Mandy's Apprentice Journal - The First 2 Months

My first 2 months at Chrome Gardens have gone by so fast, I can't believe it! It has been so much fun. Since I started here I have been working side by side with two of the coolest people out there, Jim and Stacy. Both of them are helping me in every way they can to ensure I become a good tattooist with good habits.
Of course I have to do the usual apprenticeship labors, IE: sweeping, mopping, scrubbing tubes, and cleaning stations, but that's a given. Jim and I have spent many late nights at home drawing. He's shown me tricks of the trade and inspired me to go outside of my comfort zone and develop the confidence to come up with a solid tattoo design on the spot. I am still working on that, but making good progress.
Stacy and I have spent a ton of time together. I watch her work whenever I can and she gives me pointers and explanations for everything she's doing. She also worked on my vigilante justice leg piece and walked me through the whole process.
After about two weeks I was given my own tattoo equipment, which was way better than even Christmas or my birthday! Jim and I worked together to soup up my little shader and it's puuurrin like a kitten. He showed me the breakdown of a tattoo machine that night and I broke down and reassembled the machine with my own two hands.
I started working with the practice skin one-on-one with Stacy's guidance. The first time we did this I layed out some stencils from flash and worked on holding and controlling the machine. From there Stacy let me practice different things on my own. I did some black shading, and then colored a flower Stacy had drawn up. It's been a great way for me to get familiarized with the equipment and techniques.
The last time my mom was in getting tattooed, Stacy even handed me her machine and let me lay in some solid black, which was awesome and scary all at once. Yesterday I went off on my own and did a black and gray portrait of an Olivia painting on practice skin and it came out great, if I do say so myself. At this point I am hungry for real flesh! So bring it on!!