How To Be A Tattoo Artist
Published October 12, 2011 | 
It seems that more and more people are getting tattoos or talking about getting one. This is great for the industry and even better for those who would like to get a foot in the door in the tattoo industry. But don’t think for a moment that becoming a professional tattoo artist is easy. There really isn’t any such thing as easy money by becoming a tattoo artist.
To begin with, you will need talent. You will never make it in the tattoo industry by tracing or stenciling, you will need to be able to draw great designs. To even get considered as a tattoo artist, a portfolio is needed. This will require you to draw until your hands ache and then a little more. Your portfolio is your proof that you have the skills that are needed to succeed in the industry. Without a portfolio, don’t even bother.
Once you have a portfolio to showcase your talents, you will need a mentor, someone who is willing to teach you the trade and share their secrets with you. Now this is the tricky thing, tattoo artists don’t like giving away their secrets. If you do find someone good, a real professional who is willing to tell you anything at all about the industry, listen up!
In some states you will be required by law to get an apprenticeship and train for a number of years to become a tattoo artist. Unlike a traditional apprenticeship, you will be required to pay the tattoo artist that you are working under a fee and you wont get paid for your work while you are being trained. There is no real time limit on how long you will train. The mentor you choose will tell you when he thinks you are ready to branch off and become a professional.
To train as a tattoo artist, you will need proper, high-quality equipment such as a tattoo machine, power supplies, shading equipment, needles, medical equipment and sanitation supplies. You will also need to know about cleanliness and what can and can’t be reused, as well as how to clean your equipment. The popular professional tattoo artists are successful for a number of reasons, but mainly because they are clean and very talented.
You can succeed in the tattoo industry, but you will need to be talented, self-driven and dedicated. If you want to make millions in the first month as a tattoo artist, you are wasting your time. Become a tattoo artist because you love the art and love to create breath-taking pieces of body art. Be prepared to work for free and, most of all, if you get someone to stop and share a secret or two with you, take their advice. You will definitely need it.
Graphic Artist Salaries
Published October 3, 2011 |
Artists are considered to be poorly paid, but with the turnaround in the media and the explosion of dotcom companies, graphic artists are fast becoming hot commodities and are earning big money. Most traditional graphic artists created print products such as packaging, promotional displays, marketing brochures or books, designed logos for products and businesses, or worked on the visual designs of annual reports and other corporate propaganda. However, modern graphic artists are steadily entering into the lucrative and fast-evolving profession of web design to earn quick riches.
According to a 2005 survey by the American Institute of Graphic Artists, entry-level designers at graphic design firms earned a median annual salary of $30,000 and a median total compensation of $32,000, while a print production artist earned $40,000 in median annual pay and total compensation. The Creative Group, a staffing firm in Menlo Park, California, also projected the annual salary ranges for designers for the year 2005. The group calculated the average annual figures for illustrators from $31,000 to $42,000, for graphic designers from $29,000 to $41,000, for production artists between $28,500 to $37,750, and so on. On the other hand, according to the US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual mean wage in 2002 for graphic designers across the US was $41,380.
Graphic artists often work on a freelance basis, selling their skills and pitching their designs to advertising agencies, retailers, design firms, magazines, newspapers and Internet companies. Although to become an established freelance designer might be a difficult task, successful freelance artists can earn good salaries while enjoying their freedom to work according to their choice. In-house graphic artists can also have lucrative careers and, through their hard work and creativity, can become art directors and command high salaries.
Graphic artists are gaining command in the fast-growing media industry, and a good artist with skill and talent can easily earn a comfortable living.
Art of Shading
Published October 3, 2011 |
The art of shading is developed by learning to recognise volume as represented by the pattern of light, medium, and dark values of the subject before you. Once you have understand the pattern of light, then shading becomes very easy.
Let me share with you some terminology about the art of shading .
Tone: local tone is the most general value of an art work. It can be light, medium or dark but it does not matter. What is important is that an artist is able to express the drawing in a series of varying tones.
Hight light: It is the most concentrated spot of light on the drawing. Highlight appears on smooth surface.
Cast shadow: Produced by an opaque object that gets in the way of a light source.
Form shadow: Produced when an object turns itself away from the light source. It is the darker side of an object form.
Reflected light: It is light that bounces off another object and comes back to reveal the form. It is always lighter than the highlight of the drawing.
In the art of shading, always observe the objects that you are drawing. Look at the subject matter as it is important to establish an order for seeing and receiving information about the subject you are drawing.
It is always good that you build a drawing from the general to the specific. You should always see and record the overall structure of the subject you are drawing first, before getting into the details.
For example, when drawing an apple, determine the order in which you want to build the pattern of lights and darks that it presents. Observe the subject you are drawing before picking up your pencil to draw. Do not fall into the mistake of most people, that is drawing without planning.