Oil & Ink

Chapter 23: Meet the Judges

"Ladies and gentleman," the woman with the microphone said. "It's already that time. Sadly, the competition has come to a close."

Everyone clapped and cheered. The group at Charlie's booth had stuck around and more people had gathered inside the shop. It was crazy to see a crowd, with a mix of the artists, their entries, and members of the public.

"Let me explain how this is going to work," she said. "First, we will be sending around some team members to collect the tickets from everyone's jar. They'll count the tickets so we can select the fan favorite."

Cheers erupted from the crowd.

"Then, the panel of three judges will start making their way to all of the booths to see your final entries," she said.

Hands went up and everyone was clapping. The energy was high.

"Now, let me introduce you to those judges so you'll know who to expect," she said. Three people walked into the cleared space on the floor where she was standing.

"First up, we have Tim True from Tattoo City in San Francisco!" she said. Tim waved and everyone cheered.

"Then, we have Mary Zoe from Big Top Tattoo in Las Vegas!" she said. Mary waved and gave a smile while everyone was clapping.

"And finally," she said. "We have Steve Kinser from Brooklyn Brick Tattoo in New York!" Steve waved and there was a loud applause.

Charlie had heard of all of these artists, mostly just seeing their pieces tagged on social media. He was most familiar with Kinser's work — he was really amazing at portraits and detailed pieces.

"We are so honored to have them here with us today," she said. "When the panel stops by your booth, have your entry lay on your table or sit in your chair so the group can get a good look at the piece. They might also ask you questions."

Charlie looked at Sara and raised his eyebrows.

"After the panel has visited all of the booths, they'll take some time to meet and make their decisions," she said. "I'll ring the bell when they're ready to share the results. Sound good?"

"Yeah!" the crowd was ready.

"It sounds like you guys are ready," she said. "Let the judging begin!"

Everyone headed back to their respective booths.

"Should I lay on the table?" Sara asked Charlie.

"I think so," he said. "Whatever is comfortable."

Sara hopped up onto the table. "This has been my home for the last three days," she said.

Charlie laughed. "That's for sure."

Sara laid back and stared at the ceiling. Even though there was nothing she could do now to help or hurt the tattoo, she felt nervous.

"What kinds of questions do you think they're going to ask?" she asked.

"Hmm, I would guess about the technique," Charlie said. "And probably why the tattoo was chosen."

"Oh yeah," Sara said. "You're probably right."

Amanda and Cody were waiting beside the booth.

"Why am I nervous?" she whispered to Cody.

"Ha, well, they're our friends and we want them to do well," he said. "That's why."

Just then, someone wearing a black shirt that said "STAFF" in bright green across the front came to the booth. He picked up the clear bowl with the tickets inside and dumped all of them into a large envelope with Charlie's booth number written in black marker. He sealed the envelope and was on to the next booth.