A day in the life of a tattoo artist

– Tattoos are a means of self expression, but there’s more to the equation than ink and needles.

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Nick Kunis, age twenty-four, is licensed as a tattoo artist in the state of Florida.

“It was more of a hobby at first. I was doing repetitive work in law enforcement, and what I was doing was really dry. It was my last couple of months in the military and I wanted something to do. I like tattoos, and I like getting them, so I thought, ‘Why not get into doing them?’. I can already draw, I can already do the artwork…Needle – I wanted to learn what went into being a tattoo artist and I went through all the steps. It was easy for me, at first, to learn everything and it goes into a huge broad, trade,” Kunis said.

In order to obtain his license, he endured a six month training process, in which he became an apprentice at a tattoo studio, which he had to pay for. However, in some places, the apprenticeship is free. After his training was complete, he had to have his trainer recommend the right equipment – the power box, guns, bands, gloves, ink, needles, grips, etc. The machinery for tattoos vary depending on company and he had to acquire the ones he knew how to use best.

Along with the training, he also had to go through his certifications for bloodborne pathogens, which are microorganisms that could enter a person’s bloodstream and cause disease.

“You can really mess someone up. If you go too deep, a lot of blood issues and stuff like that. It could make you really sick, even kill you. If it actually gets into [the bloodstream], you can get blood infections and you’re gone in three months. So it’s all about formal education, formal training,” Kunis said.

To begin with, Kunis had practiced on pig skin. From pig skin, he graduated to human flesh.

“Everybody’s skin is different, and you have to have a feel of the gun, so when I did human skin for the very first time, it was very weird because I had been practicing on this pig skin. So, my needle was jumping and it felt like I was cutting this person – which, ultimately, you really are when you’re giving a tattoo, but my needle started jumping which is kind of like it was going down but it was catching rifts in the skin and then it’s jumping up and going back in. I’m over thinking the entire time, ‘I don’t want to get this into his bloodstream’,” Kunis said.

When he served in the air force, Kunis gave his comrades tattoos.

“It was really informal. I knew all those people and I told them what I was getting into and they were like, ‘Oh, that’s cool!’ and they had seen me draw and stuff and they said, ‘Aw, I’d like to get a tattoo from you.’ They’d say, ‘Here’s an idea that I have, could you draw it up and put it on me?’. I had a man cave studio. It was sterile, so everything was decent,” Kunis said.

Tattoos are a unique means of self-expression. Some people enjoy having art on their body, other people enjoy creating the art, and other people are a mix of both. Regardless of whether you’re the artist or the canvas, it’s important to know the tricks of the trade. Being informed prior to getting a tattoo or pursuing this trade is advised. And for those who lack artistic ability, becoming a tattoo artist isn’t recommended.

“You have to be creative. You have to have a free way of thinking to do it. A lot of people go into tattoo studios thinking they’re going to put their own twist on it. Well, if you don’t have any artistic talent, you’re not going to be able to put a twist on it. Sure, you can probably do pop art on the wall, put a stencil and do it just like that to a T, but nobody really wants that. You know, you want the tattoo artist take on it and that takes artistic talent,” Kunis said.