Ink Master, Season 3: Who the Hell Are These Guys?

Say what you want about "reality" tattoo competition shows, but they are relevant to tattoo blogs, regardless of how you feel. Personally, I find them fascinating on so many different levels.

The third season of Ink Master premiered this week and, while I won't run down the entire roster of this season's contestants, I do want to note that a couple of them have had their work showcased on Tattoosday previously.

The first person who jumped out at me was Craig Foster, from Skinwerks Tattoo & Design in Carrollton, Georgia.

Craig had two pieces appear on Tattoosday in 2008. This one:

Read about this tattoo here.

and this one:

Read about this tattoo here.

Many of the names are familiar, and we all remember Tatu Baby from season 2.

I featured one of her more recognizable pieces back in 2011:

Read about it here.

Something about one of the other contestants rang familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it. The artist with the moniker Made Rich had my ink-sense tingling and then, I realized, I interviewed one of his clients just a few weeks ago at the NYC Urban Tattoo Convention.

Based out of the Queens shop Think Before You Ink, one of my favorite pieces of the night was this thigh tattoo on a woman named Taylor:

I haven't published this one yet, but I'll retroactively link it once it's done.

So I'll be tuning in this season just to see how these three artists fare, along with the others. The judges, Dave Navarro, Oliver Peck, and Chris Nunez, are hyper-critical in their assessments, which lends a certain degree of authenticity to the show's claim to find the best tattooer among the bunch to crown Ink Master.

Keep an eye on the three artists above, because I think they have a good chance of going deep into the competition.

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Chris Wears His Knife on his Sleeve

On Wednesday I met Chris, outside of the hotel across the street from my office. He sported four tattoos in all, but this one was the most fascinating.

Chris was in town (he resides in Ripon, California) on business as the tour caterer for Neil Diamond (he has also worked for Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and others).

The knife, on his left forearm, is a portrait, one could say, of his own chef's knife.
Clearly, most chefs have a connection to the tools of their trade. I would imagine that a favorite knife would be near and dear to one's heart. Chris' tattoo is testament to that fact.

Chris actually takes this portrait a step further and incorporates other elements into the knife tattoo. Their are markings on the knife that appear almost like runes.

This is actually written in the Cherokee tongue, a tribute to his heritage (his father is Cherokee). When I asked if he could tell me what was inscribed in the blade, he smiled and shook his head. He doesn't disclose the deeply personal nature of the message to anyone.

One additional element that I would have not noticed had he not mentioned it are the geometrical shapes on the hilt of the knife.


Chris explained to me that he is a snowboarder as well, and each shape represents the trail marking symbol for a slope that he has conquered while boarding.

Chris told me that this unique piece was inked by Craig Foster at Skinwerks Tattoo and Design in Carrollton, Georgia (about 50 miles from Atlanta). I was excited to hear this as Craig's work has appeared on Tattoosday previously here. His work is phenomenal and I am fortunate enough to have come across his ink up in New York. Check out their shop site here and see what other amazing work they do there.

Thanks to Chris for sharing his "tat-tool" of the trade with us here at Tattoosday!

Syndy's Windjammer in Honor of Nanny

It was the swallows on her back that I noticed. But they were covered partially by the straps of her top, so I was just going to give her a Tattoosday flier and go on my merry way.

But, Syndy, a first grade teacher visiting from North Carolina, blew me away by peeling up her shirt on the sidewalk in front of Penn Station to reveal this stunning black and gray Polish windjammer.

This tattoo was inked in honor of her late grandmother, with the banner inscription "Forever -n- Ever, Nanny".


Syndy says her Nanny was a remarkable woman who always encouraged her to "be free," and loved going sailing.

This piece was inked in two sittings by Craig Foster at Skinwerks Tattoo & Design in Atlanta.

Thanks to Syndy for sharing her beautiful tribute here at Tattoosday!