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Nikko Hurtado | |
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| Born | Nicholas Humberto Hurtado March 12, 1981 |
| Other names | Nicholas, Nick |
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Nicholas Humberto Hurtado, known as Nikko Hurtado, is an American tattoo artist who specializes in colored portraiture. [1] His signature hyper-realistic color portraits have made him a renowned figure in the tattoo industry with a massive celebrity client list. [2] He has numerous television appearances on shows such as LA Ink, Tattoo Wars, and Ink Master , [3] [4] becoming a judge on the lattermost in 2022. [5] [6] Hurtado is the founder of Black Anchor Collective in Hesperia, California, and Black Anchor Los Angeles in Hollywood, California, [3] [2] both within Black Anchor Worldwide. [7]
Hurtado was born to a Mexican welder and a Hispanic housemaker in the San Fernando Valley, California, on March 12, 1981. [3] [8] Hurtado was drawn to art early [9] and developed his drawing abilities through classes with his friend, tattooer Mike Demasi, at the Art Center of Pasadena. He was propelled into a tattooing career by a visit to Demasi in his Art Junkies Tattoo Studio in Hesperia. [3] [8] [10] It was there where he started apprenticing in 2002. [3] He has tattooed around the globe [11] and given many instructional seminars about the use of his color theory and technique.
Hurtado is married to Joanne, [12] the mother of his three children. [9]
Hurtado opened his own tattoo shop in 2010, Black Anchor Collective in Hesperia. He opened a new Black Anchor location on Melrose Ave in Los Angeles, California, in 2017. [3] He has been featured on LA Ink and Ink Master , as well as several instructional DVDs. [13] [14] Hurtado has become known as a go-to artist for color realism tattoos. His celebrity clients include Vanessa Bryant, Sean Combs, Dwayne Johnson, Drake, and Wale. [15]
Hurtado first gained tattoo recognition in 2003 when a client entered the Pomona Tattoo Portrait Contest and he placed first with his color rendition of Batman. [3]
In 2012, Hurtado participated as a jury member for the Chaudesaigues Award, [16] [17] an award that recognizes the career and the artistic choices of a tattoo artist.
Hurtado's first solo art show was titled "Renati" and shown at Copro Gallery [18] in Santa Monica, California, in 2013. [19]
Hurtado appeared on three episodes of LA Ink with Kat Von D. [17] [20]
In 2022, Hurtado became a judge on the 14th season of Ink Master , which began airing on September 7, 2022. Hurtado returned as a judge for season 15, which premiered on November 1, 2023. [21] Season 16 premiered on October 23, 2024.
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