A YOUNG tattooist said he has been left 'overwhelmed' after winning a TV reality show.

Luke Sayer, 24, from Samsara Tattoo in Kendal, saw off competition from more experienced designers to win E4's Tattoo Artist of the Year.

"It's been overwhelming, the phone hasn't stopped ringing," said Luke, who lives at Grange with his wife Bryany and one-year-old son Jack.

"I never thought that this would happen. I didn't even want to go on the show first.

"Doing the show has been a very positive experience, and it has made me more confident as a person. On the first few episodes I didn't really talk much. I would definitely recommend doing something like that [the show] for anyone."

Taking on nine other tattooists in the search to find the nation’s best all-round artist, Luke battled through 12 knockout challenges from creating tattoos of a steak pasty to a puppy to scoop the title.

He was judged by the 'Tattoo Fixers' star Jay Hutton and internationally-renowned tattoo artist Rose Hardy.

“I am so happy for Luke winning. Throughout the competition he didn’t do a bad tattoo. If I had to choose to be tattooed by one of the artists, it would be Luke,” she said.

In the final, Luke and two other finalists had four hours to cover up their clients' unwanted tats, and a chance to break free and create an image of their their own design.

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"The final was really intense, because the other finalists were older and more experienced," he said.

Luke, who enjoys inking black and gray images, went for realism with an image of a tattoo machine.

"For most of the show I didn't get to do my style, so it was nice to do something in my own style in the final," Luke said.

Judge Jay added: “24-years-old and tattooing like that. The final piece was absolutely outstanding, there’s nothing you can fault with it, it’s absolutely flawless, and everything a realistic tattoo should be.

"This is such a massive thing for him to win this competition, so I’m excited to see where Luke goes from here.”

Now Luke, who has a year-long waiting list, is putting his mind on honing his craft.

"I'll concentrate on my artwork now, and see what happens," he said.