Through Candid Edwards
November 28, 2025
Marlon Blake, a veteran artist at Iron Palm Tattoo Studio, drew a design created by Sage Williams after the boy won the studio’s annual drawing contest.
For more than a decade, Blake has lived by a simple rule: “Wake up every day and do exactly what you love.”
His passion is creating permanent art on people. When he saw Sage’s entry in the competition, he admired the work. While the design itself seemed simple to an experienced tattoo artist, the maturity and originality of such a young creator’s work was “absolutely mind-boggling.” [Blake] gone,” he said CBS News.
Sage’s creative talent comes from dedicated practiceand he proudly stated, “I worked very hard for this,” adding that his success comes from being “very intelligent.” His father guides him, but the creative vision is his own. One of Sage’s paintings now hangs proudly in the studio, giving the young artist a permanent presence in the artistic space.
The annual drawing competition usually focuses on the winning design in use at the store. But when Blake realized that no one had taken the step to use Sage’s design on his own body, he made a decision. Blake would make the artwork a permanent part of his own body. The winning design now adorns Blake’s leg.
Blake felt a strong connection with Sage and recognized a spark of his own childish self in the young boy.
“Around that age I realized I had the talent as an artist,” Blake told the outlet.
Seeing so much potential in the child, Blake wants to continue to be a part of Sage’s life and encourage his future. The tattoo serves as a strong, unfading message of support from one artist to another. Blake sees the ink on his skin as a constant reminder for the young winner to ‘take [his] art seriously” and “get on with it.”
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