How To Become A Tattoo Artist In Florida?
Licensure of the tattoo artist requires submission of a completed Application for Tattoo Artist License with the required $60. 00 fee ; a copy of a government-issued photo identification confirming the applicant is at least 18 years of age; and documentation of completing a Florida Department of Health approved, industry.
Contents
Do tattoo artists need a license in Florida?
How to Get a Tattoo License – Beginning in 2013, the State of Florida is requiring all tattoo artists and tattoo establishments to have a license. The licensing is being managed by the Florida Department of Health (FDOH), and you must be 18 or older to apply.
- Successfully complete the online tattoo certification – Any applicant for a Florida tattoo license must complete an education course that meets the requirements set by the FDOH. This education course covers bloodborne pathogens and communicable diseases relevant to the tattoo industry and the standards for operating a tattoo establishment set forth in Chapter 64E-28 of the Florida Administrative Code
- Show proof of completion (for guest tattoo artists) – Tattoo artists who have a license from a different state still must register with the FDOH, even if only to work in Florida temporarily. As part of this registration, a guest tattoo artist must provide proof they have completed a state-approved education course on health matters relating to the tattoo industry. An out-of-state course may satisfy this requirement, but you will have to check with the FDOH to be sure.
- Submit your license application – There are several items required to apply for a license with the FDOH.
- Certificate of completion of a tattoo education course
- Copy of a government-issued photo ID
- $60 for the application fee (if your license is expired, it is a $25 reactivation fee)
What qualifications do I need to become a tattoo artist?
“B lood-born pathogens, air-born pathogens – you can get cellulitis, skin infections. I’ll show you this photo of someone who got tattooed by one of his friends at home,” says Phil Kyle, reaching for his laptop. He shuts down an episode of 1980s horror series Tales from the Darkside and opens an image of a tattoo gone seriously awry – from one stomach-churner to the next.
“It’s awful, a serious infection. ” It certainly is. Patches of coloured ink are pooled with yellow-green pus, the actual illustration all but obscured by the infection. Poor technique or bad hygiene? “Both,” he says exasperated.
Kyle, 45, is a tattooist and the owner of Brighton’s Magnum Opus Tattoo , the lauded shop he opened in 2007 and where he works with five other artists. It’s a large open-plan space – light, airy and meticulously clean, the walls covered in retro tattoo prints, skateboard decks, punk rock posters, and paintings.
His private workspace is a tiny room set off the shop floor. A red steel sideboard stands next to an adjustable leather chair; tiny pots of black ink, pairs of black latex gloves, bottles of saline and a couple of expensive-looking tattoo machines are neatly arranged on top.
One wall and most of the ceiling are covered in line illustrations on scraps of paper – designs Kyle has created and tattooed over the years. There are hundreds of them, three layers deep, each more intricate and lurid than the last: ships and owls, scenes from Greek and Roman history, runic symbols, a putrefying Christ.
- Most perplexing is a 20cm-wide illustration of Leonard Nimoy employing a Vulcan death grip over the legend “MAMA SAID… SPOCK YOU OUT”;
- Stocky and heavily inked, Kyle appears every bit the old-school tattoo enthusiast;
Raised in Edgewood, Maryland, he became obsessed with tattoos as a child after seeing the designs covering the arms of an English neighbour – “Daggers and snakes and skulls and things – proper tattoo flash from back in the 1960s. ” Being only six, he embraced the next best thing: “I got hooked on the old lick and stick tattoos and covered myself with those,” he laughs.
He began drawing seriously a few years later, inspired by the punk and skate artwork he found in Thrasher magazine, and got his first tattoo aged 15. It wasn’t until he was 21, after three years spent persuading a local shop to take him on, that he was employed on what he describes as a “very hardcore apprenticeship” – a mix of keen observation and intense training in studio hygiene that saw a year pass before he was allowed to touch a client.
“The first guy I did was covered in homemade tattoos, so anything I did couldn’t be worse than that!” Kyle says. The next 15 years saw him working conventions, doing guest spots and holding studio residencies across the US and Europe, before finally setting up shop in Brighton.
- Those formative years instilled a discipline and a reverence for the job, and Kyle believes every aspiring tattoo artist should undergo this kind of training;
- It’s certainly what he would expect of anyone approaching his shop for work;
There are no formal qualifications: dogged persistence, humility, a proclivity for hard work and genuine artistic talent are requisite, but patience is also essential. “It’d be a year before they could even touch one of those machines, aside from cleaning it,” he says.
“It shows how motivated you are if you stick it out. ” Good tattoos do not come cheap, but the idea of a regular wage varies hugely. An hourly rate of around £100 an hour is normal for work of this level, though Kyle takes a small cut from his five resident artists to cover rent and bills.
He’ll happily take tiny jobs as bread-and-butter work, but designs as intricate as those on his walls take much longer. “This would be about three hours, plus a couple on the drawing,” he says pointing to a saucer-sized image of a flaming knight above three hellhounds.
“But a back piece could be a couple of grand. ” Eventually, an artist with a good reputation could earn six figures a year if they put in the hours across shop and convention work. As an apprentice you could expect to earn around 30% of the cost of each tattoo as a training wage.
The work is relentless, though this intensity is born of passion for the job as much as practical necessity. A typical day sees Kyle running errands and dealing with paperwork before opening around midday, holding consultations and tattooing clients until 6pm or 7 pm – and then working on designs late into the night.
Inevitably, it’s a role that transcends being just a job. “When you’re in, it’s your life. You don’t clock out,” he says. It’s this dedication and reverence for the craft that has made Kyle such a respected name, as well as a superlative artist.
The learning, he says, never stops. “Every time you do a tattoo you try and make it your best,” he says. “Magnum Opus is Latin for ‘masterpiece’. It’s about constantly trying to up one on yourself.
How do I start my career as a tattoo artist?
Can you tattoo at home in Florida?
18. Does my tattoo license allow me to tattoo at a customer’s home? –
- No. Conventional tattooing and cosmetic tattooing, including permanent makeup and microblading, may only be practiced at a licensed tattoo establishment.
Top of Section.
How much does it cost to get a tattoo license in Florida?
Licensure of the tattoo artist requires submission of a completed Application for Tattoo Artist License with the required $60. 00 fee ; a copy of a government-issued photo identification confirming the applicant is at least 18 years of age; and documentation of completing a Florida Department of Health approved, industry.
What are the tattoo laws in Florida?
The State of Florida has mandated under Chapter 64E-28, Florida Administrative Code, that no one under the age of 16 years old may get tattooed. Anyone that is 16 or 17 years of age must receive consent as documented and notarized on the state-mandated form linked below.
- If you are 16 or 17 years old and wish to get a tattoo, this is what you will need: There are NO EXCEPTIONS to these requirements;
- These are actual laws in place to protect minors and Studio 54 Tattoo & Piercings will not break them for anyone;
If you are under the age of 18, you are lawfully disqualified from receiving tattoos of any kind around the area of genitals and as well as anywhere that our staff may deem distasteful. If you have any questions about this matter, please contact us ..
What are the cons of being a tattoo artist?
How difficult is it to become a tattoo artist?
10 Things You Should Know Before Becoming A Tattoo Artist –
- If you’re good at drawing, it doesn’t mean you’ll be good at tattooing!
- Becoming a tattoo artist doesn’t mean you’ll become rich; at the beginning of your career, you’ll probably work for free!
- You don’t have to go to a tattoo school to become a tattoo artist!
- Prepare to invest heavily into a tattoo machine and tattoo equipment!
- No one can guarantee you success in the industry; you may or may not become successful and have a profitable business!
- Don’t expect your every tattoo to be perfect; there will be times when you mess up, badly!
- You’ll have to learn to say NO to customers’ bad tattoo design ideas!
- You’ll have to learn to be extremely focused on tattooing only, for hours!
- Expect to start having back issues, pain in the arms, and neck after only a few years of tattooing!
- Becoming a tattoo artist will take a lot of hard work, and we’re talking about years of dedication and commitment!
How long does a tattoo apprenticeship last?
How long does a tattoo apprenticeship last? – Tattoo apprenticeships typically take one to three years, depending on your progress. Aim to understand the business aspect of running a tattoo shop during this program. You can also use these experiences to learn about the tattoo industry’s standards and technology.
