CHOLO SUPREME

My name is Chris Amonett, I’m 26 years old, and I’ve been tattooing for about 2 years. After serving 6 years as a combat medic in the U.S. Army, I dedicated my life to following my passion as an artist.

What advice would you give to someone about getting his or her first tattoo? (A tattoo virgin) Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast! Just take a deep breath and focus on the task at hand. Don’t think of doing an entire tattoo; rather, think of doing a line, then another line, then pack black in this area. So on and so forth, then eventually, you’ll have a finished tattoo!

What would you say is your favorite part of the job? Seeing the reaction of my client’s faces when they see the finished tattoo. It makes all the hours worth it.

Was it hard getting an apprenticeship? How was yours? It was very hard. I was turned down by about 8-10 different shops before I found a shop that would have me. My apprenticeship consisted of working 20hr days, 7 days a week, for about 6-7 months due to being in the Army at the same time as my apprenticeship. I would have to wake up at 4:30 every morning, go to Army work, get off at 5-6 pm, then work at the shop until 11-12 at night.

What do you think is in store for the future of tattooing? The industry itself is currently in a state of rapid expansion and has been for the past 10-15 years. I think the industry is going to do nothing but grow rapidly as artists are consistently getting better and better.

Have you ever had a bad tattooing experience, and what was it? I had some nightmare clients when I first started tattooing. I’ve had someone knock over my stand and knock over all my inks and broke my brand-new machine and didn’t even apologize or ask if he could help replace anything.

What is the most important advice you can give someone new to the art of tattooing? Practice and patience are key. It’s cliche, but it’s true. The more you practice on fake skin, the more familiar you’ll get with how the inks and needles work. Don’t be afraid to try a design you don’t know if you can do (on fake skin, of course)! You won’t learn unless you try it! ✕