Local tattoo artist Garrett Bisbee is competing on the reality show "Ink Master." Writer Jim Stingl gives us Bisbee's story. Wochit
Most of Garrett Bisbee's body is densely decorated with tattoos. It's his passion and the way he makes a living.
"I almost got my forehead done last year, but my girlfriend at the time talked me out of it. I still think about doing it all the time," he tells me when we meet at the shop in Milwaukee where he works, Riverwest Tattoo Co. He's at @garrettbtattoo on Instagram.
You first notice the cicada inked on his right temple, followed by the vivid colors on his neck. Below that, the only skin that still qualifies as a blank canvass is the back of his thighs, and probably not for long. The rest is body art.
His right arm is black from covering older tattoos he didn't like anymore. His right hand is home to a Japanese river monster, his left to a witch. His fingers spell the word explorer on one side and patience on the other.
He draws beautifully and tattoos his creations on his customers, though often they have their own designs in mind. Like the guy who wanted a Confederate flag and the word "Yee-haw" on his butt.
There's a reality show on Spike TV that heard about Garrett and invited him to be one of 24 tattoo artists vying for the title that's also the name of the show, "Ink Master." The winner gets $100,000 and serious bragging rights. At age 23, Garrett is the youngest competitor.
This 10th season's first episode aired last week, and the second is at 9 p.m. Tuesday. You can also watch it on Spike.com. Garrett posted on Facebook recently, "I'm gonna be on TV next week, and I don't even have TV."
He recently spent three weeks of filming in New York and New Jersey, all expenses paid. What you see on TV is a small fraction of the many hours of shooting.
The contestants are divided into three teams, each coached by a winner from a previous season. Volunteers provide the skin to be adorned. Experts do the judging, and they talk about line work and color play and solid shading.
One of the judges pondering Garrett's spider tattoo on the first episode raves, "Definitely a distinct style. We might have somebody who stands out in a crowd."
The show has its share of braggarts and trash talkers, which makes Garrett's quiet humility a welcome contrast.
"I honestly didn't expect to be in the top nine," he says after judges put him there. "I've only been tattooing three and a half years, so to be put alongside all those guys feels pretty awesome."
Reality shows thrive on the contestants' provocative backstories, even if they have to embellish a bit. The press release sent out about Garrett said he "was the black sheep of a family full of doctors and scholars. Now he's ready to prove to his family that his tattooing is on par with their success."
Garrett moved around a lot growing up, including four years in Japan where he would catch the cicadas that would inspire his facial tattoo. The family moved to East Troy when Garrett was a teen. His father, Mark, is a retired Navy commander who teaches nursing. His mother, Cindy, homeschooled Garrett and three siblings.
It's true that Garrett's parents worried whether tattooing would provide him with an adequate living, but they are supportive. He even tattooed each of them, nothing too elaborate, and didn't charge his usual $125 an hour.
"I'm very proud of him," Cindy told me. "I always thought Garrett would go into some kind of science, but he was always artistic, too. I would encourage the kids to do whatever their passions were. He thought through what he wanted and he went for it."
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Garrett served as an apprentice to Matt Kraft of Tattoo Creations in Mukwonago and considers him a mentor.
Garrett got his first tattoo at age 18, a small flower on his foot and the word Mom. There was no turning back after that. His parents took him to church a few times a week, and he would sometimes sit there and make sketches. He developed what he calls a neo-traditional style.
Win or lose on the TV show, Garrett plans to make tattooing his life's work.
"It's just the coolest thing making people bleed and giving them artwork that will be on them forever."
Contact Jim Stingl at (414) 224-2017 or jstingl@jrn.com. Connect with my public page at Facebook.com/Journalist.Jim.Stingl