January 8, 2018
Lexington woman competes in new season of tattoo TV series to win $100,000
Lexington tattoo artist Rachael Head will be one of 24 contestants on the new series of Spike TV’s “Ink Master,” a tattoo competition show that ends with one contestant being told they have what it takes to be “Ink Master.”
Head is one of the owners of Black Rose Tattoo at 119 North Mill St. She is married to Chris Head and has two young children, Veronica and Johnny.
The twist to this edition of the series is that the initial 24 contestants will be put through a series of tattoo-style challenges that include “human canvases” in order to be selected for the teams of three former “Masters”: Steve Tefft of Season 2, Anthony Michaels of Season 7 and DJ Tambe of Season 9.
Each team will have six members. The winning artist will win $100,000 and an editorial feature in Inked magazine. Tefft, Michaels and Tamble will also compete against each other to win $100,000 of their own, according to a release.
The judging panel for “Ink Master” includes musician Dave Navarro and tattoo artists Chris Nunez and Oliver Peck.
Head describes her tattooing style as “bold, dark, girly and traditional with a twist.” The release also notes that Head is “ready to show that girls can run the competition.”
Ryan Ashley Malarkey was the first woman to win Ink Master, after eight seasons on the air.
Head said she was recruited for the show by a casting director who had seen her Instagram account. She describes herself as noncompetitive, but responded to an e-mail seeking to cast her in the show.
“Me, thinking it was an Internet joke, said, “Sure, tell me more,’” Head said.
Head said about her “Inkmaster” experience: “I met a lot of really great people and I had a ton of fun. I would tell my friends to apply for it.”
By Cheryl Truman
Lexington Herald Leader
