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This is a very clean, very strong illustration. Technically, the lines look clean, the varying line weights are used smartly and from a distance. You do create shading with using only small lines. The little reactions over there. What's going on? - They used a mag. I mean, I would have used a mag, too, if I could have. Yeah, we all would have. You guys just didn't think about it. You guys are mad because you didn't think about it. No, we did. We followed the rules though.
We followed the rules, too. Dragging the mag-- I mean, it is a way to make lines. I think it's smart. [THEME MUSIC] For this week's elimination tattoo, you'll be inking a style that many cultures consider sacred-- tribal. You'll be creating a tattoo that incorporates your own personal style, as well as traditional tribal elements. You'll have the rest of the afternoon to talk with your human canvases and come up with a design. Tomorrow you'll have five hours to do this tattoo. And based on your work, one of you will be the next to pack up your machines and go home.
Good luck tomorrow. I see you got some reference here. Yeah. If you like that skull, I could probably do something where maybe the tribal wraps towards the back-- Right. --like a cocoon around something, like, you're looking in. Yeah, I wanted to, like, basically do the whole hairline. So we could go as far down as here. And we are limited to five hours, so you know, the whole head might be rough. But I mean, that depends on the design. Maybe I can come up with something. My client wants a whole head tattoo. He's really not willing to do half of it.
Nor do I really want to do half of it, because it would be nearly impossible to match it or draw into it again. I chose something that is difficult, but I chose it because I wanted to do something big that, you know, I could show off with. Here we go. Just let me know how you're feeling. Anything, you just keep me in the know. I think Billy's overambitious. I think he bit off a little more than he could chew. He's going to regret that [BLEEP], man. Definitely. I mean, it's a race, but we're moving along steadily. So it should be all right.
The way I approach tattoos, you know, I really obsess over it, and analyze it, and try to come up with, like, just the best possible solution-- both for the client, and for myself. Let me see. Awesome. That's the reason I'm in the top here. Heads are difficult to tattoo. The pain is pretty bad. You're getting a lot of sheer force, you know, just-- just repeatedly banging on your skull. I'm seeing stars. Mm. There's a lot of nerves, and it's very painful to try to squeeze a whole head tattoo and rush something like that.
I wouldn't-- I just don't think it's a smart idea. Give me-- give me, like, two more minutes and we'll let you take a break. - Cool. Is that cool? Are you sure? - Yeah. - All right. I just want to kill this spot so I don't have to go back into it. I definitely have to rush a little bit. But the one thing I want to do is I want to prove people wrong. I want to be able to finish. 30 minutes left. BILLY: My client's in a lot of pain. Mm! [BLEEP] BILLY: He started, like, losing his eyesight a little bit from, you know, all the rattling.
[CLEARS THROAT] Do you want me to get somebody? Mm-hmm. - Yeah? - Mm-hmm. Can you get EMT? At this point. His body's cutting out. How are you doing? Looking a little pale there. You feel nauseous? A little bit. BILLY: I knew going into this that I took a piece that was huge. I was pretty confident I could finish it. I'm not finished. I need, like, another 20 minutes. I don't want to leave this guy with, you know, an unfinished head piece.
It's-- you know, this guy's got to walk around with it every day. I'm ruining this guy's life. Welcome, guys, to another elimination round. For this week's elimination tattoo, we asked you to create a tribal tattoo that incorporates your own personal style. Billy? What's going on, guys? DAVE: So you chose the head tattoo. Yeah, I chose the head. DAVE: That was bold. BILLY: For the design, placement, layout, I think I did a really good job.
I didn't quite finish it. We are here issuing you guys challenges based on time, and we need to see finished tattoos. Bad choice. There was a ton of outlining. A lot of time was spent with the stencil and drawing, getting it perfectly symmetric on his head. I don't like the fact that you left the guy with scattered shade marks. That dude's got to cruise around like that. You're kicking yourself out of the pack if you don't finish your challenge.
DAVE: Today you must tattoo a warrior. - DAVE: Yeah. Strong, fearless and ready for battle, a warrior is a fighter from any time period or culture. There's only one way to show exactly who your warrior is-- through the details. You'll have six hours to tattoo a fierce warrior. And based on your work, one of you will be closing shop. Good luck. So you're thinking you want to get a Viking warrior? - A Viking warrior, yeah. - Awesome. Something badass, man.
Competition's getting tight, and I really need to stay in the top. I want to outperform everybody today. You're doing a lot of color? You're doing-- you're going full color on this thing, huh? MATTI: Yeah, full color. I'm the only one doing color, and I think that's going to give me the edge. - Killer, man. We'll see you in a bit. DAVE: Today, we asked you to show detail by tattooing warriors. Matti, let's start with you. CHRIS: Every detail in the actual choice of the way that the design was put together has a great look to it.
The subtle little details of the cut in the eye, the scar, and the way that the severed head's eyes are rolled up in his head with the open mouth, it's just very dynamic. The detail in the helmet is great. And then you go into the face. You see the face is even better. I loved it, man. I wish that was my leg. You took this kind of dark, gruesome Image, and you just livened it up with just really, really bright colors that make this thing very vibrant.
It's [BLEEP] super cool. And you're really standing out today amongst five black and gray tattoos standing behind you. Thank you. Before we send you back to the loft, the judges have determined a winner. The judges have decided the best tattoo of the day goes to Matti. With or without color, your piece had a lot of great contrast in it. And just the details that stood out, making this image what it was, came out on top today, man. Thank you. For this elimination tattoo, you must tattoo the ultimate test of accuracy-- a portrait. - Ah. [BLEEP] And today, your canvases want portraits of toddlers. But that's not all.
You'll be tattooing head to head with another artist. Because two canvases want each portrait. What? And that means your work will be compared directly with another artist, and any error will be apparent. Based on your work, one of you will close shop. Good luck. What's going on? CHRIS: How you doing, bud? So, what are you thinking? Obviously, full color, huh? Yeah, for sure. I'm just not a color portrait person. Yeah, I'm excited about it. CHRIS: Kevin hasn't taken my advice throughout this competition. And if he doesn't want to listen to me, I'm done giving it to him. All right.
- Right on, man. - Good luck, guys. Thank you. I decided to go up against Ryan, because I've never seen her do anything color realism before. But, of course, she convinced her canvas to do black and gray. I do portraits all day, so I'm confident enough to go against anybody in this challenge. So we're the only ones doing color. No one else is? KEVIN: Nobody. She was the only one. Judges could say everyone took easy street, black and gray. They're not going to say that.
No. I know the judges hate color portraits. I'm going to do it anyway. DAVE: Five, four, three, two, one. That's it. Time's up. Machines down. No more Ink. Oh, my god. That's gorgeous! You got everything. - Yeah. It's-- it's perfect. Yeah, it's pretty sick. Good job. Kevin's tattoo looks kind of like an old man, with weird striped taffy candy laid on his head like a wig. I can confidently say my portrait is way more accurate than Kevin's.
DAVE: Today, we were testing accuracy with toddler portraits. Each of you went head to head with another artist on the same portrait. Let's see how you did. Kevin, you tattooed the same portrait as Ryan. This was the hardest one of the portraits to do. I wouldn't have chose this photo. It's not an easy one. Color portraits is a thing that I honestly enjoy. So-- The colors that you picked are very much the color of your canvas's skin. So when this thing does heal and washes out, you're going to have really strong eyes,
a strong bottom of a nose, and some really heavy blue lines. The color play in this is what really throws it. I don't think you did a correct representation of the hair in the photo. You have this slick part, and then he has these hairs that are flowing over it. You don't have any inference of that. And then you have these slick loops that look like pudding swirl. Just doesn't look like hair at all. Today, you tattooed portraits. Based on your work, one of you will close shop. Time to hear from the jury of peers.
Now, I understand that you did not reach a decision. Is that accurate? It was a hard split. There was no moving anybody. But me, Nikki, Ryan voted for Kevin. And Nate, Gian and Kevin voted for Nikki. Anyone with eyes, I feel like, would say that mine looks more like the picture than Nikki's does. His is going to have no nose within a couple months. Kevin, what I'm missing in your face is your liner so that it won't disappear, because your tones are very close to your canvas.
These light colors, these things are going to fade faster than all the rest. Had I known that everybody in the room was doing black and gray, I would have jumped in that pool, too, and would have did black and gray. But you were confident in the color. I walked in and you had 50 colors poured out. And you were like, I feel good doing color. So I can't get in your ear. I've been in your ear from day one, but I can't get you to change your ways. You do what you do always. The judges have decided. Kevin, you do not have what it takes to be Ink Master. It's been fun to watch you.
It's a battle. But honestly, Kev, if you take a little direction from people that you do love their work and people that you want to be around, you're going to switch in two seconds. Please pack your machines and close shop. Bubba, as the veteran artist, it's on your shop to prove that you deserve to be back in this competition by proving that you have overcome your weaknesses. In Bubba's honor, you'll all be judged on the fundamentals. There's no better way to show your fundamentals than by tattooing a style that leaves you no room for errors-- illustrative black work.
Ooh! Yeah, bring it on. DAVE: Using only lines of different lengths and widths, you must create texture, depth, and contrast in your Image. Since there's no color or shading, the smallest flaw in your fundamentals will be obvious. Linework, cake. I'm ready to prove myself. And for this tattoo, you will once again be tag teaming. Your shop will create one tattoo on the same canvas. Only one of you can tattoo at a time, and you must switch artists every hour.
You will have six hours to show that you've mastered the fundamentals. Based on your work, one shop will be out. Good luck. Basically, double up that top double line. BUBBA: And I'm going to go over a lot of these. Just don't change nothing. I'm not used to anybody telling me, don't do this, or don't do that. - Nice. Beautiful. BUBBA: It's kind of hard to step back and let someone else take the reins-- but I'm doing it, because I'm doing whatever it takes to win this thing. Of course, yours is looking perfect.
It's going to get a lot cooler. I have some tricks in store. I see DJ is using a mag. I'm shocked, straight off the bat. DJ is using a magnum. Is he? He's pushing it like a liner, but it's still not the same as lining. A lining needle is a group of needles that are tightly put together like this. A mag are needles that are put in between each other and make this shape. So he's using a mag to essentially emulate, like, five single line needles?
Yeah. It's kind of weak, dude. Being allowed to use a mag in this challenge would mean that you could do multiple tiny lines that are perfectly spaced, with much less work than pulling individual lines. This is not cool. Pulling lines with a magnum? [BLEEP] These artists might be a little jealous they didn't think of this trick first. Yeah, dude. Hell yeah. Today, you had to prove your fundamentals. Bubba, this challenge was designed to test your weaknesses.
Old Town Ink, you're up first. Bubba, how is it being back? I feel like I've been preparing to come back here since I left. I'm ready for it. CHRIS: This is a very clean, very strong illustration. Technically, the lines look clean. The varying line weights are used smartly. And from a distance, you do create shading with using only small lines. A little reactions over there. What's going on? They used a mag. I mean, I would have used a mag, too, if I could have. - Yeah, we all would have. - Yeah.
You guys just didn't think about it. You guys are mad because you didn't think about it. No, we did. We followed the rules, though. We followed the rules, too. Dragging the mag, I mean, it is a way to make lines. I think it's smart. It is lines, every single spot. Yeah, but the same-- the fact that they did it with a mag, I-- I went through and I did it with a single needle-- a lot of us did.
This is a game. And if you're smarter than your opponent, oh, well. I will tell you this. I'm pretty sure that these guys aren't going home. Today, you had to tattoo illustrative blackwork. Based on your work, one shop will be packing their machines. Let's hear from the jury of peers. Guys, why did you vote Old Town Ink to the bottom. You better play by the rules, or you're in the bottom. Wow. I don't think that I should be here right now.
DAVE: Well, nobody's saying that the tattoo's down here because it's one of the worst of the day. Had we all got the chance to use a mag, the caliber of work that we would produce might be better. CHRIS: It's ridiculous. Do your best tattoos and let your work speak for itself. You guys put up somebody that you're threatened by. I think you wasted your [BLEEP] time. DAVE: I'm pretty sure that they're not going anywhere today. 100%. - So should we move on? - Yes, sir.
Yeah. If you want to join the league of winners, you must prove that you can match, or even beat, their skills. - Damn. Wow. Shit, dude. For this elimination tattoo, each of the Ink Masters will pick a style. Oh. You must tattoo in one of the styles called by the Ink Masters. While you tattoo your canvas, the Ink Masters will also tattoo at the same time. Wow. - Head to head? - Very interesting. In critique, your tattoo will be directly compared to the Ink Master's tattoo in the same style.
Fuck. No pressure. Steve, what style do you pick? I want to have some fun. So black and gray, surrealism, freehand. - Wow. - What? Freehand surrealism? Let's see what you got. Let's have some fun. Skulls and demons and shit. That's it. That's it, man. You will have six hours to tattoo. The styles have been set. The subject matter is entirely up to you. Your canvases are completely open.
Head to your shops, and we'll send in your canvases. Good luck. Oh, yeah. - I tattoo fast, though. - Oh, really, do you? I tattoo pretty fast, as well. STEVE: Super fast. You like skulls and stuff. STEVE: A little bit. CREEPY JASON: I also like skulls and stuff. I'm definitely coming after you today. STEVE: I didn't even know anybody would pick it. I like freehanding, man. So doing it against you, it makes it even more fun for me.
Let's have some fun, man. Just rip it up. I'm planning on killing that monster right there. STEVE: Good. I hope so. Woo! All these Ink Masters have strengths and weaknesses. I absolutely think one of us can meet or beat them. Check out my competition here. Oh, man, that's a Steve tat. It is. It was this or kittens. I-- I was going either way. CREEPY JASON: Fuck it, man. That's cool.
Me picking Steve is 100% tactical. Nobody else in this competition has the fucking balls to step up and do a freehand tattoo. So I'm taking Steve on just so I can show off. Bad ass piece, man. CREEPY JASON: Yeah? Thanks, dude. Appreciate it, man. STEVE: I mean, everybody's fucking crushing it. That's how it's been, dude. Only good tattoos going home. Today, you had to tattoo in one of the styles called by the Ink Masters. If you are able to beat or match the Ink Master, you are safe from elimination.
Creepy Jason, you tattooed in black and gray, surrealistic freehand called by Steve. Before we critique your work, let's check out Steve's tattoo. It's fucking evil, bro. You really nailed it. CHRIS: When it comes to texture, and depth, and contrast, and how you're building this deepness to everything that gets thrown back, the further you look back, the more depth it gets-- and that's the cool part. I love the little bridge of the nose, and the subtlety that you made it look like it's almost broken underneath the skin.
I'm a fan of horror tattoos like this. I think it's badass. So sweaty. All right, Creepy Jason, let's see how you did. I like there's a delicateness to it. I love how you threw the web in the back. I think you smashed this, dude. Awesome. There's a lot of little intricate stuff, like in the eyes and in the eye sockets. Inside of the skull, you have all of the creepy, dirty, dingy web stuff. Then the body of the spider almost looks like it's that really thin exoskeleton sort of cocoon.
Judges, did Creepy Jason match the master? Texture for texture, quality for quality, Creepy Jason definitely matched the master. Creepy Jason, I do think you matched the master. Jason matched the master. Woo! Creepy Jason, you matched an Ink Master and you are safe from elimination. Thank you, guys. Appreciate it. That's a good job, Jason. Today, you must tattoo not one, but two micro realistic postage stamps.
Oh! Fuck! Oh, you're fucked! For this elimination tattoo, each of your postage stamps must be smaller than 2 inches by 2 inches on the forearm. Oh, my goodness. Damn. Oh, my god. Matt and Luca, you won the flash challenge. You have the power to assign the canvases together. That's going to be so fun. Black and gray pyramids in a desert. Aw. And a cityscape with some mountains in the background. Kyra. Hi. No! Luca, Matt, you fucked me.
No, it's in black and gray. Color would have been beneficial this time. I really don't want a black and gray tattoo. That's what I've been doing predominantly throughout this competition. And that could definitely send me into the bottom. I thought I was throwing a bone on that one. You will have six hours to create two perfectly precise postage stamps on your canvas's forearm. Hell, yeah. Sign, seal and deliver expert precision, or you'll be packing your machines. Good luck, guys. All right. I'm Kyra.
Nice to meet you. You want to come with me? - All right. KYRA: Let's talk about your ideas. The Egyptian pyramids. And the other one, Vancouver. You go to the beach, you can see downtown, you can see the mountains. Mountains, a beach, the city skyline-- we need to simplify. I do like how you want to represent Vancouver. The planes are kind of cool. - Yeah, the sea planes. - Sea planes? - I've been on a seaplane. That's pretty cool.
I like that a lot, actually. OK. Black and gray is the hardest part. Nervous right now? Is this like-- KYRA: Absolutely not. I do realism, so I can do micro realism. Yeah, I guess it's just, like, realism, but on a smaller scale and more detail? KYRA: Yeah, kind of like that. I'm really worried that I'm at a disadvantage. Color kind of, like, to the eye, beats black and gray. So I have to do the best black and gray I can possibly do just to get that edge, I guess.
And then you kind of warped one a little bit? Yeah, I just didn't want things to look so static. To actually do a tattoo representing my hometown is really cool. "Vancouver girl Wins Ink Master." That sounds kind of nice, yeah? Today, you had to show precision with micro realistic postage stamps. Let's see how you did. Kyra. These remind me of old stamps. The realism part is the red stamp on top. That is just, like, the perfect little addition, with the little half of the city's names on there.
The depiction of Egypt in the bottom is super cool. It's super successful. These camels, they also have shading in them and textures. I love the reflection of the shadow of them walking. It's just a great little photo. The plane reads really well. I do see that the top one's a little skewed, warped a little bit. What was-- I curved the whole stamp at the top because I thought it would be fun and different. It kind of takes away from it a little bit. But you killed these tiny details.
Super precise. These are great tattoos. Thank you. Based on your work, one of you will be packing your machines. - Good luck, fam. - Good luck, you guys. Good luck, guys. Kyra, you're in the bottom today because the choice to skew the top stamp was a little off when we're testing realism. Maybe I was just trying to be a little too creative, especially when I should have just stuck to what I knew as a realism artist.
You also outlined the entire top stamp and made it look like it has an illustrative sort of effect. I do stand by this piece. I do think it'll stand the test of time. And if I was to add a drop shadow, I feel like I could make this make sense. Judges, this is not going to be an easy decision. All three of these are good tattoos. Looking at Kyra and Keahi together, the problem is the outside border. Keahi's, the bottom outline on the top stamp, it's not even consistent. At least Kyra looks confident. But it doesn't look realistic.
Why would you skew a rectangle to make it have a shape that it doesn't actually have? They don't look like realistic stamps stuck to the skin, like you pulled them off an envelope. My vote is for Kyra to go home. My vote is Keahi. Keahi's decisions to lean more into realism hit the challenge more. My vote's for Kyra to go home. So that's one vote for Keahi and two votes for Kyra. Look, I'm at that point where I'm splitting hairs. My vote originally was going to be for Keahi. But I will agree that skewed part of Kyra's makes me wonder what's going on.
My vote is for Kyra to go home. The judges have decided. Kyra, you do not have what it takes to be Ink Master. Please pack your machines and close shop. [THEME MUSIC]
