Automated tattoo machines are just a passing fad and won’t ever replace human-to-human interaction in the ink game — that’s how a couple flesh-and-blood masters of the craft see it.We spoke with “Ink Master” winner Bobby Johnson and fellow contestant Aaron Davis — who both appeared in Season 15 together — about the recent robot-human tattoo collab that took the internet by storm, and both guys slammed the entire concept.
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Right off the bat, Bobby calls the tech tattoo trend ridiculous … likening it to a factory production line of food, and calling it out for lacking heart and passion.
When Bobby tattoos, he says he designs tats for a person’s specific body type and makes changes as needed — so, he says he’s not sure how a robot could provide the same comprehensive experience if it’s just going off coded instructions.In other words … Bobby says there’s nothing quite like the human touch for tattooing.He’s also straight-up questioning the tech here, too … openly wondering what happens to a local tattoo parlor if the machine breaks down suddenly, and needs to be repaired.
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As for Aaron, he says he thinks this new technology is just a fad, and while he’s convinced the machine might have some basic tattoo skills … he says that doesn’t make it a true artist.Still, he thinks some people will go the robot route. For instance, Aaron says the rich and famous — or as he puts it, the Kardashians of the world — will probably buy into this body art novelty.
Dillon Forte & Blackdot
We broke the story … artist Dillon Forte worked with a machine built by tech company Blackdot to collaborate on a sci-fi/space-themed tattoo, and the parts created by the automated artist looked damn near identical to Forte’s design.But, it seems the trained eyes aren’t having any of that … and the ‘Ink Masters’ don’t expect human tattoo artists to be put out of work anytime soon.
