Nikko Hurtado | |
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Born | Nicholas Humberto Hurtado March 12, 1981 |
Other names | Nicholas, Nick |
Occupation(s) | Tattoo artist, Television personality |
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 Ink Master 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 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 art classes at Pasadena's Center for the Arts with a friend, tattooer Mike Demasi. It was a visit to Demasi at Art Junkies Tattoo Studio in Hesperia [3] [8] which springboarded him on a tattoo journey where he started apprenticing in 2002. [3] He has tattooed around the globe [10] and given many instructional seminars about the use of his color theory and technique.
Hurtado is married to Joanne [11] and is a father of three. [9]
Hurtado opened his own tattoo shop in 2010, Black Anchor Collective in Hesperia, California. He opened his new location Black Anchor in Los Angeles, California on Melrose Ave in 2017. [3] He has been featured on LA Ink and Ink Master , as well as several instructional DVDs. [12] [13] Hurtado has become known as the go-to artist for color realism tattoos. His celebrity clients include Vanessa Bryant, Sean Combs, Dwayne Johnson, Drake, and Wale. [14]
Hurtado's first gained tattoo recognition in 2003 when a client entered the Pomona Tattoo Portrait Contest and placed first with Hurtado's color rendition of Batman. [3]
In 2012, Hurtado participated as a jury member for the Chaudesaigues Award, [15] [16] an award that recognizes the career and the artistic choices of a tattoo artist.
Hurtado's first solo art show in 2013 was titled "Renati" and shown at Corpro Gallery in Santa Monica, California. [17]
Source: [4]
Hurtado has appeared on three episodes of LA Ink with Kat Von D. [16] [18]
In 2022, Hurtado became a judge for the 14th season of Ink Master, which began airing on September 7, 2022. Hurtado returned as a judge for Ink Master season 15, which premiered on November 1, 2023. [19]