Body Art and Tattoo Courses: Become a Tattoo Artist

Considering a Body Art and Tattoo Course? 

If you want to learn how to do amazing art on people’s bodies and can see this being your future profession, a body art and tattoo course may be perfect for you. A body art and tattoo course will teach you all you need to know about doing tattoos professionally. This can be an incredibly rewarding job, whereby you get a chance to be creative and make people smile with your incredible artwork. The good news is there are so many body art and tattoo courses currently available. 

About Body Art and Tattooing 

A tattoo is a permanent sort of body art. A design is created by puncturing the skin with needles and injecting dyes, ink and pigments into the deep layer of the skin. Tattoos used to be manually. When this was the case, the tattoo artist would puncture the skin with a needle and inject the ink by hand. While this process is still used in some parts of the world, professional tattoo artists use machines. A tattoo machine powers the needles up and down as ink is deposited in the skin.  

A Brief History of Tattoos 

Tattoo’s date back thousands of years. In fact, we have strong evidence that tattooing is an ancient art form, after discoveries of tattoos on mummified skin were discovered. The oldest evidence of human tattoos is thought to be from between 3370 BC and 3100 BC. Otzi the Iceman was found in September 1991. His nickname derives from the location he was discovered in the Otzal Alps. His body has naturally preserved and mummified, making him Europe’s oldest human mummy. Otzi’s body has approximately 61 tattoos in a variety of different locations, with most of these ink inscriptions located on his legs.  

Close examination of the markings on the mummy indicate that fireplace ash or soot were used to create tattoos. Whilst Otzi may be evidence of the first tattoos known to mankind, other ages and eras throughout history reveal a rich and long history of tattooing. There is evidence of this from more than 49 different locations across the globe, where tattooed mummies and remains have been found. Locations where tattooing practices have been recorded on human remains, include Greenland, Alaska, Mongolia, China, Egypt, Russia, the Philippines and Sudan. All of these discoveries link to different periods of time throughout ancient history. Some of these date back to 2100 BC. 

What Will I Learn? 

You can expect to be equipped with design skills and learn about drawing. Figure studies, computer illustrated graphics and illustration will also be explored. Body art and tattoo courses teach you about teamworking, customer service and infection, prevention and control. In addition, the courses will often require you to get work experience. 

Career Opportunities 

Tattoo artistry and tattoos have grown in popularity in Ireland and there are tattoo parlours in virtually every city and town across the country. Most tattoo artists are self-employed, running their own tattoo business. The Association of Body Modification Artists in Ireland (ABMAI), which was set up in 2012 to represent the industry, estimates that there are approximately 1,000 tattoo parlours island-wide. Just two decades ago, there was around 20 tattoo parlours.   

Career Progression 

If you really enjoyed your body art and tattoo course and you would like to continue your learning, you could consider doing a course in body piercing. This would greatly enhance your CV and improve your chances of gaining employment in a tattoo and piercing shop, as many hiring managers here will look for employees to know how to do tattoos and piercings.  

If you’re serious about doing a body art and tattoo course, check out courses near you in the Nightcourses.co.uk national course finder.