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, an 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 all the absurdity 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.