Question of the Week - Tattoo Artists' Salary
Sunday November 19, 2006
Q: I am a 16-year-old junior looking to become a tattoo artist and I just wanted to do a little research before I completely commit myself to this. I have found just about everything I could have hoped for and a lot more - the only thing I can’t seem to find is how much they make. The only thing I have come up with is about $20,000 and I don’t really think that that is right because there are no way a lot of people could live off that.
A:How much money you can make as a tattoo artist is almost impossible to project and depends on a lot of different variables.So, as you can see, it's very difficult to answer how much a tattoo artist can make. For many of them, I'd say $20,000/year is very possible. Then again, artists who are in high demand could make well into six figures. Sometimes it's a gamble, getting into a business when you don't really know the outcome and whether or not it will pay off. Passion means taking risks, and art is all about passion.
- Where do you live?
The local economy and how much a tattoo generally costs will have a great effect on your income. It also can determine how many customers you may have depending on the amount of expendable cash flow your customer base has.- What is the community's general attitude toward tattoos?
If you live in a bible belt area or somewhere that generally opposes body art, there is a good chance that you're not going to get a lot of business. If you're in a more open-minded community, you may be busier.- How busy of a town/city is it?
Population has a lot to do with how well a business does in general. If you're in a small country town with more dirt roads than high-rises, business is probably going to be a lot slower than a shop in the middle of a big city.- How much competition will you have?
If you're in a city that already has 10 tattoo shops to every 100 customers, you may do less business unless you happen to be working in one of the most popular shops available.- How good are you?
If you're highly skilled and in constant demand for your work, you're going to make a lot more than an artist that only knows how to color inside the lines.
Comments
Think about any industry that is oversaturated and apply Econ 210 to it…supply and demand. With all the tattoo ’schools’ and tattooers willing to pump out psuedo-apprentices as fast as they can it will be a $10 an hour job. In many areas it already is!
(”you want fries with that tattoo?”)
When a tattooer is willing to do a name for $20 or has no shop minimum it’s a sad statement of the oversaturation of my beloved business.
When people who jump onto our bandwagon simply for the money and the ‘glamour’ open shops without any knowledge of the world of tattooing….again, it’s a sad day.
Stay in school, go to college, study art, study biology, learn to weld, do SOMETHING that will give you a fallback.
Sound like a parent, right? 25 years in this biz I have seen alot and lately not much of it is pretty!
I,ve been in the tattoo industry along time and i agee with Ladytattoos comments,,,there is so much more to being a tattoo artist them most people think..money is not all there is to being a tattoo artist…
well i know one guy who makes $150,000 in a suburban area outside a small city
It is hard 2 say,there is a big difference in what artists charge.Whit the euro life became dubbel expencive and also tattoo artists charge dubbel.Artists are free in that,we also have a “starting price”,45 euro 4 a chinese sign(2cm by 2).I think its robery 2 charge 80 4 that.For us its about what u think is a fair deal,not realy about competision..having hart 4 ur art aswell 4 ur customers.
WHEN DO WE HAVE TO START OUR COLLEGE REQUIRMENT.AND WHEN IS THE AVAILABILITY OF THE JOB.
you really have no clue do you…..
Well, I have a tattoo on my right shoulder that’s about 5″ by 3.5″, and it took about two and a half hours to get done. The tattoo artist charged by the hour, and it was like $80 (Cdn.)/hour.
What sort of things would be good to study for in college that would help someone hoping to become a successful tattoo artist? Art? Maybe business? I’m a junior in high school, and I’m beginning to get real nervous about a successful career in the future.
I have been in this industry for 18 years now and I have done my time and earned my outhouse inkwork. There have been many years where I have made $60-$70k, most of that being made during tax time. You need to learn how to save money during that time for when the business is not so lucrative. You need to have another outlet for your artistic talents that pays as well.
The answer to repairing the industry is simple. Go back to the old way of learning. I have been in this business since the late 60’s early 70’s – there were no appreticeships folks. You learned by watching,asking questions, reading (thank you Huck Spaulding)and practice, practice, practice – AND – you did not practice on your friends! I practiced on grapefruits and bananas until I could make a line then on pig ears after that. Just quit selling the d#4n apprenticeships. Quit training your competition.
Rawzero,
Perhaps you should think of other tattoo artists as Allies rather than competition. People who can enlighten you with some of the things they have learned and discovered through personal experience. If you are talented, knowledgeable, and experienced then you shouldn’t be worried about younger and less experienced artists.
other artists in my city are competition! thats a no brainer… go to out of area conventions to get ENLIGHTENED by other artists, and i make 125k a year evry year, so i know what im talking about. dont get too cozy with the shop down the street they are after your customers!
oh yeah, 20,000 a year?!!!!!!! thats below poverty level and you need another line of work. if thats all you make get into another line of work and quit jamming up my industry!!!
For all the artists out there that like to talk about the old school ways, much respect for the dues that you’ve payed but quit being stubborn! Technology changes as well as the art itself. New styles,techniques,and tools are created and if you cannot keep up with the modernization of this industry you will fall on your face. Focus on your art ability and not so much on the tattooing itself at first, it will definitely help you in the long run. Yes this industry is “mainly” about the art but unless you are willing to die broke,the money is also a very important factor. Some artists only manage to feed themselves and spend the rest of their money at the bar each weekend while sleeping on their married friends couch, but others work on creating their style, perfecting it, and instead of dreaming about becoming big they chase those dreams. I, and many others make well into the 6 figure sums. It’s all a matter of applying your skills and putting yourself to the test. Prepare yourself for the down times and shine when things are looking up. Once again I’m not putting anyone down, only criticizing those who choose to limit themselves and their abilities due to their age or amount of time spent in this industry. – THE CALIF-ORN-I-A KID
Kid, you need a clue. You probably only want to be a tattoo artist because of watching LA Ink. What do your parents think or are you too stuborn to actually consider what they and anyone else thinks? Heres reality, you better be damm good at the trade and willing to work long long hours at getting to the top to have any chance. At 16 I know you don’t understand this… how to market yourself, building clients, practicing the trade while paying the bills. Believe me, your best bet is a college education. Do tattoos as a hobby.
PS – Get back to studying instead of the internet