– James, Anthony, and Cat. Congratulations. You are headed to the finale. – Now it’s on for real. (dramatic music) – Here we go. – But only one of you will earn $250,000 and the title of Ink Master. – [Cat] I gotta pull out all my tricks on this one. (dramatic music stings) – Well, we got a Japanese Day. You okay with that? – [Canvas] (laughs) I am. – OGs? (dramatic music) There are eight of you and only six spots on the team. If you want one of those spots, you need to prove that you can out-tattoo a Young Gun.
You have five hours and your time starts now. – All right, now let’s do this. – All right. – You ready? – Yeah, let’s do this. – Let’s do this. (trash can falls) – [Manny] No! – [Anthony] Oh, there goes Manny. – Man down! (laughs) – Today the OGs must tattoo in one of the styles and subjects of the top four Young Guns. – Place it and that’s how she’s gonna go. – [Nikko] Two OGs are going home before they even get in the shop. Damn, that’s gonna hit the ego! (dramatic music) – [Joseph] Okay, cool.
– [Nikko] All I know is these OGs better be shooting these Young Guns down because they got the experience. They better bring it. (edgy rock music) – Okay, man. – Let’s do it. (edgy rock music continues) Spicy. – You need some spicy in life, buddy. – Yeah, always. (tense music) – I know I’m the strongest artist in this competition. I’ve been tattooing for 26 years. That’s longer than some of these artists have been alive. I’m here to attempt and most likely win the title of Ink Master. – Dude, you’re going huge with your tattoo.
– [James] This is huge? – [Joseph] I mean for five hours. – [James] Yeah, you start. (Joseph laughs) – My father is James Tex. In the late ’90s, early 2000s, people weren’t really getting sleeves and he had available designs of sleeves on the wall and someone would come in just for a little thing and just, “Oh, what’s that?” Like, “Oh, just available designs if you want to get ’em,” and the next thing you know, everyone in Calgary had a sleeve by James. – Yeah, how big was yours? I can’t remember.
– Ah, okay, okay. I see. – [James] The size of a gym, right? – It’s not about the size, it’s about quality. – [James] Yeah. Quality, yeah. I got a legacy to lead for my kids. My daughter and Anthony both tattoo. I mean, I still consider my son a Young Gun, but he’s right there beside me killin’ it. – James Tex. – [Canvas] A little competition. – [Anthony] When we found out that we were coming here, he was like, “You ready for this?” I was like, “I’m not going on there to be second.” (canvas laughs)
James, my dad, has taught me everything I’ve known about tattooing. He gave me the tools, I took that and created my own thing, my own image, and that’s Anthony Tex. – This is my son. – [Anthony] I am the son. – You’re the son, okay. – I am Tex 2.0. Should I just grab a seat and learn from the master? (James and Anthony laugh) I’m here to (bleep) beat him and I know that I have what it takes to kick my dad’s ass. – [Joel] Bring up the first tattoo. (drum rolls) – Hey, that’s mine. – [Joel] Pretty good.
– Pretty good? – Yeah. I’d say. – [Ryan] Come on! – [Joel] Yeah. – [Ryan] It’s better than pretty good. – Oh my God. – [Ryan] Killer, dynamic illustration. The movement and the shape of the rope, how it flips into the tassels. The eyes are looking up almost like it has intention. – [Nikko] I even like how the ears are positioned a little bit more high and it almost looks more aware. – Alena’s tattoo is an A, but that OG tattoo is an A-plus. – Holy shit. – You set the bar so high! – [Joel] Let’s bring up the next tattoo.
– That one’s mine. – Look at how it’s illustrated. – [DJ] It’s pretty dynamic. – [Joel] I mean, the wispy hair, the little lines in the rope and the tassel. It’s really cool. – Wow. – I love the way the teeth are just a little different. They’re a little bit more realistic. It’s so cool ’cause it gives it a life. – [DJ] Super dynamic drawing. I feel like it has just a sense of ominous, some evil laugh coming from this piece. – Yeah, and I think it might be laughing at the other hannya. – [Joel] What?
The OG tattoo, all day every day. The detail, the personality, even just the position of the rope is better. – It’s impressive. Insanely huge. – This is more in my wheelhouse, but my wheelhouse is pretty big. (dramatic music stings) – Please reveal the highest ranked tattoo. (dramatic music builds) – [Anthony] Sick. – Who could have guessed it? (dramatic music continues) – [Joel] Congratulations, James. You have the highest ranked tattoo. – Surprised, actually, – I actually didn’t rate this one the highest,
so I’m a little surprised as well. No offense. – I rated it the highest. This hannya mask is honestly one of the coolest (bleep) hannyas I’ve ever seen. This thing’s a different take and it’s refreshing to see. It’s (bleep) badass, dude. – You have secured your spot on the OG team. – Thank you. (suspenseful music) – Please reveal the second highest ranked tattoo. (suspenseful music continues) – [Anthony] Thanks, buddy. – Congratulations, Anthony. You have the second highest ranked tattoo. – I (bleep) love this tattoo. – I (bleep) love it too.
So beautifully illustrated, so beautifully done. For me, this was tattoo of the day, in my opinion. – No way. Thanks, guys. – Mine too. – A testament to fatherhood, how good of a father he probably is. – [Joel] Yeah. – Good job, kiddo. – Today you must prove your ingenuity with metallic tattoos. – Finally, something fun. (all laugh) – The most important thing with metallic tattoos is you’re creating an illusion. The shinier the metal, the more reflective it’s going to be. – [Nikko] Or if metal is kind of pitted,
making sure you have a texture that feels like that metal. – [DJ] If you wanna see amazing 3D tattoos, they should look heavy. They should look like you can hold onto them. – You know, teach you guys something today. What is it you’re looking to get today? – So I’m looking to get a realistic metallic golden-themed Buddha head on my shoulder blade. – That’s cool. – Illustrative metallic sexy male robot pin up. – That’s cool. – On my butt. (edgy rock music) – I know Alena just went out on the butt tattoo,
but that one could be really fricking cool and fun. – James. – That’s me. – This one’s the sexy robot. – Butt cheek. (tense music builds) – Cat. (edgy rock music) – You’re stoked. – You want that one. (Cat laughs) – She’ll crush that. – Did they just throw me a bone right now? What is happening? – That’s one we (bleep) up. (edgy rock music stings) (dramatic music) – It feels good so far. – [James] Yeah, my tattoos don’t hurt. (canvas laughs) Last week the judges called my tattoo a snooze fest. This week I’m gonna blow them away.
Let’s do some color now. – [Canvas] Right on. – I don’t really have reference. It’s illustrative. It’s out of my head. – Did you bring that yellow? Any of that yellow? – No. – [Anthony] (bleep). – I know. My tattoo, it shows ingenuity in placement, ingenuity in composition, ingenuity on just pulling this (bleep) thing off, and it’s gonna look great. – There you go, pops. – You know? Good for you. – You know. – (bleep) right. – It’s good. Look at us, eh? – You’re grounded! – [Canvas] How’s yours going?
– Good. There’s no writing in it. – [Cat] I like the direction we’re going in here. I think the other team, when they saw my reaction, they’re like, “Wait, what did we do?” They’re like, “What did we just hand her?” (laughs) (dramatic music) – Today you had to prove your ingenuity with metallic tattoos. (dramatic music continues) Let’s see how you did. James. (suspenseful music) – It’s so refreshing to see a tattoo that actually carries and conveys an emotion. – He’s happy, he’s partying! – It has personality. It has character.
– I love this illustration. The face is badass, man. Like, you nailed the shine and the glare. It definitely feels gold. – I don’t think very many people would be able to pull this tattoo off. (pensive music) – Cat. (tense music) – I love the way the chrome reflects. It took a lot of imagination and knowledge to draw every plate as if it was body, you know? Like the chest and the shoulder. – I absolutely love, love, love, love, love the nipple rings. It’s so ridiculous and cool. – [DJ] It is a cool dramatic pose.
It’s like, “Aw, my robot partner just broke up with me.” (Cat laughs) – Judges, it’s time to determine who had the best tattoo of the day. – Pony’s hits the challenge the most as far as metallic. – [Nikko] I really love it. The small transitions in hues. Man, that’s crazy. Like, I haven’t seen any tattoo pull that off at all. – James also. It’s a different take on the metallic side. – Great illustration. – [Joel] But it doesn’t scream metal at me. What about Cat’s? It’s a really great illustration
and then it’s tattooed in a way that shines. My vote is for Cat. – My vote’s gonna go to Pony. It’s a hard tattoo to do. – My vote’s for James. He pulled this out of his head and made a cool illustration. Killer tattoo. – That’s one vote for Cat, one vote for James, and one vote for Pony for tattoo of the day. – I do believe Cat had the best chrome, Pony had the best metallic overall, but I’m gonna vote for James. – [Anthony] There we (bleep) go. – It was just the best combination of the challenge, the illustration.
It was the perfect storm of all of them together to create this tattoo. – Thank you. – [Joel] The judges have decided the best tattoo of the day goes to James. – Let’s go. – Let’s go. (laughs) – Thank you. – Today you must battle it out tattooing a Japanese samurai. (edgy rock music) – Yes! I love Japanese tattoos, especially samurai. I do ’em every second day. This is right up my alley. – A colorful Japanese samurai, red armor with oni mask, and black and white finger waves on my right thigh. – Oh, that’d be sick too.
– A colorful traditional samurai wearing a robe, holding a katana up, battling an oni on my ribs. (dramatic music stings) – That’s a lot. And on the ribs? Like, no thank you. – James. – Nice to meet you. (dramatic music continues) – Somebody’s getting the ribs on the Young Guns team. (suspenseful music) – Cat. (tense music) – I have tattooed samurais in sensitive areas and I don’t have an hour to deal with this pain. I need to move the placement. Tell me your idea. – Traditional Japanese and colorful color.
– And what’s the placement for this one? – I was gonna do it on my ribs. – That one’s tough, bold line work on the ribs. You’re set on the placement? – Honestly, that right there was my second choice. – Hell yeah, that’s what I do. So I can give you that. – I mean, if you can kill that and do that on my calf, kill it. – I can give you a sick-ass black and gray. I could go hard. I’ve tattooed this. I have experience with this. This is gonna be good. – Well, are they cheap shorts? – You can cut ’em. – Good.
Got have anything valuable in there? – [Canvas] Nope. – Okay. If you want your thigh tattooed by me, I’m cutting your (bleep) shorts off or you’re free balling. I don’t give a shit. Who wants to hold their (bleep) shorts up like this for six hours? That’s stupid. – [Canvas] Yeah, that’s gonna be sweet. Big piece. – [James] Big piece? That’s small. – Well, I know what you’re gonna do to it. (James laughs) – I’ve done for sure 50, maybe closer to 100 samurais in my career, so it’s just another day in the office.
Okay man, I gotta start out small line and then we’ll dive in. (dramatic music builds) (suspenseful music) – Today you had to show composition with Japanese samurai tattoos. Let’s see how you did. James. (suspenseful music) – This illustration is sick, bro. Even though it’s a drawing and a character, I feel like he’s a person inside. He’s smirking like he’s just gonna chop your (bleep) head off, dude. The composition is super dynamic. – There’s really a lot of movement. The way he’s flowing forward
and then the samurai sword and the blood getting thrown backwards and then it pulling your eye back in through the back of the samurai. – [Joel] His face is very much you and it’s like a very confident “I’m (bleep) killing this.” Cat. (dramatic music) – I am in awe of the control that you have over grays and of the understanding that you have of separating elements. You have every shade of gray in your pieces and they’re separated so beautifully, but you never sacrifice detail or interest or creativity.
Your tattoos are very impressive. (dramatic music) – Judges, it’s time to determine who had the best tattoo of the day. – Cat created a great tattoo. – [Ryan] I agree. – [Nikko] It’s got a lot of darks and lights and definitely hit composition. – James, I feel like he just nailed every little piece of that tattoo. The detail in there, the composition, the pose, the face. – There’s a lot of experience there. My vote is for James. – My vote is for James. – My vote is for James. – The judges have decided the best tattoo of the day
goes to James. – Thank you. – I can’t even be mad. I agree. (laughs) Like… (continues laughing) – This week we’re testing precision with portrait tattoos. (all exclaim) But not just any portrait tattoos. – Always a twist. – Today you must create a portrait of a service dog. – Yes! Yes, yes, yes! – [Trevor] Puppy portraits. Pet portraits are a little different than regular portraits. You gotta know how to do a lot of different textures, fur. There’s glossy eyes, there’s whiskers. You gotta be precise putting those together
to make this animal look just like they look. – I am looking for a black and gray portrait of my guide dog, Maggie. I lost my vision due to a stroke and she has made me independent. – [Johnny] I love golden retrievers. – [Joel] Cat, you’re up next. – Georgia and Maggie. Oh my God, I’m so excited. (laughs) (edgy rock music) (dog whimpers) – [Georgia] You’re lucky that I’m getting the tattoo for you, Maggie. – [Cat] If she could speak, she would thank you. – [Georgia] She would also say, “Do you have any snacks?”
– [Cat] I love doing dog portraits. When I was younger, I would start with just a pencil and I was able to create images and that’s where I kind of got into black and gray realism. How long have you had her now, again? – [Georgia] Three years. So I lost my vision because of a stroke. It’s almost like looking through a straw. That’s where Maggie comes in. She catches all the stuff on the periphery. – [Cat] That’s amazing. – You know, people with disabilities, we’re all human and service dogs in general,
just they increase people’s independence. – I’m gonna do a good tattoo. I just feel good today. I needed this. I need this for my soul. – [Joel] Today the artists had six hours to tattoo a portrait of a service dog. They’re fighting for safety from elimination. – That’s me. – Wow. That’s a great portrait. It is really striking. – [Nikko] This artist really captured the natural movement of this dog’s fur. It feels fluffy. It feels alive. It has a lot of character and it’s very strong. – From the wispy ears
to the speckled texture right on the front of the muzzle, there’s so many subtle details that make this not only precise, but truly expert level. – If I could howl right now, I would. – [Nikko] Well, I’m shaking my tail. – [Stephanie] Killed it. – Honestly, after the first challenge here, when I thought I was going home, I never thought I’d get a chance to show off my portraiture skills. Feels kind of good and validating. – Good job. – Yeah, it was awesome. – It’s amazing. – Today you were being tested on precision.
Based on your work, each of your tattoos have been ranked by the judges. The artist with the highest ranked tattoo will be safe from elimination. Please reveal the highest ranked tattoo. (sharp music) – That makes sense. – Oh! Cat, congratulations. – Oh my gosh. Thank you so much. I… Sorry I can’t talk right now, but I’m just… I’m so grateful. Thank you. – This blew us away. I literally had chills. This tattoo, it was close to perfect, Cat. – Thank you guys. – [Joel] Congratulations, Kat. You are safe from elimination.
Today, you must take on your competitors by tattooing a new school monster. (Cat gasps, laughs) – Yes! I almost got sent home on a new school tattoo. I have to redeem myself. – [Joel] Whether it’s a completely made up creature from another planet or a scary monster from under the bed, one thing is certain. We’re looking for high contrast monsters that pack a punch. – I can handle that. – Yep. – What would you like to get today? – I want to get a new school burger monster on my arm. – [James] Burger Monster it is.
– I wanna get a new school angler fish sea monster. – Oh, the dangler. – I’m looking to get a new school colossal galactic space monster. – Colossal? – Colossal feeling. Not necessarily in size, right? – [James] Yeah. (pensive music) – Anthony. – I’m your guy. – Figure you’d get a hamburger with that hot dog. You know what I’m saying? (all laugh) – 1000% percent James wanted to be able to protect Anthony and he did just that – Angler fish. – Cat. – That’s me! – It’s space monster. – James. – That’s me, man. Let’s do it.
All right, man, we’re gonna start at the bottom and see you on another side. – This isn’t gonna hurt, right? – [James] No. (laughs) Last week I was on the bottom for doing a dog portrait. This time I get to show off what I’m good at, which is drawing and creating. This is new school colossal day. It’s a monster. It should be big. (edgy rock music) – That’s your kid over there? – That’s my son. Yeah. – You’re competing against him? – Yeah. – That’s awesome. – Beat his ass. Hopefully. (both laugh)
(edgy rock music) – I’m sick of being in the middle of the road. James has gotten tattoo of the day after tattoo the day, but it’s my (bleep) turn. – [Canvas] I love food. – Yeah. Just makes for fun tattoos. – [Canvas] Yeah. – [Anthony] I guess I’m the food guy now. – There you go, you know? – [Anthony] I got a thing now. – [Canvas] If you need me to move, just yell at me. – [Cat] You gave me permission. – [Canvas] Hell yeah. – [Cat] My tattoo is a scary angler fish sea monster. The most difficult aspect of this is making it more monstery
because angler fish already kind of look like monsters. I’m gonna pour some more colors. To combat that, I’m forcing some of these really spidery kind of looking fins and this big glowing, reddish orange eye. Don’t be scared. This is only gonna be extremely painful. – Oh, thank you so much! Yeah, I actually feel better now. – Since the beginning, this is the first real color tattoo that I’ve done. This needs to prove that I can do color and I can do line work really well. (dramatic music) – Today you had to show contrast
tattooing new school monsters. Let’s see how you did. Anthony, you’re up first. (edgy rock music) – Anthony, this thing is sick bro. This illustration is off the chain. This thing has killer flow. There’s a lot of tricks. Just seeing some of your subtle tones where you brought that teal into some gray. This thing’s bananas, dude. – Very creative use of the olives for the eyes. – [Nikko] The olives are beautiful. – [Joel] Yeah, I hate olives and I love those olives. American cheese we all know would be better on this burger,
but the Swiss cheese for the contrast really brought it home. – I would wonder if I’m gonna eat it or it’s gonna eat me. (Anthony laughs) – Burger takes the cake, bro. – [Anthony] Yeah. – James. (suspenseful music) – This tattoo is badass. – [DJ] The hands are sick. I love that you went with three fingers. – [Nikko] More cartoony. – Not four. You went with the three. – You could see every single joint, how it bends perfectly. The hands themselves have so much personality. – You have these cool little tricks in the tongue.
It feels like it’s really licking and pressing against that spaceship. – The reflective light is so impressive. – [Nikko] You have this nice purple and then you have this yellow and they’re opposite colors, so that’s major contrast points. Monstrous tattoo, bro. (dramatic music continues) – You’re a monster. – Cat. (pensive music) – I love how bright that light source is. You really used these colors to show contrast and utilize them in a way where they balance each other so beautifully. – You have that dark dingy, ocean watercolor at the bottom
and it comes up into this brightness at the top. Super successful. I really feel like you’re just hitting your stride ’cause this tattoo is badass. I love this tattoo. – Judges, it’s time to determine who had the best tattoo of the day. – There’s a few really cool ones. – Cat’s tattoo is awesome. – [Ryan] So solid. So much contrast. The definition of a new school tattoo. – Anthony’s cheeseburger is sick. – [Nikko] And it shows tons of contrast. – But it doesn’t read as much monster to me. – If I picked that burger up, I’d be scared of it.
– I also think James’s character is sick. – Great contrast, a lot of readability. – [Ryan] Anthony’s is my favorite illustration, Cat’s is my favorite saturation, and James is my favorite overall concept. – Taking something that’s normally not a monster and creating it into a monster. Like to take a burger. We eat it. We have no fear of it. This is a burger I feel like I could choke on. (Anthony laughs) My vote is for Anthony. – It’s a different take on a monster. My vote is for Anthony. – I’m going with Cat.
Those colors wow me. Clean, solid new school tattoo. – That’s two votes for Anthony and one vote for Cat. (suspenseful music) – With Cat’s, I think it could have been just a little more dynamic on the drawing side. My vote’s for Anthony. This thing’s sick, dude. – [Joel] The judges have decided the best tattoo of the day goes to Anthony. – Cool. Thanks guys. Appreciate it. – Being an Ink Master is all about versatility, no matter how long you’ve been tattooing. – Yeah. – You must be able to tattoo any style any day.
To earn your spot in the finale, you must create the ultimate mashup tattoo. – Let’s do it! I love mixing styles. – I’m actually really excited. Mashups is a great way to show versatility. You get to do two different kind of styles and make it work. It can go really right, but it could also go really wrong. – Today your fate is completely up to the skulls. – Luck of the draw. – On the table are 10 skulls with 10 different styles split into two separate groups. (Cat sighs) Each of you must pick a skull from each group
to determine the two completely different styles you must incorporate into one cohesive tattoo. – Zoinks! (tense music) – My mashup involves neotraditional and black and gray fine line. Does this feel like I’m barely touching you? – [Canvas] Yeah, it’s very light. (laughs) – Fine line, I’m gonna apply into the flowers just to help frame it out. If a fine line stopped, it’s pretty soft. – [Canvas] Yeah. – Fine line tattooing, that’s complete opposite thinking of how I’d put my own tattoos on skin.
It’s delicate, it’s soft, it’s hardly in there, but I’m super glad Stephanie or Cat or even Pony didn’t get fine line because they do a lot of delicate tattooing. I took away one of their strengths, but, you know, I gotta make this one of my strengths. – Artists, there are five hours left. (tense rock music) – [Cat] My tattoo is a dragon head that’s half Japanese and half black and gray realism. What’s difficult about this is that dragons are not real. This light and these shadows in this subject matter
doesn’t exist so I have to create it and make it look realistic. – [Canvas] What made you leave California? – [Cat] You know, settling down. So now I have a baby. I am going through postpartum depression right now. I feel really guilty. I’m missing milestones. I’m missing a lot by being here. It’s all gonna be worth it though. We are so close. Now I need to pull out all the stops and try to make this happen. (tense music) – Some little sploosh splashes. – My tattoo is a mermaid painted in watercolor
with biomechanical finger waves around it. – How many watercolor tattoos have you ever done? – [James] None. (Pony laughs) I can’t believe how (bleep) I am right now. This is the tattoo that’s supposed to get me to the finale? But at least I can pull off things that I’m confident in, which is great composition, good shading, solid coloring, and a pretty face. – Yesterday the artists had to mix two completely different and random styles to create the ultimate mashup tattoo. We had no idea which artists did which mashup tattoo
or even which two styles they had to mash up. Three spots in the finale are on the line. – Just got sweaty. – Artists, there’s one more thing you should know. – Here we go again. – Stressful. – It’s one thing to be versatile, but to be Ink Master, you must be the most versatile artist in the room. – What does that mean? – To prove you deserve a spot in the finale, you must create… (suspenseful music builds) A second mashup tattoo. – Come on. (bleep)! – Oh my gosh. – In the same two styles and the same subject
that another artist tattooed yesterday. – Holy shit. – Are we (bleep) tattooing again? – [Joel] Yesterday the skulls handed you your style. Today you get to choose. – Give me Steph’s, give me Steph’s. – As long as I don’t have to do the same one, I’m happy. – Once again, your tattoo must speak for itself because it will be critiqued and scored by the judges without knowing who created which tattoo. – That’s why there’s no blind critique today. – Based on both the tattoo you did yesterday and the tattoo you do today,
two of you will be packing your machines. – My stomach just turned. – Same. – Start designing and we’ll send in your canvases. Good luck. – Wild. They’re all really (bleep) good. – [Cat] Anthony’s gonna be really cool. – [Pony] The neotraditional, you killed that fox. – [Cat] I can’t compete that. Kind of wanna try James’s just so that I’m not playing it safe. – I have a really good idea for what you did. The bio-mech watercolor is the most challenging and I think it’s gonna be able to showcase adaptability and creativity the most.
– I think so. So I guess I’m choosing James’s. – Nobody wants to do a cool piece of paper? (all laugh) – (bleep), you just didn’t do a realistic dragon. – (laughs) Because dragons aren’t real. – I would’ve done the (bleep) dragon. It’s not (bleep) real. (all laugh) – Got it. – The competition is at a point where it is (bleep) pretty tight. You know, everyone’s been at the bottom once and then everyone’s got tattoo of the day. But I think versatility goes a lot longer. I’m choosing Pony’s mashup
because I think Pony forgot the surrealism aspect of it. He just did the realism. – The little bone is crazy. Well, that big bone I should say. – I am going to do the skull and bones in a very exaggerated style, but also slowly dissolving and dissipating into butterflies. The surrealism is dreamy and kind of doesn’t really make sense. – [Pony] You do know what you’re doing. – [Anthony] I’m (bleep) trying, man. Thanks, Pony, for choosing skull and crossbones because I could (bleep) crush you with something I’m stoked on.
– [James] My spot in the finale is not guaranteed yet, especially because of my biomechanical watercolor mashup tattoo that I did yesterday. – Honestly, a dragon. – [James] Just trying to keep up with you young kids, you know? I’m not gonna play it safe with just a face. I’m gonna do more of the body of the dragon, better composition, and a way better realistic one in the background. This tattoo is my last chance. – There are two hours left. (edgy rock music) – Sweet little watercolor bio-mech.
We’re reinventing the wheel again. – You can’t reinvent it twice. – (laughs) Apparently you can. It’s just ’cause I’m doing that differently than James. – [Pony] Oh yeah. – I am not a biomechanical expert. I’ve done a lot of watercolor before, but I know I can do a better biomechanical watercolor lady face than James and I’m kind of intrigued by it, honestly. If I don’t choose something really difficult this time, it’s gonna be looked at like a cop out. – You showing me how it’s done, right? – (laughs) Yep. We’re gonna do it today.
(both laugh) Never thought I’d be saying that. Like, “I’m doing bio-mech watercolor today.” – [Joel] Let’s bring up the first tattoo. – Oh, here we go. (laughs) That’s me. – [Ryan] I love how both individual styles are absolutely distinct. – [Nikko] You see the realism and Japanese in it. – [DJ] That color’s super solid, super saturated. Those lines are super clean. It’s a crispy color tattoo. That realism’s dope too. – [Nikko] This is amazing realism. It has great three dimension and really beautiful textures in it.
This artist released the dragon within themselves. – Yeah. – [DJ] This is sick. – Oh my gosh. I’m serious. – That’s awesome! – [Joel] Let’s see the next mashup. – There’s my golden jewel. – This artist picked biomechanical and watercolor. – Yeah. What a weird combo. – [DJ] Really difficult. – [Joel] This tattoo looks beautiful and I definitely see watercolor. I think it’s a gorgeous tattoo. – [DJ] I really like the biomechanical side. These bug-like robotic waves turned metal and then I like that the watercolor woman
is holding onto one of them and interacting with these bug-like things, you know? It creates this world. – That was the smartest part about this tattoo because there’s interaction between the styles. (James grunts) – Well, James, gotta hand it to you. – First time watercolor. You’re welcome. That went way better than I thought! – [Joel] Let’s see the next tattoo. – Oh, here we go. That’s mine. – [Joel] Neotraditional and fine line black and gray. – Where’s the fine line black and gray? – [Joel] You don’t think those flowers
look like a fine line black and gray? – [Ryan] No. – [DJ] I think they’re fine line. Those lines are finer than the ones that are on the fox. – [Nikko] The fox is beautiful. – [Ryan] This fox is beautiful. It’s elegant. It has so much flow. Even the pose and the position of the fox. – It’s a big beautiful tattoo. – That fox is so nice. – Thanks. – [Joel] So that was round one. Now we move on to round two. In round two, the artist could pick any tattoo that wasn’t their own, same styles and same subject.
– Round one, their fate was all determined. Round two, they get to choose their own fate. – [Joel] Yeah. All right, let’s bring up the first tattoo. – Okay. Mine. – [Joel] This looks like it’s the new school surrealism. – It’s crazy how the butterflies are breaking off the skull, which is a really cool surrealistic idea. – [DJ] Definitely exaggerated proportions on the skull. The color’s put in super solid. It’s a cool mix. – You killed me on that one. – Oh, I know. – Let’s look at this side by side with the round one tattoo.
– [DJ] The second one, both styles are really definitive. The first one, it’s kind of hard figuring out how surreal it really is. – Oh, that tattoo is so badass though. – [Cat] Yeah. – That’s what all our guts feel like. Just an explosion of butterflies. – Yeah. – All right, let’s look at the next round two mashup. (edgy rock music) – [DJ] This piece is sick. Super smooth black and gray realism on that back dragon. Foreground really clean. That teal is so saturated and this front dragon just has so much emotion to it
and it’s different and modern. – The dragon’s real wonky and cool. I love the spine. The scales are sick. I love the belly. It’s got a lot of personality. – It tells a story to me in a really cool way. – [DJ] The illustration is just cool to look at. – Let’s look at it up against the other Japanese realism tattoo. – [Ryan] Two completely different styles when it comes to the illustration, but these are pretty neck and neck. – [Nikko] These are two badass artists right here, man. – Well, here I am with my tattoos
head to head against James, twice. (laughs) – All right, let’s look at the next round two mashup. – That’s me. Here we go. – [Joel] Did anyone think we’d see more than one watercolor bio-mechanical mashup? – Definitely not. – I definitely did not. – [DJ] I think it’s a cool illustration. The chess panel on it got that bio-y feel. I do see the watercolor in the face. – [Ryan] This absolutely hits both styles. – [Nikko] I just don’t really understand the background. – I’m picturing this tattoo without the background.
– [Ryan] After thought. – [DJ] I don’t even think it needed it. – [Ryan] It doesn’t look watercolor or bio and I feel like it takes away from both of those styles. – At least they said I hit the two stuff. (dramatic music) – This week you had to prove your versatility by tattooing not one but two completely different mashup tattoos. – That was a wild one. – Based only on your work, each of your tattoos have been scored by the judges. The combined scores of both of your tattoos will determine your rankings.
The three artists with the highest rankings will secure a spot in the finale. Are you guys ready to find out the results? – Got it. – Let’s go. – I’m like, “I don’t know if I’m ready.” – Yeah, we’re in the same boat. – Please reveal the highest ranked tattoos. (dramatic music builds) – Yeah, of course. – Those are your tattoos, James. I take it? – These are mine, yeah. I’m stoked. – [Joel] Congratulations, James. You secured your spot in the finale. – It’s been a long ride, but it’s worth it, man.
Just the adrenaline that’s pumping through me right now. It’s insane. I just don’t wanna stop, so. – Both of these are killer tattoos. – [James] Right on. – Please reveal the second highest ranked tattoos. (dramatic music builds) – (bleep) it. – Knew it! – Wow! – These tattoos are sick, dude. – [Anthony] This is wild. I’m just stoked I get to be in the finale with my father, so that’s pretty (bleep) rad. – First time in “Ink Master” history, father son competing against each other. – I treat him like an equal, so I’m super happy.
My wife said, “Just don’t fight.” – We’re still family after this. – Because we’re gonna fight. (all laugh) – I’m comin’ after you, man. – [Joel] Congratulations, Anthony. You have secured your spot in the finale. – Thanks, guys. – Stephanie and Cat, based on your work, one of you will be competing in the finale and one of you will be packing your machines. (dramatic music) Please reveal the third highest ranked tattoos. That artist will secure the last spot in the finale. (dramatic music stings)
(suspenseful music) Whose tattoos are these? – (stammers) Those are mine. – Cat, congratulations. You have secured the last spot in the finale. (dramatic music) – Good job. (Cat laughs) – That means, Stephanie, you do not have what it takes to be Ink Master. (hard rock theme music)
