# data[].attributes.body
Yo! Wilson Here. This might all go without saying but these are some tips i threw together based on my own experiences studying art and working in the field. I’ve worked with and around a lot of tattooers over the years and thought i might share some advice in that field as well as some general tips for accelerating your own creative goals in general. These are all things I wish I had known when I left highschool to study art in NY 12 years ago.

10 TIPS FOR BEING AN ARTISTIC BADASS

1. Refine your sources: Start actively hunting down artists, styles, and methods that you think are sick. Establishing the “style” that will eventually bring clients from all over to get YOUR work is about drawing upon a thousand different observations from art and media that inspire and excite you. Anime? Influence. Cool graphic design? Influence. Music? Influence. Highbrow or low brow it all feeds the machine that is your growth as an artist. These don’t have to be visual. Think of it like constructing a mind map that collectively shows off what makes your voice unique. Compile all these into a folder on your phone so you can look back and start to form your own personal web of influences.

2. Always be learning. Being an artist is about paying close attention to the world. Listen, look, and be open to what it has to offer. There is knowledge everywhere if you know how to see it, and THATS the stuff that finds its way into your work and puts you on the next level.

3. Art Schools are useful but not entirely necessary. The Pro’s of art school are building community, having expert critical feedback, a degree that functions as proof that you know what you’re talking about, and getting advice from artists in the field. But the Cons include the price tag and elitist approach to art making. There are HEAPS of free resources if you are organized and diligent with how you go about learning how to make things, and make them well. Seek out like minded people and build community and you’ll basically be getting that kind of education for free.

4. Making it in the art industry is really difficult, even for the most skilled artists. If factors don’t line up it can make getting by exceptionally difficult, which makes it even harder to make/practice the work you’re interested in making. During my time working professionally as an illustrator for nearly 5 years i still needed to work a day job to pay rent. I would HIGHLY recommend snagging that degree while you can, or at least working towards your GED. In the long run these qualifications will help keep your dream floating, give you more of a safety net, and give you much more flexibility as you grow.

5. Consider: Black and white vs color? It pays to specialize and be really good at one thing before expanding your skill set, instead of being kind of good at a bunch of things. Prioritize as best you can, but don’t be afraid to dabble. Making art is never a linear path.

6. Practice practice practice. You can establish skills with traditional media that will later influence and provide understanding for how tattooing works. Many tattoo artists are influenced by and source 1) pen and ink drawings (generally crisp solid black linework) and 2) watercolor. (The way tattoo coloring works is very similar to how one controls high concentrations of pigment/color when using watercolor paints.
There are others, but for tattoos specifically these are the main two that will let you show off your artistic understanding in your portfolio and make you a good candidate for an apprenticeship.

7. Practice some more: You’ll want to start making observational studies of things you can physically observe. Practice it like a sport, or like weightlifting. You build familiarity and understanding of the physical world by observing it. This part can be really boring, so find ways to make it more interesting by picking subject material thats challenging. With tattooing there will be literal years where you will be asked to make designs that you aren’t interested in or maybe don’t know how to do, so its worth learning how to draw anything and build your skill for when people want your work.

8. One finished piece is better than 6 unfinished pieces. Train yourself to take your work as far as you can and decide its done. It sounds simple, but in art there are always a thousand different ways you could continue to tweak work. Learning to put something down and move on fully to the next will save you the headache of getting stuck with too many unfinished pieces and not enough time. You have more ideas? Make sketches, but wait to follow through until you’re done with one thing at a time.

9. Know the worth of your time and your work. Whenever you can always try to get paid. It’s very tempting to undersell your time and energy simply because you’re working towards tattooing professionally. But think of it like this: If you were working a day job with no qualifications, getting paid minimum wage (roughly 14$/hr) you would get about 112$. If you make work and spend around 8 hours completing a piece you should get at least 100$. After that you can also factor in how much time and energy you’ve put into -learning- the skill necessary to make the work. For 8 hours of work on a commission I would charge around 150$, just for the licensing to USE my work, not to own it. If someone was buying my work for keeps? Easily 200$, if not 300$. All that goes double for the amount of time and energy it takes to get your tattoo licensure, and you’ll see what people pay for good tattoo work. That goes for professionals just as much as it does aspiring artists.

10. Humble up. There will always be room to grow as an artist. There’s no end or finish line to developing your voice. That’s a good thing. Learn how to ask for help with developing your technique, your sources, and your goals, and you’ll blast past anyone who’s caught up in their ego. Those folks make repetitive boring work.

That said if you have ANY questions or want suggestions or elaborations on anything mentioned just give me a shout. I’m happy to help however i can.

Sidebar: Here’s a poem I love

The Laughing Heart

your life is your life

don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.

be on the watch.

there are ways out.

there is light somewhere.

it may not be much light but

it beats the darkness.

be on the watch.

the gods will offer you chances.

know them.

take them.

you can’t beat death but

you can beat death in life, sometimes.

and the more often you learn to do it,

the more light there will be.

your life is your life.

know it while you have it.

you are marvelous

the gods wait to delight

in you.

-- by Charles Bukowski

# data[].attributes.body
This was my idea

# data[].attributes.body
Y’all! This just cropped up in my Facebook memories. I made this when I was 17!

# data[].attributes.body
https://3dtotal.com/news/general/5-composition-mistakes-to-avoid-by-chris-tulloch-mccabe-artwork-guide-2d#article-tangents

Awesome resource about some do’s and don’t of effective composition!

# data[].attributes.body
This comic was one of the best reflections on the collective grief our friends are experiencing right now that I’ve seen in recent days. Figured I’d share if you want to take a look.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMyN2SGg3PD/?igshid=1lvk9r56szv53

# data[].attributes.body
Storytelling - https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/03/17/us/shooting-atlanta-acworth

# data[].attributes.body
wet charcoal

# data[].attributes.body
working on my graphite/shading skills

# data[].attributes.body
with the use of layering and shading

# data[].attributes.body
(This is an example of my work, in case y’all are curious)

# data[].attributes.body
If you guys need any help with your own art making feel free to say hey! I know arguably too much about visual arts and am stoked to help where I can