‘Ink Master Angels’: How Ryan And Nikki Make Their Mark As Tattooers

“Ink Master: Angels” is a new competition series that brings together four of “Ink Master” Season 8's top female competitors. Cameras will follow Ryan Ashley, Kelly Doty, Nikki Simpson and Gia Rose as they compete with some of the most talented tattoo artists across the nation. Each competitor has a chance to go head-to-head with one of the “Angels,” and possibly earn a spot on Season 10 of “Ink Master.”

International Business Times got a moment to catch up with Ashely and Simpson, who explained the series to the IBT cameras. They also talked about their personal tattoo styles, what it’s like to be a woman in the tattoo industry, what they would be doing if they weren’t on reality TV star and named some of their favorite tattoo artists.

Ashely argued women in the tattoo industry haven’t received proper recognition — until now. “There have been female tattooers from the very beginning who were they pioneers… they just never were able to be given the recognition they deserved because I think a lot of the time there’s a stereotype of there’s a stigma attached to a female tattooer,” Ashely said. “In recent years with the popularity of tattoo television and tattoos being so available on the internet and in media and everything, I think everyone has the option now to explore different artists. And a lot of these really, really amazing artists are female — and we do face our own hardships and our own battles.”

Simpson had a similar view.

“That’s always been a struggle for a female in any male-dominated industry because it’s almost like you have to overcompensate with your work,” she said. “A lot of people can underestimate you, because they’re going to expect you to take advantage of being a female tattooer and put the sexualized part of being a woman first, which does grab the public’s attention.”

What’s most important about being a female tatooer is the work she puts out.

“What we’re doing is we’re trying to take every critique and every negative comment or every stereotype and we’re trying to break it and show that you don’t have to be one thing or another — you don’t have to fit into a certain category,” Ashley said. “Yes we are women. But first and foremost we are tattooers.”

“I feel the value of a female tattoo artist should not necessarily be about her looks or her presence or the style that she necessarily portrays. I think it’s about her work,” Simpson added.

Season 8 of “Ink Master” broke boundaries because it was the first time four strong female tattoo artists banded together and produced some of the best tattoos on the season. Ashely and Doty made it to the finale, with Ashley pulling ahead at the end and ultimately winning the season.

“As the ‘Ink Master’ franchise continues to grow, we are thrilled to work with Ryan Ashley, Kelly Doty, Nikki Simpson and Gia Rose on ‘Ink Master: Angels,’” said Chachi Senior, Senior Vice President, Alternative Programming & Development, Spike/Paramount Network, in a press release. “The fan-favorite females of Season 8 will add a new voice to the franchise and help us discover the best artists around the country.”

Don’t miss “Ink Master: Angels” when it premieres on Spike Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 10 p.m. EDT.

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