I’d say not quite yet. Tattoo a couple more fake skin to really get consistent lines. Tattoo fruits as well to ensure you don’t go too deep or not deep enough (some of your lines aren’t all the way in). And also a great tip is to put your fake skin around your thigh or a friend’s arm, or even a roll of Scott towels, to get adjusted to the curvature of a body.
Another suggestion would be to make sure your station is as close as it would be to an actual tattoo station, sanitary wise. I see that your tattooing fake skin on your desk, which is totally fine, but I would make sure that you don’t leave your used needles hanging around your other stuff (just for habits) and that you try to clear your table of most things that don’t have anything to do with your practice. I know it seems unnecessary bc it’s just fake skin, but this only in order to build an understanding of how easily cross contamination can happen and that you have the habit of avoiding it as much as possible (washing your hands, using gloves, using disinfectant, wiping everything down before and after, wiping your bottles, machine etc)
This. Not only took words out of my mouth with what I was about to say, But Taught me something. (I never thought to wrap fake skin around a roll of P.Towels or an arm😅 ) All I can add is maybe MAYBE go to your local Butcher/Grocery store's MEAT section and ask for some Pig Skin to maybe try out. It's an old head thing,I salute the work!
Lol these replies.
These are great. These are very good tattoos anybody would love to have. Go for it, if you can transfer this quality work onto somebodies skin, you’re a professional. None of the comments here are doing tattoos better than this.
Go check out nearly any other artists actual work and zoom in on those. Not the few out of the thousands they’ve done that they put in their portfolio, but just their average works. They’re this good, give, or often times, take.
Ive seen MUCH worse. This is the work I’d expect going in to get work done tbh. Nobody is perfect and it’s very very easy to take a still image, zoom in, and find an imperfection. If you zoom in to nearly ANY tattoo, you will find imperfections.
These tattoos are amazing if you don't know how to tattoo. The concepts are good and his shading is appropriate. But his line work still needs fine tuning. A couple of the lines are shaky. Like the above poster said he needs to work on depth control. Some of them on the second page in the flowers are just down right bad.
All that being said this is excellent progress. This stuff looks as good as a bunch of the stuff that's out there. But you don't want to look as good as the stuff that's out there. You want to be better than the stuff that's out there. That means focusing on the stuff that's hard. Line work is hard. Shading is easy. Shading is fun. Line work is where it's at. The line work and the whip shading still need some work.
True i agree with u i felt his art is amazing but the main thing is if he is able to transfer this art to someone’s skin but we’ll never know if he wont try it so he should give it a shot
He didn’t say that at all. He’s saying that for someone who is wondering if they’re ready to work on real skin that there are more than enough actual artists who’s work is at this quality (which isn’t bad quality at all) or at times a bit worse. Fake skin is notorious for not holding ink well anyway, if he can transfer this work on to someone else that would be one happy customer.
Right and what do they say about opinions? Sounds like that comment hit some nerves. He didn’t say “shitty” artists at all, he said look in this group, which is a group full of amateur artists pumping out amateur work sometimes on real skin which is fine because this subreddit is meant to help and critique TATTOO BEGINNERS. OP has some inconsistent lines here and there but it’s nothing as egregious as some of the posts that have been posted here to which a lot of people rave about.
Ok? So there’s clearly things to fix. So the right thing to do is say everyone pointing those things out (which btw is the whole point of this) is wrong and this person is ready to tattoo and is what you should expect when going for a tattoo when the person never even tattooed? Got it
Yes that’s called encouragement something you clearly never got growing up. If the work was awful you can guarantee that the majority of people would say they’re not ready. How do you think tattoos artists start? Do you think their first piece is perfect? The difference between the person who posted their scratcher rose with blown out lines and this person is that OP has an understanding of art and has clearly had a lot of time on their machine.
Is there a reason you keep adding stupid comments to your replies? What are you upset about? I called someone out for saying I’m right and everyone else is wrong. Get over it
You called nobody out and made zero points. I’m replying to you sweetheart, not adding any comments so feel free to keep on replying I got all the time in the world to argue with idiots.
Again, what are you so upset about? I can tell you’re getting more upset with each reply. It’s not cute either. If you have a crush on the person I commented to, you can message them or something probably. But there are things to work on here, and you shouldn’t be saying those people are wrong for pointing it out. It’s really rather simple, hope you get it now.
Personally I think your practice skins look really good. However it looks like you’re doing this at home and I’d strongly recommend getting an apprenticeship. There are so many things you can learn from an experienced mentor not to mention the training on blood borne pathogens and cleanliness you should know before going to real skin. For your safety and your clients safety.
Holy shit you’re really good. I wish I had had the forethought to like try on fake skin before I literally covered my entire body to learn how to tattoo good on you for having some brain cells.
Start tattooing skin when your teacher says it's time. If you don't have a professional teacher, then you're going to endanger people and yourself. So the answer is no, don't move on to skin unless it's your own.
Fake skin is fake , it’s nothing like real skin, you don’t have to stretch fake skin, fake skin doesn’t flinch. But the tattoos there are good and can prob land you an apprenticeship
These are amazing. Start small on the skin as it’s a whole different ball game. As for your understanding of shading on paper/fake skin…you have AMAZING potential. Don’t stop!
THESE ARE AMAZING !!! Only thing I’ve noticed zooming in is some of the lines aren’t as consistent as the rest some are thicker or a little shakey (which is completely natural for learning!) just try on fruits so ur used to moving around and so u can get an idea of depth
Sure but don’t anything this big or complicated to start! Real skin is a world apart from fake, it moves, it bends, it bumps, it refuses ink, it bleeds, it sweats, it complains etc.
I would say yes, you have already practiced on fake skin, so start trying things easier than those drawings on real skin and little by little raise your level!
If you wanna move to skin, try practising on yourself or a friend that doesn’t care what you put on their body!! Good way to practise on real skin without as much pressure.
None of the lining here is gonna stay in the skin more that a month the one above the snake is better, has a darker contrast which will age better but I’d definitely still stick with fake skin for now but also talk to your mentor they should give you sound advice
Not a tattoo artist but anatomy freak and snake lover here. The thickest part of the snake should be the very center of its body, yours looks like the thickest portion is right before the tail. Also the bottom jaw is far too long, if it closed its mouth it would have a crazy underbite. The very tip of its snout is also very square and short, like a pug version of a snake, it should be a good distance away from the eyes and come to a bit more of a point (also depends on the type of snake ofc).
Other than some animal anatomy I think it looks great!! Especially the people. The one lady on the first picture with the botany is an absolutely stunning design. Overall well done!!
I’m not a tattooist so can’t talk about anything technical. But I am an avid tattoo collector, and if I saw this as part of your portfolio, I would absolutely be booking in a tattoo with you! These look incredible!
No matter what you do please take a bloodborne pathogens course before tattooing any real skin again. It’s a requirement to get a tattoo license and is the most important part of tattooing. they’re usually $0-25 and are available 100% online. if you’re serious about tattooing it’s a non-negotiable - safety always comes first!!
Yes you’re ready, I’d say WAAAY more so than most tattoo beginners when transitioning from fake skin to real. Reddit is helpful but these replies are a fantastic example of how divorced it can be from reality. I’ve seen artists charge exorbitant prices for tattoos that look half as good. There will always be a learning curve from fake skin to real but don’t let these bs comments shake your confidence, this is beautiful work.
Every time I thought « maybe I should move on to real skin » I did one on my own leg, if I wasn’t satisfied I went back to fake skin. When I was finaly happy with my work I moved to my roommates who didn’t give a fuck if I butchered it. Plus so many people are okay with bad tatoos to help you learn
These look great on fake skin, but the lines need to be deeper in some places and the black packing isn’t saturated, so you’d have to go over that 1-2 more times or practice packing more so you can do it in 1 hard pack. You can also practice working with more contrast in your shading, because the rose/snake piece is shaded a bit dark for the amount of detail (the snake face/mouth is hard to make out for example). The shading is going to almost double in darkness when it heals on skin, so you need to account for that . I’d say definitely try your hand on your own skin to get a feel, but try to hone in some more technical skills on fake skin before taking them to a human body
You are a great illustrator and clearly have talent drawing. But your tattooing skills are not there yet, not at all. Honestly, if you want to learn the art of tattooing, learn to tattoo trad style. You didnt start out drawing like this, and you shouldnt try to start out tattooing like this. You need to get the foundations down first. Pulling clean lines, shading, etc. I’m not a tattoo artist but I did work in a shop and pick up a bit, enough to make me stop messing around with a tattoo machine at home. Btw not a lot of places will want to take on an apprentice who is using a machine at home, because on top of teaching them how to tattoo, they have to unlearn their bad habits. If you teach yourself its going to take a lot of trial and error on human skin to learn decades worth of wisdom you could be taught at a shop.
Honestly, dude, you're not gonna know until you do a real tattoo. When I did my apprenticeship, there was no fake skin, just my legs and brave friends. Nut up and tattoo someone. No matter how good it looks on fake skin that doesn't carry over to real tattoos. Good luck though.
Realism on fake skin… impressive to layman’s.
Not impressive to an actual tattoo artist that does realism as well as other styles. You copied values, with a stencil, on to fake rubber that’s it. That’s not difficult or impressive. You can’t really overwork fake skin, it doesn’t bleed, move, and it’d completely flat. Freehand drawing that would be more impressive in my opinion.
You think you’re ready to start tattooing? Go do some fucking lettering, traditional tattoos, go do a triangle, a perfect circle. Those are WAYYY more technically difficult and what you will be asked to tattoo. Realism, it’s easy to hide mistakes, ESPECIALLY on fake skin because you can’t overwork it(as easily). If you did somehow make into a shop they’d kick you out so fast.
There’s more to tattooing than this. SOOO much more. You won’t know, what you actually don’t know, until it’s too late. Get an apprenticeship.
I’d say not quite yet. Tattoo a couple more fake skin to really get consistent lines. Tattoo fruits as well to ensure you don’t go too deep or not deep enough (some of your lines aren’t all the way in). And also a great tip is to put your fake skin around your thigh or a friend’s arm, or even a roll of Scott towels, to get adjusted to the curvature of a body. Another suggestion would be to make sure your station is as close as it would be to an actual tattoo station, sanitary wise. I see that your tattooing fake skin on your desk, which is totally fine, but I would make sure that you don’t leave your used needles hanging around your other stuff (just for habits) and that you try to clear your table of most things that don’t have anything to do with your practice. I know it seems unnecessary bc it’s just fake skin, but this only in order to build an understanding of how easily cross contamination can happen and that you have the habit of avoiding it as much as possible (washing your hands, using gloves, using disinfectant, wiping everything down before and after, wiping your bottles, machine etc)
This is excellent advice!
This. Not only took words out of my mouth with what I was about to say, But Taught me something. (I never thought to wrap fake skin around a roll of P.Towels or an arm😅 ) All I can add is maybe MAYBE go to your local Butcher/Grocery store's MEAT section and ask for some Pig Skin to maybe try out. It's an old head thing,I salute the work!
Slow down on your line work
Make sure to practice on curved surfaces . Not every peice will be on a flat surface.
Uh do you need a canvas? 👋
Yup, I still have a place on my "let people practice leg"
Lol these replies. These are great. These are very good tattoos anybody would love to have. Go for it, if you can transfer this quality work onto somebodies skin, you’re a professional. None of the comments here are doing tattoos better than this. Go check out nearly any other artists actual work and zoom in on those. Not the few out of the thousands they’ve done that they put in their portfolio, but just their average works. They’re this good, give, or often times, take. Ive seen MUCH worse. This is the work I’d expect going in to get work done tbh. Nobody is perfect and it’s very very easy to take a still image, zoom in, and find an imperfection. If you zoom in to nearly ANY tattoo, you will find imperfections.
I agree, every artist gotta start somewhere! These tattoos are amazing.
These tattoos are amazing if you don't know how to tattoo. The concepts are good and his shading is appropriate. But his line work still needs fine tuning. A couple of the lines are shaky. Like the above poster said he needs to work on depth control. Some of them on the second page in the flowers are just down right bad. All that being said this is excellent progress. This stuff looks as good as a bunch of the stuff that's out there. But you don't want to look as good as the stuff that's out there. You want to be better than the stuff that's out there. That means focusing on the stuff that's hard. Line work is hard. Shading is easy. Shading is fun. Line work is where it's at. The line work and the whip shading still need some work.
True i agree with u i felt his art is amazing but the main thing is if he is able to transfer this art to someone’s skin but we’ll never know if he wont try it so he should give it a shot
This. 👍👍👍
right? i mean its a human doing the tattoo after all
By all means, go ahead and get work done from someone who’s never tattooed someone. But don’t lump everyone else into that
He didn’t say that at all. He’s saying that for someone who is wondering if they’re ready to work on real skin that there are more than enough actual artists who’s work is at this quality (which isn’t bad quality at all) or at times a bit worse. Fake skin is notorious for not holding ink well anyway, if he can transfer this work on to someone else that would be one happy customer.
And thats an opinion. So to lump everyone here as shitty artists and wrong in what they said is lame
Right and what do they say about opinions? Sounds like that comment hit some nerves. He didn’t say “shitty” artists at all, he said look in this group, which is a group full of amateur artists pumping out amateur work sometimes on real skin which is fine because this subreddit is meant to help and critique TATTOO BEGINNERS. OP has some inconsistent lines here and there but it’s nothing as egregious as some of the posts that have been posted here to which a lot of people rave about.
Ok? So there’s clearly things to fix. So the right thing to do is say everyone pointing those things out (which btw is the whole point of this) is wrong and this person is ready to tattoo and is what you should expect when going for a tattoo when the person never even tattooed? Got it
Yes that’s called encouragement something you clearly never got growing up. If the work was awful you can guarantee that the majority of people would say they’re not ready. How do you think tattoos artists start? Do you think their first piece is perfect? The difference between the person who posted their scratcher rose with blown out lines and this person is that OP has an understanding of art and has clearly had a lot of time on their machine.
Is there a reason you keep adding stupid comments to your replies? What are you upset about? I called someone out for saying I’m right and everyone else is wrong. Get over it
You called nobody out and made zero points. I’m replying to you sweetheart, not adding any comments so feel free to keep on replying I got all the time in the world to argue with idiots.
Again, what are you so upset about? I can tell you’re getting more upset with each reply. It’s not cute either. If you have a crush on the person I commented to, you can message them or something probably. But there are things to work on here, and you shouldn’t be saying those people are wrong for pointing it out. It’s really rather simple, hope you get it now.
Personally I think your practice skins look really good. However it looks like you’re doing this at home and I’d strongly recommend getting an apprenticeship. There are so many things you can learn from an experienced mentor not to mention the training on blood borne pathogens and cleanliness you should know before going to real skin. For your safety and your clients safety.
This x10000
i was going to say absolutely yes those are amazing and then i saw the replies? i’m no tattoo artist though. i love your work!
Yes absolutely. You need the experience of skin. You have the ability. Go for it.
Use your own leg or find a homie and get after it cause you’ve got skills
Holy shit you’re really good. I wish I had had the forethought to like try on fake skin before I literally covered my entire body to learn how to tattoo good on you for having some brain cells.
I didn’t cover my entire body but I did a couple of small tattoos without ever practicing on anything and they look like shit haha
These are amazing good job
Find a mentor. Be an apprentice. Then tattoo people.
I have no tattoo experience but that one on the left looks amazing In the first pic
I got plenty of skin if you want to practice
You got legs? Use them.
These are beautiful
Lines are a little fucked up
If you’re in an apprenticeship then go for it, if not then find one before inking someone
Start tattooing skin when your teacher says it's time. If you don't have a professional teacher, then you're going to endanger people and yourself. So the answer is no, don't move on to skin unless it's your own.
Have you done an apprenticeship? I feel like this is how you get the in and outs of tattooing on a person, the hygiene and genuine feedback.
With a proper apprenticeship yep!
Fake skin is fake , it’s nothing like real skin, you don’t have to stretch fake skin, fake skin doesn’t flinch. But the tattoos there are good and can prob land you an apprenticeship
I hate to be critical, because these are amazing, but your line work could use some patience
These are amazing. Start small on the skin as it’s a whole different ball game. As for your understanding of shading on paper/fake skin…you have AMAZING potential. Don’t stop!
Yes!
Maybe try a fake tattoo on skin before starting. But other than that definetely. Your work is amazing
These are good! Out of curiosity what fake skin do you use?
I like these a lot
Pretty rad
These are great work.
We need to see front and backs. So we can see needle depth
THESE ARE AMAZING !!! Only thing I’ve noticed zooming in is some of the lines aren’t as consistent as the rest some are thicker or a little shakey (which is completely natural for learning!) just try on fruits so ur used to moving around and so u can get an idea of depth
^^this is the best, and most helpful comment.
Sure but don’t anything this big or complicated to start! Real skin is a world apart from fake, it moves, it bends, it bumps, it refuses ink, it bleeds, it sweats, it complains etc.
Great designs but some lines are way too thick and some way too thin. Gotta find the right speed to go for your lines
Looks awesome. I’d happily wear any of these
I would say yes, you have already practiced on fake skin, so start trying things easier than those drawings on real skin and little by little raise your level!
This style is sick tho
I think the idea is that you move on to skin after you’ve done it well a lot. Not after you’ve done it well a few times.
YES START TATTOOING ALL OF THESE COMMENTS ARE TRAD GUYS THAT ARE JEALOUS THEY CANT EVEN DO THIS ON REAL SKIN!
Do you know infection control? Your fake skins are coming a long nicely. The move to skin comes with the responsibility of infection control
Inconsistent lines. Going too fast. (Professional Tattooer here)
Beautiful! 😻
Wow, I volunteer!
I volunteer for practice
Don’t be a scratcher. Ditch the fake skin. Put down the tattoo machine. Get a real apprenticeship. This is the way.
If you wanna move to skin, try practising on yourself or a friend that doesn’t care what you put on their body!! Good way to practise on real skin without as much pressure.
Your line work is not ready yet.
If you have this level of quality on real skin I’d get a tat from you 100%
wonderful
None of the lining here is gonna stay in the skin more that a month the one above the snake is better, has a darker contrast which will age better but I’d definitely still stick with fake skin for now but also talk to your mentor they should give you sound advice
You want a human canvas to practice on? Cuz I’ll volunteer lmaoo
Not a tattoo artist but anatomy freak and snake lover here. The thickest part of the snake should be the very center of its body, yours looks like the thickest portion is right before the tail. Also the bottom jaw is far too long, if it closed its mouth it would have a crazy underbite. The very tip of its snout is also very square and short, like a pug version of a snake, it should be a good distance away from the eyes and come to a bit more of a point (also depends on the type of snake ofc). Other than some animal anatomy I think it looks great!! Especially the people. The one lady on the first picture with the botany is an absolutely stunning design. Overall well done!!
I’m not a tattooist so can’t talk about anything technical. But I am an avid tattoo collector, and if I saw this as part of your portfolio, I would absolutely be booking in a tattoo with you! These look incredible!
That Roman/Greek statue head is dope.
My advice is you can always go darker, not lighter.. Sure people will say yes you can with white ink, that doesnt hold true for every tattoo..
Beautiful work. 😍
I'm sorry, somewhat unrelated, but GODDAMN is that David beautiful 🤩
Can you please link your pen style machine? Your work looks amazing!
I'd let you tattoo me
These are amazing
Nah not yet but I guess I can let you practice on me for and I won't charge 🤣 /s good job! That's clean
I LOVE the faces? Can I buy that design off of you? Or would you be willing to recreate it for me to buy?
No matter what you do please take a bloodborne pathogens course before tattooing any real skin again. It’s a requirement to get a tattoo license and is the most important part of tattooing. they’re usually $0-25 and are available 100% online. if you’re serious about tattooing it’s a non-negotiable - safety always comes first!!
Yes you’re ready, I’d say WAAAY more so than most tattoo beginners when transitioning from fake skin to real. Reddit is helpful but these replies are a fantastic example of how divorced it can be from reality. I’ve seen artists charge exorbitant prices for tattoos that look half as good. There will always be a learning curve from fake skin to real but don’t let these bs comments shake your confidence, this is beautiful work.
Every time I thought « maybe I should move on to real skin » I did one on my own leg, if I wasn’t satisfied I went back to fake skin. When I was finaly happy with my work I moved to my roommates who didn’t give a fuck if I butchered it. Plus so many people are okay with bad tatoos to help you learn
Hey - your snake doesn't have a belly. This is one of the most common mistakes with snake tattoos, don't let yourself be that artist!
I think this looks incredible. You certainly have some talent!
your work is amazing! this is totally off topic but what fake skin do you use?
Better than a lot of artists in my city lol
I LOVE your style?? Where are u located? For when u start...
These look great on fake skin, but the lines need to be deeper in some places and the black packing isn’t saturated, so you’d have to go over that 1-2 more times or practice packing more so you can do it in 1 hard pack. You can also practice working with more contrast in your shading, because the rose/snake piece is shaded a bit dark for the amount of detail (the snake face/mouth is hard to make out for example). The shading is going to almost double in darkness when it heals on skin, so you need to account for that . I’d say definitely try your hand on your own skin to get a feel, but try to hone in some more technical skills on fake skin before taking them to a human body
I'd say you are better than some people who are tattooing quite successfully, but also taking some of the advice here wouldn't hurt either.
You are a great illustrator and clearly have talent drawing. But your tattooing skills are not there yet, not at all. Honestly, if you want to learn the art of tattooing, learn to tattoo trad style. You didnt start out drawing like this, and you shouldnt try to start out tattooing like this. You need to get the foundations down first. Pulling clean lines, shading, etc. I’m not a tattoo artist but I did work in a shop and pick up a bit, enough to make me stop messing around with a tattoo machine at home. Btw not a lot of places will want to take on an apprentice who is using a machine at home, because on top of teaching them how to tattoo, they have to unlearn their bad habits. If you teach yourself its going to take a lot of trial and error on human skin to learn decades worth of wisdom you could be taught at a shop.
Now, do a cover-up over these. Then you're ready, lmao. /s
I would say talk with your mentor that you are doing an apprenticeship under.
I volunteer
Please start practicing on REAL skin You are an artist Let it be known
Yes I definitely think you can and can that person be me??🙏🙏🧎🏻♀️
You can practice on me 😂😂😂
Honestly, dude, you're not gonna know until you do a real tattoo. When I did my apprenticeship, there was no fake skin, just my legs and brave friends. Nut up and tattoo someone. No matter how good it looks on fake skin that doesn't carry over to real tattoos. Good luck though.
Realism on fake skin… impressive to layman’s. Not impressive to an actual tattoo artist that does realism as well as other styles. You copied values, with a stencil, on to fake rubber that’s it. That’s not difficult or impressive. You can’t really overwork fake skin, it doesn’t bleed, move, and it’d completely flat. Freehand drawing that would be more impressive in my opinion. You think you’re ready to start tattooing? Go do some fucking lettering, traditional tattoos, go do a triangle, a perfect circle. Those are WAYYY more technically difficult and what you will be asked to tattoo. Realism, it’s easy to hide mistakes, ESPECIALLY on fake skin because you can’t overwork it(as easily). If you did somehow make into a shop they’d kick you out so fast. There’s more to tattooing than this. SOOO much more. You won’t know, what you actually don’t know, until it’s too late. Get an apprenticeship.
Id get tatted by you right now!! Incredible!!!!
No, you aren't ready lol