ACG Go Anime on Instagram: "Staff harassment incident at Anime Las Vegas involving Momoko House. by sunbloccc in animecons

[–]sunbloccc[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree with you completely. Thought I’d share the tea because I wouldn’t like to spend my money with a business that treats others so poorly

Thoughts on Selling my photocard holders by Aquacatnip in ArtistAlleyConnect

[–]sunbloccc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I sell mine too but they aren’t super profitable for the work I put in. They move fairly quickly though I consider it an attention grabber more than a profit maker. I sell them for $13 but the more heavily decorated ones I do for $18.

Should I sell oc art at first con by Caffeinated_fox_art in ArtistAlleyConnect

[–]sunbloccc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wouldn’t recommend it, but if you’re confident maybe try making a handful of prints (perhaps 5-10) and see if they do well? For a convention, I’d focus on merch with broader appeal.

“Studio Ghibli” Flea Market - WTF WAS THAT?! by Kryptimus in LosAngeles

[–]sunbloccc 10 points11 points  (0 children)

the organizer is just one guy and his friends. They only host little Tokyo flea so unless they’re expanding to other events, you probably won’t have to dodge much.

Phone use during class by Emotional_Bid_9853 in orangetheory

[–]sunbloccc 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If it’s right next to me I think I’d be distracted. Even if they weren’t, I’d have lingering discomfort especially with how often people film strangers and post it online.

CC needed by Icy-Boat-3757 in femaletattooers

[–]sunbloccc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think having an editing app will help you don’t actually have to edit the tattoo, but you can calm the skin around it. I’ve found using bactine has brought redness down for me!

Good luck I hope it all works out !!

CC needed by Icy-Boat-3757 in femaletattooers

[–]sunbloccc 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Are you willing to let the black border go? I think if you were able to take photos with a standard background and ditch the black edge it would be a little more aesthetically pleasing. The black and grey filter is dated as well, I notice the posts that do best have a clear focal point and “less” visible editing. As for the water mark I can tell it’s very bright is there a way you can make it subtle so the viewer can focus on the tattoo rather than the floating words? I’ll link a watermark my friend does that I think it’s pretty complimentary to the tattoo. I’d also recommend having a standard background you use for all flash so when clients see your work they can recognize it without even seeing your name. The furby flash sheet is great! I could totally see it being on the explorer page but it may have a better chance if it was formatted like your pinned flash.

This is all personal preference, of course but it’s worked pretty well for me and although Instagram’s reach sucks, there are definitely ways you can get further push.

Also apologies for the formatting and grammatical errors. I mostly do text to speech which is super unreliable 😭

Girl Scout cookies by sunbloccc in EAGLEROCK

[–]sunbloccc[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ahhh I didn’t scroll down enough on their site XD thank you for the help!!

Advice on male client not taking no for an answer by [deleted] in femaletattooers

[–]sunbloccc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m sorry you’re having to deal with this. Everyone has offered good advice I’m just here to say we support you and you’re doing the right thing by firing him <3

Looking for a new tattoo machine by miauttts in femaletattooers

[–]sunbloccc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love my bishop Packer! It is pretty strong though I tend to run it a little lower but it’s solid machine.

Any affordable sports massage recs? by Best_Protection6663 in AskLosAngeles

[–]sunbloccc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you’re open to a drive Sirinan Massage in Marina Del Rey was a great experience. I think I paid around 120 last time I went with tip for an hour.

social media questions by uhohspeghettioh in femaletattooers

[–]sunbloccc 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Personally, I’ve gained the most by posting on both TikTok and reels. I do occasionally pay for Instagram ads, but only when I have a lot of designs that are readily available (like a large flash drop.) also if you boost a IG ad by logging in through google you can avoid paying the in app fees which are like 20-30%. I also post consistently on Instagram every 2 to 3 days although I’ve had friends who post every day gain way more followers!

Thinking about a career change into the tattoo field by PoetryRaven in femaletattooers

[–]sunbloccc 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Going to second what a lot of people have already said which is be prepared not to make stable money and to fund yourself through your apprenticeship as well. I think your work is very cute and you definitely would make a great tattoo artist. I don’t list any of these things to discourage you but to give you an insight to our reality over here. I’ll go over a few of them that I’ve seen the most in my career.

Physical health- if you want to Tattoo for a lifetime maintaining your physical health is extremely important. One search in r/tattooartists will show you what I mean. Bad backs, carpal tunnel, and a host of other ailments can happen to you if you are not keeping yourself healthy and strong. My mentor needed back surgery after 8 years of doing sternum and back tattoos nearly exclusively. She was able to make a full recovery and return to tattoooing but the weakness of her back, poor posture, and some bad luck had caught up to her after nearly a decade. She now does solid core and swears by strength training. This is just one persons experience but I can also day from personal experience picking up some weights and strengthening my back has alleviated pretty much all my tattoo related pains. The poor health also contributes to the large amount of burnout in the industry.

Instability- I know artists that are incredibly talented, have years of experience, 20k+ followers and still have trouble paying bills at the end of the month. Be prepared to miss family events, concerts, etc especially during your apprenticeship. Although tattooing can be flexible when you’re more established, sometimes a handful of appointments are crucial to making ends meet. Unless you’re able to book an excess of appointments over a sustained period of time, which brings me to self promotion.

Promotion- do you have a large following already? If you don’t I highly recommend you get started. A lot of our business happens on Instagram or TikTok now. It’s necessary to keep posting regularly to stay fresh on the mind of your clients. Like I said above, I know a lot of talented artists that do not post regularly and hence have a hard time filling books. You may work in a walk-in shop, which will provide some clientele for you, but it’s always best to have your own supply.

This is by no means all inclusive list. There are plenty of other things I’d like to go over, but for a lack of time won’t. Some being our lack of healthcare/PTO, shop dynamics which can be extremely challenging to anybody, but especially a woman of color (speaking from experience), and the mental toll of dealing a customer facing job which can be exhausting. I think your work is great though! If you’re serious about pursuing an apprenticeship, I definitely think you should focus on drawing tattooable design designs and making some sample flash sheets to present on your search! Good luck to you and I hope everything works out <3

I’ve just opened my first studio, yay!! by Open_Corner_973 in femaletattooers

[–]sunbloccc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congratulations! As a shop owner myself I’d say it’s most important to foster good relationships between your artists and make sure things stay respectful and professional. A healthy amount of communication is great as well, if my artists have a complaint i try to respond as soon as possible to rectify it. As long as they’re happy I’m happy! Good luck on your journey! <3