Melvin Todd, a born artist and former Auburn student, will be competing this season on Oxygen's new show, "Best Ink."
Hosted by Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy, the show takes viewers through the fiercely competitive nature of the tattoo industry, and features some of the most talented tattoo artists in the nation.
After devoting the majority of his life to his art, Todd does not fail to shine brightly among them.
"I've been drawing since I can remember, honestly," Todd said. "It pretty much led me to go to Auburn back in 2003."
While at Auburn, Todd studied graphic design and began his career as a tattooer at local parlor, Voodoo Needle Tattoo, where he landed his first apprenticeship almost completely by chance.
He visited the shop only to accompany his roommate who was looking to get a tattoo. At that point, Todd had never even stepped foot in a tattoo parlor, but was hired on the spot.
Nathan Voodoo, owner of the shop, still remembers the day he met Todd.
"Melvin asked if we were hiring. I told him we were and asked if he had any samples of his work," Voodoo said.
"While I was tattooing his buddy I noticed that he was sitting on the floor drawing on a piece of paper. By the time I finished his buddy's tattoo, Melvin had filled the page with a whole bunch of stuff. It looked good, and I told him he was hired."
From there, Todd's tattoo career flourished, as he became the go-to tattoo artist in the Auburn area.
Locals who worked and went to school with Todd remember him as being humble about his art, despite his obvious talent.
"He was always learning. He never had any ego, I loved that about him. He was an awesome artist, but he acted like he was the worst artist. He was always trying to learn more and more and more," said Erik Javor, co-worker and fellow student with Todd.
All the while, Todd was working on developing his brand, Loveless Society. The brand focuses around an unorthodox cupid like character. Cupid finds himself at what seems like a dead-end job because people don't fall in love the way they used to, Todd says.
"I'm trying to get people to really acknowledge what they love and face it and keep it in their life. I kind of show that through art," Todd said.
After leaving Auburn, Todd moved to Atlanta and began working at City of Ink, a tattoo shop well known throughout the country. The shop differs from others with its art gallery feel, and custom designs it offers.
"The customers come in, they talk to us and they give us a real piece of who they are," Todd said. "We come up with a really unique tattoo that I make custom for them, so it's really great."
While in Atlanta, Todd heard about open auditions being held for Best Ink, and won out among the crowd after a successful tryout.
The show keeps competitors and viewers on their toes from the very beginning. Each episode features a "flash challenge," a challenge designed to test the artists outside of their tattooing abilities, and an "ink challenge," a tattoo-based competition.
Within the first 10 minutes of the show, Todd is strapped into a harness and lifted six stories high to compete in the first "flash challenge."
"I don't think anything I could do in my tattoo career could ever get crazier than that. I mean, they started out with a bang right from the beginning," Todd said.
Despite the more than shaky start, competing on "Best Ink" is an experience Todd says he wishes he could do a million times over.
"Every year I just want to become a better artist, and being on the show has opened me up to that," Todd said. "Being around such high level talent just makes you want to keep striving."
To watch Melvin Todd compete on Best Ink, all should tune in to Oxygen Wednesday, April 3, at 9 p.m.
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