One word adorns the exterior of Classic Trilogy Tattoos: “tattoo,” displayed in all caps on a bright yellow sign. But after walking through the parlor’s door, it’d be easy for someone to forget they’re in a tattoo shop.

Collectible toys, memorabilia and artwork from comics and movies, like “Star Wars” and the Marvel series, fill the walls and tables of the shop. That’s how owner and artist Thom Bulman made the space his own.

The shop, which is housed on Brewerton Road in Mattydale, opened in August 2015. Two years later, Bulman competed as an artist on the ninth, and most recent, season of the Spike hit TV show “Ink Master.” The show’s finale will air Tuesday night, and the final three shops — Black Cobra Tattoo, Basilica Tattoo and Old Town Ink — will compete for $200,000 and a feature in Inked magazine.

“When you’re first on there, it’s kind of surreal,” Bulman said. “It takes a few episodes to really get used to it. But then once you get used to it it’s easy to do. Maybe you get a little too comfortable, and maybe that’s why people make mistakes.”

Bulman brought his friend and former co-worker, Derek Zielinski, to represent Classic Trilogy. He said he thought their differing styles would give them an advantage over pairs who may not be able to handle everything. Bulman would handle the cartoons, sculpted lines and pure saturation, and Zielinski would tackle the realism and portraits.

 

 

Leigh Ann Rodgers | Staff Photographer

Bulman and Zielinski made it through 10 episodes before getting voted off by judges Chris Nunez, Oliver Peck and Dave Navarro after the portrait competition, when they were challenged to create matching portrait tattoos based on a photo.

“We both wanted to have the leader mentality,” Zielinski said. “So that was kind of hard for us to pair up as a team and allow each other’s strengths to show, so it took us a couple episodes to get in a rhythm that worked for us.”

But, it worked out well, Zielinski said. They each had their own ways of approaching the process, so they had to iron out their approach to make it work for both artists.

Bulman calls himself a “tattoonist,” a combination of cartoonist and tattoo artist. He got into tattooing in high school, when he wanted to be a cartoonist for Disney. After seeing that conventional animation was declining, Bulman switched into the music scene. He toured around the world with bands while drawing tattoos for people on the side.

About 10 years ago he left the road lifestyle to learn how to put a needle to skin and make his drawings permanent.

A couple years after Bulman learned how to tattoo, “Ink Master” aired its first season on Spike. He’s watched every season since.

“The guy that taught me how to tattoo — his name’s Dave Kruseman — he won a few seasons back, so I was already familiar with it at that point, too,” Bulman said. “Then Ryan Ashley, who won last season, I used to work in the same area down in Pennsylvania with her. She’s the one who actually referred me to the producers to get me on the show.”

When Classic Trilogy opened two years ago, Evan Lewis started an apprenticeship with Bulman. Now, he works as a full-time artist at the shop.

Lewis said he always thought tattoos were cool because he and his three older sisters were interested in school art projects, and he would always see them come home with new ink.

He first met Bulman when Bulman tattooed a coffin on his bicep at Ascend Gallery in Cortland. After hearing his friend was working at Classic Trilogy when it opened, Lewis reached out to Bulman for an apprenticeship under him at the shop.

“All my art teachers told me I should stay in the art field somehow,” Lewis said. “I always thought there was absolutely no way to pay your bills and do all this at the same time. I started getting tattooed and realized that could be a really cool option.”

Leigh Ann Rodgers | Staff Photographer

Although Lewis said he would like to specialize in the new-school style like Bulman, he knows he has to learn all the styles to become a good tattoo artist.

Bulman goes to tattoo conventions around the country, where he meets tattoo artists who he considers part of the core group of genuine tattoo artists.

“As far as the quality of artist, like the ones who are ‘new to the circuit’ and putting out good work, we all are aware of each other and we know of each other. That’s still pretty small,” Bulman said.

Although Bulman said the group of quality artists is small, he thinks the world of tattooing is growing, and more people are getting tattoos. When he went on the show, “Ink Master” representatives told him each episode has about 4 million viewers.

One of Bulman’s favorite challenges on the show was when he and Zielinski tattooed an insulin pump on a dad whose son has Type 1 diabetes. The connection with family also relates to Bulman’s favorite tattoos on his body — his kids’ names and his wife’s name in the “Star Wars” language Aurebesh.

“One of the coolest things is meeting people and hearing their stories and being able to help them out with things in their life, to do things that will help enhance their mentality and enhance their image and confidence level,” Zielinski said. “It’s a huge reason why I actually love tattooing.”

Published on September 24, 2017 at 11:39 pm

Contact Connor: cbfogel@syr.edu