Tattoo artist David, who runs the Archangel 1608 Tatoo Studio in Scotland, was kind enough to answer Bored Panda’s questions about tattoos.

We spoke about how tattoo artists hone their skills, whether or not customers are always right, and what happens if an artist makes a mistake while tattooing someone.

“Tattooists can practice on any number of things initially, to help them get the mechanics and techniques to tattoo properly,” David explained to Bored Panda.

“You can buy synthetic skin, pig skin from a butcher’s, or even use fruit, such as oranges or lemons, bananas,” he told us.

However, the tattoo artist pointed out to Bored Panda that there is “no substitute for moving, breathing, sweating, bleeding human skin.” In short, nothing beats the real thing. And sooner or later you’ll have to switch to inking real live human beings. Though, later is best. Once you’ve got the fundamentals down and feel confident.

“The first 4 or 5 tattoos I ever did were on myself. It was a pretty severe learning curve, but I had to prove that I wanted the apprenticeship, and it let me see how the tattoos would heal up, and what I could do better,” David revealed to Bored Panda the dedication that he personally had for his craft when he was just starting out.

“You shouldn’t really be tattooing actual clients for a long time, but if you can persuade friends to let you once you’re ready, that’s great,” he said.

David takes a lot of pride in what he does for a living. “Tattooing is a craft, a skill, and should be taught directly from one person to another,” he said that it is not something that should be learned “by a YouTube video or a bs tattoo ‘school’ that only care about your money.”

Bored Panda was very interested to learn about the dynamic between artists and their customers. David explained that they have a rule that if they’re not 100 percent confident about the tattoo, they don’t do it.

“We’ll try to offer a compromise, but if the client is too rigid, we’ll point them in the direction of another artist. The client is only right in terms of what they like, not how the tattoo can actually be done or will end up looking,” he said.

What’s more, the tattoo artist and his staff also draw the line when it comes to certain tattoos. “We won’t do any hateful tattoos—racist, homophonic, sectarian, etc. Those tattoos are bad news, but unfortunately, there are those that will still do them,” he explained.

Like any other artists and craftsmen out in the wide world, tattooists can make mistakes, too. There’s no such thing as perfection in any craft. It’s best to learn from any mistakes and, most importantly, to learn to control your fear.

“Sometimes, a client will sneeze, or move to answer their phone, meaning the tattoo has an extra line or detail,” David said.

“The important thing is not to panic (and not to panic the client). Take a few minutes and work out how to deal with the mistake—maybe add an extra detail, darken up some shading. Nine times out of ten, you can correct an issue. Stay cool and work it out!”