"If I can shake hands with an 87 year-old man who said he doesn’t have any tattoos but he was moved when he saw mine on TV; if I can come across a 10 year-old and they can say that they are excited by my stuff to create art, then I've done it," says Ink Master winner Anthony Michaels. With the great power of being able to show your tattoos to the masses through televison, comes great responsiblity to the tattoo community to be creative and technical. Though Mr. Michaels has only been legitimately tattooing for six years and was up against tattoo veterans with decades in the chair, he rightly deserved the crown. His tattoos were perfect and dynamic. He's not only a talent, he really cares about the craft. As you'll read in this interview he states, "There is more to tattooing than turning the purple to black."
How did you go from semi-pro basketball to embarking on a tattoo career?
Easy, I just made a choice. Growing up I wanted to be influential, I wanted to be a leader. A lot of my friends and peers were all athletes—we were all pretty talented—we played all the sports you can think of and basketball was my calling. I pursued it, was able to make some money, play a little college ball, play a little professional, but tattooing was always in the back of my mind. I was an artist before I was an athlete. In seventh grade I told myself that one day I wanted to be a tattoo artist while everybody was saying they wanted to be NBA stars and NFL stars and doctors and all this other crap. I wanted to go against the grain and do something that was taboo and unheard of. I always kept my artistic ability sharp, I was drawing and painting a lot. I did a lot of drawing for tattoo companies and tattoo clients, one being Enchanted Dragon here in town. And I just got tired, I needed change and decided to just make the jump. I had a long list of people waiting for me to tattoo. I had been drawing all of their artwork and sending them to reputable shops in town. It was my time. I didn’t like doing the odd jobs in the basketball offseason so it was time and I dove in.
Where did you get the interest in portrait tattoos?
This story is from the September/October 2016 edition of Inked.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September/October 2016 edition of Inked.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Leaving Her Mark
Shina Novalinga discusses her entry into throat singing, going viral on TikTok and getting her face tattooed
A Phoenix Rising
Salice Rose turned to social media when she was at her lowest. In doing so, she found her true calling
A Flower Growing In Concrete
Creating art has helped Jose López navigate through the darkest periods of his life
Carolesdaughter
As tattooed people, we seldom consider how our body art will impact the people around us. But, it only takes a stranger seeing one tattoo, one time, to change their entire worldview.
Hit the Jackpot
Rapper Latto on breaking into hip-hop, representing Atlanta and making her next big move.
Tess Holliday – Bombshell
Model and body positivity activist Tess Holliday channels her inner Pamela Anderson for this sexy shoot.
Bhad Bhabie
Bhad Bhabie took her 15 minutes of viral fame and turned it into a viable career. The rapper dishes on her only fans and upcoming new music.
Building a Work of Art
To celebrate the release of the 2022 Indian Chief the legend-ary motorcycle company got together two of the world’s most sought after builders, Paul Cox and Keino Sasaki, to customize a bike for celebrated tattoo artist Nikko Hurtado.
Adam Weitsman
Social media forever altered our perception, in ways both large and small. Not only has it changed the way we look at other people, it changed the way we present ourselves to the world. With every post he makes on Instagram, Adam Weitsman is fully aware of the latter.
Problem – All The Answers
Problem has the perseverance and drive to make his dreams come true. We spoke with the rapper about his latest mixtape, entrepreneurship and how his tattoos remind him of what’s important in life.
