A scratcher is someone who tattoos people without proper training, which poses serious health risks. Scratchers often do not understand hygiene practices or how to properly sterilize equipment, leading to infected tattoos. In contrast, professional tattoo artists undergo apprenticeships to learn techniques as well as regulations around sterilization, bloodborne pathogens, and preventing cross-contamination in order to keep clients safe. The document provides examples of poorly done scratcher tattoos compared to professional work and emphasizes that tattooing requires extensive knowledge beyond just buying equipment.

1. Scratchers
ANTONY

2. What is a scratcher.
A scratcher is a person who tattoo people with out any professional
training. To some people it may sound harmless but lately they have
been coming under serious attack by tattoo artists all over.
Tattooing is an art that has been traditionally handed down from
generation to generation through apprenticeships.

3. Example of Scratchers
work
Sometime scratchers often
don’t know about the
hygiene that goes into being
a tattoo artist that’s some
tattoo done by scratchers get
infected.
Here is an example of a
professional tattoo artist a
redo on a scratchers attempt
at a rabbit.

4. Things to know if you want
to be a tattoo artist.
Here are a list of things you need to know if you want to be a tattoo
artist.
•What are the laws in your city/state on tattooing?
•What certifications and/or licenses are required to tattoo legally in your city/state?
•What is the procedure of operating an autoclave? What temperature must the autoclave
reach and for how long?
•What is a blood-born pathogen and how do you prevent the spread of it, and cross-
contamination?
•How do you thoroughly clean and disinfect needles and tubes before autoclaving?
•What layer of epidermis of the skin must you NOT enter to prevent scarring of a tattoo?
•What is plasma, and what does the leakage of plasma during a tattoo indicate

5. What tattooist think of
Scratchers.
Joey Tattoo the host of TV’s Tattoo Rescue.
‘I believe a scratcher is a lazy piece of shit who has no respect
and thinks that tattooing is an easy way to make money.
Scratchers learn to tattoo by buying garbage equipment and
fucking people up.’
When I was reading his rant there was something he said that
stood out to me. This was when he said ‘Tattooing is a lot more
than just picking up a shitty Chinese machine and some needles
and drawing a design on someone; it all starts with being clean
and knowing how to prevent cross contamination.’
This showed me that if you want to be a tattooist there are so
many health protocol you have to know because if you don’t
the worst thing that could happened is that the person your
tattooing could die due to contracting a virus from a used
needle.

6. Example of professional
tattoos

7. Example of professional
tattoos