Learning To Become A Tattoo Artist: Supplies You Will Need
When you have come to the decision that you want to become a tattoo artist, you may not know what steps you should take to begin learning the trade. Because putting a tattoo on someone is such a major undertaking, it is important that you practice before you try to work on people. Get to know some of the supplies that you will need when you are learning to become a tattoo artist so that you can get started as soon as possible.
A High-Quality Tattoo Machine
A tattoo artist, especially a beginner, needs to have great tools to work with if they want to be good at what they do. Perhaps the biggest investment that you will need to make when you decide to become a tattoo artist is in your tattoo machine.
There are many different tattoo machines on the market, but you want to make sure that you do not try to go cheap and purchases a mass manufactured tattoo kit. The tattoo machines included in these kits are often cheaply made and can be tricky to work with as well as prone to breakage.
The best tattoo machines are often the designs created by tattoo artists themselves and are handcrafted and made-to-order. The investment in such a tattoo machine can run from a few hundred to several thousand dollars depending on who designs them.
Safety Equipment
Even though you will not be working on human beings as you are practicing and learning, it is important that you get into the practice of using all of the necessary safety equipment that tattoo artists use. This starts, of course with the gloves.
Buy black latex gloves to wear whenever you use your tattoo machine. These black latex gloves are the standard type of gloves that professional tattoo artists wear and they will protect you from staining your skin with the tattoo ink you are working with. They also will eventually protect you from skin contact with any bleeding that occurs during the tattooing process. You can purchase these gloves from a supplier like Your Glove Source.
Other safety equipment includes sanitation equipment for needles and machines known as an autoclave as well as disinfectant for tools and for the skin. Once you start working on people rather than on practice materials, you will need antiseptic wipes, rubbing alcohol, and antibiotic ointments for clients as well as bandages to cover the tattoo once it is complete.
Tattoo Ink
Of course, you cannot practice tattooing without ink for your tattoo machine. If you are a true beginner and will likely use up all of the tattoo ink that you purchase on practice materials (like artificial skin), then you can actually save some money by buying the inexpensive off-brand inks to start with.
However, if you think you will have ink leftover, be sure that you do not use these ultra-cheap inks on any clients. The less expensive inks tend to have more ingredients in them that can cause skin irritation and allergic reactions which means they are dangerous to clients and could damage your business and reputation.
Now that you know more about some of the supplies you will need when you are learning to become a tattoo artist, you can make your purchases and get started as soon as possible.
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