Steve Kretz

Ok, so my wins this week are a little different! If you follow my social media & have seen my portfolio you'll know I'm a big Marvel & Super Hero fan. I just had one of my best nights of the year. I just took my wife & two daughters to the new Spiderman movie. We had an amazing night, some great downtime & saw an epic movie! It was one of the best Spiderman movies ever in my opinion! I'd love to hear a personal win. Something thats going good in life, outside of tattooing!

Steve Kretz

Dec '25 •

General discussion

Start Here – Introduce Yourself

Welcome to the community! To kick things off, please create your own post introducing yourself. This helps everyone connect and keeps the space active from day one. In your intro post, include: 1️⃣ Where you’re from (city / country) 2️⃣ The style you're doing, or would love to do 3️⃣ One thing you’re working to improve or change right now 4️⃣ 1–3 images of your artwork or tattoos (or a link to your Instagram/portfolio) Then please engage with at least one other intro post after you share yours. A few guidelines: This space is about making positive connections. I want to keep it light & fun to be a part of. I’ll be reading every intro and jumping into the conversations. If you want to stay engaged easily, download the Skool app and turn on notifications for this community. Looking forward to getting to know you. – Steve

New comment 15h ago

Steve Kretz

0 likes • 13d

@Matt Standafer thanks for sharing Matt! Ok step one, don't call yourself a scratcher. You're obviously serious, looking to work on your skills & progress, so you're not a scratcher. When you say blend shading into colour, are you talking about using black before you add colour? So you're trying to get a smooth transition? I'm happy to talk about colour techniques as I've gone heavily into bold colour realism the past few years. There are lots of useful techniques, but they do start to get into advanced tattooing.

Steve Kretz

0 likes • 15h

@Daniel Edore Thanks for sharing, Daniel! Are you working from a tattoo studio already, or is that your next step? I love talking about goals in here. One of the best things about this community is having people to keep you accountable, so we can all make sure we're moving in the right direction. Looking forward to following your journey!

2d •

Wat ya think

0 likes • 2d

Thanks for jumping in & sharing your practices Matt! With dots its all about finding that consistent spacing to keep it looking smooth. I actually don't use dots in my work, unless I'm adding realistic textures. It can be a great effect if it matches the style you're into. I did use dots for some walk-ins when I first started, but found myself changing it to smoother mag shading over time. It's one of those decision that will start to give your work a more consistent look, which eventually will become your chosen style.

Dawn Sanchez

7d •

Intro Posts

Hell

Hi my name is Dawn I took tattooing 101s accelerator course back in February of 23 and started taking clients in my home October of 23 I just want to improve my skills and learn new things I will post pictures of my tattoo room and my work here shortly. -

New comment 3d ago

Steve Kretz

0 likes • 3d

@Dawn Sanchez travelling & doing conventions is great for getting inspired & building connections. I don't find I make much money from conventions, compared to booking from my studio, but I love getting out & getting more exposure.

Steve Kretz

0 likes • 3d

Getting a couple of new clients is a good step forward. Referrals are good, but you really can pick up momentum on those numbers if you can advertise your business. Are you able to operate as a legal business from home where you are? I have been coaching an artist who had a home studio, but wasn't signed off by the health board, so she basically had to tattoo in secret, only with friends & their referrals. It felt like a good set up, but she actually couldn't see that it was holding her back. She just took a portfolio of her work & started working from an established studio & she is really busy now. Getting lots of practice & really building that momentum of new clients & referrals on a much bigger scale. I think her goal will to be to go back to working half of her time back in her studio once it is legal.

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Steve Kretz

@steve-kretowicz-4582

I’m a realistic Tattoo Artist (+10yrs), here to help professional artists find success in their careers. Also a lover of Hiphop & Superheroes!

Active 2h ago

Joined Aug 24, 2025

Canada