Kyra Torres dreamed of working in dentistry, but after becoming a dental assistant, when her boyfriend got a tattoo, she bought her own tattoo supplies and never looked back. Now, Torres will represent Vancouver in the latest season of Ink Master, competing against tattoo artists from all over the world to put their hometowns on the map.
Hosted by Good Charlotte frontman Joel Madden, Ink Master returns for its 17th season, streaming on Paramount+ around the world, with three Canadian artists vying for bragging rights and a $250,000 cash prize. Tattooing requires a lot of technical precision and patience as it is, but the pressure of cameras, criticism from judges, and hometown pride didn’t faze Torres one bit.
“With the wrong mindset, you could take [criticism] the wrong way or to heart, but I took it to my workbench,” she says. “I’m going to have to apply these things and be open and listen, otherwise I’m not going to get too far.”
Torres only started tattooing six years ago, first working on trusting friends before apprenticing at the now-defunct Royal Rose Tattoo Studio in New Westminster and then opening Ink House Tattoo Studio in Surrey. Growing up, she describes herself as having been “that art kid” in school, always fascinated by the way oil paintings from the Renaissance era were able to capture realism before the advent of photography. This translates into her black-and-grey realist style when she puts ink and needle to skin.
“I do find joy in it,” she notes. “My style is very literal, so trying to create something new that someone doesn’t have is a daily challenge.”
Ink Master certainly brought its share of challenges. The hardest part for Torres was going head-to-head with the new community of artists she’s grown close to while filming the show, some with decades of experience who shared different techniques and advice, inspiring her with their willingness to help the next generation of tattoo artists. “It felt nice to be seen and heard,” she says. “I had to sop up everything I could like a sponge.”
Representing Vancouver tattoo culture is no small feat either. The city has a rich tattoo history, beginning with Indigenous peoples who practised tattooing for generations long before white settlers and commercial tattoo parlours arrived. In the 1900s, artists specializing in hand-poked techniques, traditional Japanese tattooing, and western flash set up their practices in rooming houses and hotels, before moving into penny arcades a few decades later.
“The different cultures that learn to love each other and create communities, that’s what makes me feel at home,” Torres says, “I want artists around the world to come visit Canada to keep that connection alive.”
She is in the process of relocating Ink House Tattoo Studio to a larger location in Langley, hoping to create a hub to nurture artists and their clientele, bringing back the community feel of “old tattoo shop culture” and making Metro Vancouver a destination for enthusiasts and guest spots alike.
“You put your heart on your sleeve,” she says. “There’s no other way of growing.”
Ink Master premieres October 29 on Paramount+, with new episodes streaming weekly.
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