A Day in the Life of a Tattoo Apprentice

[@SophieStanleyIllustration]

Love a good blog, especially on this topic. Good to know what I'm getting myself into as I'm hoping to get an apprenticeship this year x

[@rarafarara]

Kylie! Im so happy to see you, i started following u like 2 years ago for your ootd, but honestly ? You're so artistic and talented that I'm excited to see your work in the future. And this is super interesting, Ive never really seen a tattoo artist training before, I love tattoos myself and I really respect people who can use skin as canvas.

[@KaylieMorbid]

Thank you so much! Thanks for sticking around! 😊

[@O_Oxxx]

awesome! I plan to do my apprenticeship in Charlotte. This video made me feel a lot more confident :)

[@justin-hurd]

Do you preserve your practice tattoos at all, or keep pictures of them?

[@DeaBeanTattoos]

I loved your video! I definitely can relate to all the hardcore cleaning lol! You did an awesome job with your fruit, keep up the great work! How long into your apprenticeship was it before you started practicing on fruit?

[@KaylieMorbid]

Thank you so much! It was about three months in :)

[@KathrynBurke713]

This is super cool! I've always been curious about the day in the life of a tattoo artist. All I've ever seen in regards to it is LA Ink, which gave me a glimpse but didn't necessarily show the full picture. I'm curious about a couple of things, from what I saw in the video. What kinda of ink does the printer use, is it similar to a semi permanent one like a sharpie? Also I notice you used an orange for your practice, and I've seen you use cantaloupe/honeydew on your insta. Are some fruits harder to ink on than others? And my last one, which may be a super silly thing to ask, are you still able to eat the fruit after inking it?

[@KaylieMorbid]

I’m not sure what you mean by printer, I think you’re referring to the stencil maker? It doesn’t use ink, it uses thermal paper to create a transferable image! And it does wipe off, which you have to be careful of when tattooing. Some fruits are better than others! Citrus fruits and bananas have the most similar consistency to human skin, while melons give you a nice, wider surface. When my supermarket was out of melons, I tried squash, but they didn’t work very well because they’re very hard and have tiny fibers that get caught in the needles! And yes, it’s actually a good test to see if you tattooed well to peel a fruit afterwards, and if you didn’t go too deep, you have yourself a little snack! 😉

[@drama1ist]

Hola fellow commuter in Winston Salem !!

[@coloursaur1494]

Hey there I’m a tattoo apprentice too and I’m just wondering if I could ask some advice? I’m worried I’m being taken advantage of in my studio. Basically we have 5 apprentices between 2 artists (one of them just finished their apprenticeship not too long ago). One of the apprentices showed up 1 or 2 days a week and was tattooing people after a couple months. I’m not allowed to tattoo despite being at the shop 6 days a week because the owner doesn’t pay attention to my progression and thinks I’m much further behind than I actually am. The days I do work I’m doing between 9 and 12 hour shifts, I do t know if that’s normal or not. The owner says he wants apprentices in everyday but only actually gets me to come in and doesn’t care about the others. I ended up working so much that the doctors had to give me time off. The owner isn’t a tattoo artist, he’s a piercer. Again, I don’t know if this is normal for a tattoo apprentice but: he gets me to do all of his piercing work for him, except the actual pierce. I don’t want to be a piercer, I actually really dislike it. I have to learn everything about it, sizes, materials, placements, theory, everything. Nothing to do with tattooing. Do you have to learn this too? There is honestly a lot more but this to start with lmao

[@KaylieMorbid]

Oh wow! Yeah, this sounds like you are being taken advantage of, and it sounds like somewhere inside, you know it. The situation may be a bit more complex since the owner is a piercer, but you should be focusing on learning to tattoo. I offered to learn piercing in my shop just to help out, but my mentor vetoed the idea because he wanted me to only focus on tattooing for now. And 5 apprentices for 2 artists sounds like way too much! Sounds like they may just be looking to be an apprentice factory, or to get free labor. I’m sorry you’re going through this! If I were you, I’d start looking for another apprenticeship at a more reputable shop. Don’t let this discourage you; learn what you can from it, and when you become a tattooer, be better than those people!

[@kennedyleightattoo]

Love your video!! Just uploaded my first one, I’m a tattoo apprentice too… how long have you been an apprentice? Xxx

[@SonnySketch]

Im not gonna lie, I forgot I followed you, and was like 'oh this video looks interesting, i dont recognize the name' sooo sorry for that, but hey, you caught my interest again haha I thought the drawing exercise book looked neat. I guess just to practice doing shapes and lines? but neat regardless

[@fitnessfrank83]

PpPPUUUMMmPIN!

[@KaylieMorbid]

Haha thanks for sticking around! 🖤 Yeah, it’s mainly to get myself used to making smooth movements when making lines and curves.

[@vampswag9355]

hi i really want to be a tattoo artist when i grow up but im only 13 do you have any tips that will help me later?

[@StarryLemonLyme]

Draw, draw, draw! That’s most important, and will help you put together an impressive portfolio later on!

[@nicolevandenberg4059]

What tattoo machine are you using?

[@olirhys2992]

Do you use fake skins at all? Or just fruit? I've seen a few people use skins

[@lossestolessons]

What sized needle did you use on the orange?? Amazing video btw ✅

[@KaylieMorbid]

iirc, probably a 7 liner :)

[@paigemiller4304]

im in kernersville! i'm working on my portfolio rn :)

[@gammaxxx4398]

just wondering how many hours a week do you have to work as an apprentice? also do you recommend an age to apply for one?

[@KaylieMorbid]

It depends! Most apprentices will have to work part-time or even full-time jobs while they apprentice part time, since apprenticeships are almost always unpaid. Being at the shop as often as possible is the best way to learn. And as for age, as long as you’re over 18, I say go for it! It’s all about when you feel ready. If I can do it at 35, I’m sure anyone can do it!

[@fitnessfrank83]

Oooh ya buttercup! The FITNESS FRaNk just wants to PPPpPpUUUUUMMMMp you right up

[@JAyala-se4st]

What happened to herr

[@fitnessfrank83]

PpPpPPUuUuUUUUUMMMMpPPt!

[@Funkyguitarcovers]

So you’re a janitor.. ok.. kool. Not judging. 🤷🏿‍♂️

[@LKG59]

gotta pay your dues