Ryan Ashley Malarkey First Woman To Claim Ink Master Title

Ryan Ashley Malarkey has officially become the first woman to win the Ink Master competition.

The Ink Master Twitter account shared a photo of Malarkey’s wildly impressive “24 hour chest piece,” which was the artwork that pushed the 24-year-old tattoo artist to victory in the competition. The picture was shared with the caption: “Here is @RyanAshleyM’s 24 hour chest piece. Do you think she deserves to be the next #InkMaster? #InkLive.”

Malarkey made a name for herself in developing her mastery of intricate black-and-gray style tattoos. However, in the show’s finale, she displayed her affinity to work outside of her comfort zone by creating a new school ink tattoo vibrant colors and heavy lines.

“It’s time that a strong, dedicated woman isn’t afraid to be herself and work hard for this title,” Malarkey said while chatting with Spike.

After winning the final challenge, Malarkey took home a grand prize of $100,000. She was also granted a spot in coach Oliver Peck’s studio in Dallas, a Dodge Charger, and a featured story in Inked magazine.

Ryan Ashley Malarkey is based in Pennsylvania, according to Alt Press. She owns a tattoo parlor called The Strange and Unusual with her husband Josh Balz, who is also the keyboardist for the band Motionless in White.

Not only is Malarkey married to a musician, but also she has done a slew of tattoos on various musical artists including Maria Brink of In This Moment and the band New Years Day’s Ash Costello. Several of the band members from Asking Alexandria and Pierce The Veil are also looking to seek out Malarkey’s tattooing services.

To check out more of Malarkey’s work, go to here website here.

Were you surprised that Ryan Ashley Malarkey won Ink Master?

[H/T Alt Press]