S06.E01: Meet Your Maker

[thewhiteowl]

Apprentices battle their masters to prove their skills; the judges must critique blind for the first tattoo.

 

 

[Eliza422]

I'm very excited for this to start!!! This is one of my favorite shows on tv right now...

[Iguana]

I thought it was unfair for the show not to replace the canvass who simply backed out of the tattoo because he just changed his mind. That wasn't the artist's fault and he shouldn't have had to tattoo himself. I also think the human canvas jury was way off base when they picked the cute cartoony squirrel as the worst tattoo when it was just different from all the skulls, demons and darker tats. It was cool that the human canvass stuck up for the artist in front of the judges. I can't remember their names but I like the blonde woman apprentice and her bearded "master" largely due to their team approach and support of each other. The dude in the hat though who almost went home tonight he can leave anytime and the asshole quotient would be significantly reduced.

[zxy556575]

Chris' phoenix was horrible. Looking at the photos on Spike, I didn't realize the thing was so huge, but it was still very blobbish with no shading or definition. Maybe I just don't like his style overall (or his overalls) because I wasn't impressed with his gallery either. Looking at #9, all I can hear is Nunez's voice in my head bitching about the hands.

 

[Edited ... yeah okay. The right hand on the original painting is the same, so maybe Chris copied it on purpose, but the proportions of the left hand and arm are still jacked.]

 

I'm fine with the canvases having a say but don't see how bringing them back in to spout off in front of everyone is exciting or interesting. The person who has the worst tattoo often defends it, anyway.

Edited June 24, 2015 by lordonia

[Monty]

As always, the human canvas jury was a waste of time. When the judges disagree with it, the jury's opinion is ignored. And when the judges agree, the jury's redundant.

 

Having said that, I liked this episode. There was more tattooing than people shouting at each other.

[candall]

As gimmicks go, master/apprentice is good for some built-in tension.  At least it ties in nicely with the history of tattoo and it's a dynamic we can all understand.

 

The new expanded jury stuff is a horrible idea.  I always feel sorry for the person who's shocked when the group picks his tattoo as the worst.  Usually s/he's happy enough with it until everyone says it sucks.  So now that person gets to go back on stage and tell the artist "Well, **I** like it, but everyone else thinks it's crap."  What's the point of forcing that uncomfortable confrontation?  As noted above, it's irrelevant anyway.

 

Thumbs up for Dave's new style.
 

Edited June 24, 2015 by candall

[PepperMonkey]

The human canvas jury are idiots.

 

Kudos to the girl who liked her chubby "new skool-ish" squirrel tat and that she owned up to being squirmy and hard to work on. She was cool when she was forced to come back into the deliberations for no apparent reason. Seriously, this is the dumbest idea yet: to give the human canvas jury MORE opportunities to be douchebags.

 

I'm excited beyond excitability to see Craig again. I hope he wins this season.

[TattleTeeny]

Chris' phoenix was horrible. Looking at the photos on Spike, I didn't realize the thing was so huge, but it was still very blobbish with no shading or definition.

 

It was bad. But when they showed a few pieces of his previous work, there was a skull with roses and leaves and I loved it so much I paused the TV and made a mental note that it's 11 minutes in so that I could show my (non-tattooed) BF. I didn't look super-close, so I don't know if there were issues but, man, I loved it! The skull was so beautifully weathered with a brownish tint and the rest was so bright. I want it. (I'd also love a Mucha painting.)

 

http://tinyurl.com/ntucus6

 

ETA: I just skimmed through some of his past work and am so confused as to how that phoenix was so awful! Also, did I see a quick shot, in the "coming up this season" part, of someone tattooing an eye? Because no.

Edited June 24, 2015 by TattleTeeny

[LoneHaranguer]

 

So now that person gets to go back on stage and tell the artist "Well, **I** like it, but everyone else thinks it's crap."  What's the point of forcing that uncomfortable confrontation?

They get to hear from the judges why the others were wrong. Occasionally, it really will be crap, but the canvas would already know that. It'll be interesting to see how the judges deal with that situation.

 

One of the contestants said that he expected it to be a team competition. He's got a lot more sense than the producers. Master vs apprentice just isn't going to generate the kind of drama they've been pushing every season so far (not that I'd be opposed to dropping that element to focus more time on the artwork).

[TattleTeeny]

Master vs apprentice just isn't going to generate the kind of drama they've been pushing every season so far (not that I'd be opposed to dropping that element to focus more time on the artwork).

 

I never get this kind of setup for a competition show -- ultimately, everyone is up against everyone else anyway, so pitting several sets of two against each other within that is silly. Now if the master-and-apprentice pairings worked as teams at first, and then the contest was narrowed down to every man for himself, I would understand much better. And the way it is now doesn't ensure a matching master and apprentice set in the finals, so why bother calling it that?

 

And this show always needs to focus more on the work!

Edited June 24, 2015 by TattleTeeny

[CoyoteBlue]

There were a lot of people who couldn't draw an evenly wide line to save their lives. WTF? Fat, thin, bulgy, clunky points, ugh.

 

I also don't get why the canvas jury picked that cute little squirrel over that black hole of a "portrait", especially when the canvas pointed out that the things they called flaws were how she specifically requested it.

[Darian]

There were a lot of people who couldn't draw an evenly wide line to save their lives. WTF? Fat, thin, bulgy, clunky points, ugh.

 

I also don't get why the canvas jury picked that cute little squirrel over that black hole of a "portrait", especially when the canvas pointed out that the things they called flaws were how she specifically requested it.

There was a weird dynamic Much as I don't enjoy the jury scenes, I would watch an extended scene of that discussion, because it seemed like everyone jumped on one person without allowing much discussion. Maybe so it wouldn't be them. Though on a jury of people who go on TV to get a possibly terrible tattoo, there have to be a few who would jump at the chance to get more screen time. Dunno, but it was odd. 

[Charlesman]

I hate the Human Canvas Jury. I'm glad it backfired so quickly. The same thing has happened in the past, once the Human Canvases picked the Judges 'winning tattoo of the week' as the biggest loser. I hope it continues to backfire so much they just get rid of it.

 

Also, I'm still tired of all the redundancy. Dave: "Today, we're testing precision. We're going to judge you on how accurately you can replicate minor details, which are at the heart of all great tattoos." Cut to some random artist: "Precision is important. It means being able to accurately recreate small details. It's what makes a good tattoo great." Ugh. At least it makes these shows a quick watch, I'm FF'ing through so much redundancy and bickering I'm watching a full episode in 20 minutes.

 Also, did I see a quick shot, in the "coming up this season" part, of someone tattooing an eye? Because no.

 

 

God I hope not. I saw that too, but it was so fast I didn't even think it was someone getting an eye tattoo. I thought it was someone who was passed out, getting their eyes checked by a medic. Didn't even consider the possibility it was an eye tattoo. Won't be watching that episode. Squick.

[TattleTeeny]

I know this sounds terrible, but PLEASE let it be someone who needs a medic's help.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

Now if the master-and-apprentice pairings worked as teams at first, and then the contest was narrowed down to every man for himself, I would understand much better. And the way it is now doesn't ensure a matching master and apprentice set in the finals, so why bother calling it that?

That's the gimmick of the season. If they were serious about the theme, it would be the apprentices competing, with the masters allowed to give a limited amount of assistance each time, until near the end, when they'd be declared ready to finish the competition on their own. If they wanted to cut the number of people, nothing says you have to have only one apprentice per master.

[zxy556575]

Did anyone pay attention to the tattoo that -- for the first time ever on Ink Master! --  was inked freehand, without a stencil or marker being used? Was it that abstract swirly one? Because, sure. It had no set design.

 

I'm curious about tattooing clients who have large folds of either fatty or loose skin. Do artists refuse to do those, or try to talk the client into another part of the body? I can't see how it would even be possible to do.

Edited June 24, 2015 by lordonia

[TattleTeeny]

That's the gimmick of the season.

 

I know, and it's dumb. I liked the other tattoo show better; for the most part, it was a straight-up contest with no "OMG, stakes are even higher this season!" shenanigans that didn't really change anything in the end anyway. 

[Nena]

I hate the Human Canvas Jury. I'm glad it backfired so quickly. The same thing has happened in the past, once the Human Canvases picked the Judges 'winning tattoo of the week' as the biggest loser. I hope it continues to backfire so much they just get rid of it.

 

Also, I'm still tired of all the redundancy. Dave: "Today, we're testing precision. We're going to judge you on how accurately you can replicate minor details, which are at the heart of all great tattoos." Cut to some random artist: "Precision is important. It means being able to accurately recreate small details. It's what makes a good tattoo great." Ugh. At least it makes these shows a quick watch, I'm FF'ing through so much redundancy and bickering I'm watching a full episode in 20 minutes.

 

 

God I hope not. I saw that too, but it was so fast I didn't even think it was someone getting an eye tattoo. I thought it was someone who was passed out, getting their eyes checked by a medic. Didn't even consider the possibility it was an eye tattoo. Won't be watching that episode. Squick.

 

It's rare, but there are times where they get it right.  Every year the judges have a pet who can do no wrong, so even when they have a bad day, they'll talk them up enough to be just shy of the bottom.  Sometimes they get the come to Jesus speech about how they narrowly escaped, but usually they just pretend it never happened.  In those cases, the canvases are the only way that person will ever get called out for bad work, even as the internet is blowing up to point out every bad line or shading in the tattoo while it airs.  The squirrel thing was silly, but I'm looking forward to whoever ends up being this years' chosen one having all their flaws pointed out by a disgruntled canvas when it's one the judges can't gloss over or explain away like they normally do.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I'm fine with the canvases having a say but don't see how bringing them back in to spout off in front of everyone is exciting or interesting.

Or how this somehow translates to them somehow having more power than before. When Dave initially said they human canvas jury would have even more power, I thought he was going to say they get to kick someone in the nuts or something. Just walking in and saying why the jury selected that canvas isn't going to sway the judges so how is that more power?

 

The reason I hate the human canvas jury is that it ends up being a bunch of assholes saying, "Okay, my tattoo is shitty, but your tattoo is shittier!" and then everyone dogpiling on someone. Instead of having an actual discussion of the artistic merits of each tattoo, it almost always devolves into yelling and mob mentality which means they don't actually pick the worst tattoo.

 

In theory, I like that the human canvases get to give feedback since duh, they are the ones who are stuck with these tattoos forever. But some of them are so ignorant about tattoo technique that their opinions don't really matter.

 

I agree that it sucked for the one guy who had to tattoo himself. In the past when a human canvas has left, they sometimes had another waiting in the wings. I wonder why they didn't do that this week. It would have been pretty easy this time around since the canvases were allowed to choose any tattoo they wanted (as opposed to the weeks when they need canvases who want very specific types of tattoos).

 

I'm tired of these themed seasons intended to create more conflict. Can't we just have a bunch of people do tattoos? I don't watch this show for the drama or the screaming. That's the kind of garbage I fast forward so I can get to seeing the finished tattoos.

 

I just rolled my eyes when the guy in the bottom three who wasn't eliminated said that the judges didn't recognize his creativity (or whatever it is he said that indicated they didn't acknowledge his genius). I also laughed when the guy in the overalls said that he was going to bring it (after he lost in the head to head challenge to his apprentice). When people say things like that, I really want to ask them if they were just half assing it before. "I really wasn't trying before but now I'm totally going to make an effort!"

Edited June 25, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[LoneHaranguer]

 

In theory, I like that the human canvases get to give feedback since duh, they are the ones who are stuck with these tattoos forever. But some of them are so ignorant about tattoo technique that their opinions don't really matter.

In theory, Dave Navarro is supposed to be the knowledgeable representative of the canvasses, but he abdicated that role early on, letting Nunez and Peck roll right over him. The problem with having a canvass jury fill that void is that few people informed enough to give good feedback are going to want to get a tattoo on this show. At least with a canvas coming in it won't be as easy to blow off their decision when they get it right,

[qtpye]

Yeah, it seems like the canvasses sometimes just pick the worst looking tattoo.  To me the squirrel was a stupid looking tattoo, but it was what the canvas wanted and it was technically sound.  The ugliness of the tattoo had nothing to do with the artist, since it was exactly what her client wanted.  There was almost nothing redeemable about the demon tattoo.  It will age into a big blob like mess.

Edited June 25, 2015 by qtpye

[Monty]

I got pretty hung up on the squirrel's glasses. Those glasses would never fit that squirrel! Its eyes were on opposite sides of its head!

[zxy556575]

I got pretty hung up on the squirrel's glasses. Those glasses would never fit that squirrel! Its eyes were on opposite sides of its head!

 

Ha! You're a much better noticer-of-things than me, but I'm cracking up now that you mention it.

[BigBlueMastiff]

Yay, my Inkmaster peeps are back. Still have no idea how the stupid canvas jury picked the squirrel as the worst. I'm not a new school fan, but that looked like a perfect demonstration of NS technique to me. The Phoenix looked nothing like a Phoenix, the cherubs sucked, and some of the black and grays (demon, viking) were way too dark, but yeah, let's focus on the one that we personally don't like.

 

I liked when they did the prison tattoos, please bring that challenge back. Also, former marine in overalls, you are an embarrassment.

[NikSac]

I agree. I wouldn't have wanted any of the worst ones on me, but I thought the squirrel was at least cute (other than the glasses that'd never fit - good point Monty).  I thought that Phoenix in particular was horrible.  It was so bad that when they first showed it I thought it was a joke.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

I got pretty hung up on the squirrel's glasses. Those glasses would never fit that squirrel! Its eyes were on opposite sides of its head!

She's just holding them for her friend, the chipmunk. Or maybe she wants to look intellectual and never actually wears them. I've heard that there are people who do that, although I'm sure they generally pick glasses that aren't so obviously too small.

[phoenix780]

I'm going to hope for the best.  Ideally, a little extra douchebaggery from the human canvasses- and battles between a canvas and their artist in front of the judges- could help make the contestants look better by contrast.  If nothing else it would eat airtime otherwise devoted to battling artists, right?  Add that to the two contestants who spoke about the benefits of cooperation and maybe we won't get a season of assholes with weak tattoos.

 

I have no evidence to prove this, though I suppose I could look at wikipedia or something, but it felt like more of the contestants had actual names.  I appreciated that.

 

If you tattoo yourself, shouldn't you be on the human canvas jury?  

[Kromm]

The idea of duos of people with pre-existing relationships was simply lame last time.  

 

This time it's beyond lame, because they're making people exploit a specific type of relationship in the real world that shouldn't be fucked with just to produce shitty reality TV. (even if they're "former" apprentices)

 

Toothpick Man sez: "The Master/Apprentice relationship is a very sacred thing".

 

Yeah, Oliver.  Which is why you're helping destroy those for TV.  Gotcha.

 

Disgusting.

 

I mean I guess I'm watching, but man I certainly do feel dirty after watching this show.  Always.

Edited June 30, 2015 by Kromm

[Kromm]

Yeah, it seems like the canvasses sometimes just pick the worst looking tattoo.  To me the squirrel was a stupid looking tattoo, but it was what the canvas wanted and it was technically sound.  The ugliness of the tattoo had nothing to do with the artist, since it was exactly what her client wanted.  There was almost nothing redeemable about the demon tattoo.  It will age into a big blob like mess.

There's some kind of base cultural assumption, I think, that "cartoony" art is easier to draw well than "realistic".  And that might indeed be correct. That said, it doesn't mean realistic looks better.  Mostly it doesn't. 

 

She did what she was told and really the only way we could hold it against her is if we see her attempt realism on another canvas and she sucks at it.  Then and only then would she be slammable as "only" being able to do cartoony.  At this point we just don't know.

 

And oy, that canvas. She stuck up for Duffy, which was a rare treat on this show, but she moved so much getting ANYTHING on her had to be a triumph.

 

BTW: SO shocked that a woman didn't go home.  I mean this show always works against the women it casts, and honestly I'm expecting a total repeat of that this season (them going in the first half of the season, with maybe ONE holding out and going around Top 5).

[Maharincess]

I didn't know this was back on, I caught up tonight.

I loved the cartoony squirrel. I have a really cute cartoony donkey on my butt and I love him. I wish I had gotten it someplace more visible. It's my favorite of all of my tattoos. My late husband was a tattoo artist and he did my donkey when I was 8 months pregnant.

Did Craig have those gross huge earlobe things when he was on before? I just don't get that. It looks so weird when they have no rings in them and their lobes are flippity flopping all over.

I agree with Tattle Teeny, this show needs to focus on the work more. We owned a shop in the Bay Area when my husband was alive and I never got tired of watching the artists work. I did all of the paperwork, receptionist stuff, set up the stations and things like that at the shop. My husband was covered in tattoos but he had some bare spots on his legs and he let me do 4 different tattoos on him.

It was fun but I never had a desire to be an artist myself. I would be too afraid to mess somebody up. It's not like a bad hair cut.

Edited July 8, 2015 by Maharincess

[Janet Snakehole]

I actually think the human canvasses should have a voice, but it should be more about individual experience and satisfaction. Like the guy who dealt with Julia a few seasons ago, I was glad that he got to speak out about how she told him to F off. Instead of the jury, why not have the judges talk to the canvasses at the end of the tattoo experience individually and take into account how the artist was with them? That way there is no weird ganging up on people like in this episode, when Duffy had done a good tattoo that was exactly what she wanted.

I thought the Phoenix and knight were worse than the losing tattoo. That knight will fade like crazy in a few years.

I am excited for this season overall. Looks like less yelling, and I like the idea of the mentor apprentice drama better than the rivals.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

Instead of the jury, why not have the judges talk to the canvasses at the end of the tattoo experience individually and take into account how the artist was with them?

Dave is the only judge who cares. In prior seasons, Peck has gone as far as advocating artists ignore what the canvas wants and tattooing what the artist wants.