Tales of a Tattoo Apprentice by Julio Avila

In the 1990s, the smoky, green soap-scented, analog tattoo world could be a sketchy place. This was before reality TV turned tattooers into celebrities and the internet made the profession more accessible. At the time, would-be tattooers had to take on an apprenticeship, no matter how crazy their mentor might be. It was an era of bad contracts and questionable practices. This was the battlefield upon which Julio Avila earned his stripes.
In a small, Midwestern college town, Julio endures an unpredictable, drug-addled boss (and his pet wolf), dangerous out-of-town assignments, plus a string of oddball characters and ridiculous situations. In time, Julio’s hometown ends a thirty-year prohibition on tattooing within the city limits and he joins one of the many shops eager to tap into this new market. Later, eye-opening trip to San Francisco for Tattoo Tour 1997 opens up Julio’s world.
This is the story of a young artist immersed in his craft and everything he has to put up with in order to hone his skills and strike out on his own.
Tales of a Tattoo Apprentice is an entertaining, insider look at a uniquely strange American subculture.

Language‏: ‎ English
Paperback‏: ‎ 229 pages
ISBN-13‏: ‎ 979-8991230100
Item Weight : ‎ 12.6 ounces
Dimensions‏: ‎ 5.5 x 0.58 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-13: 979-8991230100

• Free shipping on orders over $150
• Books ship separately from prints & flash
• This item is available for local pick-up from Cornerstone Tattoo. The pick-up option will only be available to local addresses.
• Please check out our Shipping page for more details

Julio Avila is a tattoo artist with over 30 years of experience. He lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with his wife and their two sons. Julio owns and makes tattoos at Cornerstone Tattoo and operates Kingyo Color Company.