Skin Wars - General Discussion

[PityFree]

12 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Why would they give the painters only three hours to do the second challenge That's ridiculous for a head to toe front and back design.

I wondered this, too! Then I thought that maybe it was because the women used to model were not professional models so they aren't used to standing still while being made up for that long. I also wondered if maybe one of two of them wasn't that far out from being sick so they wanted to make it less stressful on the women. The woman who was pregnant had trouble standing for that time.

However, if that was the case, I don't see why they couldn't have made it a waist up or front only challenge in that limited time frame instead of head-to-toe 360.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I thought it might be a stamina issue also, but then I thought if that were the case it would have been better to let the painters do head to toe just on the front. Not giving people enough time is a pet peeve of mine on competitive reality shows. It drives me crazy when the designers have one day challenges on Project Runway. I want to see what these people are capable of as artists, not whatever shit they can throw together in a insanely short amount of time!

[Monty]

The contrast between Rick's Escher-style precision and Michael's wobbly lines was striking. I thought Michael had a cool idea but it really needed more time to get all the details perfect.

[PityFree]

WTF???? Tiffany was robbed!!!!!!!!!!! I thought she was going to win the whole thing. GAWD! 

[needschocolate]

They gave us a break from Allison's talking heads about her son, and, instead, we got to hear how much Allison wants everyone else to lose.  That, coupled with talking heads from others about being glad someone else may lose, made me realize that I prefer hearing about Allison's son.  Yeah, if you are going to win, everybody else has to lose, and I am sure their talking heads (or most of them) are in response to questions asked by the production team, but I* am still annoyed with the people in charge for trying to manufacture drama.  This could have the potential of being another Face Off, but instead they make it like most every other competition show out there. 

[Maverick]

 When did Wendy Pepper go into body painting?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Yay, contortionists! I love when the painters get to use bendy people and get really creative with their poses.

And yay for Shawn Johnson! Seeing her just reminded me how excited I am about watching Olympic gymnastics again this summer!

Brittney's ostrich was far and away the best for me. It was immediately obvious what she had painted. The texture of the feathers was really beautiful. I loved the color of Rick's chameleon but he didn't need a contortionist for that pose. He could have had any person off the street who was willing to crouch on the ground for three hours. Using the contortionist was part of the challenge, so I had to ding him a little for not fulfilling that part. Alison did use her model's flexibility but as Michael and the judges pointed out, that exact pose for a giraffe has been done before. I think that Michael was wrong to try to use those antlers he brought from home, but using his model's arms instead worked out fine. It was an interesting pose. Not the most unique but definitely more so than Rick's.

Brittney's hibiscus group was pretty but I don't think she used her contortionists very well. The water droplets were very realistic but I wish that she had used more vibrant oranges and yellows. Hibiscus flowers are so bright!

Rick's peacock was an interesting concept. I love that he has been embracing bright colors since the judges talked to him about it. I agree with Robin that the tail should have been fuller. Putting one feather on each arm made the tail look so sparse. If he had put two of his models lying on their backs, he could have had each of them put their legs and their arms in the air to create a fuller looking tail. It would have been a relatively simple but much more effective pose. They could lie down next to each other and each person would put their inner leg straight up and their outer leg out to the side. Then they would hold their arms up in between their legs. That would be eight limbs to create a full, lush peacock tail. It jut wasn't a very good use of having five models. I did feel for him though because Tiffany clearly wasn't listening and had absolutely no fucks to give.

Alison annoys me so I keep hoping she'll go home but her Ganesh was beautiful. The colors were so bright and the patterns were really sharp and detailed. I agree with Craig that the trunk should have been sharper. It looked much too soft.

Michael's dragon was an interesting use of his models. The colors were really vivid but he did use a lot of fabric, so I understand why the judges eliminated him.

Alison's and Michael's were the most obvious without any explanation. Brittney's and Rick's I had to look at to figure out what the models were supposed to be. If Rick had done the tail feathers differently, it would have been so much clearer what he had created.

I can't believe there's only one episode left!

[lh25]

Much as I don't like Alison, that was a beautiful piece for the second challenge.  She does have talent, but she come across as a bitter, unpleasant person to me.  So for now, we are rooting for Brittney. 

I can see why Michael went home.  He has talent, but I had a feeling all the props and fabric would come back to bite him.  I get why Alison called out the antlers, but she was so unpleasant about it I was hoping they would let him use them!

[Kyrielle]

On June 17, 2016 at 10:08 AM, needschocolate said:

Yeah, if you are going to win, everybody else has to lose, and I am sure their talking heads (or most of them) are in response to questions asked by the production team, but I* am still annoyed with the people in charge for trying to manufacture drama.  This could have the potential of being another Face Off, but instead they make it like most every other competition show out there.

I want to love this show - the talent is there & it kind of scratches the same itch as Face Off - but the hamfisted storytelling and editing make it a frenemy at best (and that might be too generous).

At this point I wish they would just can the producers and story editors. Not only are the edits clumsily manufactured, they are just stupid lazy. They have two villian templates: Industry vet = disgruntled blowhard, middle-aged woman = shrew. I know that shows are cast by archetype, but in this day and age, I expect more finesse.

At this point, the only person I actually would feel good about winning is Allison. Yeah. Allison. Her painting has been consistently great and I haven't seen anything that she's done that's matched the extremity of her edit. The "why did they choose you over Otto" thing with Luis was a non-event (because, seriously, why DID they choose him over Otto?) and by contesting the horns, she actually did Michael a favor. The painted arms were far and away more effective than the premade horns. I can't really fault her for calling in the producers (and really - what was the endgame there - were they going to let that slide anyway? Or wait for judging and letting the panel have a crack? Or wait til the last minute to see if one of the contestants caused drama & Allison came through. Probably any and all of the above).

But, usually in these things it's the person who was inexplicably saved when they should have been booted in previous eps that is the ultimate winner. In this case, both Britany & Rick have been saved when they should have been booted. In Rick's case, twice - which would make him the odds on favorite for the win. And that is just a big NOPE NOPE NOPE for me. Maybe the so-called "flirtation" between Rick and his model is far more two-sided behind the scenes than it has been presented on TV - but what I'm seeing is a creepy stalker guy harassing his model by making repeated advances, her looking EXTREMELY uncomfortable about the whole thing, and the show playing it off as some sort of showmance. No. As presented, it's fairly textbook harassment and NOT. FUCKING. COOL. SHOW.

As for Britney, I don't find her more annoying than Allison but I also don't find her less. She seems to be staking some sort of moral high ground - to which...No.

*sigh* So, great job show. Next year, work out your obvious issues with a therapist and not in the edit. You're not paying me $300 a session to put up with this crap.

[Wings]

So when are we going to hear Ru yell at someone?  We have been seeing that clip all season and I was sure it would have been on this episode and at Michael (?) for using something illegal.  But apparently it is at one of the 3 finalists.  They show Allison crying so it isn't her! 

[Monty]

Ru already yelled at that guy who didn't know that the answer to the question "Do you even want to be here" is always "Of course I do! Nothing is more important to me than this goofy reality show! I wanna win for my sick mother!"

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Yes, it was Hans who Ru yelled at a few weeks ago. Then they still eliminated Otto anyway!

[frogzapper]

I lost a little respect for Tiffany in this episode. I get that she's disappointed and probably emotionally fatigued after having just been eliminated as one of the front-runners, but she shouldn't have taken it out on Rick and been such an uncooperative (and by the looks of it, downright rude and bossy at times!) helper. On the other hand, I gained some admiration for Luis. It would have been easy for him to hold a grudge given Allison's earlier rude comment towards him, but he seemed to put that aside and be an enthusiastic perfect helper for her! I liked how well they worked together and how he seemed genuinely supportive of her when they finished.

Like many, I've been kind of annoyed at Allison's personality at times, but I do have to admit that she's been one of the more consistently good artists this season, so she probably deserves the win as much as anyone else who's left. And I think she was right to call out Michael on his use of his pre-made horns although it came across as kind of tit for tat, unfortunately. I guess I'd be okay with any of the final 3 winning since I think they've all done very good work at various times during this competition.

[qtpye]

Quote

I lost a little respect for Tiffany in this episode. I get that she's disappointed and probably emotionally fatigued after having just been eliminated as one of the front-runners, but she shouldn't have taken it out on Rick and been such an uncooperative (and by the looks of it, downright rude and bossy at times!) helper. On the other hand, I gained some admiration for Luis. It would have been easy for him to hold a grudge given Allison's earlier rude comment towards him, but he seemed to put that aside and be an enthusiastic perfect helper for her! I liked how well they worked together and how he seemed genuinely supportive of her when they finished.

Has she never watched a reality competition show?  One of the first rules of the bring back is always be gracious.  Like Faceoff, this show can help you gain entry into a very niche and competitive profession.  Coming off well in this show can really give your career a boost.  She was a spoiled snot yesterday and was very demeaning in the manner she spoke to Rick.  It almost feels like his work was sub par because of her, even though he really should have taken control.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I agree that Tiffany had a really bad attitude. I remember on one season of Project Runway when they did the episode where they brought back previoussly eliminated contestants to help the remaining designers, the most recently eliminated person asked the producers not to be included because they had just been cut the day before and whoever it was was still too mad to be helpful. I'm definitely not defending Tiffany but I'm guessing that some of the other painters who had been cut earlier in the season were more even keeled because their eliminations weren't as fresh and painful. That doesn't excuse her behavior at all. She was there to help Rick, not do her own thing. She was so rude and she refused to do what he asked her to do. I always feel bad for people when that happens on reality shows because in real life, if this was someone you had hired you could just fire them. If it was a co-worker, you could go to their supervisor. But on reality tv, your choices are be the asshole who yells at someone on tv or be the doormat who doesn't want to waste time arguing with someone who clearly doesn't give a shit. For a challenge like this where they had to paint multiple people in only five hours, time is precious so part of me understands why once he figured out she was being a pain in the ass, he just kept his head down and kept working. ITA that Luis should have been the bitterest Betty of all being paired with a person who was rude to him, but he had such a positive attitude and did everything he could to help Alison.

[Kyrielle]

Shock. The guy who was saved at least twice when he should have been booted by the judges won. If only it felt like a remotely earned win. The iguana was great, the blend was excellent (tho not a particularly difficult one, but points for setting up an effective blend scenario). But there is no excusing the shitshow that is the focal point model. Ru's crocodile tears aside, this is Skin Wars, not Mural Wars, and that performance should have put Rick in third place. But this tier of show, they are going to go with the story they have already decided to tell, whether or not that ending feels earned. 

Edited June 30, 2016 by Kyrielle

[Madding crowd]

I'm not sure how I feel about Rick winning. I really did like his mural and his blend the best, but it annoyed me that he put zero effort into his focal point model. It has sort of bugged me all along that Rick has made it clear he is going to do what he wants, but the judges give him a pass because he grew up poor. As far as the finale challenge, Brittany's was good technically but it was kind of simple. I also didn't like the butterfly or last minute bee wings. Allison's first piece was amazing but I just didn't like her goddess piece. The blend model was not blended well and I didn't see the gorgeous goddess gown the judges did. Also, parts of her mural were sloppy. 

I had a feeling all along that Rick would win since judges on these shows value young, raw talent over experience. Throw in a sob story and you have a winner. Still, I did think his was the best. Considering he is a mural painted it should be. I didn't care for Allison's personality, but she was a bit screwed by a challeng that was mostly about painting a backdrop rather than a person.

Edited June 30, 2016 by Madding crowd

[zxy556575]

That was bogus. I barely tolerated Rick's perpetual (seemingly) stoned haze, but there's no way he deserved to win based on his work alone. At least it wasn't Alison -- even her cute son wasn't able to make me warm to her.

I liked Brittney's mural piece the best; it may have been "simple" but it was cohesive, well painted, and pretty.

My DVR records this and Fresh Paint afterwards as one episode, but I'm finding I have less and less patience for newbie skin painters, the returning mentors, or even Ru and his giant lapel flowers.

[PityFree]

 I am so thrilled that Rick won!! I couldn't stand the other two. Rick was so talented and I love his painting! 

[Monty]

I liked Rick the best, but I thought his ostrich was the worst piece in the penultimate episode. And then I did not like how unpainted one of his models was in the finale.I think he did the best over the season, but not in the last couple of episodes. I don't really mind him winning, but I can't imagine him being a mentor on Fresh Paint.

Also, until the last episode, I had no idea he was from Mexico.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

While I understand the people who didn't want Rick to win based solely upon his backstory, I don't think it's any worse than Brittany constantly bringing up her grandpa having cancer. The most egregious example of it happened in the finale when they asked her why she should win and her answer was so that her grandpa would be proud of her before he dies. I totally get that watching someone you love slowly die is hard because I watched my dad die for several years before he finally succumbed. But that's why she thinks she should win Skin Wars? How about "because I'm fucking awesome at what I do"?

Same goes for Alison saying she wanted to win so she could get out of debt and raise her kid. It's not GSN's responsibility to pay off anyone's debt or provide you with the means to provide your kid with whatever it is you think he needs. In other words, I don't care if you're broke or you have a kid or a dying relative. Those are not reasons you should give the judges as to why you deserve to win this contest.

I feel like of the three finalists, Rick was the one who wasn't leaning on his sob story. He said he wanted to leave doing work that he was proud of. He mentioned being a survivor but it was half a sentence and without any tears. He's so positive about it and he was using it as a strength, not as a way to get pity. I think that his warrior was less painted than I would have liked and I disliked that the iguana was the focal point, but I really liked the background and his other model was so well camouflaged.

Alison was the opposite for me. Her focal point model was really highlighted and stood out (she was the only one of the three whose focal point model was like BA-BAM!), but her there were a lot of issues with her camouflage model. The paint itself was blended well but you could see the model's butt crack a mile away and even from a distance you could see the wrinkles in the bald cap. I liked her backdrop but I didn't love it. The lack of detail on the seashell was really noticeable and there was a lot of white in the sky.

I liked Brittany's rose and her camouflage model disappeared nicely, but her focal model the bee was crouched down in the bottom corner almost like she was trying to hide. I also agreed about the proportions because the bee was huge and the butterfly was tiny, which didn't seem right.

Also, until the last episode, I had no idea he was from Mexico.

He mentioned in a few of the earlier episodes that he was originally from Juarez and that his mom decided to move to Texas because it was safer. Aside from the graffiti, he has alluded to the fact that if he was getting into trouble when he lived in Juarez. I don't know if he meant typical teenage stuff or more serious things. I mostly remembered he said he was from Juarez in the first episode because I watched The Bridge.

I'm not sure how good a mentor he would be on Fresh Paint either. He seems like an affable guy but I'm not sure how well he would do at instructing others, partly because in my experience many young artists who are good at what they aren't good at breaking down technique or explaining things to others, especially if they're self taught. They have good instincts and talent but they aren't always able to convey how to achieve the same results to other people. Then again, I thought Dutch would be a terrible mentor and he ended up being pretty good so you never know! There are some people who I knew would be good mentors (like Natalie) but mostly you never know until you see them actually try to help another painter.

[Richness]

I wanted Brittany to win, but figured it would be Alison. She's probably the most consistently talented; too bad she's just not likable. While Rick's backdrop was gorgeous, and the blend was spectacular, he shouldn't have won. This is suppose to be Skin Wars, not Mural Wars. [Said in best Top Chef voice about it not being Top Sommelier or Top Scallop.] And Ru, darling, dial back the hormone treatments a bit.

[snowblossom2]

I'm glad Rick won. Allison had a great focal point but had technical problems with the other model's bald cap, butt as well as the clam shell and its box. The composition was off.

 

Rick's composition, blending of the second model were all on point. As well as the iguana. His proble, was the focal point. 

 

Seems like the the two are pretty even and I think Rick got the edge because of the emotion his piece provoked. To me, Brittany's was good but I thought Craig would have referred to her as lacking drama. I thought her focal point was off because my eye was drawn to the rose and butterfly, and not the bee

[Buzz11]

I think the winner of season 1 should have been sent home on the first challenge. It was such a hideous paint job and what she painted the models toes so that means she was being creative? Then Gear didn’t knock her out when he should have and she ends up winning!? Bogus, finale should have been Gear and Dutch and the other guy person I forgot about

Edited June 24, 2018 by Buzz11

[GaT]

Anybody watching "Skin Wars: Fresh Paint" on Netflix? They have new contestants every episode, & they're all artists who have never done body painting before. Past contestants from the original how are mentors. It's not as good as the original IMO, watching people who don't really know what they're doing is not that interesting.