S06.E03: Sink or Swim

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Artists join teams to come up with underwater ocean scenes.

[Muffyn]

Okay, that's the Ink Master I've come to know and tolerate.  Bloviating jackasses braying about how they will be the bestest ever then inking crap?  Check.  The woman versus woman let's see if they'll trash each other setup?  Check.  Grown men acting like petulant children?  Check.  

 

I think I heard that Chris is a marine.  You know, he was a marine.  So as a marine, he's going to excel.  After all, being a marine he'll cream the competition.  I did not know that the marines train in tattooing.  But I particularly loved that he also told us he was an Eagle Scout.  That's pretty damn bad ass.  How many merit badges does he have?  

[psychoticstate]

I would have sent Big Ceeze packing over Miami.  A stained glass tattoo with no color and uneven?  Miami's wasn't stained glass but it was a carousel and it was much better done that Ceeze's. 

 

This is where I always get confused with Ink Master - - are they judging based solely on that week's criteria or just on the merits of the tattoo?

[thewhiteowl]

I would have sent Big Ceeze packing over Miami.  A stained glass tattoo with no color and uneven?  Miami's wasn't stained glass but it was a carousel and it was much better done that Ceeze's. 

 

This is where I always get confused with Ink Master - - are they judging based solely on that week's criteria or just on the merits of the tattoo?

 

 But it wasn't better done than the cross.  Lines were wonky and blown and the color was uneven They both should have left, honestly.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

are they judging based solely on that week's criteria or just on the merits of the tattoo?

At this point in the season it's whatever works; they want to keep the talent and everyone they expect to generate "drama" and dump the contestants they cast to fill out the number of episodes they needed.

[Nutjob]

I knew Miami was a goner the minute they showed Craig talking about meeting him in jail and being mentored by him, and how he cleaned himself up. We'd barely heard anything about him up until then, and all of a sudden it was the Miami Back Story Hour.

 

Also, St. Marq is shaping up to be another Scott Marshall--irritatingly and almost unbearably arrogant, but too talented to ignore.

[Charlesman]

That stained glass cross was atrocious. Truly unforgivable. Forget off-center, it's not even symmetrical. Look at the bottom "points" of the cross. The bottom-left point is higher than the bottom-right one. The bottom-center doesn't line up with the vertical axis. It's so wrong.

 

The guy arrogantly decided to do black-and-gray, and said he's good enough at it they'll have to keep him around even if he doesn't do a full-color stained glass, like they wanted. But then, he botched it completely.

 

Should have been sent home.

 

It's a rather simple tat, just a bunch of lines and shading. And he couldn't execute it at all. At all. No reason he should be around.

 

If they were so dead set on sending Miami home, fine, but he should have joined him in a double-elimination. No excuse for the show to keep someone who does something that terrible.

[phoenix780]

I agree about the double elimination.  You want drama, show?  Have a couple bloodbaths, which you can always counter if you need to with non-elimination rounds.

 

I was a bit lost on the stained glass element and how important that was.  Some designs didn't have a lot of it, but maybe they were more a thing sitting in front of stained glass, rather than a thing made up of it.

 

I'm also not clear why there's a weird subcompetition to be the #1 female tattooist.  The one who looks like the Tootsie Pop owl to me...Katie, I think, seems like she's actually pretty good generally.  It's almost like they're admitting defeat and instead focused on a non-existent secondary prize.

 

Also, what was up with all that stuff about the importance of teamwork and respect at the beginning?  Has Oliver not seen this show?  Because of all the things they've defined as important (repeatedly) I don't recall that popping up.

[Monty]

This episode should have been entitled "Ink or Swim."

[LoneHaranguer]

 

Did soccer mom have no other tattoos other than the hand ones? Aren't hands/necks supposed to be tattooed last?

Hand tattoos were recently given a popularity boost because of some celebrities that got them.

[TattleTeeny]

Did soccer mom have no other tattoos other than the hand ones? Aren't hands/necks supposed to be tattooed last?

 

I think a lot of tattoo places have a rule about not giving (or at least attempting to talk a customer out of) neck, face, and hand work unless that person is a real-deal adult (like not just turned 21) or has lots of other tattoos already. 

 

Sort of related: Was just reading a reality (or "reality," as the case may be) show thread, and came across this:

The family does not tattoo which is really a sign of education. Seeing people who got tattoos when they were young and watch what sagging skin and wrinkles do to the ink shapes changes anyone's mind.

 

I hope I'm interpreting it wrong because...what?

Edited July 9, 2015 by TattleTeeny

[zxy556575]

Oh, please. Aging skin is going to sag and wrinkle independent of any ink. And tattoos can get blurry and faded after 10-15 years even under the best of circumstances.

 

But kind of you not to include the poster's name on that. :)

[TattleTeeny]

Exactly! I'm not even disagreeing with the fact that they'll look pretty rough eventually but, like you say, so will everything. I'm not even mad at the poster for not being a fan of tattoos; it's the correlation between ink and education that's got me scratching my head.

Edited July 9, 2015 by TattleTeeny

[lchal]

Have we seen St. Marq before?? He looks soooo familiar to me. I have been racking my brain this whole season so far wondering where I have seen him before or who he reminds me of. Anyone able to help me out? Thanks!

[Muffyn]

Exactly! I'm not even disagreeing with the fact that they'll look pretty rough eventually but, like you say, so will everything. I'm not even mad at the poster for not being a fan of tattoos; it's the correlation between ink and education that's got me scratching my head.

Perhaps they are thinking of the tattoo to teeth ratio:  http://www.gomerblog.com/2014/03/tattoo-tooth/.  

[TattleTeeny]

OH! Dare I look? Haha, I love tattoos and always "need" more but if my teeth start falling out or rotting, I will definitely reprioritize!

[Muffyn]

TattleTeeny, as long as you hold onto your teeth until you're 60, you're fine.  At 60, they expect some tooth loss without it being linked to poor choices.  

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I agree that St. Marq is that annoying mix of obnoxious but a better artist than most of the other contestants. I was rolling my eyes when he said he was going to kick ass on the stained glass challenge because stained glass is used in churches and several people in his family are ministers. Ooooookay then. It reminded me of Cheryl Ann on Skin Wars saying that she was good at painting horses because her family owned a horse farm. Look, I had dogs growing up and my dad worked on F-14s, but that doesn't mean I can draw dogs or planes.

 

I hate when the show gives us the girl vs. girl narrative, but both Katie and Duffy's stained glass dolphins were beautiful. I have no desire to have either a dolphin tattoo or a stained glass tattoo, but I was so impressed with both of their tattoos this week. I wish they could have said it was a draw and both won/neither lost and then picked two losers from one of the other teams.

 

That black and white tattoo, on the other hand, was worthy of an elimination. First of all, it didn't fulfill the challenge. I have never seen a black and grey stained glass window. Even if I had, that's not the point. But beyond that, his version of stained glass sucked. That cross was not straight or symmetric. And it was HUGE which makes the mistakes even more obvious.

[psychoticstate]

That black and white tattoo, on the other hand, was worthy of an elimination. First of all, it didn't fulfill the challenge. I have never seen a black and grey stained glass window. Even if I had, that's not the point. But beyond that, his version of stained glass sucked. That cross was not straight or symmetric. And it was HUGE which makes the mistakes even more obvious.

 

Agreed.  I think the show needs to decide whether or not they are eliminating based on meeting the challenge or not.  If the challenge is stained glass, and one would assume color, if the inktestant does a tattoo in black and white, it should be automatic elimination, no matter how good or bad the tat is.  If everyone meets the challenge then base the elimination on the quality of work.  At least that's my opinion.

 

I'm still floored how many people come on this show and act as though they have never seen previous seasons.  "I know the challenge is color but I'm a black and white tattooer so I'm going to blow the judges away with my black and white work!"  It's just plain stupid - - although it certainly worked with regard to the black and white "stained glass" cross.

[Nena]

Agreed.  I think the show needs to decide whether or not they are eliminating based on meeting the challenge or not.  If the challenge is stained glass, and one would assume color, if the inktestant does a tattoo in black and white, it should be automatic elimination, no matter how good or bad the tat is.  If everyone meets the challenge then base the elimination on the quality of work.  At least that's my opinion.

 

I'm still floored how many people come on this show and act as though they have never seen previous seasons.  "I know the challenge is color but I'm a black and white tattooer so I'm going to blow the judges away with my black and white work!"  It's just plain stupid - - although it certainly worked with regard to the black and white "stained glass" cross.

 

They probably haven't.  Most competition shows these days recruit rather than work from applications, and the number would be even higher this year, where they might've taken one half of each pair from applications, then recruited the associated master/apprentice.  For a lot of them, they probably watched the first season, or a few episodes from it.  And, they'll all have the idea in their heads that whatever they saw someone fail at on an episode won't apply to them, because they're so much better than the random contestant they saw bomb out 3 years ago.

[BigBlueMastiff]

I liked Miami's carousel horse, pretty intricate for the allotted time, but it wasn't stained glass, so bye. And black and white off center, jacked up cross, black/white/gray are not stained glass colors, so bye to you, too.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

I think the show needs to decide whether or not they are eliminating based on meeting the challenge or not.  If the challenge is stained glass, and one would assume color, if the inktestant does a tattoo in black and white, it should be automatic elimination, no matter how good or bad the tat is.

I think you need to draw a distinction between someone who doesn't meet the challenge out of ignorance vs a transparent attempt to dodge something the artist knows he sucks at. Artists shouldn't be penalized for the producers' repeated negligence in properly laying out the terms of each challenge.

[PepperMonkey]

Sad to see Miami go versus that winky "black and grey" stained glass cross. Big Cheeze or whatever his name is, should have been gone, but not because of the black and grey exclusively: that tat was just bad. It was off center in the back AND if you studied it all, it had almost no symmetry, and I don't think asymmetry was intentional.

 

Katie's and Duffy's dolphins were both fabulous, so I was happy the girl on girl turned out to be a non-starter. Poor Oliver: no hair pulling or bitch slapping over which to smirk.

 

Finally, you can't plan your life and your mistakes or triumphs by thinking about how your tattoos will look in the future, for fuck's sake. We're all gonna age, sag, have new dark spots on our skin, pee when we cough, etc. as we get older. Worry about that when it happens and get your tattoos with abandon!!!!! Just don't get somebody's name tattooed on yourself unless it's your mom or dad or one of your kids or grandkids. Otherwise, get ready for a coverup when the inevitable breakup occurs. Happy tattooing!

[Rancide]

I have hope for this season.  It looks like there are more than just 2-3 contestants with some serious talent, and while the douchebaggery is inevitable, at least it seems like it's spread around a little and somewhat more muted.  You've got several minor-league a-holes and drama queens scattered throughout rather than just 1-2 outsized loudmouths sucking up a disproportionate amount of airtime.

 

Good to see there are a couple of female artists this season who seem to have some talent.