The Tattoo Textbook: Escape the Grind, Do What You Love, and Launch Your Kick-Ass Tattoo Career

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My boyfriend is in prison and when he gets out he wants to pursue a career in tattooing he asked me to find him a good informational book. he said this book is great he is very impressed and he loves that He definitely Recommends this book

As a graduate of Garden of Ink and a practicing tattoo artist, I found this book to be both engaging and informative, providing an intensive overview of practical tattooing and what it takes to begin a career in the field. Shelly's years of experience are imbued in every page of this text, making it an important read for both folks interested in entering into tattooing and more veteran artists. This book is a great resource of collective wisdom and information so the up-and-coming tattoo artist can get all the necessary information about launching their career in one place without having to endlessly scour the internet. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in tattooing who are unsure where to start. Purchasing this book means that you can benefit from the years of experience of an accomplished tattoo artist and gain the knowledge that Shelly has accrued over her long-standing career. Get that ink!

All the art in this book is absolutely terrible, however, all the information more than makes up for it.

I've been in the tattoo industry for a while myself, and have been through an apprenticeship of sorts, was a little skeptical about a book on tattooing when, "knowledge has always been taught from a tattoo master." I will have to admit, this book is GREAT!! There is tons of info from main diseases tattoo artists face like HBV (Hepatitis B), or simple things like applying stencils, proper handwashing techniques, set up, skin types, to even some help finding your own tattoo style. You name it. Its probably in there!! Times are changing, and though you still need to go through an apprenticeship, or tattoo school! I give the author props for helping the new generation, and making such an informative Book on tattooing!! 👏👏👏

Residing in one of the few states that requires schooling to be a licensed tattoo artist, I found this book helpful in preparing for my goal. A couple things, I am as novice ad novice can be and I do attend the school run by the author of this book. That being said I believe there is a lot of fear among established artists who have endured apprenticeships and have worked hard to make a name for themselves that the industry will be flooded with novices like myself who didn't have to jump through the same hurdles. I can assure you it is not easy either way for those who take it seriously and this book should not be thought of as taking the place of rigorous study and training under a mentor, as the author mentions again and again in the book. Rather it is meant to be a comprehensive overview for beginners, with an emphasis on safety and professionalism. Knowing the author I dont belive her intent was anything other than that. With regulations and laws surrounding the industry increasing, I do feel there is a need for a book like this for those of us who have plenty of artistic ability but no clue where to start. With that being said, my main gripe about the book is that they could have included more work from the frontrunners of the tattoo industry currently, inspiring images and stories relating to the tattoo industry included in the class were not included in the book. There are points to appreciate when it comes to tattoo artists being somewhat of a club, as it tends to weed out those who dont take it seriously- a dangerous possibility considering the potential impact a half-hazard or unsafe tattoo could have on a client. I feel like this book does do its job in trying to curb the lack of professionalism when it comes to tattooing, and I know that those involved with making it were sincere in that purpose.

This textbook is a great resource for those in training and those currently in the tattoo industry! This book touches on many important aspects in tattooing. The visual aides, student photos, fun illustrations and noteworthy famous quotes are all such a pleasant addition to this well rounded text book. I look forward to referring back to it throughout my career whenever I need a refresher. We all need a reminder from time to time, and good tattoo procedure reference material is hard to come by. In addition, the forms included at the back of the book are very generous and helpful. Very nice touch!

You know a lot of time has gone into this textbook by how well it was put together. I LOVE the personal touches Shelly Dax put in the book with her side notes and artwork. You can tell that she absolutely loves tattooing. This is a great textbook to get for anyone looking to get into the tattoo industry. It has a lot of information that helped me study for my licensing exam and great photos. It even has a tattoo shopping list and examples of paperwork you’d need in a shop. I would recommend this book to anyone I know!

This book is written in a very “easy to digest” way with lots of examples and photos so it’s perfect for a beginner like me. There are a lot of resources piled into one book and I wasn’t expecting to get so much practical art advice along side the tattoo advice. I’m so happy that I got this book because it is really informative and makes me feel so much more confident on my journey entering the tattoo industry.

Shelly Dax knows what she’s talking about. From technique, to state law, to sanitation practices, this book includes everything you need to know to begin your tattoo career! It’s easy to digest and anyone can learn the basics of tattooing from reading this book. It has been to train many tattoo professionals and pairs extremely well with Shelly and Gils’ instruction over at Garden of Ink Tattoo School.

I think that this is a good overall textbook it's filled with lots of information and goes into great detail. For those who do not know this is a textbook for an oregon tattoo School which is required to attend in oregon in order to get licensed. Great book would definitely recommend.

Great book for starting out. Lots of great info.

This textbook is fantastic! It covers every aspect of learning to tattoo, from health and safety to marketing yourself as a professional. There are tons of great illustrations and photos to guide you through and the text is clear and readable. Great book!

"The Tattoo Textbook" is an amazing trove of resources and valuable information for tattoo students and instructors alike!! Shelly does such an incredible job explaining and teaching, even through text, and you can tell she put countless hours into the creation of this book. What a positive and refreshing attitude for the tattoo industry! Highly recommend!!

This book is very detailed and well put together. I enjoy the full color graphics and thought too detail. This book goes through basics of art and details on all the tools you’ll need for tattooing, set up, safety etc..... I definitely recommend this book if you’re want to learn tattoo basics, I tried other books that claimed they weren’t fluff pieces but they were fluff pieces. Well done.

This book has helped me so much along the road to my dream career! If you want to tattoo or even think you MIGHT want to tattoo- this book has it all. Packed full of knowledge which will guide you through the state licensing test as well as her own experience through the years. Thanks so much Shelly!

All the art in this book is absolutely terrible, however, all the information more than makes up for it.

Shelly's textbook is a great launching point for a beginning tattoo artist. There are a large variety of topics covered, from color theory to business operations, and the fun pictures and quotes make this informative textbook an easy read. Shelly relays her tattooing experience, as well as tattoo colleagues' experiences, in order to help give beginning artists a head start.

I'm very happy with this product & using it in kind while attending the authors school has been a breeze, yet extremely informative. It is easy to follow & read through, maintaining a very organized step by step learning process throughout.This book gives very good information on all possible risks, how to be clean & safe as the artists/how to maintain clean & safe clients, & promotes amazing professionalism. All the stress of bringing my long time brewing art to the tattoo world is melting off my shoulders with each flip of a page!

The book was absolutely HUGE. The font was easy to see and the pages are thick but don’t feel like it so it’s light weight but you can still highlight easily. This is the perfect book for beginners and looks great on the shelf.

It is evident that Shelly has put forth a lot of effort to apply and consolidate her many years of experience in the industry of Tattooing in a fashion that is concise and easy for anyone with any level of experience to digest and learn from.I have divulged every page as a part of my licensing curriculum, but believe it is a valuable tool for anyone who has thought of pursuing the lucrative art of tattooing, whether you end up doing so or not.This book will give you the fundamental framework you need understand the many technical facets of what it takes to safely and successfully pursue a career as a body art practitioner.

Very little info that isn’t obvious. Tips and information about actually tattooing is very sparse. This book is mostly filler in my opinion and Shelly Dax should be ashamed of herself.