Tucson tattoo artist Anthony Michaels was named the Season 7 winner of Spike TV's 'Ink Master' Tuesday night during a live finale.
Michaels says he was born and raised in Arizona and has been a tattoo artist for the last five years. He currently works at Metro Tattoo on Speedway Boulevard.
The excitement of his win could be felt Wednesday at the store.
"The further he got on the season, lots of calls, a lot of people want to talk to him and try and get tattooed by him," said Ridge Young, one of Michaels' coworkers at Metro Tattoo. They said they've definitely seen a spike in business and they're excited that he won.
Michaels competed against 15 of the top tattoo artists in the country to win the coveted title. As the winner, he will also receive a $100,000 cash prize and a spread in Inked magazine.
He had to create a master canvas as part of the finale that consisted of a chest piece and a sleeve. Michaels says he drew inspiration for his design from living in Arizona and specifically thought about his favorite view point on Mount Lemmon.
Wow... I did not see that coming going up against @Cleen_Rock_One and @ChristiaNation_. I am a lucky lucky man. Thank you EVERYONE ??
— Anthony Michaels (@Antmikes) May 25, 2016
