Apprentice - 1. Part 1

Kip watched the two artists and their last clients leave in a loud rabble of colour interspersed with black, and then went back to sweeping the shop floor. Only the shop’s owner and the senior apprentice remained, talking over the light box whilst Kip emptied the bins at the artist’s stations and set the trash bag by the door to go out. Five minutes later, the tattoo studio was clean and shiny as a new pin.

“All done boss. Is there anything else you want me to do?”

The senior apprentice gave Kip a smirk.

“Done? You think you’re done?” his crowing attitude was not something Kip enjoyed, but he kept his features carefully passive. After all he wasn’t there to impress another apprentice, but there wasn’t any advantage to having Jon trying to ruin his life either. “You’re never going to become an artist if you think that’s all it takes to clean up a studio.”

The boss held up one hand, and Jon stopped talking, though not fast enough.

“Tell me.” AJ was a man of very few words, except when he was discussing ink, and he was one of the reasons Kip had chosen to apprentice at the Brick and Tenth studio. No one did contemporary black and greys, full saturated colour, and slick graphics like AJ did. Well, almost no one.

“I did the trash, put new bags in the bins, swept, wiped down all the counters, and all the ink bottles, lined them up in colour order,” Kip ticked jobs off on his fingers as he went, “Made sure each station has gloves, blue roll, tape, Vaseline, cling-film, and distilled water. I dusted the windowsills at the front and wiped down the big leather couch and the artist’s chairs.” He paused, “Did I miss anything?”

Jon gaped, open mouthed, but Kip didn’t much care. AJ’s brow furrowed.

“And how did you know to do all that?”

“Well, Matti told me about wiping down his bottles and his station, so I figured I’d do the same for everyone. And I heard Shay complaining about the sofa being sticky where someone,” she’d said Jon, “had spilt soda on it.”

“And the rest?”

“It needed doing. No point opening up tomorrow and having to go hunting for gloves. We need to get more Vaseline next time the supplies are ordered.” Kip smiled. “So, is there anything else you want me to do?”

AJ narrowed his eyes, and Kip got the distinct feeling he was being sized up in the same manner a wolf might regard a large deer.

“Go draw me a rose.”

“Yes boss.”

It hadn’t been quite the first thing Kip had been asked at his interview.

“So, you got any tattoos?”

“No.”

“No? Why the hell not?”

“I haven’t found the perfect one yet,” Kip had lied.

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-two.”

“Please tell me you brought a portfolio?” Matti had done most of the actual talking, and AJ had stood there looking over his shoulder as the blue-haired man had leafed through his work. “Art school?”

“Two years at Westward College of Design. I just finished my degree from Black Mountain U.”

“Speciality?”

“Sculpture.” Kip had winced at the general reaction.

“Draw me a rose.” AJ had kept his voice low, and given no detail, but Kip didn’t need asking twice. He grabbed his mechanical pencil from his pocket, a piece of blank paper from the light box and drew. He was quick, but he also knew he was being timed. He hadn’t even finished the final line when AJ interrupted him. “A car, any car.” Kip had drawn breath and applied his pencil back to the paper. Thirty seconds later it was a bird, the profile of a horses face, another rose, a snake, a skull… Only when Kip had run out of space on his flash page did AJ nod.

“What d’ya reckon boss?” Matti had been grinning.

“Five days a week, impress me and we might even pay your bus fare.”

AJ took the rose drawing from under his pencil even as he was finishing it.

“Nice. Do more curled petals next time, and don’t add leaves unless I ask you. You can pick up the coffee order in the morning. Matti will text it to you. Don’t be late.”

“Yes sir.”

As Kip left the shop, he heard AJ admonishing his senior apprentice.

“Now why can’t you draw that good that fast?”

*

Saturday’s at the studio were always super busy, there were more walk-ins, more consultations, lots of people going in and out. Kip had picked up the coffee order, and had been waiting by the front door for about a minute when Matti arrived to open up.

“Six weeks and you’ve not been late once. Well done.” Matti took his coffee order and smiled at Kip. “Leave that at the front and go get me set up. Just black ink.

“OK.” Kip stowed his bag underneath the front desk, made sure he had a couple of pencils about his person, and pulled on gloves to set up Matti’s workstation. He hadn’t previously been asked to pour inks, just set up the pots onto little lines of Vaseline to stick them in place. Matti didn’t do black-work, but Kip put out the one pot, found Matti’s preferred black ink and filled it up.

“So this a tattoo machine...” Matti, who was perfectly capable of acting like an overgrown child, talked all soft and smooth as he showed Kip how to put the machine together on the bench. When it was done and the lining needle was fitted, Matti offered the machine to Kip. “For heaven’s sake, sit down boy. Here.” Matti rolled up his sleeve past his bicep. “Do a star, about there.”

“Huh?” Kip was shocked.

“Do a star, not a big one. I’m gonna be getting black work all over this part of this arm anyway, so you can’t fuck it up.”

“But… that’s your skin.”

“Kip, tattooing is a physical art… at some point you’re going to have to make someone bleed.”

Kip swallowed and wiped his hands on his jeans.

“Yes sir.”

“Don’t call me sir, I’m not AJ. Get on with it.”

Kip picked up the machine and put his foot to the pedal. The vibration in his hand was fierce, but not uncontrollable, and a moment later he was loading the needle with ink. Apprentices didn’t tattoo, and kids who’d been working in the shop six weeks certainly didn’t get to tattoo. Kip knew from every artist he’d spoken to and every piece of advice and information he’d read, it would be a year, if he was lucky, before he got to tattoo. Generally apprentices were expected to use themselves as canvas, but for Kip, that wasn’t an option. He knew, in abstract, he’d been doing well, making good drawings and turning in good flash sheets, but he’d never expected Matti to trust him like this.

Kip got a good grip on Matti’s arm and set the edge of his hand in place to steady himself before he drew his first line. He could have been using a Sharpie for all the reaction Matti gave him. Ten short lines and four wipe downs later, Kip thought he was done, but Matti had him add and few more stars, and even though he didn’t give any direction, Kip automatically made them slightly smaller, rotated the angle a little bit each time and added some artistry to the composition of the piece.

As much as can be done with stars anyway.

Afterwards, Matti thanked him and rubbed cocoa butter on his new tattoo. By the time the others arrived at the studio, Kip was firing up the computer, Matti was sketching a new stencil for a returning client, and no one was any the wiser.

AJ often arrived later on a Saturday after spending the morning with his children. After the first week, Kip had worked out what the head artist liked when he came in, and had cold bottled water waiting at AJ’s station, a glass of sweet tea to hand to him at the front desk, and print-outs of general studio emails for AJ to look over and assign to different artists. AJ smiled at him as he took his sweet tea, and handed Kip a sketch pad.

“I want an entire alphabet of animals, mixed styles please. You have three hours.”

“Yes boss.” Kip heard Jon sniggering behind him.

AJ’s gaze snapped up and his eyes hardened.

“I dunno what you’re looking so happy about. You have to do one too.”

“But,” Jon looked shocked, “I haven’t got a sketchbook.”

“You’ve been here a year, you should have it with you.” AJ shook his head. “Find some paper, and don’t steal off Kip.”

Kip flicked through the blank sketch book. It was the type of thin, almost tracing paper, favoured by tattoo artists. It felt super smooth under his fingers. Kip grabbed the rest of his drawing supplies from his bag and took himself away to the light-table. He loved drawing animals, but he didn’t want to start right away and run out of ideas before he ran out of time. Kip scrawled the alphabet down on the first page and started filling in animals. He scratched out aardvark when he filled in pangolin and replaced it with antelope. He stuck with bear, squid, and walrus, but played around with camel, cat and crocodile before settling on cockerel. After working out which ones would be Japanese, which graphic, and which traditional, Kip started at the beginning of the alphabet, grabbed his reference photos up on his phone, and free-handed his first animal. He was already working on his soft contemporary fox when Jon sat down next to him, loose sheets of paper in one hand. Instantly the other apprentice reached over and stole Kip’s second favourite mechanical pencil.

“You didn’t bring anything with you?”

“Shut up new kid,” Jon seemed to dislike using Kip’s name. He scowled at his page, and then began to sketch out the rough outline of a fox. Kip wasn’t surprised. “This is such a stupid task.”

“Why?” Kip cursed himself the moment he’d spoken. He had promised himself when he got the job he would just keep his head down, defer to the skill and knowledge of the artists he was there to learn from, and not get involved in any drama or rivalries. “We’re going to be expected to be versatile, and there’s such a variety in animals. I’m just pleased AJ didn’t ask for an alphabet made up of cars. That would be way harder.”

“Anyone ever tell you you’re weird?” Jon cursed his page, screwed it up and aimed for the trash. He missed. “Go fetch that.”

Kip stilled his tongue from replying, but got up, and put the ruined fox sketch in the trash. When he returned to his chair, his sketches were gone, and Jon was drawing a fish of indeterminate species. Kip wanted to shout at him, push the smug bastard off his chair, and tear Jon’s stuff apart looking for his work, but he knew it would be a waste of time. Instead, he sat back down, started at the beginning of the alphabet, and drew another antelope without even having to look up.

Two hours later Kip was just putting the final touches on his stylized zebra head when AJ called them over. He looked at Jon’s work first, and nodded along as he rifled through the pages. Kip handed his over without a word. AJ frowned.

“Why have you done the same animals?” He placed the two antelopes side by side. Kip’s second one was better, if only because he’d had to repeat himself. Kip scowled as he realised Jon hadn’t managed to complete his alphabet and was trying to pass Kip’s stolen designs off as his own. AJ tapped Jon’s sketch. “Who drew this?” The silence was telling. AJ growled, grabbed the sketches and threw them at Jon. “You idiot!”

“But AJ, you always say ‘work smart, not hard’.”

“There is a difference between that and outright theft,” AJ was clearly keeping from yelling. He would never appear so unprofessional in front of clients. “Go and fetch lunch.”

“But-?”

“Shut up Jon. Just go.”

AJ exhaled a long slow breath, and turned to Kip.

“You can’t let him take advantage of you like that. Stand up for yourself.”

“I don’t want to get into any fights,” Kip always felt smaller and younger than he was when AJ looked at him. He was a bear of a man, and Kip couldn’t help the effect the awe and power had over him. “I just want to learn and be useful.”

“That’s admirable,” AJ smiled softly. “He ever tries something like that again you give him what-for OK? That’s an order.”

“Yes boss.”

“Now go help Matti clear down and he’ll teach you how to wrap his client.”

*

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes.” Kip grinned up at his uncle. “I’m totally sure.”

“You know it means you won’t be able to have any other tattoos? You might find that hard. You’re going to meet lots of cool artists in this business and want their work. Are you sure you’re up for saying no every time?”

“I’m sure. It’ll be worth it.”

“Well that’s for damn sure.” Dirk Jeroen Meijer appraised his nephew and nodded to himself. “And you’re going to have to wait. Your mother says there’s no way you’re allowed to put yourself through this much pain before you graduate, and your aunt thinks we should let you fill out a bit too. She’s probably right, she is about most things.”

“I can wait a couple of years,” Kip shrugged. “After all, it’s gonna take you a long time to come up with the perfect award winning design.”

“You cheeky little sod.” Dirk grabbed Kip around the neck and ruffled his hair. “You know you’re my favourite nephew, right?”

“You tell me all the time.”

“That’s because it’s true. Just don’t tell the others.”

“Yes Uncle,” Kip hugged his favourite relation hard, “I’m going to miss you when you go home. It’s such a long way away.”

“We have the internet in The Netherlands now little boy, I’ll be there for you.”

Kip always made sure to spend as much time as he could with his family when they came to visit. Despite living thousands of miles apart, Kip had always been close to his uncle. He remembered as a child being fascinated by the painted man with his strange accent and unintelligible language. Dirk Jeroen never seemed to mind that Kip wanted to talk about the pictures on his skin, trace the lines and colours with his little fingers. As he’d got older, he’d discovered his uncle was easier to talk to than his parents, listened with a soft and careful manner, and Kip would tell him all sorts of things he’d never be brave enough to tell his parents. His uncle was the first person he told when he’d kissed a boy, the first person he’d told when he’d been in love, the first person he’d told when he’d had his heart broken.

That trip he’d been allowed to drive his aunt and uncle to the airport under his mother’s careful supervision, and Kip had sniffed back his tears until Dirk Jeroen had ruffled his hair and hugged him hard. By the time they’d disappeared through the departure gate, Kip had been crying too hard to drive home.

*

“You been practising on yourself Matti?” Shay ran a long manicured finger over the clear dressing covering the stars on Matti’s arm. “Those,” she tapped Kip’s sketches on the front desk, a flash sheet of wings of various types, “are looking very good. Well done you.”

Kip glanced up and smiled.

“You had your nails done.”

“I like you Kip,” Shay fingered Kip’s curly blond forelock, “you notice things. None of this lot even noticed when I died my hair bright red.”

“Oh, we noticed,” AJ stepped out from the storeroom, “but it was a horrendous colour on you love. No one liked to say so.”

“Boys...” Shay rolled her eyes and departed for her station.

“Who tattooed you Matti? AJ took his friend’s arm and examined the stars. “You’re not right handed.”

Matti glanced across the desk at Kip and grinned.

“Kip did them.”

“What?” Jon stood inside the door of the shop, his jaw metaphorically scraping the floor. “You let him tattoo someone? He’s a child!”

“This doesn’t concern you Jon.” Matti’s voice was full of warning, but Kip doubted Jon’s anger could have been stopped by a freight train.

“Bollocks it doesn’t. I’m putting in my hard work and paying my dues! Who the fuck did he bite pillow for to get his hands on a machine?”

“Jon...” AJ practically growled.

“Uppity little shit!” Jon grabbed Kip’s flash sheets with one long arm and Kip felt the bottom drop out of his stomach as the paper crumpled and ripped. “I’ve worked too hard for you to come and take it from me!”

“Jon, get out!” AJ’s big hands spun the lanky young man round and pushed him towards the door. “Get outside and calm down. I’ll speak to you in a minute.” AJ held firm until Jon had left, then he turned to Matti. “I’ll speak to you now, in my office.” AJ looked at Kip and forced himself to smile. “Set up my station, then draw roses until I get back. Do not go outside.”

“Yes boss...” Kip stared after the tattooists as they left, then blinked away the tears which welled in his eyes. As he crossed the studio to AJ’s station, Shay noticed his red rimmed eyes.

“Don’t worry sweetie, AJ’s not mad at you. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But he’s going to shout at Matti, and it’s all my fault.” Kip dragged his knuckles across his eyes and cursed himself. He hated that he cried so easily. It made people think he was smaller, weaker, and younger than he was.

“Matti will talk him around; it was his idea right? Then you’ve got nothing to worry about. Just do as he asked.”

When Matti returned he looked like he traded verbal blows with a bear, but hadn’t been beaten. He gave Kip and thumbs up as he went to the drawing table. AJ was outside with Jon much longer, long enough in fact for his first client to arrive and be kept waiting. Kip got the young woman a drink and apologised for his boss’s absence, and she didn’t seem to mind too much. He didn’t get an opportunity to speak to AJ when he came back in. The head artist saw his client, turned on the charm, and had her stencilled up and in the chair within five minutes. Jon came back in with an expression black like thunder, and Kip did his best to stay out of the senior apprentice’s way.

“That was a very clean job you did,” AJ turned the pages of Kip’s sketchbook with deliberate slowness. “Every single line dead straight, bang on angle and sharp. Matti said you did it freehand?

“Yes sir.”

“You’ve either got natural talent, or you’ve been doing some scratching at home you’ve not told us about. It better not be the latter.”

“No sir!”

“Show me your legs,” AJ looked mildly suspicious.

Kip blushed, but fumbled with his belt, and pushed down his jeans. The easiest place for a person to tattoo themselves was their upper thigh, it was a nice big flat space and you could sit and use both hands while you worked. His uncle had told him most of the guys he’d ever worked with had some kind of cover up tattoo on one or both their legs where they’d used themselves as practice palettes during their training. Kip’s skin was pale, smooth, and unmarked.

“Alright, get dressed.” Kip was grateful for the instruction. It wasn’t that he fancied his boss, but there was something about a big man with a deep voice telling him what to do that made Kip go a bit dizzy. Half-dressed it was not a reaction he could easily control. “You did very well. Now convention says you shouldn’t get your hands on a machine for at least another eight months, but it seems a bit late for that. Matti is going to help you pick a good machine out of the catalogue OK?”

“Thank you.”

“Problem is, I’m going to have to start Jon tattooing too, or he’s going to be totally unmanageable, and I can’t have the reputation of the shop suffering.” AJ sighed, and it was easy to tell he was unhappy about the situation. “Get back to drawing.”

“But, shouldn’t I go and get lunch?” Kip had been sent to get everyone’s lunches every day since he’d started.

“No. Jon can do it.”

The senior apprentice looked like he was going to complain, but said nothing, and stalked unhappily away.