Ink Master season 9 spotlight: Meet Thom Bulman and Derek Zielinski of Classic Trilogy Tattoos

Classic Trilogy Tattoos looks to be representing the tattoo nerds out there on Ink Master season 9, which is something that we can really appreciate being that we are huge nerds here at CarterMatt (if you haven’t seen our instagram: @CarterMattTV – it’s pretty much all video gaming pictures and other nerdy delights). Thom Bulman and Derek Zielinski are the two guys coming to Ink Master that can boast a TON of ink — plus some nerdy sensibilities to go along with it. They’re bright, they are colorful, and they love creating tattoos that celebrate fun and their personalities.

Will these guys fare well in this competition? Based on the spotlight below, they have some big guns they are bringing to the game, but also a few things that could cause them trouble.

The story – The shop is in the town in Cortland, New York, which is a reasonable distance from New York City proper. It’s in a place that most city people would have to travel in order to visit it, and these guys seem like they could use the exposure just as much as the prize. They want to give themselves a better life, while also celebrating the tattoos and the style that they’re known for.

Their strengths – The creativity here is off the charts, and they may be willing to take on more ideas and styles of tattoos than some of the other contestants. They seem to have a good personality for handling the hardships that are going to probably come their way.

Weaknesses – Will these guys be willing to go off-brand? In terms of how they identify themselves, Thom and Derek seem to have a very specific audience more so than any other artists this season. Will they venture far from their comfort zone, or try to fit the challenges more to their style? They seem fairly well-rounded in terms of art ability, but not in the sort of things that they tend to draw. This could prove to be an issue by the end of the season since judges want to see versatility outside of an artists style.

Early prediction – Admittedly, Classic Trilogy Tattoos are probably our guys to root for this season more so than anyone else mostly because they represent the nerd in all of us. As a fellow geek, it’s easy to get behind a personality that is not all that often featured on this show. Given the sort of artists that the judges tend to lean towards, however, it’s hard to be optimistic that they are the shop that comes out on top. Time will tell this season.

How do you think that Thom and Derek are going to fare on Ink Master season 9? Share in the comments!

Meanwhile, head over here to get some other news when it comes to Ink Master right now, including other contestant spotlights. (Photo: Spike.)