My Tattoo Apprenticeship Portfolio 2023

A tour through the portfolio that I've been building up since university ;)
Some notes:
I mentioned apprenticeship in Portugal are reaaalllyy rare, but after visiting a few more I am realising they are not that rare. You just really need to show your will to learn and insist with whoever you want to mentor you!
So my tips very summarised:
-Have a cool portfolio (obviously);
-Visit the studio IN PERSON!!!!
-Show your will to learn and don't be cocky;
I recorded this video around 1-2 weeks ago, and meanwhile I actually found a mentor in a really cool studio! So I've been visiting often to see him work and get advice on my drawings~
-On a different topic, this was my first video, and I knew I liked sharing what I'm doing in terms of art, especially since drawing by yourself gets lonely reaal quick ;p, but I honestly enjoyed the whole video-making process more than I was expecting :3 So I'll definitely keep filming stuff to bring you with me along the art journey ^^
And with that... I wish you all a wonderful week ;)
Ig: @miggon__
miggon__?h...

[@lukatrdina5108]

This is insanely good, I'm on quite a similar road as you, and your works showed me i need to put A LOT more time and effort into my designs, good luck with the apprenticeship!

[@gustavonovaes2327]

Remember, he`s learning tattooing, but drawing is another complete skill

[@stephgoose911]

100% same. i saw his art and was like oof...yeah give me some more time. Muigel I was seriously surprised to see you only have 1k subs because your art is amazing and your energy is too!

[@mf2652]

thank you, this has motivated me to start drawing again! All the best

[@calliegibson8470]

Your video gave me so much advice as someone also working on there portfolio for tattooing,thank you!

[@choubleubh]

I got this for inspiration for my portfolio but now I’m thinking I suck :( keep it up! You have such talent

[@nohwonder2159]

Same! haha ❤

[@harleyparker8470]

Completely agree here 😅 been working on my portfolio for over 5 years now and I just went through and pulled everything out to restart because I felt like they were lacking

[@lilymason9139]

this is amazing!! i wish you the best on your tattooing journey, you are very disciplined and talented

[@jessetheeuwes5731]

I'm mind blown by the beauty of your are man, keep on creating!

[@sagesheridan691]

I'm in love with that blue dragon dseign, everything from the clouds to the shape of the body is perfect, good stuff bro!

[@lod7635]

Just shows art is everywhere, whoever you are whatever profession or status in life, its a beautiful symbol of passion and life

[@LemonThrust]

So many new artists joining the youtube community, so many inspirations 😍

[@oreocult6185]

miguel, you give off such a good vibe. Your art is beautiful and I'm wishing you the best! 💙💜

[@lovitty]

Came across this video on my tattoo art feed & you have inspired me. Especially when you said she was like why did you stop tattooing cus I did for the same reason... I truthfully feel like being called a scratcher is so bad but how are you supposed to learn? Your work is epic!

[@meaganyazzie4054]

Literally in the same boat as you !!!! It’s hard to find a shop to take you in 🙃 I took a break and started up again in hopes to not give up on my dream , but seeing this gave me motivation to not give up and push harder while taking things slow hehe but your work is so amazing do not give up , you’ll be an amazing tattoo artist!

[@teagan3841]

you are so talented and your art is truly gorgeous omg. i really want to be a tattoo artist and watching this gave me motivation, great art work man !

[@ndiaperkins5999]

This gave me motivation too

[@BEARWALKEN87]

Great Portfolio!!! You are talented but also worked hard!!!keep up you are gonna be top Tattooer!!!

[@Sphinxnominx]

Hi! I am just starting out my tattoo apprenticeship journey and I have been doing a lot of research online about other people's experiences. I like to see their portfolios, hear their personal mentor stories, the ups and downs of rejection and growing from constructive criticism. So, thank you for sharing your story! Every story I hear makes me that much more knowledgeable on the world of tattooing. :)

[@Miggon_]

Thank you so much for saying that Ashley, honestly. By the time I uploaded the video I was feeling like I hadn't shared nearly as much information as I wanted and all the tips from the owners of the studios since I wanted to keep the video as compact as I could. So I am glad it helped nonetheless ^^

[@Gardenofghouls]

This video is AMAZING and I'm so glad I found your channel! Your art style is really unique and i appreciate how you put this video together. Plus wow your portfolio is so good! I'm inspired now to keep working towards tattooing :) Keep up the great work!

[@Miggon_]

Thank you so much! Late response, but it makes so happy to hear that! 😤💪

[@elizabethhosaka1069]

Beautiful portfolio and love listening to your voice!

[@claireonlinex]

This was super cool! I hope you find an apprenticeship soon, I have been wondering whether I should create a portfolio so this was really helpful

[@milamontu6683]

This is amazing work. Just beautiful 🤯

[@ResinChannel]

This is really impressive! Beautiful.

[@Cathinata1]

wow love that canvas painting so trippy

[@deezyu94]

Im currently on the same journey as you, cant wait to hear more from you, you inspired me to not give up and continue my grind and hard work, apprenticeships here in my country are rare af but alot of artists who did work on my tattoos actually said the same thing, we all started at home, just do your job, try to always improve and in the future you ll find a studio who has a spare spot for you and you can go for it then. Thanks again Miguel!

[@MonstersEatDiamonds]

awh i loved this video youre awesome dude

[@bribri1219]

Omg this is one of the best portfolios I’ve ever seen! Great job my guy

[@Miggon_]

Thank you! And so glad to hear it gave you some motivation! 🥺 I'm filming new things here and there, but I need to make another video as a little update since I found a really cool studio to apprentice at, so now I'm working on even cooler pieces and trying to practise with the machine everyday~ :3 And of course, thank you for the kind words! 😁

[@bribri1219]

@@Miggon_ your most welcome! And I’m so glad to hear you got your apprenticeship it’s well deserved

[@3ck.tattoo]

Muito bom! Estou pra montar um portifólio de iniciante também, esse vídeo me ajudou bastante em pensar como organizá-lo. Parabéns pelo trabalho :D

[@Miggon_]

Se ajudou, fico feliz! Boa sorte ;D

[@Ashleybmakingvideos]

Good luck on your journey!

[@ericdonalson7276]

Love it !! You make me wanna draw!!

[@Miggon_]

Love to read comments like that Eric! Let's goooo!!

[@asnizarasmuni3698]

this is amazing. thank you for sharing. 👍

[@joelkeijzer5110]

keep going love the video very inspirational

[@lilyordway4580]

This is amazing!! You’ve got a lot of talent you’d make a great artist :)

[@Miggon_]

Eyy thank you so much Lily! Luckily I found a a really cool studio to apprentice at last week and have been learning a ton already! ;D

[@danamahood9447]

Pp

[@kywhy734]

@@Miggon_ don't more bids would like to see your progress!

[@Goatythemeow]

everything about this video is so professional and well done, I was surprised when I saw how small your channel was. Subbed

[@Miggon_]

Yo, thank you so much! 😳 New video about how I a actually got the apprenticeship coming out next week! But after the unexpected amount of hours I put into editing I really appreciate the comment ;D

[@Goatythemeow]

@@Miggon_ congrats! :D

[@theartofchaos.fotografie]

Sooo nice! I'd love to see more videos from you :)

[@K-a-n-d-i-s]

Very good work, amazing talent !

[@alanis6139]

estive procurando vídeos de portfólios de designs de tatuagem e de longe o seu é o melhor que vi por aqui! sou do brasil e também estou nessa jornada de começar a tatuar (já tatuei alguns familiares), mas ainda não tenho um portfólio montado com designs próprios por não saber muito bem qual estilo seguir, visto que gosto de vários. o seu trabalho me chamou muito a atenção justamente por seus desenhos serem nos estilos que tb pretendo trabalhar com, então agora tenho uma ideia de como mesclar os diferentes tipos e fazer um portfolio mais coeso! obrigada!! confesso que estou um pouco receosa de sair à procura de estúdios para ser aprendiz porque muitos deles são de pessoas que estão há anos na área e não são muito abertos a receber pessoas novas, ainda mais sendo mulher (e numa cidade pequena onde tattoo artists não são tao valorizados, e sim os que trabalham com tatuagem comercial) 🤐 enfim, me encantei muito com teu trabalho, espero que tu cresça bastante na área pois suas artes são INCRÍVEIS!!! com certeza irei te acompanhar daqui pra frente :)

[@Miggon_]

Muito obrigado pelo comentário, e sim concordo que tive sorte na procura! 😄 Entretanto já mudei de estúdio mas os primeiros meses lá ajudaram imenso em termos de técnica e a aprender mais sobre a indústria! Boa sorte com o portfólio e a procura Alanis! Tenho a certeza que vai encontrar algo 😁🙌

[@annouk._.5938]

This is so great. I have a lot of trouble finding actually good illustrators that are also tattoo artists.

[@lacyie]

FANTASTIC portfolio and I love how you set it up! If you don't mind me asking where did you find the portfolio itself? I have been looking for one such as this that is transparent in the front!

[@amyo6590]

I’m sad there are no more videos!!! Great video to watch!

[@Miggon_]

Thank you so much Amy! :o I'm...terrible at time management so actually sitting down and recording audio has been tough 😆 Im going to talk about how I actually got the apprenticeship for the next one and answering some questions I've been getting, so if you have any just let me know too! (And again, thank you for the kind words 😌)

[@D3troisVarietyChannel]

I like your art! Your snakes give me a lot of cool ideas.

[@wereroo8979]

That’s so sick! ❤

[@thebestgirl1545]

You are my new inspo now

[@melynecombrouse1342]

thanks you a lot i needed so much to hear all that, good luck for the future!

[@its.needog]

I’ll gladly take the blue dragon piece!! It’s beautiful 😻

[@Miggon_]

Come to Portugal in a few months and we'll do it! 😆

[@limitlesscondition]

always good to stumble across a mano

[@elFRIJOLMALO]

you are going to blow up. believe in your self, get into self esteem. You are great. Amazing work no doubt.

[@Miggon_]

You are too kind ;_; Thanks for the encouragement man! ^^

[@andreanelaroche5717]

I love what you do, i couldn't hold myself back from telling you your blue work in progress snake have its scaled backwards ^^'

[@Miggon_]

Pahah, yup it was changed shortly after, but thank you for the heads up nonetheless!! 😁

[@andreanelaroche5717]

@@Miggon_ I really love your portefolio and I would be sad that a talented artist like you would miss any opportunity for something like that

[@allybach4938]

If you like things associated with luck you would like the potion in Harry Potter associated with luck it was called the Felix something when I read the book I was in awe!! I’m also in awe at your art work you’re a beautiful creator!! Much love

[@Broken_Glasss]

That dragon was breathtaking!

[@zacleonard6833]

Keep tattooing even if you don’t get in anywhere it will pay off I promise! Your really good better then pros I seen in the USA!

[@elanguyendraws]

This is funny because I wanted to become a tattoo artist at first and tattooed a bit when I was younger but now I want to become a concept artist/illustrator studying animation ^^

[@FunHobbies225]

amazing work

[@breezy370]

love your portfolio!! which pen did you use for the black drawings? in the beginning? are they also digital art? thank you for the response🥰

[@domaszizas6106]

For a second i thought you drew them all on paper by yiur hand, jesus. Still amazing.

[@looooooongcat13]

Keep at it!!

[@dianadailyn7497]

Love your art so much!!! Trying not to get discouraged hearing someone as talented as you was turned down so much, since your spades above me. And I’m coming to it so late in life (turning 40 next year). Been an illustrator most of my life though… can I ask how you went about creating your awesome portfolio? I’d love to put something like this together- so polished and appealing! 🤜🤛

[@Miggon_]

Thank you for the kind words Diana ;D But I'd say the main reason I was getting rejected was really the lack of space for new tattoo artists in Portugal (I am editing the video about how I actually got the apprenticeship right now though ^^). In terms of age, it may be just slightly "later" than the average, but you probably have a lot more discipline and such to make up for it, so don't underestimate that aspect and keep going!! 💪 (Question about portfolio is also answered in the next video, but almost everything is done on Procreate, and printed out in satin paper with a slight texture, hope this helps! 😊)

[@dianadailyn7497]

@@Miggon_ Well you’re amazing and I’m grateful for your response! I’m looking forward to following your ink career, I’m definitely a fan and would love to be tattooed by you one day if you’re ever in the Idaho or Utah area I’d travel to say hi and get tatted! ^__^ I’ll follow your insta, too. Have a fantastic day, brother! Thanks again for the encouragement!☺️

[@julianar.5668]

Saudações do Brasil! Quando eu estava interessada em aprender a tatuar, montei um portfólio de desenho e entrei em contato com vários tatuadores da minha cidade, também fui muito desmotivada (principalmente pelos tatuadores mais antigos) e acabei desistindo na época. Voltei anos depois com toda a determinação do mundo e finalmente encontrei pessoas que acreditaram em mim, hoje eu tatuo há 4 anos e tenho meu próprio estúdio.

[@Miggon_]

Juliana, reparei na sua página quando me seguiu no insta, bom trabalho sem dúvida! E concordo... Também apanhei mais tatuadores antigos que eram mais desmotivadores do que qualquer coisa..mas é mesmo isso, continuarmos a insistir e parabéns no estúdio! Mais cedo ou mais tarde é esse o sonho 😁

[@tomtheink]

Absolutely beautiful work. No doubt you have it as a tattoo artist. May I ask what markers did you use for the colouring?

[@alexanderanapolle3149]

be prepared to expand upon the nuance of doing requests as you have done with you're friends. as i understand it, clientele bring in references, a mock up of what they would like most of the time for you to fine tune

[@reindeerene]

Oh my god this is amazing! The designs blew me away, glad you found a mentor because you definitely have the talent and potential! Hope you don't mind me asking but the designs on your portfolio (the ones on the first few pages) were they digital art or were they traditional art that you scanned? I've just always heard that they should be traditional/the original drawing if possible, so I wanted to know --if they were digital--, if they gave you any trouble because of that. Thank you, hope to see more of your journey!

[@Miggon_]

Trying to finish editing the next video. your question will be answered properly there! :D (But it is all digital and printed 😆) And no, most studios actually preferred that I knew how to use procreate and stuff for effieciency (but it might the depend on the country and area).

[@reindeerene]

@@Miggon_ Ooh could be that, good to know, good to know! Thank you so much, can't wait for the next update! 😄

[@dcmoerman]

nice portfolio deffinetly keep going in in person... even if its just to get a tattoo and hang out... if you hang out enough then theyll usually eventually put a mop in your hand

[@rpking140]

great looking portfolio!

[@Miggon_]

Thanks man!

[@user-vd5jo6de5n]

your artwork is really beautiful

[@Miggon_]

Thank you so much! 🥺

[@Crookedmoth]

How do you print out your art from your iPad? It’s so good!! I’m rebuilding my portfolio and it’s so inspiring and motivating to see other people’s awesome portfolios ❤

[@lexi2557]

I’m blown away!!! I agree with the receptionist, I think ppl were trying to throw you off but they were just haters(lol) I hope to be tattooed by you one day✨🙌🏼

[@Miggon_]

Now I have my mentor bashing into my head that I should get every chance I can to practice, so the mentality has definitely changed 😆 But thank you for saying that, and if you ever come to Portugal the door is open~ ;D

[@lexi2557]

@@Miggon_ that’s awesome!! I’m glad you feel more comfortable on your pursuit🤝 and I’m gonna hold you to that!!🥳🤣

[@fathernsonarttravel]

wow awesome ink designs

[@Miggon_]

Thank you!! 😄

[@maryalvarez1751]

Your art is amazing 😻 what do you use for art supplies? Like the black ink and colors? Or is everything printed out on a computer and printer?

[@hand4art]

Are you design or draw this art? So amazing

[@kubus888]

All of them look great, hope one day you can put something on me!❤

[@danamahood9447]

Wow!

[@BattleDuelists]

These look great! How long have you been drawing, and when did you start digitally?

[@Miggon_]

Thank you! ^^ I started taking drawing more seriously around 7th grade, and then around 9-10th grade that's when I got my first tablet to draw on the pc!

[@el_vago_de_ozz]

Cool my friend ,,,, saludos desde México hermano ,,,😎✌️

[@diddlybop]

Guys keep working and don’t get discouraged! I recently had a tattoo artist tell me if you get to 30 it’s too late because you’ll go blind from old age before you get good. People will tell you all kinds of ridiculous things like this to discourage you! Dont listen, it is possible!

[@fuzzy_foxx8321]

I’ve only done a handful of tats but I really liked doing them and they weren’t bad for a beginner. I would love to make the jump but my nail career is kind of in motion now, i’m so afraid to switch

[@cloveroconnor5024]

this is amazing! what paper did you use?

[@jilljacobson8661]

Do you hand draw those borders? This is a stunning portfolio!

[@sophiehunter8228]

Amazing! I am currently working on my portfolio and would love it if you did a video showing how you got such a high print quality and where you got your portfolio binder from!

[@Miggon_]

Printing stuff mentioned in the next video! It's really simple though ahah ^^

[@juliacoriolano9429]

ty

[@MikeOcksmallClips]

Eres demasiado bueno

[@K.ART_vlog]

nice ❤❤

[@dezzyjones]

Is your portfolio all digital traces of your actual work? I have an iPad and know it would be cleaner to make digital transfers of my work for portfolio purposes but I don’t know if it is frowned upon to put digital pieces in there. I wonder if they just want to see what we’ve done on paper. Any insight on this would be much appreciated. Excellent work!

[@Miggon_]

Everything is digitally traced and only then do I plan out the pages so that it not only looks cleaner, but also gives you a lot more freedom to play around with the pages layout ^^ Regarding if it's frowned up or not, as usual, it depends on the studio. I would say most artists care more about the designs themselves, since in reality you can obtain "good quality" lines relatively quickly (unless you have a physical impairment), so in most cases I'd say it doesn't matter as long as it looks good. But if you're still in doubt, do make a good clean digital version and take both in case they ask to see the original ;) Hope this helps, and thank you for the kinds words!

[@dxnielxvod5463]

ong i wish i had one of those😭

[@sabs_ink]

Just curious, did you hand draw and paint these onto that paper or are some of these done on your iPad and then printed onto the paper? Love the portfolio and inspires me to begin re-creating a portfolio myself.🙌🏼

[@Miggon_]

Every piece was either fully done or touched up on procreate and then printed on textured satin paper, hope this helps! ;D🙌

[@espaciofreak8972]

Good video mate did you found something in the end ? I'm in the same situation I did some tattoos before and I live in uk and I didn't know you have to apply for like apprenticeship 😢

[@Miggon_]

I may be getting the dates wrong but I got an apprenticeship a week after posting this video ahaha, meanwhile I've left the studio and been focusing more in drawing and paintint ;)

[@espaciofreak8972]

@@Miggon_ nice, but you left the job? I'm doing the same but I gonna keep making tattoos because is a big part of still improving

[@Luxaeons]

Question, are the ink looking pieces, are they done traditionally or was the linework done digitally?

[@lev5-5]

ik this is an old video but anyone afraid of the hygiene aspect could take a health and saftey course around piercing and tattooing and try to keep things as hygienic as possible especially if you have a spare room in your house

[@viincreations]

What size is the portfolio? I love your style 🎉

[@lauraferreira3252]

Muito bom! Podias dizer que materiais usaste para os desenhos? Foram mais desenhos digitais ou manuais? :)

[@Miggon_]

No portfólio em si é tudo digital e impresso 🙌

[@CoinCryptoBrad]

What do you use to get such a clean line when drawing ?😊

[@silvermoongames4237]

Hey! What do you recommend for drawing for portfolio work? Traditional art or digital or does it not really matter anymore and it’s just preference?

[@jessfaulkner9827]

I'd do a bit of both, traditional handdrawn art shows hand techniques like shading, line work, placements, ect all things you have to know how to do when tattooing, and some digital art would be good to show you know how to make good composition, designs, colour placements, texture placements ect. But it's definitely better to do some hand drawings because if you can't put art on a page using your hard you'll find it so incredibly hard going from ipad to skin, plus it shows you can use ideas from digital, on paper

[@charlieevergreen3514]

You’ve already got a great design sense, and your forms are beautiful. I’d encourage you to follow the woman’s advice about continuing. I don’t think you’re in the camp of “scratchers”, because you’ve started from the perspective of tattoo ART, not silly tags on people. And if you haven’t had any hygiene problems, you’re doing it right. Just continue with your mentor, study what others do with their technique to refine your skills. I bet you can be a successful tattoo artist if you stick with it. Good luck.

[@Miggon_]

Charlie, thank you for that comment, seriously 😌Actually working at the studio now cleared up most of those "insecurities" about the scratcher thing thankfully. Thank you for taking the time and the encouraging words about the designs! ;D

[@Sul9191]

😍

[@cookiecat8140]

When setting this portfolio up, did you draw each design together on the page or did you scan your original drawings then organize them on sheets?

[@Miggon_]

I organized everything digitally and then printed it out, hope this helps! 🙌

[@isabelventura8550]

When it comes to making a portfolio does it all have to be made digitally or can it be traditional?

[@Lorenmcdee]

Put more videos out please Please please please

[@uhohstinky8700]

Question , did you draw these traditionally or digitally? I’m planning to become a tattoo artist but I do more digital than traditional

[@Miggon_]

The end product was made digitally and then printed on slightly textured satin paper. Hope this helps, and good luck! 😁💪

[@lukas-oq2yh]

i was wondering if any of these were hand drawn, because i really want to be a tattoo artist but i can’t afford an iPad so i’m struggling because free-hand is really difficult for me, especially with symmetry

[@danamahood9447]

Man, if I had a tattoo shop, I’d have apprentice stations

[@filipeoni]

You live In Portugal so I assume you fala português Curti muito sua arte, desenha muito mano Eu também curti as bordas das folhas que usa, onde posso encontrá-las ?

[@Miggon_]

A borda foi desenhada por mim (e impressa depois) mas obrigado! ;D

[@kochones8652]

what app do u use for digital drawings? also, amazing art😍

[@Miggon_]

Procreate! And thank you 🤩

[@aaronmiller5912]

7:00 the scales on the snake are in the wrong direction. dont let any tattoo artist see that...

[@lyuben181]

your digital art looks way better tbh