S06.E05: Problem Parts

[thewhiteowl]

Naked models are used to create illusions; one artist gets a shot at revenge; and tattoos on challenging body parts cause panic amongst the competition.

whoops! Sorry I got the date wrong.

Edited July 26, 2015 by thewhiteowl

[90PercentGravity]

My DVR didn't even record this. Was it actually on?

[TattleTeeny]

Neither did mine!

[akr]

No, it's scheduled for the 28th. 

 

That King Tut miniseries they were shilling last week was on instead.

Edited July 22, 2015 by akr

[candall]

That King Tut miniseries they were shilling last week was on instead.

For me, it had the opposite effect.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I really liked the body painting challenge. Kito and Tyler's jellyfish was really beautiful and had a great use of colors, but I totally agreed with the judges that because they had all that extra stuff going on in the background, the human body of the model was still very visible. Dave and Eric were smart to pose their model as a bird. Duffy and Chris's octopus definitely erased almost all traces of the model's body, but I hated that the tentacles on the back leg didn't line up perfectly with the torso/front leg. That is something that the Skin Wars judges would have dinged them for!

I couldn't believe that the judges said St. Marq and Marissa's model moving her arms was a great use of body movement to show the flower petals falling. Uh, no. Her arm movements made her look like she was marching in place. I thought this design had the same problem as Tyler and Kito's because you could clearly see where the human body was. At least the jellyfish that Tyler and Kito did looked like well done art. St. Marq and Marissa's looked terrible under the black lights. I couldn't even tell what it was until the judges started talking about it.

Katie and Matt's air balloons fulfilled the challenge the best IMO. The model's human form wasn't visible at all and they managed to give the balloons a depth of field so they didn't look like they were all in the same place. Cruzeman and Earl's was boring. Craig and Big Ceeze had a cool concept but it wasn't my favorite. The tail of the snake looked really unnatural because it dropped off at almost a right angle. I wish they hadn't painted all of the model because that made the human form very visible to me.

In the elimination tattoos, Craig's mouth on the leg was better than Katie's due to Katie's unfortunate tongue. I thought it looked like two red boobs. I'm glad that St. Marq didn't tattoo his model's ass with trees everywhere but I agreed with the judges that Chris did a better job. Not only was the mermaid's face beautiful but he did that with almost no preparation after his original model passed out. I am not a fan of asscrack tattoos, but he did a good job making the model's ass into the mermaid's boobs. I thought the details in the hair were good too. I liked the highlights he did and the combination of the visible chunky strands and the larger areas of smooth blue color looked realistic.

Dave's motorcycle skull was awesome. Of the four tattoo artists who had to do those foreshortened designs, his was by far the best. The hand was integrated so smoothly into the tattoo. Kito, on the other hand, did not do well. He just slapped a grim reaper with one really long arm on his client without changing the perspective. Eric and Tyler's foot tattoos were terrible too. I loved when Dave said that Eric's just looked like the ballerina had a huge foot. From the ankle up, the dancer was not very well done (her face was kind of blurry and too shadowed, her back foot isn't pointed, she has two parallel white highlighted lines on her back thigh, instead of ribbons on her pointe shoe, there are just two lines on her back ankle, she doesn't have individual fingers, and the actual lines of her legs were not done well - there is a bump in her supporting thigh that looks like it's a mistake) but good lord that foot looked so huge and wonky. Tyler's tattoo did not integrate the foot well at all. I thought it was on par with Kito's.

Big Ceeze's Buddha was definitely better than Matt's. I agreed with the judges about the toes and hand on Matt's. Overall Matt's tattoo looked like a bad cartoon drawing. Marissa's armpit tattoo was much better than Earl's. Earl's wolf looked off. I laughed when Marissa, who should have been rooting for him to lose, whispered, "Stop talking." Even she knew that he was just shooting himself in the foot by trying to defend his bad choices. One of my all time favorite critiques on this show: "Just because your reference was a real photo doesn't mean the tattoo is real looking."

I wasn't a fan of either Duffy or Kruseman's tattoos but at least Duffy actually fulfilled the challenge. But that is why I was so surpised that the judges eliminated Earl instead of Kruseman. Ha, I loved Dave's hypothetical - what if we do head tattoos next week and someone decides to do a tattoo on the chest instead? Very valid point.

Edited July 29, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[thewhiteowl]

Another week when two should have been eliminated. Kruseman should have left as well as Eeyore, I mean Earl.

[Monty]

St. Marq tattooed stink lines right above a buttcrack. I can't decide if that's awful or brilliant.

[psychoticstate]

I'm totally with Dave on this one - - Kruzeman completely bailed on the challenge and should therefore have been eliminated.  Nunez' logic makes no sense - - he doesn't want to cut a good artist.  Aren't they all supposed to be good artists coming in?  And doesn't this send the message that as long as you are a good artist in the judges' estimation or the judges like you, you can do whatever you want, to hell with the challenge.  What's the point of having challenges if certain people don't have to follow them? 

 

Earl's tattoo wasn't the best but at least he followed the rules.

 

Chris' tattoo turned out beautiful, which is a nice change.  I was expecting him to have to tattoo himself somewhere impossible and getting completely screwed.  It was also nice to not have him whining about how unfair it was and just get down to work.

 

I thought Dave had the best tattoo with his arm work.

 

The challenge was awesome to see, with the airbrushing.  Katie and Matt's hot air balloons were beautiful.

[TattleTeeny]

Earl's tattoo wasn't the best but at least he followed the rules.

 

I paused the TV to look at Earl's and, call me crazy, but it looked to me like the upper part of the wolf's jaw was really well done. This makes me wonder if that was where he started the tattoo--perhaps before the canvas guy became too uncomfortable and squirmy--but had to rush through the rest?

 

But, yes, I agree that the rest was pretty terrible--those ears were way too small; they looked like a child's drawing of a cat! 

[zxy556575]

I thought the hot air balloons and octopus were the best and couldn't understand the judges' infatuation with the snake since the model's body was clearly visible.

[phoenix780]

I watch enough of these kinds of shows to know that challenges are really more of a guideline than anything, and as long as you do something amazing you'll generally be OK.  That said, I thought their point with Kruseman's was that not only did he evade the challenge (ingenious in its way I suppose) his work wasn't great.  Then when they brought him back down it shifted to a slightly different narrative wherein they couldn't abide letting go of a good artist for something as meaningless as ignoring the challenge- except for Dave, who was awesome.  

 

It's also interesting that they ignored the customer service aspect a bit.  I'd be pissed if I wanted something super specific and my tattoo artist made adjustments because he thought it was stupid.  I wasn't watching closely, how did he smooth all that over with the customer? 

 

So I guess I'm a little conflicted.  They could have edited better to explain the reason why the judges would allow a contestant to aggressively, openly avoid the challenge and not deliver what a client initially requested.  But, it's not like I'm left feeling that someone else was robbed, meaning the impact is...none.  We'll see how it goes if he or someone else does this later.  I hope they're consistent, but I doubt it. 

 

The paint was the best part of the show.  I think it really showed off the creativity and skill most of them have.

[Charlesman]

Overall, no one this episode did a terrible tattoo. Personally, I thought Kruzeman's was bad (proportions off, mostly), but, if that's what the canvas wanted I could live with it. This was the first episode in a while, possibly this season, where I felt no canvas is 'ruined for life' by some shoddy work. Everyone at least put out something interesting and decent.

 

A bit of a change for this show. A lot of artists put out their best work we've seen this week. Was nice to finally see.

[Fallacy]

I'm fairly bitter that they kept Kruzeman. I guess I'm a total rule follower because it always pisses me off when someone gets away with ignoring or breaking the rules. Plus, I thought his tattoo was crap regardless. Still, Erik's ballerina foot was terrible. I didn't quite get the hate for Earl's wolf either, so if Kruzeman couldn't go home (FU Nunez) they at least could have sent home Erik instead.

[Sile]

The double standard annoys me.  Two weeks ago Miami had the better tattoo, but the crooked, black and gray cross stayed because Miami didn't follow the challenge.  Granted, Miami's carousel wasn't perfect, but neither was Kruseman's tattoo.  

 

It also didn't look like a pin-up to me, so it wasn't just the challenge.  He also ignored what the client asked for, she wanted a pin-up and she got a gypsy head.  That's like somebody wanting a tiger on black and gray day and getting a full color leopard.

 

I know, I've been watching reality competition shows long enough to know that the double standard is employed liberally, but still.  If it was my favorite Erik that went, I'd care a lot more but I was really tired of Earl and his poor me schtick.

Edited July 29, 2015 by Sile

[TattleTeeny]

I really fail to see how Kruseman's tattoo would even have worked anyway; how would hair on the bottom of the back of the lady's head ever line up with a tattoo on her neck? And if the lady had her hair down and loose, the tattoo would be invisible.

[candall]

Overall, no one this episode did a terrible tattoo. Personally, I thought Kruzeman's was bad (proportions off, mostly), but, if that's what the canvas wanted I could live with it. This was the first episode in a while, possibly this season, where I felt no canvas is 'ruined for life' by some shoddy work. Everyone at least put out something interesting and decent.

 

 

That thing was nowhere NEAR what the client wanted.  She wanted to be able to wear her hair up and have a second face showing out the back, high enough on her neck to share her real hair, probably also planned to have some wispy tendrils framing the face.  She wasn't going for some mediocre non-centered gypsy girl's forehead over the back of her collar.  The client had pale lavender hair, so I assume she was expecting the curls around the tattoo face to match that.  Further fail.  (Too bad she didn't at least get one of the artists who does beautiful flowy-haired mermaid faces because the client was sort of delicate and nymph-like herself.)

 

It's a cool concept and one I've never seen before, so I don't think it's too far off the mark to think she left there with a boring halfassed drawing she might regret for life.

 

Just incredible there were no consequences for Kruzeman making that decision.

 

Both octopus and balloons were more beautiful and met the challenge better than snake arm.  Hello-o-o, I can see your whole body.  But the judges thought those paint dabs on the arms waving up and down looked like falling cherry blossoms, so the judging was pretty cracked anyway. 

Edited July 29, 2015 by candall

[leighdear]

That Black Light/Body Paint challenge ranks right up there with my favorites.  It was creative, unique and produced some beautiful images.  Big props to whomever thought it up, because some of those flash challenges are getting kind of stale.  

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I agree. That was one of the best challenges they have had for ages. I would love to see them do the same challenge on Skin Wars (which has also gotten stale in terms of the challenges).

[Sile]

I agree. That was one of the best challenges they have had for ages. I would love to see them do the same challenge on Skin Wars (which has also gotten stale in terms of the challenges).

If I remember the teasers from last week, they are doing UV paint next on Skin Wars.  I don't know if it's camouflage or not, though.  I remember that Gear was incredible last year with the UV paint.

 

I was watching some of the Season 2 marathon yesterday and they really have gotten lazy with the flash challenges.  I realize that the longer you go the tougher it is to stay fresh, but I'd rather have a repeat of a really cool past challenge than some lame new one that everybody biffs and I ending up fast forwarding through.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The sad thing is that Skin Wars is only about halfway through its second season and their challenges are already tired.

Not that I'm defending Ink Master because there are so many challenges they could still do, but at least in comparison they are six seasons in (as opposed to only two).

I remember Ink Master did a really cool camouflage bodypaint flash challenge a few seasons ago. I don't want them to overdo the bodypainting challenges but they have done well with those. I just wish the show would get as creative with the other non-bodypainting challenges.

[Sile]

Not defending Skin Wars, but they are a little more restricted in that all of their mini challenges involve painting.  Although I wouldn't mind a few that don't require models, I suppose that would defeat the purpose of the show.  My bigger problem with the show is the main challenges.  I'd like a lot more camouflage and/or trompe l'oeil.

 

Ink Master has a bit more latitude, painting, tattooing, carving, etching, etc.  One of my favorite flash challenges was one they showed yesterday during the marathon, where they burned designs into leather chaps.

Edited July 29, 2015 by Sile

[Monty]

How about that text crawl that ran for half the episode, trying to round up people who want eyelid or forehead tattoos?

[zxy556575]

And once again I thought the canvas jury was way out of line with their pick as worst tattoo. Even though they're different people every episode, the beef against the more playful, colorful type of tattoo seems to be a running theme.

[leighdear]

@gimi, 

I've been a Face-Off fanatic since the first season!  Absolutely love it every time, as those folks are an excellent example of how to do a competitive reality show without manufactured drama & angst!   

[MiseryIndex]

I'm so over intentionally bad canvases. Neveremind the girl who passed out. They know not to let people with few tattoos get hard tattoos. Or to not let people in if they want something that won't meet the challenge. They just want the drama.

[TattleTeeny]

I kind of hate myself for this (because I do not want to be "That Guy") but I snorted when the squirmy wolf canvas, after Earl explained that it's a tough area, was like "But I already have a tattoo." 

Edited July 30, 2015 by TattleTeeny

[akr]

Seems like the pool of people willing to get a tattoo for a TV show is bound to include people who want to be a PITA on the show, especially if something about the person who's going to tattoo them ticks them off; as well as people who think oh, shit, when they realize a contestant wants to put something big and permanent and stupid on their bodies, and doesn't care what they think about this - and has been assigned to do their tattoo by another contestant who thinks he's going to screw it up. 

I thought the wolf in the armpit was a bear until you guys kept calling it a wolf here. 

[LoneHaranguer]

 

Or to not let people in if they want something that won't meet the challenge.

To be fair, I'm sure some of the people lie about what they're willing to accept to get their free tattoo or be on the show, confident they can talk the artist into what they really want. If the producers can get their act together enough so that replacing a canvas is as easy as it ought to be, the problem will be solved. If there's an issue, a producer can referee and call in a new canvas if the old one backs out of taking what the challenge requires.

[OakGoblinFly]

I'm totally with Dave on this one - - Kruzeman completely bailed on the challenge and should therefore have been eliminated.  Nunez' logic makes no sense - - he doesn't want to cut a good artist.  Aren't they all supposed to be good artists coming in?  And doesn't this send the message that as long as you are a good artist in the judges' estimation or the judges like you, you can do whatever you want, to hell with the challenge.  What's the point of having challenges if certain people don't have to follow them? 

 

 

I know, what's up with that?  If you are going to let a contestant get a "pass" for not fulfilling the challenge parameters because you don't "want to lose a good artist" then why have challenge parameters in the first place?  

I'm fairly bitter that they kept Kruzeman. I guess I'm a total rule follower because it always pisses me off when someone gets away with ignoring or breaking the rules. Plus, I thought his tattoo was crap regardless. Still, Erik's ballerina foot was terrible. I didn't quite get the hate for Earl's wolf either, so if Kruzeman couldn't go home (FU Nunez) they at least could have sent home Erik instead.

 

Especially since they come down really hard on others who ignored the rules on other challenges.

And once again I thought the canvas jury was way out of line with their pick as worst tattoo. Even though they're different people every episode, the beef against the more playful, colorful type of tattoo seems to be a running theme.

 

 

I don't think they sent the mouth tattoo to the bottom because it was cartoony - they sent it down because that tongue was jacked up ... if she had less of a division between the two halves of the tongue I think it would have been fine.

[TattleTeeny]

To be fair, I'm sure some of the people lie about what they're willing to accept to get their free tattoo or be on the show, confident they can talk the artist into what they really want. If the producers can get their act together enough so that replacing a canvas is as easy as it ought to be, the problem will be solved. If there's an issue, a producer can referee and call in a new canvas if the old one backs out of taking what the challenge requires.

I know someone who was a canvas on the show. She told me that she was told to ask for what she asked for even though she wanted something else. She got neither, so I'm not sure what the point was.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

If you are going to let a contestant get a "pass" for not fulfilling the challenge parameters because you don't "want to lose a good artist" then why have challenge parameters in the first place?

I can see the point in that you don't want to lose a good artist who doesn't satisfy the challenge out of ignorance or an honest disagreement with the judges as to what constitutes the style of the day. I could also see Nunez not wanting to draw a line on non-compliance, but Kruzeman was pretty plain about choosing to blow off the challenge so, if nothing else, the judges should have cared about his lack of respect for the rules and for them.

[zxy556575]

The part that confuses me is that the artists show the canvases their completed sketch before they start, right? Unless the artist completely changes course midstream without telling the canvas, I don't see how the volunteers can complain that it wasn't what they wanted. Not executed well, sure. But for example, the vampire fangs tattoo in this episode -- if the canvas thought the tongue didn't look right in the drawing, then would have been the time to say something.

[Demented Daisy]

I'm fairly bitter that they kept Kruzeman. I guess I'm a total rule follower because it always pisses me off when someone gets away with ignoring or breaking the rules. Plus, I thought his tattoo was crap regardless. Still, Erik's ballerina foot was terrible. I didn't quite get the hate for Earl's wolf either, so if Kruzeman couldn't go home (FU Nunez) they at least could have sent home Erik instead.

 

Could not agree more.  At least the wolf pit guy can walk around with his arms down and no one will see his tattoo.  That poor woman will have a jacked tattoo on her leg for everyone to see almost all the damn time.

[candall]

I know someone who was a canvas on the show. She told me that she was told to ask for what she asked for even though she wanted something else. She got neither, so I'm not sure what the point was.

I'd love to hear more of what she told you.  Like, how far apart were "what she wanted" from "what she was told to say she wanted" from "what she got"???   Was she satisfied with the whole experience or bittersauce?

 

(Maybe there's a thread for this kind of info.  IDK)

[TattleTeeny]

I don't know much more, other than she loves it. I kind of assume what she was asked to ask for was meant to stir up a mini-controversy because it would have taken a lot more than six hours. No controversy happened though; I suppose maybe they wanted the tattooist to stress out over talking her out of it? But she's heavily tattooed already; she knows how long stuff takes. She went in ready to take what she was given even though she had something in mind beforehand. This was before the canvas jury so no manufactured drama that made no sense, really.

[Hana Chan]

Best part of the episode was the flash challenge. Everything else was pretty meh.

 

It seemed like this week was 50/50. Half the tattoos were executed well, even if I didn't like the placement or the aesthetics. Why someone would want an armpit tattoo is beyond me, but to each their own. But there were some real clunkers. Some of the art was just plain bad. I can't say that there were really any that I liked except the mermaid buttcrack tattoo. Not where I would get a tattoo, but t was pretty.

If there is one this episode that really pissed me off was the way the rules just get tossed on the whim of the judges. I can't defend Earl staying because he hadn't done anything that impressed me. But at least he did the challenge. Kruseman didn't. And not only did he not do the challenge, but the tattoo sucked. Why should he stay over someone who's tattoo sucked equally, but satisfied the requirements of the requirements of he challenge. Especially when in the stained glass challenge they kicked off Miami for doing a tattoo that didn’t fulfill the challenge requirement, but was vastly superior to other tattoos that day. Their capriciousness just irks me.

[azshadowwalker]

I guess I'm a total rule follower because it always pisses me off when someone gets away with ignoring or breaking the rules. Plus, I thought his tattoo was crap regardless.

 

That's the bigger problem for me. Not only did he not follow the rules, making the challenge easier for him, but his tattoo was complete garbage even after making it easier on himself. There was really nothing redeeming about that tattoo, even if you don't consider the challenge.

[hatchetgirl]

A few things...

How do you pass out before needle hits skin? What the heck?

Ok i don't like using female curse words but damn that wolf in armpit guy was a fucking pussy! Jack ass. I would have definitely slapped that tat when complete. I think the tat was just far too symmetrical to look good.

St Marq is an awful person. Just horrible. He is not a tattoo god and they were right to call him on it looking like all his others.

[azshadowwalker]

How do you pass out before needle hits skin? What the heck?

 

You take a bunch of drugs beforehand and take yourself to the edge of overdose. Probably benzos or some sort of opiate. I've known stupid people who did just that to deal with the pain or nerves before tattoos. Really stupid people.

[hatchetgirl]

It definitely looked like that. I'm just shocked the show let her on.

[azshadowwalker]

My husband and I were talking about it the other night. She probably brought pills in and popped them in the bathroom before they started. From the way she looked, I don't think she had taken them too much in advance. I'm sure the canvasses are there for quite a while before they actually sit for the tattoo. They probably didn't know what she had done until it was too late. Maybe they need to keep a bettter eye on the on-air talent in the future.

 

To be honest, it would not surprise me if many of the "good sitters" who appear as canvases were on something. It's something most tattoo artists are used to. Just most of them aren't stupid enough to OD in the process.

Edited August 13, 2015 by azshadowwalker

[azshadowwalker]

I thought most shops had a policy against tattooing people who are drunk or high?

 

Most of them probably do have an official policy that says something of the sort. Doesn't mean they actually care, or that they can tell all the time. Not everyone is stupid enough to take so many painkillers that they fall out in front of people. Besides, a lot of the better artists I have known don't work in shops. They work on their own.

[zxy556575]

What about OTC topical analgesics? They're not that powerful but should help to some extent, but I never hear anyone mention them as an option.

[akr]

What about OTC topical analgesics? They're not that powerful but should help to some extent, but I never hear anyone mention them as an option.

 

They all say not to use on broken skin, and most are counter-irritants (menthol, capsaicin, etc.) that wouldn't help the pain level if you did break the skin, and/or salicylates (aspirin), which are blood thinners (and I remember some of the tattooers being annoyed by canvases who drank too much, because their blood was thinned). And perhaps also not a good thing to inject directly into tissue, as opposed to take by mouth or use topically.

 

And even if they helped with the pain, it seems to me they could muck up the process, as you'd be injecting not just the dye, but also the topical anesthetic, into your tattoo.

Edited August 19, 2015 by akr