Unfortunately gatekeeping education in the Tattoo Industry is rampant. The adverse power dynamic existing in too many tattoo studios more often than not creates conditions where apprentices are taken advantage of for free labor and even worse, cases of abuse have been documented.

Authentic and safe tattooing education should be available for anyone that has a desire to pursue the art. And, unlike traditional apprenticeships that often take years of working and laboring in studios with no timelines, doing menial tasks that can sometimes be irrelevant to the actual process of learning tattoo, here at HOUSE OF INK your only job is to learn the art of tattoo

House of Ink Tattoo University (HOITU) is a dedicated tattoo school where you will receive consistent and pre-scheduled one-on-one training and time with a professional artist to review your work and teach techniques. And although House of Ink does operate an official tattoo studio, you will not be required to service, clean or monitor the shop. You will not be required to submit to duty requests by other artists, employees, or management. No unpaid labor, no “grunt” work. You are there for one single purpose: To learn tattoo and become an experienced, confident and licensed Tattoo Artist.

EQUIPMENT/SUPPLY LISTS TOTAL: $1378 — $2679
Apprentices will be required to maintain (and if necessary replace) all the listed equipment as well as any necessary tattoo machine replacement parts, springs and hardware. (Consult  with a HOI representative to obtain our detailed machine parts, hardware and software supply list.)
Having an iPad is also a necessary requirement for the HOI Tattoo Apprenticeship course work. Apprentices will be learning advanced digital artwork-to-tattoo workflow as it pertains to the process and business of tattooing. This device will quickly become integral to all the business operations of each artist.

INSTRUCTIONAL & LAB COSTS: $9000 (& Training requirements):
Payment options and financing may be available
There are a total of 3 Levels (Apprenticeship, Journeyman, Artist 1st Class).

Each level of the Apprenticeship is 3-4 months long ($3000/per level).
In-Person Classes are once a week (Specific Day TBD)
Homework will be given and is integral to the training experience—Completing homework each week will be the admission requirement to enter the next training session. If a training session is missed, apprentice will have 3 days to make it up online with instructor and will be charged ($200) for extra time spent.

Some training sessions will be done on Zoom, although a majority of classes will be done in-person at the HOI training center

Training Starting Date: TBD (next estimated start date: September 2026)

Yes!

You can select Affirm or Paypal at checkout and choose from their financing options.

In-House Financing Available– Customized payment plans

For more details on in-house options, please reach out to Owner/Operator, Erik Hayos: Email

Red Flags to Watch For

Be cautious if a shop asks for high fees without providing a structured curriculum.

—Double Charging: It is often considered a red flag if a shop requires both a high tuition fee and full-time unpaid labor (grunt work).

—No Portfolio Review: Reputable mentors usually only accept apprentices after a rigorous portfolio review; shops that accept anyone with "tuition money" may be focused more on profit than education.

—Lack of Transparency: Always ask for a written breakdown of what the tuition covers and the expected timeline for when you will begin tattooing.

—Is this a traditional shop or a dedicated tattoo school? …Apprentices at a tattoo studio are often in competition with the general schedules and expectations of running a shop, and hence are often left in limbo without any solid guarantee of when they will be trained or how long the apprenticeship will even be. A dedicated tattoo school is able to give their students far more attention and direct hands-on training, including garunteed schedules and time frames when the apprenticeship will be complete.

—Does the shop expect you to do daily chores (like cleaning or front desk work) in addition to the fee? …Many shops unfortunately take advantage of apprentices as free labor, often saying its for the cost of the apprenticeship, and then never guaranteeing any actual training schedule or timeframe for completion of the apprenticeship. At a dedicated tattoo school (HOITU) you are not an employee or a shop laborer. You are simply here to learn and will be introduced to tattooing process and technique from the very beginning.

—Are they offering a guaranteed spot as a resident artist after you finish your apprenticeship?

Erik (aka Matthew Hayos) is a 20+ year veteran tattoo artist, with extensive experience creating and facilitating educational workshops. Through the years he has created a detailed and thorough curriculum that covers the art, business and philosophy of tattoo.

Erik is a graduate (BFA) from The Academy of Art College in San Francisco, where he double-majored in Illustration and New Media / Web Design. Erik is also a military vet with a love of art, design, knowledge and structure, and after years of studying and practicing tattoo it became increasingly clear that the tattoo industry seriously lacked any organization or structure for safely and efficiently teaching the art of tattoo. Hence, the formation of The House of Ink Tattoo University.

Erik is currently a resident tattoo artist at Lash & Esthetic in Noblesville, Indiana. His love for tattoo is evident in his attention to all the finer details of a tattoo client’s experience as well as the tattoo itself. With two decades of experience, he specializes in fine line, illustrative, geometric, new traditional, & tribal fusion styles—creating custom designs that reflect each client’s individuality & vision.  

Erik’s journey into tattooing started in 2004. Shortly after serving in the Navy, he undertook a tattoo apprenticeship in Nacogdoches, Texas. Erik then went and got a Bachelor of Arts (BFA) from The Academy of Art University in San Francisco (2010). He eventually migrated back to Texas where he tenured at Casey’s Tattoo Shop for four years, until April 2018 when he decided to migrated to Austin, Texas where he operated a private studio for almost seven years.

After relocating to the Midwest, Erik sought a space that matched his artistic values—professional, serene, and client-focused—and found his new creative home at Lash & Esthetic Studio in Noblesville, Indiana. Here, he combines technical artistry with an exceptional client experience, transforming tattooing into a creative & deeply personal ritual.

 “I believe tattoo is a ritual, and that the experience is integral to the art—I perform a tattoo as much as I make or create it.”