CHAD CHASE: "If you’re a great artist and we meet and you’re a prick, then I’m not impressed with you anymore, no matter how good you are at tattooing."

MIKE COLE: "How did I get into tattooing? FATE."

STEFANO ALCANTARA:  "My style is realism, but I try to put a signature spin with textures to achieve a surreal vibe."

VINCENT CASTIGLIA: "As a tattooer, I’m a black-and-gray artist. I like doing realistic work. As an artist, I suppose the work would be considered surrealist. It’s figurative and surrealistic."

JOSH STEPHENS: "I always liked tattoos growing up, so I started getting tattooed pretty much right away. The more I got tattooed, the more I had this feeling that it was what I wanted to do. Although I never drew and felt like I wasn’t very artistic, for some reason I really thought I could do it."