‘Ink Master: Rivals’ exclusive: Don Peddicord on judges, favorite tattoo and elimination
Don Peddicord may not have had one of those crazy huge personalities that took over “Ink Master: Rivals” this season, but he was someone that had strong tattoos, cool designs, and let his artwork speak for it’s self.
And his artwork really did speak for it’s self as he lasted a lot longer then some of the huge personalities that may have done better to take Don’s approach: Focusing on their artwork and less on the drama. Unfortunately we lost Don this week, but we had a chance to talk to him about his time on the show, which tattoo he was most proud of and why he enjoyed being critiqued by the judges.
CarterMatt.com: Before being on Ink Master had you watched any of the show?
Don Peddicord: I’ve watched every episode of every season, I’ve been a huge fan since day one.
How did you end up getting cast on the show?
I’ve tried out for previous seasons, but didn’t make it clearly. The rivalry with Erik I guess pushed me into the mix.
What was your favorite challenge this season?
The challenge i had most fun with this season, was the flash challenge that we had to tattoo amputees. My canvas Mike had a story that really hit close to home with me and meeting him has inspired even further in my life.
What tattoo were you most proud of?
The tattoo that I’m most proud of in this competition is a tough call between my dead wood piece on Mike’s thigh, or my bio-organic piece on Tracy’s ribs. Both were very touch and inspiring people and i was honored to added my artwork to them forever that added to their stories.
Were you surprised that you were eliminated instead of Jason and why?
I was completely blindsided even being in the bottom of the skull challenge. No one saw that coming not even the other contestants. I definitely felt i was unfairly eliminated because even by the judges own admission i didn’t have the worst tattoo of the day. They just thought Jason had more potential moving forward, so i was eliminated for future tattoos that I haven’t even done yet, seems legit right?
Did you find that the judges critiques were helpful or did it just add to the stress?
I may be the only contestant in the history of the competition to really enjoyed being critiqued. It was extremely helpful not only in the competition but moving forward in my career.
If clients want to get a tattoo done by you, what is the best way for them to get in touch with you?
Clients looking to be tattooed by me can stay tuned into my many social networks including, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr. Anyone can contact me Via my email at [email protected]
———–
A very special thank you to Don for chatting with us about his time on the show. He may not have been dominating the screen every week, but we really enjoyed watching him tattoo.