So I am a beginner at this, my family thought it would be fun to take up tattooing as a hobby. Dont worry we looked up a LOT of tutorials and sanitation videos. Anyways, I have a question. How hard should I push the needle? I have a tattoo I attempted the other day and it turned into a scab and fell off. Now the ink is very faded. I used Jet black.
Dude, you need like actual practice, not just watching videos. If your going to practice on people please do it on yourself and not others. Theres like pigskin or something you can buy to practice on that mimics human skin.
Grapefruit, bananas, pigskin, fake skin and such can all be used to practice machine handling. However, none of them will get you to the point where you can start inking other people. After you feel you have gotten everything out of the practice surfaces, start on yourself. That isn't, 'give yourself one tattoo' and think you can start on other people, it is start inking and don't stop until you no longer have questions such as 'how hard should I push'. I'd never use any artist that couldn't show me examples on their own skin of their own work. Not only is it a matter of wanting someone who knows how to tatt, it is wanting someone who knows how what they are doing feels to the person they are doing it to. On Ink Master, they had a contestant that had been tattooing for 17 years and had zero tatt on his body. What that tells me is that he has been inking people for 17 years not having a single clue how it feels. I don't mean just in terms of how it feels to get a tattoo, I mean how it feels when you push too hard, or not hard enough, or have too much of an angle on your machine, or it's not set up right and so on. The only way to learn these things is through extensive practice on yourself first.
It's hard to say how hard to push the needle. In fact: don't push at all. Remember, you're only lightly puncturing the epidermis. You can purchase fake skin to practice on. But frankly, tattooing isn't a hobby. It's a lifestyle and a calling, whether you're behind the machine or under it. Please God! Don't tattoo anyone other than yourself! I don't even like the idea of a novice tattooing himself, but you and I both know it won't stop you from doing it. Just don't be the reason someone is afraid to go swimming or gets made fun of. Don't put someone on Tattoo Nightmares!
I wouldn't call tattooing a 'family hobby'...it's an art form and should be respected as such. If you're not an artists I don't think you have any place even handling a machine..
Why don't you go on a basic course? It will give you a chance to test out techniques, and show you what not to do etc.. plus you will probably gain some advice from long time tattoo artists. Even better, get an apprenticeship.. at the tattoo shop I go to they had a new apprentice who they trained up, she was an artist anyway but wanted to tattoo, now she is fully trained and although she only charges half price whilst she builds up her portfolio, her work is pretty awesome, think it took about 8 months until she was ready..
