Ink Masters

[Kimmie]

I wonder if the masters vs apprentices will have more mentoring and advice in it or if it'll take the form of the rivals season.

[pidjones]

I wonder if the masters vs apprentices will have more mentoring and advice in it or if it'll take the form of the rivals season.

C'mon - they don't think mentoring and advice makes "good television". Expect scheming and screaming.

[Kimmie]

C'mon - they don't think mentoring and advice makes "good television". Expect scheming and screaming.

Masters and their apprentices could form alliances to scheme against others. When two people are arguing, their respective mentor/apprentice would be more likely to also get involved, making it a bigger shit show. It would make "good television " and along the way have better art and/or more painful mistakes.

[lilazn561]

I love tattoo shows! So amazing seeing what people come up with. Ink masters has to be my favorite but theres anoter show i dont remember the name but its about a tattoo shop called area 51. Awsome show!

[L2DB]

I apologize if this has been discussed before, but I don't really have a sense of how the average Ink Master contestant compares skill-wise to a solid, well-recommended artist in medium-sized city X (I'm in Cleveland, but think of any similar-sized city). I think the show tries to give the impression (or maybe it's just my initial interpretation) that they are sort of a best of the best in the country, but then the critiques (and even a non-professional eye) identify a number of mistakes. Is it unfair/wrong to worry about my local well-recommended artist?

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So I got over the page count and started reading the thread. Pretty much answered my question in the first few pages.

[tatB]

@L2DB go to TattooFaction and you won't have anything to be worry about.

[scubaron]

The top finalists are very good artists, but all of the contestants are definitely not the best of the best. They always throw in some mid and lower level contestants for drama and ratings.

To be fair, most top level artists specialize and keep to their preferred style. Not sure how they would do if forced to go out of their element.

[Hogrider]

New season gearing up. I saw a couple of examples of the 'art' on Facebook. Some of it was just too awful. Apparently there is a spinoff which will allow people who got those abominations get them fixed. How bad is that when you have a show planned to fix the shit tattooed by some of the 'best tattooers in America?'

What is REALLY fucked up is that I watch that crap!!!!

[marley mission]

i watch too - wife and the kids love it too

meh - shameless i am

[Tornado6]

I really like one of the apprentices(es)(es) this year. I hope it is good for her.

[Bali Singh]

New season gearing up. I saw a couple of examples of the 'art' on Facebook. Some of it was just too awful. Apparently there is a spinoff which will allow people who got those abominations get them fixed. How bad is that when you have a show planned to fix the shit tattooed by some of the 'best tattooers in America?'

What is REALLY fucked up is that I watch that crap!!!!

Ditto, the whole family here watches as well!

[Synesthesia]

I'm glad Craig is coming back, he did some impressive stuff when he was last on. And there's a local artist for me this season (Dave Kruseman). I'm excited to see how he does, I think his work is pretty solid. Otherwise, a LOT of what I've seen proudly (?!) posted on their Facebook page has been iffy at best. You would expect "masters" to be a little better than they apparently are...

[MarvelAvengers]

Think you will see that alot of the apprentices have better tattoos than their masters. I would like to see some different judges though as they are heavily biased toward traditional. The reality as that most magazines and social media accounts servicing cool tattoos have been leaning more toward servicing multiple styles. With the improvement in machines, technique, ink, I think the whole bold will hold is a bit over played. I personally would rather have a highly detail piece that may need to be reworked in 10 years than a simple tattoo lacking detail and looking cartoonish and lacking detail. They look the same in 10-20 years because they never had the detail to begin with. I respect traditional, but other styles not given the same respect, while from a popularity standpoint, has clearly shifted to a broader range of styles.

[Hogrider]

Not that every tattoo in the new season was a gem, but it's the best field they've had since the first season. The last couple of seasons, people were still getting awful tattoos right up until the end.

The funniest part was the guy that walked off and wouldn't get a tattoo. He said he has limited space. I'm sitting there thinking, "You have limited space so you go on a show to get a tattoo from someone you don't know, have never heard of, in episode one where all the worst tattooers are still on?" Not exactly a rocket scientist.

[misterJ]

@Hogrider

I think the new thing now is the "badass" that walks away or picks a fight with the artist. I feel like that has come up more in the most recent seasons. I'm rooting for the guy that dresses like Mario because I love those games

It's time for new judges imo.

PS tattooing fingernails... I can't roll my eyes hard enough.

[21stNow]

Think you will see that alot of the apprentices have better tattoos than their masters. I would like to see some different judges though as they are heavily biased toward traditional. The reality as that most magazines and social media accounts servicing cool tattoos have been leaning more toward servicing multiple styles. With the improvement in machines, technique, ink, I think the whole bold will hold is a bit over played. I personally would rather have a highly detail piece that may need to be reworked in 10 years than a simple tattoo lacking detail and looking cartoonish and lacking detail. They look the same in 10-20 years because they never had the detail to begin with. I respect traditional, but other styles not given the same respect, while from a popularity standpoint, has clearly shifted to a broader range of styles.

This is just a theory, but I think that "bold will hold" is becoming more prevalent as more people with dark skin actually get "into" tattoos. I agree with you in that I like detailed designs. However, I have to admit that my best looking tattoo is the one that fits the "bold will hold" mantra well. All of my tattoos are less than one year old, but I'm realizing that I will have to go with bolder, simpler designs so that you can tell what you're looking at when you see my tattoos.

[CultExciter]

Says the guy who has cartoon tattoos.

[MarvelAvengers]

This is just a theory, but I think that "bold will hold" is becoming more prevalent as more people with dark skin actually get "into" tattoos. I agree with you in that I like detailed designs. However, I have to admit that my best looking tattoo is the one that fits the "bold will hold" mantra well. All of my tattoos are less than one year old, but I'm realizing that I will have to go with bolder, simpler designs so that you can tell what you're looking at when you see my tattoos.

I agree, and also state that if you go detailed you should go big as so when it starts the fade or lines widen that the effects of aging and exposure do blur the image. My artist was very upfront about this and that why the images we chose didn't have the whole character, but rather a zoomed in image allowing ok to go bigger. He said you don't have to see Captain Americas whole shield or whole body to know its Captain America. He said he likes to do them big enough so that in 10 years and 10 feet away you can see that it's Captain America.

[pidjones]

Gotta say that last night's episode kind of got me. I had a very loving Down's Syndrome cousin, and they did the flash challenge with better taste than I thought they were capable of. They even toned down the couch crap afterward (a little).

[AuntTudie]

Chris ( the artist in the overalls) is from my home town and founded one of the early quality shops here. I've been going to a local viewing of the show. It is rumored that he wins or is in the finals. I have always followed the show because I will watch anything that shows tattoos. I like to think I have learned a little bit from the show on what to look for in a tattoo.I wish they spent more time on what ink they use and what kind of needles. The part I hate about the show is the time limit and of course, the drama. I don't know what respectable artist would promote doing a tattoo in a limited amount of time. Also I would never be a so called " canvas". I am pretty picky about the art that goes on my body.

[pidjones]

Chris seems the most talented, but I prefer the ones that just try to make great tattoos.

[AuntTudie]

@Hogrider

I

PS tattooing fingernails... I can't roll my eyes hard enough.

Oh, you know all the nails shops are going to be bombarded with people wanted nail tattoos. My artist has been bombarded with koi fish lately.

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I'm not in love with Chris because I know where he comes from. He co-founded the most egotistic shop in Omaha. Great artists there, but I can't handle the egos.

I don't understand the blow outs he had with he first client and the issue he had with the neck tattoo not taking the ink. I am not an artist. I am a collector. Do artists really come across skin that is untattooable(if that's even a word)? My freckled friend has a few tattoos and her linework always sucks. Kind of broken in to dots. Her artists always blame it in her freckled skin. But then she has never gone to a quality artist for her tattoos.

[SeeSea]

My freckled friend has a few tattoos and her linework always sucks. Kind of broken in to dots. Her artists always blame it in her freckled skin. But then she has never gone to a quality artist for her tattoos.

I think that's crap. I am freckled and you can't see a lick of freckle or skin under my tattoo.

[AuntTudie]

I think that's crap. I am freckled and you can't see a lick of freckle or skin under my tattoo.

I agree. But short of me giving her the cash to get a decent tattoo, I fear she shall never find out.

[SeeSea]

I agree. But short of me giving her the cash to get a decent tattoo, I fear she shall never find out.

Ok, I have to recant. Slightly.

I took a good look (as much as I can in a mirror, lol) and there are white and light blue parts of my tattoo up in the blue of the water and in the clear of the jellyfish were you can see my freckles. It actually looks like the white ring of the jellyfish is a little dirty! This is not part of an outline, but they do show through some of the lighter ink.