Loading
Tattoo artists turn skin into permanent art — a craft career built on an apprenticeship, sanitation certification, and a portfolio, not a degree. Here's the roadmap, with the Arizona apprenticeship path, local rules, and where the work is.
Where to learn in Arizona
The path in Arizona is an apprenticeship under an established artist at a Phoenix, Tempe, Tucson, or Scottsdale shop — often unpaid at first — where you learn machines, hygiene, skin, and how a shop runs while building a tattoo-specific portfolio.
Licensing in Arizona
Arizona has no statewide tattoo-artist license — regulation is local. Counties and cities (such as Maricopa and Pima) permit and inspect body-art establishments, and bloodborne-pathogen certification is standard. You must be 18+, and strict sanitation is non-negotiable.
Where the Arizona work is
Arizona's metro tattoo scene is busy — established shops across Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, and Tucson, plus conventions and guest spots. A portfolio of clean, healed work and a social following are what move you from apprentice to a chair at a top shop or your own studio.
Ready to start? Browse live Arizona opportunities — internships, training programs, and scholarships across the state.
An apprenticeship plus a license is the gateway — your portfolio is the credential
Tattooing is learned hands-on, not in a classroom. Land an apprenticeship under a licensed artist, master hygiene and machines, and earn your bloodborne-pathogen certification and state license. From there, a portfolio of clean, healed work and a loyal following are what build a career — at a top shop or your own studio.
Keep going: see whether an art degree is worth it, compare becoming an illustrator, and check if it will pay off.