Top Professional Services in Dover, DE 19903
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Tattoo Mafia®, Inc.
By JosephHalfpenny August 26, 2014
Chris and Lisa are amazing people. Chris has been tattooing me for 5+ years now. Both members are very skilled and talented. Both are easy to get along with and will go the extra mile to give you what you are paying for. Tattoo mafia is not just a business, it is where artists and clients become close friends. Thank you guys for all the work you have provided for me and everyone else. ...read more
Tattoo Mafia®, Inc.
By International Biker Mall February 03, 2014
Here's a big high 5 from the International Biker Mall. Thanks for connecting to us. It's great to be part of your network. Visit us anytime at http://www.internationalbikermall.com ...read more
Tattoo Mafia®, Inc.
By LorriSweetman February 03, 2014
Awesome staff and studio. Super talented. Red Cross certified in preventing disease transmission is a major plus. Had my first tattoo done here and looking forward to being able to get my second tattoo done here as well. ...read more
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Interested in becoming a Tattoo Artist?
Blog Home|Tattoo Mafia Home Tattoo MafiaAnything and Everything related to the Tattoo Industry and Tattoo Mafia, Inc. Nov282010 Interested in becoming a Tattoo Artist? Since tattoos have become more popular over the years, the idea of becoming a tattoo artist has also. We are sometimes asked 2 to 3 times a month by clients and random people about learning to tattoo. This blog will give you a run down on what we ourselves would look for in someone worthy of teaching. It will also give you a list of things you will need to learn to become a tattoo artist. This will also help those trying to learn on their own in hopes of working in a studio one day. Most professional tattoo artists had a long hard road to get to where they are right now in their career. This is important to know because it will not be handed to you easy and it will not be cheap. Many long hours, weekends and Years of your life will be required to do a apprenticeship. Some take 3 to 5 years to learn depending on how fast they grasp all the information needed to work in a studio. It can take up to 10 years to become a well known, reputable artist with a good client following. The costs vary with the experience of the artist willing to past on the trade. An average apprenticeship starts at $20 thousand and up. Some things we would look for in a potential student: 1. SOMEONE ALREADY BLESSED WITH ARTISTIC TALENT……… This is a must in the industry these days. If you want to stand out and become successful then you need to have a good foundation. We would want to see sketchbooks of your work and the progression over the past years to see improvement. Someone who shows a true love of art and a history of their time put into it. You will be tracing, drawing, following lines and shading almost everyday for the rest of your life. Your hand/ eye coordination has to be on point when you put pencil to paper. Once you start working on skin there is no eraser to correct mistakes so practice, practice, practice! 2. SOMEONE WHO SHOWS INITIATIVE…….Put the same amount of effort into getting in the door as you would getting into a school or collage. You need to show right away that your serious and have the paperwork to back it up. Write a resume that includes: contact information, education history, work history, copies of some of your work and references. A short biography on yourself, letting them know who you are and what they can expect of you. Take extra copies so you can leave one for the artists review. You will have to stand out to be noticed, so go above and beyond the competition. Be open to criticism, art is subjective and you will learn from it and deal with it though out your tattoo career. Write a Resume 3. HAVING PATIENCE AND BEING GOOD WITH PEOPLE……….This is a SLOW learning process. Most Apprentices start out helping around the studio to learn how everything works and build a respect for your studio and your teacher(s). To get the respect of fellow artists you will need to learn from the ground up as they did themselves. It can take 1 to 3 years before you even get to do your first tattoo. This is a great time to work on interacting with the clients and how to become a "People Person". This is a strong attribute to have so you need to start working on that right away. Continue working on your art, this is the foundation of your career. Use your time wisely, take in as much information as possible, ask questions and keep a notebook on what you learned each day. 4. GOOD WORK ETHICS…………Be on time and ready to work just as if you were receiving a paycheck. Turn off your cellphone and don't let your friends think it's a hang out. Use your time at the studio for absorbing and taking in as much information as possible. If you work hard, show up early – stay late with no complaints – you will be on your way to becoming a great tattoo artist. 5. PROOF OF TRAINING IN BLOOD BOURNE PATHOGENS AND THE PREVENTION OF DISEASE TRANSMISSION…………….This course can be taken online or with an instructor. The course currently requires an annual renewal and averages about $20 to $25 dollars and about an hour of your time. This is good to have in advance since you will be working around blood and body fluids and you will be required to have this in the future once you start tattooing. Advanced courses in CPR are also a good idea. If you have the opportunity to work with an instructor this is very valuable because you can ask questions and they are full us useful information. Depending on what State you live in you may want to contact the Health Department and find out what requirements you have to meet to acquire a license to tattoo in your state. Vaccines are also usually required. 6. BE MECHANICALLY INCLINED…………….The art of tattooing requires using a tattoo machine. This will mean you will have to learn how it works and how to use it. Most apprenticeships will teach you how to work on your machine and basically build it from the coils up. This will help you tune and maintain your machine. 7. BE READY FOR A CHANGE IN YOUR LIFESTYLE…………….Tattooing requires long hours on nights and weekends. This will cut into your personal life and time with family. Most artists do not have a very active social life aside from their clients and fellow artists for this reason. 8. MANAGE YOUR MONEY……………Once you do start to earn an income there can be extreme highs and lows through out the year. This is usually in the beginning of your career (first 3 to 5 years – longer for some). For this reason you will have to be able to save your money. 9. FOR ANYONE PRACTICING WITH NO FORMER TRAINING……………..Put aside all you've done up to this point and start at the beginning with a formal apprenticeship. It's the only way to learn the Right way, most self taught artists pick up bad / unsanitary habits that they are not aware of. Be open minded and ready to start at the beginning like a new comer because training someone from nothing can sometimes be easier. In most cases you and your teacher will have to work even harder to break old habits and reinstate the proper way to tattoo. 10. REQUIREMENTS OF MOST ARTISTS……………Training and proof on courses required by the State, Vaccines required by the State, knowledge of skin and human anatomy, know instructions on how to properly care for a healing tattoo, septic technique in your set up and how to properly prep the skin, equipment sterilization and how to properly use an autoclave, you will also need to know the laws in your area regarding Release and Consent forms for clients. Last but, not least Loyalty and Respect for the tattoo industry. This is a long term commitment and should be taken seriously. If you want it you have to earn it, so be considerate of us as artists and what we have to offer you. By asking an artist to teach you, your asking them to spend years of their life working with you and fine tuning you. In the hopes that you will become an artist they will be proud to say they taught. ...read more
By Tattoo Mafia®, Inc. November 28, 2010
How to get an estimated cost for your Tattoo.
Everyday someone walks into the studio looking for an estimated cost on a tattoo. We find that most people do not know what information they need in advance before a price can be given. Sometimes we even hear…"How much do your tattoos cost?" We give quotes based on the location the tattoo will be on the body. The size and detail, If it's in color or black and gray. How well you sit during the procedure. Even the quality/ health of your skin is taken into consideration. There are so many factors that come into play when pricing a tattoo that the customer is not even aware of. Hopefully, this blog may help someone looking to get a tattoo so they can be better prepared.1. You need to do your research, Know what you want.Reference can be obtained though your own sketches if your comfortable drawing a rough sketch of what you are thinking of . Books are a good way to obtain great reference and ideas. T-shirts, your own photography, advertisements, the internet is an endless supply of reference, just view images. You can find ideas in everything you see - try to be creative and not copy someone's tattoo you see online. Most artists may even give you a good price just because it's unique and they would love to show it off in their portfolio.2. Collect reference and artwork.To collect reference, make hard copies of what you like. Make notes on them explaining how you envision your design. Collecting information on a zip drive or disc is also a wonderful idea. If your ideas are from a movie, take a copy in to leave with the reference in case the artist would like to view it for inspiration. It's always good to remember that you want to have good clean reference too. Small pictures, out of focus pictures are all useless in most cases. Please do not take your artist a picture on your cell phone. This is convenient for you not the artist.3. Think about the size of the design and the placement on the body.The amount of time involved affects the price. Some locations on the body are slower to tattoo due to the elasticity in the skin. These areas usually will cost more and take longer to tattoo. It may help to take some pictures of yourself and draw on the body part that you are considering tattooing to get an idea of what it will look like. This may help you with placement and size.4. Decide if you want Black and gray or Color. If color decide what colors you would like to have in the design.Black and gray takes less time to tattoo than color so this makes a big difference when asking for an estimate. If your unsure which one you want it's best to ask for a quote in color and a quote in black and gray that way you'll know regardless of which you decide to go with.5. Let the artist know in advance what price range you are able to work within.This is a wonderful way to get your tattoo from the artist you want. Tell them up front what you are looking to spend. This cuts right to the point and can usually be compromised. If your Tattoo design if estimated at $200 and you can only spend $100 then the artist can tell you ways to reduce the time involved and work within your price range. For example: If you do black in gray instead of color (color can always be added later). You may also be able to reduce the size or change the placement to lower your cost. Most artist would rather keep you as a client so don't let an estimate scare you. Just be up front and let them know your willing to make changes if possible if they can work within your budget.On the flip side if your able to spend more than what the artist quotes then let them know. This can give them the opportunity to really be creative and put more time and detail into your tattoo. The size could be enlarged, you may be able to add on to the original idea, etc.The best way to get good work and a good estimate is to give as much information as possible and do your research. Remember that your are paying for that individual artist's time, knowledge, experience and ability. If you want quality, save up and make no exceptions. Pick the artist based on their reputation and their portfolio. You'll be happy with the end result for the rest of your life! ...read more
By Tattoo Mafia®, Inc. September 26, 2010
Chris DeLauder - a collection of his work
Artist: Chris DeLauderScroll down to view his PortfoliosThese include Tattoos in Color, Black&Gray;, Tattoo Cover ups, Portraits, drawings&sketches, photography, and digital art.There is also a Studio Tour and Client Portfolio that shows a collection of smaller Tattoos by both Chris and Lisa.Tags:tattoo,tattoo shop,tattoo studio,tattoo mafia,tattoo artist,tattoos in Dover De,tattoos in DE,body artChris's Black & Gray Portfoilo(Click photo to view Gallery)An Amazing Collection of Black and Gray artwork.Tags:tattoo,tattoo shop,tattoo studio,tattoo mafia,tattoo artist,tattoos in Dover De,tattoos in DE,body artChris's Color Portfoilo(Click photo to view Gallery)Large, Detailed Full Color Designs……Tags:tattoo,tattoo shop,tattoo studio,tattoo mafia,tattoo artist,tattoos in Dover De,tattoos in DE,body artChris's Portrait Portfolio(Click photo to view Gallery)Portraits of children, loved ones and famous artists.Tags:tattoo,tattoo shop,tattoo studio,tattoo mafia,tattoo artist,tattoos in Dover De,tattoos in DE,body artChris's Cover Up Portfolio(Click photo to view Gallery)Cover up designs showing before and after.Tags:tattoo,tattoo shop,tattoo studio,tattoo mafia,tattoo artist,tattoos in Dover De,tattoos in DE,body artChris's Sketchbook(Click photo to view Gallery)A Collection of Custom Artwork drawn over the years.Tags:tattoo,tattoo shop,tattoo studio,tattoo mafia,tattoo artist,tattoos in Dover De,tattoos in DE,body artChris's Digital Art Gallery(Click photo to view Gallery)A Gallery of Chris's most recent Digital Artwork for business Logos and moreChris's Photography Portfolio(Click photo to view Gallery)A Collection of photos while traveling through life.Tags:photography,art,travel,tattoo mafia,chris delauder,delaware photography,dover photographyOur Clients Portfolio(Click photo to view Gallery)This is a Collection of smaller Tattoos done by both Chris and Lisa.Tags:tattoo,tattoo shop,tattoo studio,tattoo mafia,tattoo artist,tattoos in Dover De,tattoos in DE,body artStudio Tour(Click photo to view gallery)Photos of Tattoo Mafia inside and out. Showing the artists working and certificaitons - hoping to have a video avaliable soon. Thank you for taking the time to view our portfolios and website and we hope to see you soon. Byadmin|Posted inARTISTS,Tattoos|TaggedAdd new tag,chris delauder,dover de,tattoo,tattoo artist,tattoo mafia,tattoo portfolio,tattoo studio|Comments (0) ...read more
By Tattoo Mafia®, Inc. July 13, 2010