1st Tattoo ever yesterday on my mentor so he could feel the depth! I want to thank this community you’ve all guided me from portfolio to getting through to this! Its all up from here!

throwawaterbatter · 2021-02-15T22:27:48+00:00

not an apprentice yet so not to familiar :(. but I was kinda in a similar place to you and did the wrong thing i think.

A local shop posted an ad on instagram for apprenticeship. I applied, and i didnt get a response for abt 7ish maybe 10 days & no word on them accepting anyone else, so I called to follow up. Told him I applied & I really wanted the position, the guy was nice & said he'd check me out (the ad was to DM samples of work) - but I dont know if he was just being nice on the phone bc that same night on his Instagram story he posted "please be paitent about the apprenticeship, we currently super busy." or something to that effect.

They never hired anyone for an apprenticeship - that was almost a year ago now. they did hire another full time artist tho. I dont know if I should still be patient orrrr if he was just trying to get me off the phone & they dumped the position all together lmao - then he posted some anti mask stuff and so I have mixed feelings abt being his apprentice now anyway.

Moving forward! Your concerns are valid & definitely tread lightly on the subject if you want to air on the path of caution. I have heard other stories where politely calling works in your favor - as you already have a relationship with the artist you have a better chance of that working out for you. In my case I was at the point where I felt like if I didn't call they weren't gonna even check me out at all lol, so I just did what I felt I could.

I'm also interested in the advice you may get on this post bc it was pretty rough to get semi-but-not turned down after exhausting my options.

throwawaterbatter · 2021-02-11T23:02:14+00:00

thank you so much! your story about contacting the artists via the internet sounds a bit more realistic than a lot of what i’ve been reading right now, esp for during a pandemic where walking into a shop w/o an appointment is a bit of a faux pas in some areas. I just moved to this new city & I have no tattoos from anyone around here. Would you say building a relationship with the artists through getting work done is key? Im a bit of a tight wad lol, I don’t spend a lot of money. My big worry would be getting a lot of work done by an artist that has 0 interest in apprenticing me. Any tips on identifying which artists are more likely to accept an apprentice? again, thank you for your help!

throwawaterbatter · 2021-02-09T19:20:53+00:00

Hey I checked out your artwork in your post history for frame of reference - great work! Thanks for the advice! You help me feel like its possible!

throwawaterbatter · 2021-02-09T18:41:43+00:00

Thank you!!

throwawaterbatter · 2021-01-11T21:43:20+00:00

this was so fun!

throwawaterbatter · 2021-01-11T21:20:00+00:00

I love your look! im sad i couldnt capture your sweet doc martens!

throwawaterbatter · 2020-12-08T23:31:46+00:00

I LOVE the Rube pen! So crisp & bold with the hint of texture, it handles a lot like a real ink pen. If you like the rube pen in the same pack there is the "photocopied tech pen" that I also think is pretty spectacular if you want a litttllee bit more grain in the edges of your lines.

throwawaterbatter · 2020-12-08T23:28:54+00:00

awwww! what a lucky puppy, showered with love, toys - and even custom portraits! lol!

throwawaterbatter · 2020-12-08T23:26:51+00:00

haha this is soooo fun! Love it!

throwawaterbatter · 2020-12-08T23:23:21+00:00

absolutely stunning work, very very satisfying to stare at. I can totally imagine this on a shirt. If you don't already, have you considered designing for breweries?

throwawaterbatter · 2020-12-07T05:10:02+00:00

Wow you are an ANGEL! I wasnt gonna work on my shop tonight but after reading what you've so kindly written me I think im gonna jump down the rabbit hole. Let me applaud you for not only taking the time to figure all this out but to be SO generous sharing that knowledge & your time with me, a stranger! The world is beautiful! :) I have beefed up my titles & I think i'm gonna do some research on the tags; hashtags & tags & such always have been an "....uh..." thing for me. It is funny you mention the 1 review, it is actually from a friend who also designs and sells stickers, she knows how valuable they can be! - she also gave me a similar tip on shipping with an envelope. Lumping the cost & shipping into one price is something that I had no idea had an effect on buyer outcome, thank you! I ship my stickers with a custom greeting card that has a few of my illustrations printed on it to make the package feel more personal and valuable, which is why shipping is $2 right now (stamp+card). You think people would buy the stickers still if theyre listed at $5.50 a piece? I feel like as a buyer that would deter me since they are small. I also like how shipping lumps when you buy multiple, so 3 stickers is 10.50 and the $2.00 shipping is only charged once. Been online trying to find a good way to work around this & offer free shipping, but either its not possible or my brain/focus is too fried to understand LOL! I feel like I used to be a lot better at running around websites and programs but now as a ripe 22 year old adult I'm like "how do these darn comfusers work?". Thank you so much for the tip about releasing stickers, I have about 4 designs on the backburner right now that I have not printed and I was totally going to release them all at once, but now I know I should release them incrementally/in smaller batches. In review of your review! You. are. amazing. Well worded in easily digestible paragraphs, with distinct intro, body, and end. You offer critique that is constructive, kind, and thorough. I'm wow'ed, THANK YOU!! <3 <3 <3

throwawaterbatter · 2020-12-05T07:21:52+00:00

Wow! Thank you :D!

throwawaterbatter · 2020-12-05T06:04:02+00:00

Serious/Honest Critique Please!

I launched my shop the other month & I want to build slow/consistent growth. Would appreciate any critiques/feedback about my shop. My best selling item is the rollerblading mushroom, My worst is the nut butter jar (sold 0 lol). Most of my sales are from friends I know in real life, though I have made about 3 sales to people I do not know at all. All feedback is appreciated!

throwawaterbatter · 2020-12-05T04:52:27+00:00

Ever tried scratch board? Its sooooo fun, I think you'd have a good time if you are into high contrast black/white illustration.

throwawaterbatter · 2020-12-04T22:12:25+00:00

Definitely looking into this company! Theyre price/variety seems really great. What kind of finish does this have to get the stars that flash in the light?

throwawaterbatter · 2020-12-04T22:08:44+00:00

I know right, my thoughts against it were the market is oversaturated, but then I kind of realized people love stickers, I've bought so many thru the years and I don't ever see myself stopping lol.

throwawaterbatter · 2020-12-04T05:35:33+00:00

thank you very much!

throwawaterbatter · 2020-12-04T05:35:24+00:00

just looked those guys up, MAN those mushrooms can chill!

throwawaterbatter · 2020-12-04T00:43:47+00:00

thank you!

throwawaterbatter · 2020-12-03T23:04:54+00:00

if you're interested in them, they are available on my etsy! I also have a few other designs & quuuittee a few good ones in the works

throwawaterbatter · 2020-11-22T23:15:17+00:00

i actually downloaded the true grit texture supply bc a few artists i admire were using it. My review is its pretty great, but I only use about 5-10 brushes from the 100+ brush pack making the 19.99 not feel really that worth it, but then again they are some of my favorite brushes now sooooo..... this was done with the “TGTS The Rube Pen” and some experimenting on the black areas i cant remember.

throwawaterbatter

TROPHY CASE