Got my first tattoo ever from an apprentice at Wonderlust Tattoo when I was just barley 17.
He had only been using the machine for I believe he said 2 years, and he was very straight forward with me on that fact. I originally went in wanting a larger tattoo (covering about half of my inner forearm ie: from my wrist to half way to he crook of my elbow.) But thankfully Daniel (the apprentice artist) told me the legitimacy of getting the piece I wanted as it was large trees and it had a quote in the middle. He asked my pain tolerance and if I had tattoos before. From there he took my idea and told me that to make the tattoo last longer and look great for many years to come, the quote wouldn't work. So in the end I got 3 black evergreen trees tattooed a little below my wrist (my original idea had 3 trees behind the quote) and I am very happy with the tattoo. I have had this tattoo for over 3 years now it it is still bold and I am very glad that Daniel talked me out of my original idea as it wouldn't have kept as well as this has.