in line, are the good ones. perhaps 5 or 6 in all of Denmark, go under this category. They have their own shop, and two even have their shop as a part of their home. They dont owe anyone their talent. They are truly artists. But they also know they are truly artists. And they charge what ever they like. These guys, can have other artists under them, and have a shop of up to 4-6 other workers. This is actually a place were you can learn stuff. If you want to apprentice here, it WILL cost you. Anywere between 100.000 dkr to 500.000 dkr, for a 2 year study.

This, my friends on the forum, is what I am challenged with. This is the Danish Tattoo Scene in a nutshell.

If you want to make insane amounts of money as a tattooer, come to Denmark, people will pay your wildest prices. But be prepared to met these types. And be prepared to met up with some bikers first.

[Lennart82]

Oh man, pricetagging this one?
And at prices in my country?

For something like that, I would have charged around 250-300$

But my prices are half the standard in Denmark. Standard pricetag for a piece this sieze, around 550-600$ (And this you will have to pay, if you go to the standard shops.) Now these standard, well 2-4 years of experience. Never had a mentor, never worked at another shop.
IF, you were to go to the top notch in DK. around 800$ And here you get told on several occasions that they are a member of the Danish Tattoo Union… Wow….

You could get it cheap at the local skin bucther for around 100$ :P But bring your own bandages…

[Lennart82]

Looks great. Like the bold edge lines :D

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