Halfway through Season 12 of Ink Master: Battle of The Sexes, oftentimes described as one of the most talented and educated artists on the show, Dani Ryan is dominating the competition in her quiet and reserved way. This tattoo artist from Acushnet, Massachusetts has been skating through the competition with her diverse artistic ability and obsession with detail.
In Season 12 of Ink Master: Battle of The Sexes, teams of male and female tattoo artists battle against each other to win $100,000 and the coveted title of Ink Master. The women's team started off on the wrong foot - with the help of Dani - but has since bounced back by winning the majority of the flash challenges. As the contestant with the least amount of experience in the whole competition, Dani felt overwhelmed with the idea of facing her competitors who have decades more experience than her. Although she only has two and a half years of tattooing experience, Dani's technical skills and formal education had set her above the rest since day one of the competition, often outshining the contestants who have been tattooing for 20+ years. Other Ink Master contestants recognized Dani as being a huge threat through her design and style abilities as early as episode one.
Dani, who is more comfortable tattooing in black and grey, has been forced out of her comfort zone and has constantly been impressing judges with her versatility by perfectly executing tattoos in all styles thrown at her. She has been praised by the judges for her line work, shading, and smooth application, as well as her unexpectedly pristine color tattoos. After seeing the self-proclaimed mediator shy away from the cameras as she produces mastery level tattoos, Screen Rant sat down with Dani to talk about how she feels about being the least-experienced tattooer on the show, being a perfectionist, and how she managed to handle the stress and drama of the show.
Tell me some background information on yourself. How did you go from illustration to tattooing?
It was seamless. Being a custom tattoo artist, you're basically an illustrator because you take people's ideas and you bring them to life. It was definitely seamless. And all of the tattoo artists in my shop, they all studied illustration, so I think they respected that when they took me on as an apprentice. It was an easy transition.
I understand you have 2.5 years of tattooing under your belt. As the tattoo artist with the least amount of experience of all of the contestants on this season, how do you think you compare to the other artists with decades of experience?
I mean it definitely affected my confidence; not that I have that much to begin with. I mean, I knew a lot of people coming on the show had tons of experience. But I think it also gave me a little bit of an edge because I haven't really been doing one style for so long that I'm kind of stuck in those ways. It kind of helped me to keep my eye open for different styles and different techniques. I hadn't done a lot of color, so far in my career, so that was intimidating. But what's great is that it forced me to do it; I kind of have a new appreciation for it and I want to do a lot more now because I realized that I'm actually pretty good at it. I knew as time went on I would be getting better and learning new things. I will continuously be learning. I consider myself a forever student. I know there will be more things in the future that I will pick up on that I love. I will probably be changing up my styles for the rest of my life.
How did you end up on the show?
Somehow, they found me. It's completely by pure luck. I think they found me through the Baltimore tattoo convention a few years back. They must have either been there and met me or they found me through the website. They sent an email to my shop. And I honestly thought that it was a joke. Because I'm literally like a nobody. Nobody knows who I am. I was genuinely surprised. We responded back, went through the whole interview process, and somehow, by some miracle, I ended up on the show. It's crazy.
It's amazing that you ended up on the show with people who have been tattooing for decades. Was that intimidating for you?
I was just a lot of the time just happy to be there. Like I said, I had next to no following when I started this whole thing. I was still learning, still so early in my career. There were people who have a huge following and they have been tattooing for 25 plus years. I was like, I have no chance. So I just kind of put my head down and worked.
Were you a fan of Ink Master before you were on it?
I was definitely aware of the show. I never really watched it. To be honest, not a lot of professional tattoo artist really watch it, unless they have friends on it. They aren't really fans of the drama. I usually would only watch some of the finales, just to see who would win, you know what I mean? Other than that, not really, I'm not really a fan of reality television. I hate drama. I try to avoid it as much as humanly possible. So I don't watch reality television at all. Well, I figured it would be good for the career - get my name out there, show people my work, show people what I can do. I talked about it with my mentor and the people at my shop and we all kind of came to the decision that it would be a good idea.
You describe yourself on the show as a “mediator” and seem to avoid drama at all costs. What did you think of all of the drama that happened on the show? Did you find it hard to live with all of these complete strangers?
Well, definitely living with a bunch of new people is, well, not something I'm unfamiliar with. I mean, I went to college, had roommates that I'd never met before. I think the whole living scenario is also designed to kind of stress you out, outside of the competition, because you're living with 17 other strangers and there are only two bathrooms, not a lot of living space between all of us. We weren't allowed to leave; we had to be chaperoned like 24/7. I think that alone definitely got people on edge after a while. Once you start realizing who people are - person to person - sometimes you just don't mesh with other people. That's just the way it is.
But the drama, like I said, I just kind of avoid it as much as possible; I just kind of dodge it. If you notice, I kind of don't talk that much during those scenes. If I do talk, it's because I was forced to say something. I mean, they were like, "Danielle what do you think? Dani, chime in!" They try to like push you to say something, but a lot of the times, I was just like, "I got nothing." I figured less was more, so if I didn't say anything, I wasn't giving them any ammo to use on the show. The more people got eliminated, the more I had to talk because there were less people to fill that space.
How did you feel about the way the show portrayed you due to the fact that you really didn't talk much? Do you think you were able to show who you really are? Did your image really matter to you?
Not really, as long as the work I put out was presentable enough. Like I said, I tried not to give them much ammo to use against me, because you know, they gotta make a show. The facial expressions are pretty much me. A lot of my reactions are just painted on my face a lot of the times. So far, so good. I am not getting much negative feedback, but it's not over yet.
Did you feel like you played much of a social game in terms of backstabbing and trying to get into peoples' heads?
No. I kind of just put my head down and worked. I figured, in my mind, as long as my tattoos were good, I should keep moving forward. I mean, everybody had their own plan for what they were going to do. For me, I just figured, do a good tattoo, keep your head above water. I really wanted to stay under the radar for the most part through the first couple weeks and just kind fo skate by and just kind of get to the next challenge. That was kind of my plan. I'm a genuinely a friendly person. So, just be friends with everyone and hope for the best.
Are there any previous Ink Masters or tattoo artists in general that you strive to be like?
Kelly Doty is so freaking awesome. She's in the next episodes coming up; she's one of the coaches. I was super fan-girling when she came on. I was so excited to meet her. She was very sweet; kind of like me, jokes around a lot. I didn't really get a chance to talk to her that much, but I love her work and I love her attitude. I would say she's probably my favorite from the past seasons. She's just so flipping talented. It's insane. And she knows what she's talking about. I like people who are educated, who really study what they're doing.
Ink Master describes you as “Dani is a perfectionist with incredible attention to detail.” How do you think the obsession with detail helped you so far in the competition?
Well, I mean having OCD definitely gives you an edge. Whenever I pull a line or whenever I'm shading or anything like that, I'm so focused in on making sure everything is perfect. Especially when you're in a competition, you want to do your best. So, a lot of the tattoos took me longer than the other contestants because I was so focused in on what I was doing to make everything as perfect as I could. It helps because it makes the tattoos cleaner and technically applied well, and so I think it definitely helps to be nit-picky.
I also read that your favorite styles to tattoo are illustrative, back, and grey. Which tattoo challenge thus far on the season was the easiest for you to do?
I mean, I definitely don't think any of the challenges were easy for me. I always overcomplicate things in my mind before I start doing them. Before I started tattooing, I would be incredibly stressed out. Before the needle hit the skin, I was like panic attack 24/7. The first individual tattoo we did was black and grey; I was glad we eased into it with black and grey because I had already done a lot of that in my short career. So I definitely felt comfortable with anything that had to do with black and grey. But it seems like, so far, just from watching the episodes, it looks like I do color better than I do black and grey. Like I said, it was all new experiences. Like this last week, that was my first Hannya mask I had ever done, and my first new school tattoos I've ever done. So, all of it was really stressful.
Which tattoo, so far, was the most out of your comfort zone and the most challenging?
Probably the cross-stitch tattoo. I had seen cross-stitch tattoos before on Pinterest, but I had never executed one. I mean, almost all of us had no idea what the hell we were doing. I think I just kind of lucked out on the subject I got. I mean, my mother is a seamstress and she's done cross-stitch before, so I just kind of like thought about what it looked like. It was incredibly tedious and having to switch from color to color, that was really hard to make sure everything was lined up. That was definitely stressful, for sure.
You’ve been described as one of the best tattooers on the show and Holli thinks that you should have won Tattoo of the Day many times, but have been beaten out by the men. Do you think it would be a better idea to do blind judging or at least have women on the panel of judges?
I honestly don't think gender has anything to do with it, to be honest. I was there and watched the way they are judging. I mean, you don't see a lot of critiques. A lot of people got critiqued for at least five to ten minutes, and you get to see 20 seconds of what the judges are saying. So, they consider a lot of things. I honestly think the judges are seeing things from a judges perspective, not a male perspective. Just personally, I don't think they're biased. They seem like artists critiquing other artists. And art is so subjective; everybody has an opinion on art, whether they like it or don't like it. The judges could like something that I think is completely horrible or vice-versa. All artists have their own feelings when they look at a piece. So, it's really hard if you feel like you're stuck between a crossroads of two pieces that you think are really good; you have to rely on, when it comes to tattoos anyways, technical ability and legibility - all aspects of tattoos other than it's a pretty picture. I personally don't think it had anything to do with gender. I think they voted how they felt.
What did you think when you heard the theme of Season 12 was Battle of the Sexes?
I definitely was happy to be on a team. It kind of spreads out the responsibility, especially when we do team stuff. I mean, growing up, I think I had more guy friends I think than girl friends, I played a lot of sports, and I was kind of a tomboy; I have a lot of brothers. So I probably connect mentally with dudes better. But I've played on sports teams with all women. Either way, I'm cool with it. The Battle of the Sexes theme, I think, is definitely something to get people to watch the show; especially now, in the society that we are in when gender is such a fluid thing at the moment. I was surprised that they decided to do it because of that reason.
It's a difficult subject for sure, but I think they did it because people are going to want to watch that. And this season has had the most female contestants of all of the seasons, so it definitely evens the playing field a little more. I'm surprised they don't do it like that more often. I mean there hasn't been a lot of female tattooers in the industry until now, so I'm sure they have a lot more options for female tattooers to come on the show. I think that it should always be equal. The playing field is even. And no matter what, if you're a good artist, you're going to be moving forward. I don't think gender really matters. I think it shows the guys had just as much drama as the girls did. The guys had just as many challenges as the girls did. I think it was an equal playing field all around.
The girls’ team has been winning most of the flash challenges so far in the season. Which was easier for you: the flash challenges or the tattoo work on your own?
I really like the flash challenges, actually. I find that I love working with different mediums. I've always dabbled in a bunch of different stuff; this really took it to the next level, but I have fun making art out of stuff. I definitely enjoyed the flash challenges a lot more. It felt a lot less stressful. Especially because we had to work together and make something really cool out of the most random stuff, like coffee. Who makes art out of coffee? I love trying new things and working with new materials, so I had a blast at the flash challenges.
What was the most enticing part of the prize for you? Was it the $100,000, the featured story in Ink Magazine, or the title?
Probably the publicity; getting my name out there, getting my shop's name out there. My mentor is an incredibly talented artist and he doesn't get the credit he deserves. I'm not just trying to get my name out there, but everybody at my shop - all of the artists that work there. Their skills need to be seen. So, I'm not just doing it for me. I'm doing it for all of the artists I know who should be seen as well. It was also a personal challenge for myself. I have really bad anxiety and it keeps me from doing a lot of things. That is something I really considered when I got the chance to be on the show. I was unsure of myself that I could do it.
When you have anxiety, you kind of think of all of the bad things that could go wrong at once. Should I go on the show? Am I going to make a fool out of myself? I was just really afraid of looking dumb. I tried to put aside all of that anxieties and worries and just dive in and do it. I have had family members who had the opportunity to do really big things and they didn't do it because they have really bad anxiety. I was trying to break that mold and try to just put my head down and bust through it and do the best I can. That and winning $100,000 would be nice. I am drowning in student debt. There are tons of reasons why I decided to do it. If I am able to win the $100,000, I can almost pay off all my student loans. I would be able to contribute to the bills at home, and my boyfriend can stop leaving for Afghanistan all of the time and be able to stay home more. There are tons of reasons that spiderweb out into other reasons.
What can viewers expect to see the rest of the season?
You can expect more really cool art. Some really funky creative ideas. There will definitely be some dramatic twist and turns.
Who would you consider was the biggest female threat?
Laura. Laura is so talented. From literally the first tattoo that we all did together, meeting her and looking at her work and seeing how she does things creatively, I mean, I could relate to her on an artistic level outside of tattooing. She's an illustrator, she's an incredible artist naturally. Her talent is just unreal. From the very beginning, I knew she was going to be the biggest competition on the whole show, never mind just on the female side. She's so talented it's insane. As long as a woman wins this thing, it will be pretty cool. You know, male vs female - I would prefer a female winning; I think it would be pretty great, whether it's me or another one on the team.
Who would you consider your biggest male competitor?
I think Jake is super talented as a tattoo artist. He's been doing it a long time and kind of grown up in the industry. Cam is very talented, but don't tell him I said that - he already knows. I think Jason is very creative. Incredibly creative. That plays a big role. You have to have a good imagination to come up with cool stuff. And Pon, he knows a lot; he's been around for a long time. He's got a lot of insight into the industry and he's done a lot of different types of things, and Pon is super good at black and grey.
What did you take away from the show?
A lot. I learned so many new techniques and learned a lot of new things about myself. I have a lot more respect for people who have been on the show; not that I didn't before. But it's so much harder than people think. It's a lot harder. It's for sure a mental game as it is an artistic competition. You really have to have the right mindset to keep moving forward. There were tattoos where I would start it and be like, "If I leave right now, do you think people would notice? What if I just run away now?" Almost every single tattoo I started, I wanted to run. It was definitely a mental game, for sure. I learned a lot about myself, a lot of new techniques, and I made a lot of friends - a ton of new friends - and a lot of connections, and that's huge in the tattoo industry.
So, do you have any big plans for your future in tattooing?
Not really big plans. I plan to just keep doing what I'm doing. I would like to travel more, at some point. My shop's not really big on conventions - we maybe do two a year. I'd like to do a few more and socialize a bit more. I am not anti-social. I can be very social, but a lot of times I like to keep to myself. I kind of want to open up a bit more and talk to people. I am a very content person; my life is family simple. My boyfriend and I just bought a house. I am a fairly simple human. As long as I can pay the bills, travel, and see him more often, then I'm a pretty happy gal. I don't need much.