How to Draw Tattoos – Drawing Exercises for Tattoo Artists

When you start out on your tattoo apprenticeship, you may be unsure how much drawing you should be doing, and which subjects!

And while tattooing isn’t only about drawing - there’s a lot of technical, anatomical and hygiene learning to be done - it is likely to become a major component in your day-to-day life.

We reached out to a variety of our talented sponsored artists to ask them all about the drawing experience they had in their early years, and their recommendations for worthwhile drawing practice that will help to elevate your tattoo artistry!

How to Become a Tattoo Artist If You Can’t Draw

The incredibly boring answer here is: you spend years practising. Perhaps if you manage to become technically skilled with a machine and have a distinctive style of drawing, you can pull off the ignorant style. But realistically, drawing is pretty central to the artform.

How to Draw Like a Tattoo Artist

If you’re driven toward a certain style then it makes the most sense to begin in earnest with that style. Anrijs Straume told us “Depending on the style you’re seeking to do - choose multiple artists in that style and redraw their tattoo work for practice only. That will be a good way to learn the style in more depth and learn the different details and techniques artists used to achieve the outcome.”

But he also cautioned against getting too stuck into one style. “It’s even better if you take some different styles every week, and redraw your pieces in those too. I believe there’s something to learn from all styles, even if you don’t plan to do any work in them.”

How Often to Practice Drawing

At least during your apprenticeship, you should be drawing every single day. If you’re finding that difficult, try setting a reminder on your phone! Most of the artists we spoke to agree that an apprentice should be drawing almost constantly.

“In my experience I have found that the key to improving your drawing (or drawing for tattoos) is frequency. Practice.

This sounds super simple, but try being less precious, with drawings, simple doodles and sketches that allow you to make mistakes. In turn you can learn from those mistakes and work on them. If you are always producing fully rendered drawings/paintings you can get stuck in a loop of perfectionism (and more often than not - creative block).

If time seems like it might stop you from doing this, carry a pocket sketchbook - allow 5-10 minutes a day.”
- Joanne Baker

In the traditional tattoo sphere, Goldsmith also came from an art background; “I spent years drawing and painting graffiti before becoming a tattooist. That practice accidentally gave me my foundation in style, composition and colour theory.”

Drawing Practice for Tattoo Artists

When we asked what subject matter these artists and apprentices should be drawing, responses fell into two major camps - the technical side of studying and practising anatomy, and breaking complex designs into simple aspects.

Cloto told us that “Studying anatomy is relevant to have a better understanding of proportions and flow.”

“I started with the manual part first, memorising anatomy, bodyflow etc. During the corona pandemic for example, I went to a flower store, bought all the cut flowers that were available and drew them at home in every movement and perspective to understand them. I would say this was the most valuable contribution to my development as an illustrator. I always say: try, study, and then break the rules.”
- Jessica Svartvit

In terms of subject matter, Joanne Baker recommends “Use reference images - photos of animals, objects and people. For figure references I sometimes look at photos of statues & sculptures as well,” while Caterina Molin impressed the importance of starting simple:

“Don’t start from compositions that are too complex and detailed, but dissect the image into multiple pieces like a puzzle. Delve into every aspect of that subject, and only then insert it into a more complex content.”
- Caterina Molin

And while we were expecting recommendations to draw basic shapes and lines, Tiggy suggested the opposite.

“I don’t think drawing circles, boxes or lines are particularly helpful per say. I think if you want to be an artist who does, let’s say, Pokemon - then go and copy a lot of Pokemon until you’re comfortable with how they look, and then you’ll be able to start drawing them in your own way. This goes for animals, flowers…anything!”

Tattoo Drawing Tool

And of course, we had to have a little talk about what tools to use - the consensus is that nothing beats pencil on paper! Cloto warned us “Practise your freehand, without relying too much on iPad or other devices where you can cut corners,” while Anrijs recommended “Drawing with pens and pencils only, and spend as much time on each drawing as possible. “

How to Ask for Help and Recognise Your Limits

Most of all, never assume you have all the answers - this is a muscle you’ll need to keep working out, and we can all benefit from helping each other out.

“If you get stuck with a drawing, for instance perspective, lighting, or if you can't figure out what seems off. ask your fellow artists for advice. We can get bogged down in the details, but someone else with a fresh perspective can help give some constructive criticism.”
- Joanne Baker

Well there you’ve got it - practical advice from our incredible sponsored artists, whose work you should go and check out immediately! Take a bow Anrijs Straume, Joanne Baker, Goldsmith, Silvia/Cloto, Jessica Svartvit, Caterina Molin and Tiggy Tattoos.