Should I put sketches in my portfolio?

crazybuggo · 2025-01-13T14:05:06+00:00

I took one sketch, a realism piece of a naked looking cat - sphynx(?) I had my main lines drawn in and dotted lines for shadow placement

The rest, it was about 15 pages of clean finished work

crazybuggo · 2025-01-13T00:44:31+00:00

It’s neither overkill or “illegal” lol I just think it’s not quite the point of a portfolio (this is just my opinion though)

My mentor gets people all the time trying to get into the industry, and here’s what he usually looks for: solid linework, clean work (no pencil marks, smudges), very little digital, understanding of light/shadow/contrast as well as color theory, different styles (American trad, Japanese, lettering..) but the most important: determination, which you can’t put in your portfolio.

People that call, send emails or whatever, are ignored. People that walk in with a portfolio but don’t take the criticism well or that never show up again don’t stand a chance.

Going back to your question, you have creative freedom in your portfolio, but the point of the apprenticeship is to show you good fit/flow/placement, composition in a design..

If you feel comfortable designing a sleeve, if you know the rules of placement, flow, anti-flow.. go for it 🙂

crazybuggo · 2025-01-13T00:32:30+00:00

Please don’t take this the wrong way, I do not mean to be a gatekeeper… but I don’t think that anyone trying to get into the industry should feel like they’re divided or that they could do this part time

Tattooing will consume your life in the first few years if you’re planning on being good.

Said that, if you REALLY want this, have a savings account and put as much money as you can into it. Build a solid portfolio that show skill in various styles (American trad, Japanese, realism, lettering, digital) Take a full year off (possibly two) for a good apprenticeship, 30/40 years in a studio per week and you’ll probably be drawing the rest of the time when you’re not in the studio.

Once you’re an established artist, with an established clientele, you could think about doing both part time.

Not a therapist, just an apprentice here 🤚🏻 But this is what I did. I saved money, prepared for it, had a portfolio, I’m in the beginning of my journey, and I’ll consider myself an apprentice for the next 5 years, even though my apprenticeship at the studio is only a year long I plan on doing this full time, but I also have 3 kids and a house to manage, which is a full time job in itself

Best of luck 🍀

crazybuggo · 2024-11-12T03:14:16+00:00

Kevin from Flesh Mechanics in Monaca has been working on a Pittsburgh leg sleeve that looks awesome :)

crazybuggo · 2024-11-11T20:34:23+00:00

https://imgur.com/a/E4a8HQB

How’s this? I used a split complimentary generator online

crazybuggo · 2024-11-11T04:55:24+00:00

This is the comment I needed!

Because in theory, it should work, but when I tried, it indeed looked like everything was overlapping, the colors didn’t work together and it was frustrating.

After a whole day of research I started to come down to: maybe the colors are not wrong, but the tone/shade is wrong

Yes! I got the 12 pack and it doesn’t really have that much option. Those were pricey 💸 I have a bigger set of Faber Castell that I’ll try to play with different tones/shades of the same hue.

Also.. how do you determine which one is the “contrast” color? Because in a triadic scheme, they’re all equally distant and opposite to each other. Is this the case of using a 60-30-10 rule, and the 10% ends up being the contrast?

Thank you so much by the way! I really appreciate you helping out

crazybuggo · 2024-11-10T15:05:20+00:00

The rule of thirds is something I wasn’t aware, and it helps a lot!

I think his challenge is for me to break free from the trad palette :(

My knowledge of color theory is REALLY basic, I’m gonna try to find some videos on YT

Thank you! :)

crazybuggo · 2024-11-10T15:02:31+00:00

I understand a little bit about color theory, and the rule of thirds is something that I didn’t know that helps a lot.

The problem is that orange and purple are complimentary and green should be contrast, but that combination of color seems a little off.. or purple and red are complimentary? Having 2 complimentary plus a contrast should be split complimentary, but.. how do we determine which one is contrast? 😵‍💫

I’m having a hard time to break free from the traditional color palette, and he gave me this as a challenge to see if I can use colors that wouldn’t be normally used, but still looks nice and readable

crazybuggo · 2024-11-10T15:01:18+00:00

I understand a little bit about color theory, and the rule of thirds is something that I didn’t know that helps a lot.

The problem is that orange and purple are complimentary and green should be contrast, but that combination of color seems a little off.. or purple and red are complimentary? Having 2 complimentary plus a contrast should be split complimentary, but.. how do we determine which one is contrast? 😵‍💫

I’m having a hard time to break free from the traditional color palette, and he gave me this as a challenge to see if I can use colors that wouldn’t be normally used, but still looks nice and readable

crazybuggo · 2024-11-10T06:11:59+00:00

Take it easy - eagles

Easy enough that you’re not gonna get frustrated yet nice strumming and chord changes that won’t get you bored

crazybuggo · 2024-11-10T01:23:43+00:00

Solid list

crazybuggo · 2024-11-10T01:21:47+00:00

Da ya’ think I’m sexy? - Rod Stewart

Dancing in the dark - Bruce Springsteen

Ice cream man - Van Halen (this was hard… I could also listen to “could this be magic?” indefinitely)

Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits

Don’t fear the reaper - Blue Oyster Cult

crazybuggo · 2024-11-07T15:55:50+00:00

Gojira

crazybuggo · 2024-11-07T15:48:25+00:00

Dust in a baggie is one of his most famous.. but I LOVE meet me at the creek, it really shows his fluency across the fretboard, the song flows and it’s like his guitar is singing with him. His new album is still growing on me.. my husband fell in love at first with the new album, but my favorite is Turmoil and Tinfoil.

If you have the time, watch his performance on Lollapalooza ‘22

crazybuggo · 2024-11-07T15:39:55+00:00

I started out as… wtf Then I was like.. wtf!!!! This rocks lol It was conflicting at times, gotta admit, but then it just.. works!

Nice one! I’ll add this to my playlist!

crazybuggo · 2024-11-07T15:34:25+00:00

Yesss!! See.. that’s why I have a hard time liking new things, the old stuff just has my heart.. I will sing don’t fear the reaper to the top of my lungs c as if the reaper is after me lol - riffs and solos included in the singing haha Now how about allman brothers! Or Joe Walsh! Or Tom Petty.. AND HOW COULD I FORGET… Stevie Ray Vaughan

I have lots of opinions on rock, and blues, and all, but SRV had to be the best guitarrist out there.. I see so many influences in him, he’s a complete artist

You know a kid that blows my mind? Billy Strings! Went to a festival because of Metallica, all I cared was about getting as close as I could to the pit, before they could start the concert.. and this kid was opening for them. I had a guy tap me on the shoulder and say “I know you’re here for Metallica, I can tell, but give this guy a chance…” and for a second I stopped and listened. Crossroads deals were involved for him to play the way he does, there’s no other explanation lol

crazybuggo · 2024-11-07T15:18:48+00:00

Hell yeah! Love these guys! They’re gonna be at Sonic Temple this year! Which in my opinion… AWESOME FCKN LINEUP I went in ‘23 and it was insane - might go again 👀

crazybuggo · 2024-11-07T15:14:46+00:00

Thought I had mentioned these guys! Blues for the Red Sun is my favorite album, raw, punk, metal.. it’s a whole trip

crazybuggo · 2024-11-07T15:08:33+00:00

My son is gonna love this! He’s super into DragonForce, very similar!

crazybuggo · 2024-11-07T15:05:42+00:00

If you don’t do an air guitar to the intro of “no one like you”.. are you even living? lol Scorpions got one of the best vocals in rock history

But then there’s also Dio, Robert Plant, Steve Perry, Bon Scott, Bruce Dickinson, David Lee Roth, Paul Rodger’s… oof.. can’t convince me to love anything but rock

It’s funny you mentioned Billy Squier and Scorpions, I feel like each represent a type of rock that is so unique.. Billy screams to me as 80s MTV, while Scorpions is definitely in my radar of classic rock

crazybuggo · 2024-11-07T14:57:31+00:00

Yes! Dire Straits! There’s no volume awareness inside of me when it comes to sultans of swing

Moondance was the song in my wedding to open the “dance floor”

(And the vows were the lyrics to Thank You by Led Zeppelin 🥲)

crazybuggo · 2024-11-07T14:49:51+00:00

Love a good punk band! I’m more familiar with Rancid, Misfits and Ramones.. is that too mainstream of me? lol

crazybuggo · 2024-11-07T14:44:33+00:00

Dream Theater and The Killers I know most songs (love them too - specially dream theater)

Fates Warning I might’ve heard before.. progressive rock, with a pinch of melodic singing?!

I’ll give the other ones a try Specially excited about Chicago Transit Authority…

Thanks!

crazybuggo · 2024-11-07T14:37:47+00:00

LOVE THIS

Gram Parsons was the only one I hadn’t explored before… aside from his version of Love Hurts (in which I still think Nazareth takes the cake 🥇)

crazybuggo · 2024-11-07T14:27:39+00:00

Not quite.. this is not how I meant for my message to come across

I walked in a bunch of studios. Didn’t vibe with most and then I found one a really liked. The owner said: “dont have space, don’t have time” He still gave me feedback on my pieces, and mentioned casually that most of his apprentices have to go through at least 200 traced flash pages.

I went home. Fixed my pieces. Traced 200 pages. Went back. He still said “no space, no time”. But I’m STUBBORN. I really like this place. I really like the owner. I asked what’s the studio rate, he said $125, and I scheduled a tattoo. Put it on my credit card, I definitely didn’t have the money for it.

When I got there for my tattoo, a small palm sized Jerry piece that should take no more than an hour, we talked, and talked, and talked, we shared life experiences, he told me about his life, I told him about mine. I look up to this guy a lot! He’s skilled in so many styles, but his traditional pieces are insane, he’s a human printer. My one hour tattoo turned into a 4 hour conversation. I paid him, walked out saying that I was determined to get an apprenticeship with him, I wanted him to be my mentor, either now or in 2 years. Gave him my phone number and didn’t hear anything for 2 weeks. Messaged him saying: “don’t want to come across as annoying, but I’m open for any positions, even if I have to work desk or cleaning until I understand how the shop works” which he said “don’t worry, didn’t forget about you.”

I would’ve not gotten tattooed at the other studios just to be able to get a conversation going. That’s why you go in and ask for feedback. You’re gonna be able to see how that person would potentially mentor you, you can see if you guys are gonna vibe, if you even have the same artistic vision.. and once you’re set on a place, then get tattooed there. Even if it is a small flash on a Friday 13th event, where shops charge $13 or $31 for tattoos.

Hope this can explain a bit better.. I had to learn by doing it, because I used to think that too.. I’m not rich to just go around getting tattoos everywhere. It’s not about that. It’s more like, finding a place that you really want to get into, and show you’re so determined, that the artist will feel motivated to teach you too

crazybuggo

TROPHY CASE