Tattoo Artists

Tattoo artists obtain experience by working as apprentices or through school-sponsored learning opportunities.

In addition to artistic ability, creativity, dexterity, and good hand-eye coordination, tattoo artists need a variety of soft skills to be successful in their work. Some aspiring artists don’t realize that people skills are essential. Tattoo artists must have excellent customer service and interpersonal skills to connect with clients before, during, and after the tattooing process, calm frazzled nerves with a few kind and supportive words, and understand what the customer wants. Honesty is another key trait because tattoo artists must be willing to tell a customer that their proposed tattoo is a bad idea, and be able to steer them toward a more technically feasible and/or attractive selection. Strong ethics are important. Some artists will not do tattoos that they find offensive or in poor taste. Other important traits include the ability to concentrate for long periods, good organizational skills, and attention to detail (there are plenty of stories of tattoo artists misspelling words, using the wrong color, or making other errors because their attention drifted from their client).