How to Become a Tattoo Artist: Seven Steps, Timeline and State Rules
In short
To become a tattoo artist, build a drawing portfolio, check your state or city's rules, finish the safety course, train under a licensed artist, pass any exam and apply. Guides read November 10, 2026, put an apprenticeship at one to five years; official training ran from a three-hour course in New York City to 1,500 hours in Oklahoma.
- Five of the eight guides read November 10, 2026, say apprentices are often unpaid or minimally paid at first; some mentors charge tuition.
- Oregon's page, read November 10, 2026, asks for 360 training hours and 50 completed procedures before a written exam with a 75 percent pass mark.
- First fees on four official pages read November 10, 2026, ran from $60 in Florida to $500 in Oklahoma across two applications.
In this article9 sections
Learning how to become a tattoo artist comes down to three questions: what to learn, who checks it and how long it takes. On November 10, 2026, we read eight guides and five official licensing pages, for New York City, Florida, Washington, Oregon and Oklahoma.
Six guides came from that day's search results for the question, once copied and spam pages were set aside, and Tommy's Supplies and Format came from a related search. The two supply stores' guides are linked; the other six are company blogs and are named without links. Official rules are as each agency's page stated them that day. Rules change, so check your own state or city before you pay for training. Nothing here is legal advice.
Once you take clients, our tattoo booking software page shows how an independent artist takes consults and sessions from one booking link and keeps a calendar of their own.
How to become a tattoo artist in seven steps
To become a tattoo artist, draw a portfolio, check your state or city rules, finish the safety course, train under a licensed artist, log required hours, pass any exam and apply, then find a chair. The order below follows the guides and official pages read November 10, 2026.
- Draw until you have a portfolio. Painful Pleasures, a supply store, makes knowing how to draw its first step, and Fash's guide says building art skills can take six months to more than two years.
- Read your state's or city's rule page before you pay anyone. The agency decides what training counts, and our guide on how to get a tattoo license compares what eight states and New York City ask for.
- Finish the safety course your agency names. Florida's page, read November 10, 2026, asks for a safety course for tattoo artists passed with at least 70 percent, and Washington's asks for a current safety certificate.
- Find a licensed artist to train under. All eight guides describe an apprenticeship, and our tattoo apprenticeship guide covers how to ask for one and what to put in writing.
- Log the hours and the finished tattoos your agency sets. Oregon's page, read November 10, 2026, asks for 360 hours of training and 50 completed procedures, and Oklahoma's asks for a 1,500-hour curriculum.
- Pass the exam where there is one, then apply and pay. Oregon's written exam has 100 multiple-choice questions and a 75 percent pass mark, on its page read November 10, 2026.
- Find a chair and build a client list. A tattoo artist website gives clients a place to see your work.
How long does it take to become a tattoo artist?
Becoming a tattoo artist takes about one to five years, going by the apprenticeship lengths in guides read November 10, 2026, and Fash puts the whole path at 18 months to four years. Three of the five guides that give a range say one to three years.
| Guide | Apprenticeship length | Pay during training | Other time or cost it states |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tommy's Supplies (supply store) | One to three years | Unpaid or minimally paid at first; some mentors charge tuition | Tuition from a few hundred to several thousand dollars; a 30 to 50 percent share once the apprentice tattoos clients |
| Painful Pleasures (supply store) | Not stated | Not stated | Nine steps, with certifications before the apprenticeship and the license after it; dated September 8, 2021 |
| Jotform | Says a state may require at least two years | Not stated | Ten steps; a licensing fee of about $100 in most cases |
| Suplery | One to three years | Not stated | A course, a portfolio, an apprenticeship, a license, then equipment; updated February 28, 2026 |
| Fash | One to three years | Unpaid | 18 months to four years from beginner to licensed; schools several weeks to six months; basic equipment $2,000 to $5,000 |
| Zenoti | At least two to three years | Part of it could be unpaid | Also mentions one to five years of learning on the job; its summary line gives one to three years for the apprenticeship and two to three years in all |
| Format | One to five years | Unlikely | Cites the Alliance of Professional Tattooists' advice of at least three years; six months before picking up a needle |
| Vlad Blad | One to several years | Often unpaid; some apprentices pay for training | No figure for cost or total time |
Table 1. What eight guides say about apprenticeship length, pay and cost, read November 10, 2026. 'Not stated' means the page gives no figure. Jotform, Suplery, Fash, Zenoti, Format and Vlad Blad are company blogs and are named without links.
Read the ranges as estimates, not rules. No guide cites a survey for its range, and Format's three-year figure is a trade group's advice, not a law. The official minimums in the next section differ widely: New York City's page asks for a three-hour course and Oklahoma's for 1,500 hours.
What do states require before you can tattoo?
States and cities set their own rules: on official pages read November 10, 2026, New York City asked for a three-hour course and Oklahoma for a 1,500-hour curriculum before a first license. Florida, Washington, Oregon and Oklahoma each stated a minimum age of 18.
| Place and agency | Minimum age | Training the page requires | Exam | Fee listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City (city license; the health department runs the course) | Not stated on the page | A three-hour course | Written exam after the course | $100 license for two years plus a $26 course; $126 online, plus a 2 percent online convenience fee |
| Florida (Department of Health, through the county health department) | 18 | A safety course for tattoo artists | Course score of at least 70 percent | $60 application fee; added fees vary by location |
| Washington (Department of Licensing) | 18 | A current safety certificate | Not stated | $275 for a first license, on the state's fees page |
| Oregon (Health Licensing Office) | 18 | 360 hours of training (210 theory, 150 practical), 50 completed procedures and a high school diploma or equivalent | Written; 100 multiple-choice questions; pass mark 75 percent | Not stated on the page |
| Oklahoma (State Department of Health) | 18 | 1,500 hours of curriculum from a department-approved sponsor | Written skills challenge exam | $250 apprentice application fee, then a $250 license application fee |
Table 2. What five official pages required before a first artist license, as each stated it when read on November 10, 2026. Fees are in dollars as listed. Rules change, so check the agency's page for your state or city; this table is not legal advice.
Hours turn into months once you fix a pace. At a hypothetical 30 hours a week, Oregon's 360 hours take 12 weeks and Oklahoma's 1,500 hours take 50 weeks (360 / 30 = 12; 1,500 / 30 = 50). New York City's three-hour course fits in one sitting.
Treat those hours as a legal floor. Oklahoma's curriculum is about four times Oregon's, and at that pace both sit below the one to three years that three guides give for a shop apprenticeship.
Do you need an apprenticeship, or does a course count?
Whether a course is enough or you need an apprenticeship depends on your licensing agency. On pages read November 10, 2026, Oklahoma required a curriculum from a department-approved sponsor, and Oregon graduation from a state-licensed tattoo career school. New York City, Florida and Washington asked for a safety course or certificate.
Ask the agency before you pay tuition. Fash's guide says formal schools run several weeks to six months, against one to three years for an apprenticeship. The three-hour course on New York City's page would not meet Oklahoma's 1,500-hour curriculum.
A license is not a job offer, though. Painful Pleasures still recommends an apprenticeship while noting that self-teaching options have grown, and Tommy's Supplies calls self-taught tattooing a risky path.
How much does it cost to become a tattoo artist?
Becoming a tattoo artist costs from a $60 application fee in Florida to several thousand dollars where a mentor charges tuition or you buy equipment, on pages read November 10, 2026. The official fees are the small part.
| Cost | Amount listed | Who lists it |
|---|---|---|
| First artist license, Florida | $60 application fee; added fees vary by location | Florida Department of Health (official) |
| License and course, New York City | $126 online: $100 license for two years plus a $26 course, plus a 2 percent online convenience fee | NYC Business (official) |
| First artist license, Washington | $275 | Washington Department of Licensing (official) |
| Apprentice and license applications, Oklahoma | $500 in two fees of $250 | Oklahoma State Department of Health (official) |
| Apprenticeship tuition, where a mentor charges it | A few hundred to several thousand dollars | Tommy's Supplies (guide estimate) |
| Basic equipment | $2,000 to $5,000 | Fash (guide estimate) |
Table 3. Costs on four official pages and in two guides, as each listed them when read on November 10, 2026. Official fees are as each page lists them. The guide figures are estimates with no survey cited.
Plan for lost income as well. Five of the eight guides say apprentices are often unpaid or minimally paid at first, and Tommy's Supplies says most keep another source of income while they train. Once an apprentice tattoos clients, Tommy's puts the usual share at 30 to 50 percent of session revenue. What that grows into is in our guide to tattoo artist salary.
How to get into tattooing with no experience
Getting into tattooing with no experience starts with drawing, not with a machine. Painful Pleasures, Jotform, Fash and Vlad Blad each make art skills their first step, on pages read November 10, 2026.
- Check your age. Florida, Washington, Oregon and Oklahoma each state a minimum age of 18 for the artist, on pages read November 10, 2026.
- Draw finished designs in the styles you want to tattoo, and keep the best in one portfolio.
- Visit shops in person, and ask whether an artist takes apprentices.
- Expect to hear no. Format's guide calls apprenticeships competitive and suggests using each artist's feedback to improve the portfolio.
- Keep a paying job. Format's guide says pay is unlikely during an apprenticeship.
- Wait for your mentor and your agency before you tattoo anyone. Format's guide says to expect at least six months before you pick up a needle.
Where Twizzlo fits
Twizzlo is web-based online booking and appointment scheduling software for appointment-based service businesses. A newly licensed artist can take consults and sessions from one booking link. In a studio, every artist gets a staff profile and a calendar view of their own, as the tattoo page read November 10, 2026, describes.
With prepaid bookings turned on for a service, the client pays the full session price through Stripe when they book. Twizzlo's /features/ page does not list an apprentice hour log, so keep your agency's own forms for training records.
Worked example (hypothetical): an artist in a first licensed year with 24 sessions and 16 consults a month has 40 bookings (24 + 16 = 40). That is inside the Free plan's limit of 150 bookings a month, at $0, with email reminders and no text reminders.
A busy artist with 90 sessions, 45 consults and 25 touch-ups has 160 bookings (90 + 45 + 25 = 160). That is over the Free limit, so it runs on Business Pro at $29.99 a month per business, as Twizzlo pricing listed on November 10, 2026. One text reminder per booking means 110 texts beyond the 50 included, at $0.03 each, or $3.30, for $33.29 a month.
Staff and locations are unlimited on both plans. Online payments carry Stripe's processing rate plus a 1.5% Twizzlo platform fee; on a $250 prepaid session, the platform fee is $3.75 before Stripe's rate.
Weighing other tools for a first chair? Our booking software comparisons list them side by side. When your license arrives, start on the Free plan.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to become a tattoo artist?
Guides read November 10, 2026, put the apprenticeship at one to five years, and three of the five that give a range say one to three. Fash puts the whole path at 18 months to four years. Official training hours are a separate count: Oregon's page asks for 360 hours and Oklahoma's for 1,500.
Can you become a tattoo artist without an apprenticeship?
It depends on the licensing agency. New York City's page, read November 10, 2026, asks for a three-hour course and a written exam, while Oklahoma's asks for a 1,500-hour curriculum from a department-approved sponsor. Painful Pleasures still recommends an apprenticeship, and Tommy's Supplies calls self-taught tattooing a risky path.
How much does it cost to become a tattoo artist?
On four official pages read November 10, 2026, the lowest first fee was Florida's $60 application fee, with added fees by location, and the highest was Oklahoma's $500 in two fees. Guides add larger sums: Tommy's Supplies says some mentors charge tuition of a few hundred to several thousand dollars, and Fash estimates basic equipment at $2,000 to $5,000.
How old do you have to be to become a tattoo artist?
Four official pages read November 10, 2026, state a minimum age of 18 for the artist: Florida, Washington, Oregon and Oklahoma. New York City's license page does not state an age. Check the agency's page for your own state or city.
How do you become a tattoo artist if you cannot draw yet?
Start with drawing. Four of the guides read November 10, 2026, make drawing or art skills their first step, and Format's guide suggests using each artist's feedback to improve your portfolio. Fash's guide says building those skills can take six months to more than two years.
Sources and methodology
Prices read
- Tommy's Supplies, How to become a tattoo artist: the apprenticeship path explained (opens in a new tab)Read . Supports: apprenticeships of one to three years; unpaid or minimally paid at first; tuition from a few hundred to several thousand dollars; a 30 to 50 percent share once tattooing clients; other income during training; self-taught tattooing as a risky path (Table 1, Figure 1, Table 3, cost section, takeaway 1, FAQ 3)
- Painful Pleasures, How to become a tattoo artist (opens in a new tab)Read . Supports: nine steps with drawing first, certifications second, an apprenticeship third and the license fourth; recommends an apprenticeship; dated September 8, 2021 (steps list, Table 1, course section)
- Jotform, How to become a tattoo artist in 10 essential steps (named without a link)Read . Supports: ten steps with drawing first; a state may require an internship of at least two years; a licensing fee of about $100 in most cases (Table 1)
- Suplery, How to become a tattoo artist in 2026 (named without a link)Read . Supports: apprenticeships of one to three years; step order; updated February 28, 2026 (Table 1, Figure 1)
- Fash, How to become a tattoo artist (named without a link)Read . Supports: apprenticeships of 1 to 3 years, unpaid; 18 months to four years in all; schools several weeks to six months; art skills six months to more than two years; equipment $2,000 to $5,000 (steps list, Table 1, Figure 1, Table 3, FAQ 1, 3 and 5)
- Zenoti, How to become a tattoo artist: a step-by-step guide (named without a link)Read . Supports: an apprenticeship of at least two to three years, part of it possibly unpaid; one to five years of learning on the job; a summary line of one to three years for the apprenticeship and two to three years in all (Table 1, Figure 1)
- Format, How to become a tattoo artist (named without a link)Read . Supports: apprenticeships of one to five years; the Alliance of Professional Tattooists' advice of at least three years; six months before picking up a needle; pay unlikely; apprenticeships competitive, with feedback used to improve the portfolio (Table 1, Figure 1, no-experience list, FAQ 5)
- Vlad Blad, How to become a tattoo artist for beginners (named without a link)Read . Supports: apprenticeships of one to several years, often unpaid, sometimes paid for by the apprentice; art foundation as step one (Table 1, no-experience section)
- NYC Business, Tattoo License (New York City) (opens in a new tab)Read . Supports: a three-hour course, a written exam, $100 for two years, a $26 course, $126 online plus a 2 percent online convenience fee (Table 2, Figure 2, Table 3, FAQ 2 and 4)
- Florida Department of Health, Tattoo artist licensure (opens in a new tab)Read . Supports: age 18, a course for tattoo artists with a score of at least 70 percent, a $60 application fee with added fees varying by location, through the county health department (steps list, Table 2, Table 3, FAQ 3 and 4, takeaway 3)
- Washington State Department of Licensing, Get your license: tattoos (opens in a new tab)Read . Supports: age 18 and a current safety certificate (steps list, Table 2, FAQ 4)
- Washington State Department of Licensing, Fees: tattoos (opens in a new tab)Read . Supports: $275 for a first artist license (Table 2, Table 3)
- Oregon Health Licensing Office, Tattoo artists license (opens in a new tab)Read . Supports: age 18, graduation from an Oregon licensed tattoo career school with 360 hours of training (210 theory, 150 practical), 50 completed procedures, a high school diploma or equivalent, a written exam of 100 multiple-choice questions with a 75 percent pass mark (steps list, Table 2, Figure 2, takeaway 2, FAQ 1 and 4)
- Oklahoma State Department of Health, Body piercing and tattoo licensure (opens in a new tab)Read . Supports: age 18, a 1,500-hour curriculum from a department-approved sponsor, a written skills challenge exam, a $250 apprentice application fee and a $250 license application fee (steps list, Table 2, Figure 2, Table 3, takeaway 3, FAQ 1 to 4)
- Twizzlo, tattoo booking software for artists and studios (opens in a new tab)Read . Supports: one link for consults and sessions for independent artists; a staff profile and calendar view per artist; prepaid bookings at the full session price (intro bridge, Twizzlo section)
- Twizzlo, features (opens in a new tab)Read . Supports: calendar view per staff member; prepaid bookings; no apprentice hour log listed (Twizzlo section, Figure 3)
- Twizzlo, pricing (opens in a new tab)Read . Supports: Free $0 for up to 150 bookings with no SMS; Business Pro $29.99 a month per business, 50 SMS then $0.03 each; unlimited staff and locations; 1.5% platform fee (Twizzlo section)
From our editorial policy
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