All language subtitles for Ink Master S07E01 Initiation

Male announcer:
This season on "Ink Master"...

It's new artists versus veterans

as 16 tattooers
are battling it out

to prove they're the best.

- This competition's gonna be
the toughest one

that we've ever had.

- To win the $100,000,
you must out-tattoo

some of the fiercest artists
ever to compete

for the title of Ink Master.

- [bleep]

- And they're back,
looking for revenge.

- Buckle up, get ready,

and put everything you have
into it.

announcer: Week after week,
the competition

is rattled to its core.

- Every week, when somebody
goes home,

somebody's coming back.

And it's not just anybody
coming back.

It's somebody who's already
done really well.

announcer:
As a new veteran returns...

- Ugh!

announcer: Looking for revenge.

- Everybody that's come
into this competition

has had a hazing...
a trial by fire.

- To me, I'm just seeing you
as being scared and broken

from your season,
and I like that.

I love it. I smell blood.

announcer:
Fueled by the desire to win,

they'll face off
in extreme challenges.

- I feel like a gladiator
walking into the ring,

and I can smell fear.

announcer: Alliances will form.

- Three of us team up,
we're a powerhouse.

We can pick them off
like fish in a barrel.

- It's our house.
I don't give a [bleep]

who walks back in here.

- You already had a chance
to be Ink Master once,

and you wasn't good enough, bro.

- I'll [bleep] knock your
fat ass out, bitch.

- Lack of disrespect.
- What's up, mother[bleep]?

announcer:
And loyalty will be betrayed.

- My tattoo was fantastic.
- Bull[bleep]

- I [bleep] nailed it.

- All the old dudes
are trying to screw us.

- I know it's personal.

- I got the [bleep] end
of the stick,

so I'm not gonna let you
push me around.

[bleep] you.

- We are all here
to play a game,

and you know what the name
of the game is?

[bleep] the guy next to you
when you have to

to get to the end.

announcer:
Judged by industry icons...

- You're freaking out
while you're tattooing,

and we can't let that happen
to other clients.

announcer: They'll be eliminated

until only the best
tattoo artists remains.

- Quit thinking of them as these
legends that you respect,

and look at them like the prey
that they are.

- The flash challenges
are through the roof.

The critiques
are through the roof.

- The fact that we have
this caliber artists in here

makes this one of the toughest
seasons ever created.

announcer:
Earning a $100,000 prize...

- I told you,
this is a viper's den.

- I'm here to tattoo and I'm
here to prove that I'm the best.

announcer:
And the title of Ink Master.

[rock music]

♪

[dramatic music]

♪

- Whoa.

- There is a nude model.
This is crazy.

- Oh, damn.

- The guys are gonna be
more nervous than we are.

- Oh, [bleep].

- Welcome to your initiation.

- Initiation?
I don't even know what that is.

- This is your first
flash challenge,

designed to test your
fundamentals.

- My stomach is doing [bleep]
flips right now.

- It's divided into three
different rounds.

Complete one round,
and you'll move on to the next.

- Three rounds? [bleep] crazy.

- You have four hours
to complete all three rounds.

Get stuck, and you're first
challenge in this competition

will be a fail. - [bleep] me.

- This is Round One.

You must create a full-body
sketch of this model.

- I've never done
a live drawing before.

This is the worst [bleep]
challenge

I've ever been faced with
in my life.

- Once you're satisfied
that your drawing

is a true representation
of your artistic skill,

then you can move on
to the next round,

and your time starts now.

[rock music]

- Let's go.

- This is the toughest first
week in "Ink Master" history.

We're expecting these artists
to be able to draw,

be able to execute,
and really stand up and show us

what they can do.

- Drawing from a live
nude model?

Agh. High anxiety.

- My specialty is full color,

big, bold lines,
anything new-school,

I'm an anxious person as it is.

What does that even mean
that I can get stuck

in one of the rounds and fail?

That's kind of worrying me
a little bit.

[fast-paced rock music]

♪

- Anyone else having fun yet?

- Why are there
only eight of us?

There's never only eight
starting the competition.

I know that
there's gonna be a twist.

Let's do this.
Anything you got... bring it.

Trying to get you perfect, girl.

♪

- Could I have her turn
a little bit more that way?

- Everyone's pussyfooting
around.

Everyone's afraid to ask
the model to do what they need.

There's $100,000 riding on this.

If I need her to sit a certain
way, I'm gonna ask for it.

Can you put one of your hands
on your knee?

I specialize in realism
and surrealism.

My style's unique.
It's creative, original.

Just try and keep
your chin down.

Yeah.

My strategy for drawing
this nude model

is draw it figuring I can
refine things later.

I don't know what's coming.
I might need more time.

- She keeps moving.

- I know time's gonna be
a factor.

I'm gonna make sure I'm not
stuck in the back of the pack,

and whoever's in the front,
I want to be hot on their heels.

♪

- Homegirl ran out pretty fast.

I hope she got enough [bleep].

♪♪

- Welcome to Round Two.

You have to assemble your liner
machine and a shader machine.

You get it in complete
working order.

- Okay.

- The quicker you finish this,

the more time you'll have
in the final round.

- Okay. Thanks.
- Good luck.

- Being able to put
a machine together

and get it running correctly
is definitely

one of the basic fundamentals
of tattooing.

- Okay, come on.

Damnit.

- Even if these artists
do a great drawing,

but can't assemble these
machines

and get them running correctly,
it's gonna show us that they

don't really care about
everything about tattooing.

Know your tools.
Know your craft.

- Welcome to Round Two.
- Yeah.

- You have to assemble a tattoo
machine from Seth Ciferri,

- Right on. Sweet. I got this.

I've been building tattoo
machines for almost 15 years.

- When you think you have
your machines in working order,

let me give them a check
and give you the okay,

and move on out.

- I'm an all around
tattoo artist.

I'm known for doing
black-and-grey realism,

but I'm proficient in every
style of tattooing out there.

There's nothing they're gonna
hand me that I can't do.

I might very well be
the only grandpa

that's ever been
in this competition,

and my age, experience,
and wisdom are gonna help me

beat all these young kids.

- So, who's gonna get in trouble
first for hands and feet?

- That's the [bleep] that slows
everything down, right?

- I'm running into a huge
obstacle right now.

- I'm a perfectionist,

and that's really killing
my time.

As I see artists leaving,
I'm starting to worry a bit.

- Oh, [bleep].

- We have tattoo machines.

Your job is to completely
assemble it

and get it running
in working order.

- Oh, my dark lord.

I don't know how
to build a machine.

I'm screwed
in this second round.

[dramatic music]

♪

- Oliver,
can you check this one?

I'm almost done
with my second machine,

and I haven't even heard
another one buzz yet.

[buzzing]

- All right, you're ready to go.

Take everything with you.

- Oh, [bleep].

[eerie discordant sounds]

- You made it to Round Three.
- Thanks, man.

- You're gonna use the drawing
that you did earlier,

coupled with the machines
that you just built.

You're gonna reproduce
that right on the pig.

- Oh, [bleep]. Okay.

- Right out of the gate,
we're gonna test fundamentals.

One is assembling your tools,
one is drawing,

and, finally, we're gonna
test them on tattooing.

How good are they
at executing their job?

That's why, today, these
challenges are their initiation.

[buzzing]
- All right. Take everything...

- Okay.
- And go into the next room.

- Everything you do
is under a magnifying glass.

These artists
have to be ready for that.

- [sighs]

- That's gonna be your client.

- Thirty minutes to go.

- I [bleep] suck.

- Picasso and Ashley...
definitely in trouble.

♪

- Damnit.

I'm gonna get one of these
mother[bleep] running.

[bleep] embarrassing.

If it wasn't for tattooing,
I would've never

gotten over my depression.

I like to jump around between
new school, neo-traditional,

realism, surrealism...
all I got is art.

I don't have nobody else.

Damnit.

- You're doing this at home,
it's like nothing.

but I don't know.

I'm an artist, not a mechanic.

- The basic mechanics of this
machine are completely lost.

Not only am I not impressed,
but I'm pretty bummed out.

- I'll figure it out.

- 15 minutes remaining.

[rock music]

[buzzing]

♪♪

- I wasted
way too much time drawing,

and now I'm getting a little
nervous.

I have been an athlete
my whole life.

I played college basketball.
Every sport you can think of.

They all have the same
fundamentals.

Without discipline,
you have no direction.

I'm a self-taught tattoo artist,

and I've been tattooing
for five years.

I'm here to prove to all those
who turned me down

for an apprenticeship:
not only am I a great artist,

I'm the next Ink Master.

[suspenseful music]

♪♪

- Five, four, three,

two, one.

That is it. Time's up.
Machines down.

No more ink.

- Machines down.

- I feel like a [bleep] idiot.

I know how to build
a tattoo machine,

but the pressure
of the competition got to me.

I failed.

This is not a good way
to start this competition.

- Artists, it is now time
to critique your work.

- Anthony, the execution
you did in the drawing

would not lead me to believe
that this is what you would be

working towards, so what you
did get done is much better

than what I would've imagined
was coming.

- It does show a little bit
of promise, in the details

and just the little bit
of shading you were able to do.

I really wish you had more time

to get further along
with this tattoo.

- Christian,
starting off with the sketch...

the face on it
is a beautiful face.

That translates right over
to your tattoo.

You definitely added more
details into the tattoo

than you have in your drawing.

I think it's a great job.
- Thanks.

- Alex, this is one hell of a
train wreck of a tattoo, man.

- I was having some trouble
with my machines.

- Without knowing how
to put that machine together,

it's a big fundamental lack.

- The tattoo itself, man...
it looks just like

your body language.

It looks nervous.

This tattoo, for me,
is a pretty big letdown.

- Chris, how did you find
this challenge today?

Oh, you didn't bother.

- That's your work.
You're representing yourself,

and this is what
the whole world's gonna see.

Okay.

- That's a first.
- It's a first. Yeah.

- Yeah, yeah.

- Who the [bleep] does this guy
think he is?

I put my life on hold
just to be here,

and this guy's treating it
like a [bleep] child's game.

- Corey.
- I think your drawing's

the best drawing in the room.

Those beautiful lines
that you have on paper

don't show through
on this particular tattoo.

- The shader was not hitting
at all like I wanted it to.

- I don't think your machines
were really running properly.

It's a really rough tattoo.

- Megan Jean.
- I really like your drawing

a lot... it's just very loose,
very free.

- I love drawing figures.

- Being able to get this
accomplished

shows good confidence,
and definitely fundamentals

in drawing ability.

- Thank you.

- Ashley.
- We don't have any tattooing

to look at, so we look at
your drawing.

Proportion of the hands and
feet to the rest of the body...

very tiny.

With that being said,
it would be hard to know

that the Ink Master
can't build a machine.

- So, Picasso,
what happened here?

Obviously, you didn't
get a tattoo done today.

- I totally spaced out
on how to build a machine.

It's the one thing
I should've [bleep]...ugh!

- Looking at your drawing,
there's no doubt

that I want
to see a tattoo from you.

- It's got a real sense
of your own style,

but also, you captured
that model amazingly,

but, obviously, tattoo machines,
and they got to run.

Rough day.

- Yeah.

- I think we have two obvious
weak links right now.

To me, all these other artists
look like prey.

- You must out-tattoo
the fiercest artists

ever to compete,
starting with the veteran

who's about to walk
through the door.

- Oh, man.

- Every week,
somebody's coming back

who's already done
really, really well.

Coasting is not gonna be
an option at all.

- [sighs]

[intense music]

♪

- Today, we're testing
fundamentals.

How did our feel do overall?

- We definitely saw some
fundamentals that were lacking.

- Picasso clearly excels
in the art world,

but didn't have the fundamentals
to put a machine together.

Ashley didn't really even do
a great drawing,

and didn't build the machine.

- She was one of the people
that came in the room

super confident, and was just
like, "No problem."

And then, for three hours,

couldn't put it together
right one.

- Chris, with all that black,
weird background...

- He's thinking, "I'm safe.
Screw these other people."

"Who cares what I do?"

- I mean, to hear that
in this competition...

I'm ready to send that guy
out of here.

- Yeah. 100% clowned it.

- Whereas Christian
did the drawing,

he put the machine together,
and he got a huge tattoo done.

- Definitely shows that he's
got strong fundamentals

and strong roots.

- I think the other top
would be Megan.

She was able to improve upon
her drawing in the tattoo.

Across the board,
I think she did good.

- Well, it seems like we have
a clear decision.

- Yeah.
- Let's let them know.

both: All right. - All right.

- Today, you are being tested
on your fundamentals.

The judges have decided
that the winner

of the first flash challenge...

Is Christian.

[applause]

- The fact that you had a
machine running well enough

to do smooth shading...
great job.

- The finished product
is smooth.

You can see the quality
of the line work,

and you see the quality
of the shading.

That shows me who I want to see
more work from.

- You will have the power
to assign the canvases

in the elimination tattoo.

- I won this challenge
because I'm better

than all these other losers.

Having the skull pick
is gonna be a huge advantage.

I'm not the guy
you want to [bleep] with

in this competition.

- Head back to the loft.

- Oh, yeah.

[both clap]

- Yes.
- Yeah!

This looks awesome.

- Damn.
- Oh, I like that.

- Yeah!
- Wow.

- This is some cool [bleep].

This is my home. [laughs]

Can't wait to get these tattoos
crackin'.

- Looking at other people's
artwork

is pretty intimidating.

It's gonna be a really hard
competition.

- Who's over here?
- Oh, wait a minute.

- That one's covered up.
There's a name under there.

- Oh, what's up?
There's number nine.

- Yeah.
- I am so curious about that.

- Hey, guys.
Come on in. Grab a seat.

- Welcome to your first
elimination tattoo.

You make it to the end,
you will earn $100,000,

a feature in "Ink" magazine,
and the title of Ink Master.

Now, you may have wondered
why there's only eight of you.

Well, you're about to find out.

- I knew it was coming.
- To win the $100,000,

you must not only defeat every
artist here...

you must also out-tattoo
some of the fiercest artists

ever to compete
for the title of Ink Master.

- What?

- And they're back,
looking for revenge.

- [bleep].

- Starting with the veteran
who's about to walk

through the door.

- Who do we have to defeat?

[intense music]

♪

- St. Marq.

[dramatic music]

- Oh, man.

- I am St. [bleep] Marq.

I am a tattoo god.

I see no one in my way. No one.

- I came here to tattoo.

They can bring veterans.
They can bring in Jesus Christ

with a tattoo machine.
I don't care.

- There he is. The tattoo god.

- Welcome back, St. Marq.
- Good to be back.

I feel like a gladiator
walking into the ring.

I'm really pissed I left under
the circumstances that I did.

I got tooken out
by a [bleep] farmer.

- Chris, St. Marq,
your teammates have put you up

for elimination.

- This shaped up to be
one of the most significant

early battles we've seen

in the history
of this competition.

- I love
a head-to-head challenge.

This is where I shine.

Bring it on, big man.

- St. Marq, you do not have
what it takes to be Ink Master.

- This is a sad day
when somebody strong goes home.

There's a lot more challenges
coming up that who knows

how you would've done in them.

We'll never know.

- I'm back, and I'm going
to compete with a vengeance.

- Today, St. Marq is not only
entering the competition,

but he's also calling the shots.

- Ho-oh-oh - [bleep]!

- Each week, one veteran artist
will return to the competition.

The week they return,
that veteran will choose

the elimination tattoo.

- Goddamnit!

- No!

They already have an advantage

'cause you've
played the game before.

This guy get to pick
the damn challenge as well?

- Okay, St. Marq,
it's your call.

What's the first
elimination tattoo?

- The subject matter will be
the seven deadly sins.

- Ooh.

- We will be doing this
in black and gray.

We will be using
our shaders only.

- Seriously?

- I always use a liner
when I tattoo.

An outline is the foundation
of a tattoo.

You can't build anything
without a foundation.

- St. Marq, why did you
make that choice?

- I think everybody knows
that I do a lot of work

that doesn't need a liner.

You guys like to judge me
against other black and gray

artists that use liners
incessantly,

and this is my rules,
my playground, my challenge.

If your shading is as good
as it needs to be,

you should be able
to delete that liner

and tattoo as cleanly
and as sharply

as you would with a liner.

- St. Marq, have a seat.

- That's the dumbest [bleep]
I've ever heard in my life.

Liners come to a point.

It's almost impossible
to only use shaders,

because they're flat... they're
not meant for outlining.

They're meant for shading,
so you really have to know

the tricks to really angle
the needle a certain way

to get a crisp, clean outline.

- Let's meet your canvases.

Christian,
you won the flash challenge.

You now have the power
to assign the canvases.

This is your chance
to level the playing field.

Go ahead and assign the skulls.

- I want to take St. Marq out
and show the rest of the house

that we need to stick together

until all these veterans
are out the door.

I'm already looking at this
competition

like a game of chess,
and in chess,

you got to think four or five
moves ahead.

So, what are you looking for,
man?

- I want the sin of gluttony
on my right arm.

- Any idea how you want
to do that?

- Picture of a man
chained to a chair

force-fed by a demon.

- How about you?
- The sin of greed

on the left side of my head.
- Holy [bleep].

- I'd like a woman
holding a apple with a serpent.

- That's a nightmare.

There's no way you can get
all that detail done

on the head with just a shader.

- How about you, man?

- My sin is lust.
It would be on my chest.

It's three women, one snake
slithering in and out

of each of their mouths.

- [bleep].
- No way, dude.

Three different faces,
bunch of different snakes.

You can't do that in six hours.

- I'd like the sin of pride
on my right arm.

- Handing out the skulls
is a clear advantage.

These are rookies.

I'm not even sure if they know
what to do with it.

- This is a chance for me
to evaluate everybody else.

- Is he looking at you, Corey?

- It's really important
to formulate a strategy

in this competition because
it's not just about tattooing.

It's also about how you use
and manipulate people

to get what you need and want.

Well, that leaves you, my man.

Right now, most of these kids

look like deers
in the headlights.

- Okay, canvases, one by one,

please read the artist's name
on the bottom of your skull.

- Anthony.

- Megan.

- Who wants to shave
a homegirl's head?

- Corey.
- I got you, Miss Lady.

Now I know Christian's
playing the game.

He's gunning for me.

- Chris.

- Ashley.
- That's me.

Who's left?

- St. Marq.

- So, this guy Christian
gives me the guy who wants

three [bleep] portraits
on his chest.

I don't think that he realizes
what he's done.

He just created an enemy
in St. Marq.

- Picasso.
- Suget.

- Alex.

- Christian.

- Remember,
after the elimination tattoo,

the human canvas jury will vote
on the tattoo that they think

is the worst, and put one artist
up for elimination.

You'll have six hours
to create a black-and-gray

seven deadly sins tattoo
using only shaders.

Based on your work, one of you
will be the first artist

to close shop.

Good luck.

- Alex.
- Right over here.

- Good.
Oh, my gosh, I'm so excited.

- St. Marq issuing
the challenge to only use

a shader... he's really pushing
these other artists

to be on his level.

- You got the best
[bleep] guy here.

- I think a lot
of these artists are gonna

have trouble with the way that
they assemble the piece

to make their shader
a powerful weapon.

- We're definitely limited.

I need to design something
that, with no outline,

that's gonna look good.

- I hope this group
came to play.

This is what it takes
to be in the competition.

- How committed are you
to the left side of your head?

- I want to tat my head.

- I'm running all the game
in the world

to get her to move her tattoo,

but she is stuck
on the [bleep] head.

The only thing is,
with this challenge,

we're not allowed to use liners.

- I know. I want to do my head.

- I'm just a little worried
on how she's gonna

be able to take it.

You're stuck on the head? 100%?

- Hundred.
- Yeah?

- Yeah.

- As far as,
like, your whole chest,

six hours,
it's just not gonna happen.

- I was thinking more like a
three... 'cause like, three heads,

you know, like...
like, yeah, spread out across.

- There's bad canvases,
and then there's this guy.

If we can focus on one portrait,

I can get a lot more detail
into the snake.

- All right, one woman?

Is there a way you could still
do, like, two women?

- One portrait
is what I'm saying.

- This just might be
the toughest canvas

I've ever been dealt.

[rock music]

♪

- When you went to the girl
who wanted the head tattoo,

I saw you look back
specifically at me.

- You were one of the ones
I wasn't quite sure about.

I kind of wanted to
just evaluate

and see what you had, man.

- You playing the game.

- If I'm gunning for somebody,
I'm gonna say it.

- The minute St. Marq
walked in the door,

my first instinct was,
"I'm gonna come right at him."

- I think you shook him up.

- This is a competition,
and I'll gun for everybody

in the house, you know?

Whether I like them or not,
whether I respect them or not,

I'm coming after everybody,

but I can only do that
one at a time,

and right now,
Marq was my target.

[eerie, bass-heavy music]

- Artists, you have six hours
to tattoo a black-and-gray

seven deadly sins tattoo
using only shaders,

and your time...

starts...

now.

- Let's do this.

- Okay, come around here.

- Okay.

- Any artist in the room should
be proficient with their shader.

If these artists know
how to choose this battle,

and give themselves enough
space to really show off

with the shader,
they can do beautiful work.

- I'm not gonna create
any hard edges on this thing.

I've only been tattooing
for five years.

There's a lot on the line.
This is kind of overwhelming.

- If you're good at what you do,
it won't be a problem.

- I definitely think the judges
are gonna underestimate me.

I have to do whatever it takes
to show that I'm just as good

as these veterans.

- Ahh!

- Looks perfect.

My canvas wanted
three portraits,

snakes coming out
of their mouths.

We've got that down
to one portrait

with a serpent not coming out
of her mouth.

Thank God.

- So, you guys obviously
changed your design.

You initially wanted
three women.

- His whole chest.
- With the snake going through

three different mouths.

- Well, we kind of talked about
seeing how far he could get,

but I don't know if we'll
be able to do the whole chest.

Being a veteran
to this competition,

I know how to control the
situation with these canvases.

I'm gonna give you
a little bit of shading

on this wing right here too
so it doesn't look so blank.

My canvas is
right where I want him.

This challenge is mine.

- St. Marq is a completely
arrogant douche.

If he's such a tattoo god,
he should just be able

to give his canvas
exactly what he wants.

- [groaning]

- This lady wants her head
tattooed,

[woman whines]
and I couldn't convince her

to move it
to a different place...

[woman cries]
And now she's crying,

[woman crying] She's squirming.

This is a nightmare.

[woman groans]

I'm definitely a competitive
person by nature.

All kids from the hood...

we're all trying
to achieve something,

'cause we come from nothing.

I do have my own style,
which is a mix

of neo-traditionalism
with realism.

You're not gonna really get that
from anybody else.

- Nobody told you
to be so talented.

How dare you?
- I'm a badass tattoo artist.

Only place I can go next
is to be Ink Master.

- Three hours left.

- I'm feeling really good
about this tattoo,

and whether I have a liner
or not, I will deliver.

- Not [bleep] around, huh?

- Nah, man.
I'm here for 100 grand.

They should be scared.

- What are your guys' thoughts?

- I think Megan's probably
the one who's getting

the most linear details
out of her shader.

- Yeah, she's killing it.

Christian's tattoo is just nice.

- That's what it's supposed
to look like with no lines.

St. Marq made this challenge,
and what is he doing?

- Five inches of pure black
background.

- It's bad karma for saying
he's a tattoo god.

- Yeah.

One more hour remaining.

- Put your game face on,
Jonathan.

I bombed on my flash challenge.

I have no choice but to put out
a good tattoo.

- Dude, I can't believe
you took on

doing full figures that small.

- That's why
it's taking me forever.

I left art school
with one semester left

because I found tattooing,
and I knew it was my passion.

My fine art background
does set me apart

from other tattoo artists.

Photo-realism, black-and-gray,
portraits...

that's what people
come to see me for.

I have the talent
to be Ink Master.

I just need the title.

- What's happening, man?
- What's going on, guys?

- And this is the first time
they're gonna

get to see me tattoo.

Got to show some saturation,
some contrast.

- How's this no-liner challenge
for you?

- Pretty good. Pretty easy.

I need to redeem myself.

Now they got me worried.

I would hate to be
the first one to go home.

- Final five minutes.
- Oh, boy.

I'm an artist,
and I've never worked

in these kind of conditions.

I don't rush through my tattoos.

Time is my enemy.

- Five, four, three,

two, one. That is it.

Time is up. Machines down.

No more ink.

- Pop up. Check it out.

- I love it.
- Nice.

- Look at the detail, man.

Almost looks 3-D.

- St. Marq, why does your
tattoo look like a little boy

with an umbrella
on top of his head?

That does not look
like the tattoo of a tattoo god.

How can you pick your own
challenge

and [bleep] it up that bad?

- You scared, baby?
- Nobody is scared of you.

You already had a chance to be
Ink Master once,

and you wasn't good enough.

- A lot of problems with this.

- This challenge is one
of the biggest backfires

in Ink Master history.

[intense music]

♪♪

- So, are you happy
that you served me up

with a [bleep] up canvas?
- Of course.

You [bleep] came in like
a rock star, dropped the ball,

and you got spanked
by a bunch of other people.

I think you're bottom three.

- Wishful thinking, baby.

- Thanks for stopping by.
Pack your [bleep].

- Nah. [clicks tongue]

[eerie, bass-heavy music]

♪

- Today, St. Marq challenged you
to take on his specialty:

Black-and-gray tattoos
using only shaders.

Christian, let's start with you.

When you heard that this was
a shader-only challenge,

what was your feeling
about that?

- If you're proficient
with your needles,

there's no such thing
as a liner or a shader.

- It looks lined.
That takes some skill,

and that speaks to
knowing your fundamentals.

- This tattoo stands out
because right where the rose

connects, you give it
that nice highlight.

That's the proper way
to play off a light source

to create edges,
to create highlights,

and to create depth.

You're
a definite competitor here.

- Picasso.

- I really,
really, appreciate people

that take a swing with artwork.

I like the dynamics
of the drawing,

but you did not
let your tattoo breath.

You took a pillow
and just smothered it.

- Because I didn't get to tattoo
in the first challenge,

I tried to cram in
a lot of work this time.

- One of the basic fundamentals
is contrast.

You've left out any contrast
from one element to the other.

Everything is just dark
on dark on dark.

Anytime you have a tattoo
that's fresh on a big,

open, blank place of skin,

and everybody thinks
it's a cover-up,

it's obviously a bad thing.

- [sighs]

- Megan.

- The details you were able
to capture

shows you know a lot
about contouring,

creating depth and shadows...
which are more advanced

than just the fundamentals
of tattooing.

- Perfect placement
of the highlight in the pupil.

It works incredibly.

Using the shader and pulling
off all these tricks...

can't wait to see you
work with a liner.

- Thanks.

- Chris.

- Overall, as a piece,
it's a weird placement.

It's hard to see
what's going on.

- One of the things
that's throwing it off

is the feather that creates
a weird underside of the eye.

Had you have broken up the hard
edge that you put on the top,

and really had it
wispy and broken,

your tattoo would look
completely different.

In here, you're up against
somebody else

who's making something smooth,
legible, and perfect.

You have to be able to pull off
things that are gonna

beat those people behind you.

- Alex.

- This one, for me,
falls really short

because I think this was
the easiest one of the day.

Had St. Marq himself
got ahold of this,

it would look totally different.

- Where you could've excelled
is in the hair.

You could've detailed it out.

Instead, we just have big,
chunky, black shading.

Not a very detail oriented
tattoo at all.

I don't know if you all
are realizing this yet:

This competition's
gonna be the toughest one

that we've ever had.

- Definitely starting
to realize that.

- It's not a time that coasting
is gonna be an option at all.

- Anthony.

- The shading
in this tattoo is great.

Look at the areas
of saturated black

that still make those
silhouettes breathable,

and then the backlight
to where the demon behind it

is a little bit softer.

That's a great use of light

and showing a really dark image,

but still letting it breathe.

- Going to fundamentals,
it shows a lot

of different techniques
that you have under your belt.

- Thank you.

- Ashley.

I love what you did
with the wings.

I like the setup with the cloud
and the rays of the sun.

Where I lose it
is with the anatomical figures.

Certainly, if you look
at this woman in the profile,

and that nose,
and maybe that little hand

that's kind of poking in there.

- My canvas saw his tattoo
in the mirror.

He was seeing something
he was proud to wear.

- That's perfect,
but it still isn't gonna win.

Look at the tattoos
that got praise today.

They're all big and bold.

Work smart, not hard.
That's how you win.

- Corey.

It's just... had an overall rough
feel to it.

- She wanted so much
in such a small area.

- This is three elements.

It doesn't really look
like it's that much.

- Your details
did not come through.

The mouth of the thing
is super crooked.

The jaw line is really,
really rough.

Your man, St. Marq...
he did his job,

and this one got the best
of you, in my opinion.

- St. Marq.

We know you to excel
with your shader,

but this is not what we
expected to see from you today.

A lot of problems with this.

- This is the first time
since I've been here

that I'm not happy
with the outcome.

- This challenge is probably
one of the biggest backfires

in "Ink Master" history.

There's so much wasted space
of solid black.

There's literally no detail
except for that little bit

in that head of that snake.

This is the worst tattoo
you've done on this competition.

It's unfortunate.

It's good for the people
standing behind you, though.

- If you put a target on
yourself, everybody's shooting.

- That's not how I wanted
to come back.

- Some of the best tattooers
leave early,

and that was the case for you,

and today, you're putting
yourself in a position

to be that person again.

- All right,
we have to determine

who had the best tattoo
of the day.

Oliver,
which way are you leaning?

- For me, the two standouts
are Christian and Megan.

Something about the simplicity
and the cleanliness

of Christian's tattoo...

I'm gonna vote for Christian.

- Megan just pushed herself
to cram in

as much line work
without a liner.

I'm with Megan.

- In terms of creativity,
artistry,

and technical ability,

my vote is for Megan.

The judges have decided
that the best tattoo of the day

goes to Megan.

- Whoo-hoo!
- Congratulations.

- Thanks.

- The human canvas jury
is deliberating right now,

and their vote will put one
artist up for elimination,

and the canvas will be here
to tell us why in person.

Head back to the loft.

One of you is about to be
the first artist

to pack your machines.

[dramatic music]

♪

- I would probably say
that St. Marq

deserves to be at the bottom.

- There is no [bleep] way
I'm going home.

- It was your challenge.

- It's time for the new guys
to shine, bro.

- You scared, baby?
- No, I'm cool.

Chillin', baby.

- [laughs] Mm-hm.

- Nobody is [bleep]
scared of you, dude.

St. Marq?
Who [bleep] sainted you, anyway?

- I'm getting to you.
This is so [bleep] great.

- You already had a chance
to be Ink Master once,

and you wasn't good enough, bro.

[dramatic music]

♪♪

- Today,
St. Marq is calling the shots.

Black-and-gray tattoos.
Shaders only.

So, let's talk
about the overall bottom.

- Well, the chest that we saw
from Ashley

would definitely be one.

Translating the idea
of that wing holding the girl...

I didn't know that that's
what was going on at first.

Tattooing like this,
she won't last long.

- For me, St. Marq
is definitely in the bottom.

- I mean, this thing
is almost 50% black area.

- For nothing.
I hate this tattoo.

- I would take that weird little
snake on the top from St. Marq

all day over Corey's
head tattoo.

The snake looks like it's
missing its dentures

for its bottom jaw.

- This drawing, this layout,
was terrible from the start,

and that's why the tattoo's
terrible.

- Well, the human canvas jury,
as you know,

is gonna vote somebody
to the bottom,

and that's gonna be
very illuminating for us.

- We're here to determine who
has the worst tattoo of the day.

- This is my tattoo.
My artist was Ashley.

- There's a lot going on.
- Almost too much.

- She's just hanging there.

- Against the wing.
The wing is underneath it.

- Yeah, I don't get
that she's being held.

- I see what you're saying,
however, that's what I wanted.

- This is my tattoo,
and it's by Corey.

- I think there's something
going on with the lips.

They don't look normal.

- The female isn't, like,
beautiful.

- Yeah, she does look
a little angry.

- I don't think it's a tattoo
that an Ink Master would do.

- This is my tattoo,
and my artist was St. Marq.

- She looks bald.
- What's on your shoulder?

It's either an umbrella
or a bat wing.

- It's a wing.
- It looks like a cover-up,

especially with how dark
everything else is.

- This is supposed to be
his challenge.

This should be his specialty.

- He didn't really shine
with the details

that you'd think that he would
pull with his challenge.

- I'm completely satisfied
with it.

I love it.
- This is my least favorite.

- You nervous, Corey?

- You created the challenge.

You failed
your own challenge, bro.

- I'm not [bleep] going home.
Look at your work.

That doesn't show much promise
for much more.

- All right,
the judges want to see

Corey,

Ashley...

St. Marq.

See you downstairs.

- What?

- Well, you heard them.
Let's go.

- All right. Let's do this.
- See what they got to say.

[dramatic music]

♪♪

- For your first
elimination tattoo,

you were being judged
on the fundamentals.

Based on your work, one of you
will be the first to go home.

Let's find out
who the human canvas jury chose.

- Wow.
- St. Marq.

You're here because the
human canvas jury determined

that you had the worst tattoo
of the day.

Rashim, why was St. Marq
voted to the bottom?

- They voted St. Marq based off
what I believe is a bunch of BS.

They said the head was too close

to the previous tattoo,
the bat one,

which is positioning,
and not quality.

- That's fundamental.

- The placement
is very fundamental.

- But you have to be able
to work with what people have.

- It's a [bleep] umbrella.

- If I run some hair
through the face

and continued that blackness
into here.

- So, you're gonna cover up
your own tattoo?

- No!
- You're gonna add more black?

- It's just black hair.
You just continue it.

- You have a huge black spot
in the middle of your chest

that you have to figure out,
when you get home,

what you're gonna do with it.

- I am absolutely happy
with my tattoo.

- Rashim, thank you so much.
- Thank you for having me.

- If we're judging based on
who's equipped to move forward

in this competition,
I don't think

I should be going home today.

- Your swing at this was a miss.

You see a huge black spot.

I think that's
a pretty big downfall.

- Corey.

- Contrasting your tattoo
to St. Marq's,

you guys are basically
head-to-head: Snakes and faces,

so you tell me
where you got him beat.

- He designed this challenge
to himself.

- I didn't pick my canvas.

- Would you say that your
shading outdoes Marq's?

- My snake is better
than that top snake he did.

- No chance.

- My hair
is better than his hair.

- The shader challenge
just got you,

and that was
what he set out to do.

Had you have had a liner,

this could be
completely different,

but he rattled you,
and it looks obvious.

- Ashley.

- My tattoo's better
than these two guys'.

- That's a little arrogant.

- I gave that guy
exactly what he wanted.

- I think the faces were
way too small

to give yourself
a chance at all.

- If I had a liner
and I could tweak it, yeah,

but you wanted everyone
to tattoo with just a shader.

That's exactly what I did.

- You should be able
to use a shader.

- That [bleep] readable
from all the way over here.

- But, Ashley, there's serious
problems with this tattoo.

And if St. Marq's
gonna be down here,

then you're sure as hell
gonna be down here,

'cause your shading's
not near as smooth as his.

You're gonna have to get
smoother than this.

- All right, guys.
Time to make a decision.

Who's going home?

- Ashley,
I don't love everything

about your tattoo by any means,

but this conversation doesn't
have to do with you anymore.

My battle's between

St. Marq and Corey. - I agree.

- St. Marq coming in with
this challenge

and botching it himself,
it's almost instinctual

to want to send him home,
but if I just look at

the quality of the black,
quality of shading,

quality of the tattoo
across the board,

got to vote for Corey.

- As a canvas,
if I had this black area,

my friends would say,

"Hey, man, what's up
with that big black spot?"

I'm not gonna go,
"Yeah, but check out how smooth

and saturated it is."

Final decision?

- Corey.
- St. Marq.

- Corey.

- The judges have decided.

Corey, you do not have
what it takes to be Ink Master.

- We did see a lot of promise
in your drawing.

Unfortunately, you get this one
chance to try to make it to the

second chance, and you just
didn't make it, man.

- Please pack your machines
and close shop.

[dramatic music]

♪♪

- I don't deserve
to go home today.

I didn't have the opportunity
to really show the judges

what I'm capable of.

I know I did not do
the worst tattoo.

announcer: On the next episode
of "Ink Master"...

- These fools came at me
so tough the first challenge.

I cannot allow them
to have the skull pick again.

Veterans are gonna take over,

and there's nothing
these new guys can do about it.

- The veteran about to walk
through the door

is one of the most versatile
artists ever to compete.

- Oh, I'm out for blood today.

- If you cross me,
I will rip you to shreds.

I would love to pick
those guys off one at a time.

- St. Marq is not a god. [bleep]

- Maybe you created an enemy.

- Is that what
you're saying right now?

- If you go against the grain,
it just doesn't work out.

- I don't think
I should be penalized

for something I don't
understand.

- You're gonna have to do more
than a mediocre tattoo

to make it to the end.