Who it's for.
Preparing to tattoo
You draw, but you haven't started tattooing yet.
- You want to become a tattoo artist and don't know where to start.
- You need a portfolio to apply for an apprenticeship.
- Your drawings need to become work that reads as tattoo.
Already tattooing
You've started, or you're in an apprenticeship now.
- Your style is there in pieces, and you want it to become clear.
- Your portfolio doesn't yet show the work you want to be booked for.
- Pricing, booking and the long-term direction are still guesswork.
No tattoo experience is required. Drawing experience is:
the work starts from what you already make.
One program for both; the four weeks are built around your goal.
Not for everyone.
This is for artists who want to become one, not for anyone who wants a portfolio made for them.
Four weeks asks something of you:
- Work between sessions, every day, even when it's rough.
- Questions. The more you want to know, the more I can give.
- Honesty about what you make and what you don't want to make.
I don't hand you a style. I read what's already in your work and help you make it yours. How far that goes in four weeks depends on what you bring to it.
What we work on, week by week.
Week 1My direction
What repeats in your work and references becomes the direction.
- Analysis of your existing work and references
- Assignments that test the direction in new work
By the end of the week3–5 visual principles, what to explore, and what to stop.
Week 2My collection
The portfolio your goal needs, whether that's an apprenticeship application or new clients.
- Selecting what belongs and what doesn't
- Deciding what still has to be made
By the end of the weekA set of 4–6 pieces that belong together, chosen from what you have and what you'll make, and the portfolio direction.
Week 3My presentation
How the work is introduced to the people you want to reach.
- What you want to be known for
- How your profile and posts carry that direction
By the end of the weekProfile, positioning, and what you want people to book.
Week 4My system
Different depending on where you are.
- Preparing: the industry, apprenticeships, what to study next
- Already tattooing: pricing, booking, clients, the year ahead
By the end of the weekHow you'll operate: pricing and booking if you're tattooing, the path in if you're preparing, and your 90-day plan.
You don't come here to learn my style.
I study yours.
Same framework. Different work.
How it works.
Keep working.
Get feedback along the way.
Once a week, sixty minutes, one to one: I sit with your work, your taste, and where it could go. Every day in between, you send what you made and get written feedback.
We're artists. The craft matters, and so does what keeps you making. This mentorship is built around your work, with assignments set for you, and with the mindset it takes to keep going as an artist.
- Duration
- Four weeks
- Format
- Private 1:1, online
- Platform
- Discord
- Live sessions
- Four private 60-minute video sessions, one each week
- Demos
- Weeks 1 and 2, inside the session: I open Procreate and draw in your style, working through your problem the way I'd think about it.
- Assignments
- Personalized, set weekly
- Written feedback
- Once a day, including weekends, within 24 hours
- Final deliverable
- A personalized 90-day development plan
Before we start
You send your work, references and goals. I review all of it before the first session.
Each week
A 60-minute private session: we review what you made, decide what's working, and set the next assignment. Send everything you made that week 24 hours before we meet; the session is built on it. If a week goes nowhere, the session is about why.
Each day
One batch of work or questions a day, answered in writing. One considered reply, not a live chat.
What you'll leave with.
Not four weeks of conversation.
Decisions, written down,
and a plan to keep working from.
Your artistic direction, in writing
Visual keywords, one sentence that describes the work, and what belongs in it and what doesn't.
Portfolio selection and work list
Your existing work selected around the direction, and the list of pieces still to be made.
A 90-day development plan
What to make, study, post and change in how you operate, so you can carry on without me.
Saemi. Tattoo artist,
founder of Cavael.
- Drawing, comics and oil painting
- Webtoon industry: merchandising, content operations and marketing
- Music industry
- Independent tattoo artist, based in Korea, with international guest work
An artist's eye. A practical next step.
I notice patterns in work that artists often struggle to see themselves. Most artists are too close to their own work to recognize what repeats in it. I offer an outside perspective, and I'm honest about what I find. I've also spent years listening to people and helping them see their situation clearly, which turns out to be most of what mentoring is.
My background runs through drawing, comics and oil painting, content operations and marketing in the webtoon industry, the music industry, and now independent tattooing with clients in other countries. Different rooms, same job: decide what the work is, who it's for, and how it gets there. That range is what lets me make the right call for your situation, not a generic one.
I built this mentorship around what I wish someone had told me earlier: the things that would have saved me years, and money. The portfolio, the positioning, the pricing, and the mindset it takes to keep making work for the long run. In four weeks, we build a clearer direction and a practical foundation for you to keep developing from.
Before you apply.
Can I apply with no tattoo experience?
Yes. Many applicants are preparing to start. The application lets you skip what doesn't apply, and the four weeks are built around preparing: direction, an application portfolio, and how to approach an apprenticeship.
Do I need drawing experience?
Yes. The mentorship works from your existing work. It isn't a course that teaches drawing from scratch.
Is this a technical tattoo course?
No. We can discuss technical decisions conceptually when they affect the artwork, but this isn't hands-on training, and I can't assess or certify technical readiness remotely. Local licensing, hygiene and safety requirements stay yours to meet.
How does the daily feedback work?
Once a day you send one batch: work in progress, a question, a decision you're stuck on. I reply in writing within 24 hours, including weekends. It isn't unlimited messaging or a live chat.
Will my portfolio be finished in four weeks?
Usually not, and that isn't the goal. We decide what the portfolio is for, select the strongest existing pieces, and make a clear list of what still has to be made. The rest is in your 90-day plan.
Can I continue after the four weeks?
The four weeks stand on their own. For graduates who want to keep working with me 1:1, a follow-on program, Private Continuation, is planned; details are shared with graduates directly.
Is there a certificate?
No. first mark doesn't issue certificates or certify readiness to tattoo. What you leave with is the work itself.
- Apply
- I reply by email within 24 hours
- Seat confirmed on first payment
- We begin December 7
Tuition is due in full before the program begins. Payments are non-refundable once made. Applying on its own is not enrollment; your seat is confirmed once the first payment has been received.
first mark is a mentorship, not a tattoo school, apprenticeship, licensing program or hygiene certification. It does not assess or certify technical readiness to tattoo. Local licensing, hygiene and legal requirements stay yours to meet.
Not a tattoo artist?
Style Lab is small-group critique for illustrators, painters and other visual artists.
See Style Lab