Ink Master’s Shiniest Tattoos ✨

0:00 Today, you had to show detail with melting tattoos on the upper arm.

0:04 Let's see how you did.

0:06 Seth?

0:09 The areas of the melting you have,

0:11 how you have the lead actually look like chrome— NIKKO HURTADO: Very successful.

0:14 RYAN ASHLEY: --it's so successful.

0:15 That shit looks metallic.

0:17 I love that you switched up the underside

0:19 of the mushroom and just did it that yellowish color.

0:22 And it kills some of the detail under there

0:24 and brings your eye to all those other colored parts.

0:27 My favorite part about this are the few little

0:29 stained glass pieces that have a stripy texture in them.

0:33 It's such a cool approach.

0:36 Over the last several months,

0:39 each finalist also had to tattoo a 24-hour chest piece

0:43 in the style and subject assigned by the opposing team.

0:47 Ryan, you are up first.

0:50 Let's see how your master canvas went.

0:53 Ryan, I would love to see dueling hot rods, big, chunky, '90s new school.

1:01 That is everything I have ever hated.

1:09 Are you ready?

1:10 I'm ready.

1:12 RYAN ASHLEY: This is your new chest piece.

1:13 Cool, right?

1:14 Yeah I'm excited.

1:15 I have a lot more to prove.

1:18 Are you ready?

1:20 New school was the one challenge that everyone

1:23 else in the finale did that I didn't do.

1:26 You gotta breathe, OK?

1:28 It's literally the opposite of my style,

1:32 vibrant, bright color, thick, chunky lines.

1:35 I don't do anything like that.

1:38 You got this.

1:39 This really is the tattoo that's going to make it or break it for me.

1:43 11 minutes.

1:45 I've made it this far because I've busted my ass.

1:48 I deserve to be the first female Ink Master.

1:52 [APPLAUSE] All right, it is the moment of truth, Ryan.

1:59 Please reveal your master canvas.

2:03 Ready?

2:07 [CHEERING] DJ TAMBE: Hi, Ryan.

2:15 Tell us about this.

2:17 Well, Kelly assigned me '90s new school because

2:21 it's the opposite of what I normally do.

2:26 And I feel like she assigned it to me because she basically

2:32 wanted me to prove that if I deserve the Ink Master title,

2:35 I should be able to tackle any style

2:38 and handle any challenge that was thrown at me.

2:40 So I think this challenge was the opposite of what I've been expected to do.

2:47 And I did it as true to the challenge as I could.

2:54 I trained with coil machines for a few weeks before I attempted it.

3:00 I started using steel tubes.

3:03 And I practiced before I even attempted it,

3:06 and the artwork took me a very long time.

3:10 I mean, aside from just having to— Ryan, I got to move it along.

3:14 I got to move it along.

3:15 Oliver, let's hear from you.

3:17 OLIVER PECK: Well, I gotta say, man,

3:19 this was one tough challenge for you, especially.

3:22 I mean, this style is something that you

3:24 weren't even tattooing when this style was prevalent.

3:27 I remember the '90s.

3:28 I remember tattooing at tattoo conventions with Cleen

3:31 Rock when he was doing all this stuff.

3:33 And I mean, this is it.

3:36 You could go— this is a time machine tattoo right here.

3:39 You go back— [CHEERING AND APPLAUSE] I mean,

3:46 you look at the way this tattoo is done,

3:49 the linework, the color, the solid, the bright,

3:52 the color play of making the chrome with the weird highlights.

3:56 Nailed it.

3:58 DAVE NAVARRO: Chris, your thoughts?

4:00 Well, you know.

4:01 This tattoo, it does exude '90s.

4:03 It does have that really '90s feel.

4:05 I also— this is my 25th year tattooing.

4:07 I grew up on this.

4:08 So looking at this artwork, the outline quality, the color quality,

4:12 the color palette and play, it really sets off a strong '90s presence.

4:17 What, for me, really hits it is the use of the chrome.

4:20 Because we were really chrome babies in the '90s.

4:23 We would make anything chrome.

4:25 And you captured that look in this '90s feel tattoo.

4:28 I think you did a great job.

4:29 Thank you.

4:30 DAVE NAVARRO: All right, Ryan, thank you very much.

4:32 Today, you must prove your ingenuity with metallic tattoos.

4:40 Finally, something fun.

4:41 Yes.

4:43 Fucking sick, boy.

4:45 It's my lucky day.

4:46 I make metallic tattoos all the time back home.

4:48 I made this sick, gold,

4:50 metallic buttplug that blew up everywhere on the internet.

4:53 This is amazing.

4:54 TATTOO ARTIST: Glad he's on my team.

4:56 Let's meet your canvases.

5:02 What is it you're looking to get today?

5:03 So I'm looking to get a realistic,

5:05 metallic, golden-themed Buddha head on my shoulder blade.

5:08 That's cool.

5:09 Illustrative, metallic, sexy male robot pinup— That's cool.

5:14 --on my butt.

5:17 I know Lina just went out on the butt tattoo,

5:20 but that one could be really freaking cool and fun.

5:22 A realistic, metallic diving helmet.

5:25 Interesting.

5:26 A realistic, metallic, golden pharaoh.

5:29 Right on.

5:31 James.

5:32 That's me.

5:34 This one's the sexy robot.

5:36 Butt cheek.

5:40 Cat.

5:43 You want that one.

5:45 She'll crush that.

5:46 Did they just throw me a bone right now?

5:48 What is happening?

5:51 Which one's the next one?

5:52 Diver's helmet.

5:53 Jade.

5:54 That's me.

5:56 Pony.

5:57 That'd be me, and you're in good hands.

5:59 The king of gold.

6:01 Yeah, it makes sense, right?

6:05 It feels good so far.

6:08 Yeah, my tattoos don't hurt.

6:10 Last week, the judges called my tattoo a snooze fest.

6:13 This week, I'm going to blow them away.

6:15 Let's do some color.

6:16 Bring it on.

6:17 I don't really have a preference.

6:18 It's illustrative.

6:19 It's out of my head.

6:20 Did you bring that yellow, any of that yellow?

6:22 No.

6:23 I know.

6:23 My tattoo shows ingenuity in placement, ingenuity in composition,

6:27 ingenuity in just pulling this fucking thing off, and it's going to look great.

6:31 Here you go, pops.

6:32 You know?

6:32 You know?

6:33 Good for you.

6:33 Fucking right.

6:35 Look at us, eh?

6:36 You're grounded.

6:38 Have you always been into art?

6:39 Kind of.

6:40 Like, I always doodled and drew, I just never really took it that seriously.

6:45 I started tattooing because my friends were like,

6:48 why don't you do something with your art?

6:50 And they suggested tattooing.

6:52 And that literally never crossed my mind, ever.

6:56 Eventually, the idea kind of blossomed, and I tried to get an apprenticeship.

7:00 And yeah, I went to, like, 17 shops.

7:02 Wow.

7:03 And all of them said no except for one.

7:05 All of that rejection in the beginning really just pushed

7:08 me and made me want to become a better tattoo artist.

7:12 I can't believe people used to actually wear those.

7:15 HUMAN CANVAS: They're so heavy.

7:16 TATTOO ARTIST: Heavy duty.

7:17 RYAN ASHLEY: Sink right to the bottom.

7:19 Hopefully, we don't sink to the bottom with this one, right?

7:21 That's the goal.

7:26 I like the direction we're going in here.

7:28 I think the other team, when they saw my reaction,

7:32 they're like, wait, what did we do?

7:33 They're like, what did we just hand her?

7:36 There are three hours left on the clock.

7:45 Tony, you're in your world today, huh?

7:48 Yeah, just, I mean, literally trying to fight the clock right now.

7:51 Today, of all days, I've got to pull this tattoo together.

7:53 It's on a very important day.

7:55 Man, you think you'd simplify a little bit, but you're really going for it.

7:58 TATTOO ARTIST: I see every little thing, and it's haunting me.

8:00 Today is actually the 20th anniversary of my dad's passing.

8:03 Probably still one of the hardest things

8:04 I've gone through aside from this fucking competition.

8:07 My dad is the one that got me into tattooing.

8:09 He was my biggest push growing up.

8:10 He was the one that always pushed me to do good work.

8:13 I mean, making him proud is my biggest reasons for being here.

8:17 Today, you had to prove your ingenuity with metallic tattoos.

8:23 Let's see how you did.

8:24 OGs, you're up first.

8:26 Pony.

8:30 It looks like gold is sitting on this person's arm.

8:33 100%, it looks like a picture of a gold bust.

8:36 It has that, heavy metal look.

8:38 What's really impressive, on one side, there's a warmer sheen of gold.

8:42 And on the opposite side, there's a cooler sheen of gold.

8:45 And that takes a unique eye.

8:47 On metallic day, you nailed it.

8:49 Thank all of you.

8:51 James.

8:55 It's so refreshing to see a tattoo that actually carries and conveys an emotion.

9:00 He's happy.

9:01 He's partying.

9:02 It has personality.

9:03 It has character.

9:04 I love this illustration.

9:06 The face is badass, man.

9:07 Like, you nailed the shine and the glare.

9:09 It definitely feels gold.

9:11 I don't think very many people would be able to pull this tattoo off.

9:15 Jade.

9:19 I feel like it really is shiny.

9:21 It has that kind of brassy feel.

9:24 But I don't like the tentacles.

9:26 They look a little unfinished compared to how finished the helmet is.

9:29 But she showed us flat, large chrome, tiny, detailed chrome, matte chrome.

9:34 You killed it.

9:35 Thank you.

9:38 Cat.

9:41 I love the way the chrome reflects.

9:44 It took a lot of imagination and knowledge

9:46 to draw every plate as if it was body, like the chest and the shoulder.

9:51 I absolutely love, love, love, love, love the nipple rings.

9:55 It's so ridiculous and cool.

9:57 DJ TAMBE: It is a cool, dramatic pose.

9:58 It's like, oh, my robot partner just broke up with me.

10:01 [GIGGLING] Judges, it's time to determine who had the best tattoo of the day.

10:08 Pony's hits the challenge the most as far as metallic.

10:12 NIKKO HURTADO: I really love it.

10:14 The small transitions and hues, man, that's crazy.

10:16 Like, I haven't seen any tattoo pull that off at all.

10:19 James also.

10:21 It's a different take on the metallic side, great illustration.

10:24 But it doesn't scream metal at me.

10:27 What about Cat's?

10:29 NIKKO HURTADO: It's a really great illustration,

10:31 and then it's tattooed in a way that shines.

10:33 My vote is for Cat.

10:35 My vote's going to go to Pony.

10:37 It's a hard tattoo to do.

10:39 My vote's for James.

10:40 Pulled this out of his head and made a cool illustration.

10:43 Killer tattoo.

10:44 That's one vote for Cat, one vote for James,

10:48 and one vote for Pony, for tattoo of the day.

10:51 I do believe Cat had the best chrome.

10:54 Pony had the best metallic overall.

10:57 But I'm going to vote for James.

10:59 TATTOO ARTIST: Here we fucking go.

11:01 It was just the best combination of the challenge, the illustration.

11:06 It was the perfect storm of all of them together to create this tattoo.

11:09 Thank you.

11:10 The judges have decided the best tattoo of the day goes to James.

11:14 TATTOO ARTIST: Let's go.

11:14 Let's go.

11:16 Heck yeah.

11:17 Got it.

11:18 Today, you must create glitter tattoos— TATTOO ARTIST: Oh.

11:27 TATTOO ARTIST: What?

11:28 TATTOO ARTIST: Shit.

11:29 --on the stomach.

11:31 Oh my god.

11:34 I have dot work on my stomach, and that's not easy.

11:37 It feels like a knife stabbing you.

11:38 Shit.

11:40 Your stomach has a ton of nerve endings in there.

11:42 If you approach the stomach with a sharp needle,

11:45 your brain automatically says, get the fuck off of me.

11:48 Let's meet your canvases.

11:54 Glittery Japanese daruma doll with glittery, sticker style origami cranes.

12:00 I might like that one.

12:01 Bah, no, the sticker will pull you apart.

12:03 Glittery, neo-traditional brachiosaurus.

12:06 Like a dinosaur?

12:07 I don't even know what the fuck that is.

12:08 Dinosaurs is extinct.

12:10 Let's keep it that way.

12:11 Kyra.

12:13 Hi.

12:14 What's that, Japanese daruma?

12:15 Oh, that's sick.

12:17 Isnard.

12:20 Don't hold it, keep breathing, and that's it.

12:23 I actually thought I was going to get fucked up with the skull picks.

12:25 HUMAN CANVAS: Oh.

12:26 Because they know I don't do color too much.

12:29 But just because they don't advertise it doesn't mean I don't do it.

12:34 Daruma dolls represent perseverance just because, when you knock them over,

12:37 because they're so round and cute, they can roll back up.

12:41 It kind of sounds like me.

12:42 Yeah, a lot to prove being a realism artist, here especially, man.

12:46 People just think I'm just this cute, little Asian girl.

12:49 But I can show up, and I can give you a pretty gangster piece.

12:54 HUMAN CANVAS: Ow.

12:55 I know.

12:55 I know.

12:56 I know.

12:57 Stay with me.

12:57 Oh my gosh.

12:58 We came this far.

13:01 That hurts.

13:03 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, that's it.

13:09 Time's up.

13:10 No more ink.

13:14 Oh.

13:17 And we done.

13:18 Yeah.

13:20 Today, you had to show contrast with glitter tattoos on the stomach.

13:26 Let's see how you did.

13:28 Kyra, you're up.

13:32 This is how a glitter tattoo should be done.

13:36 You showed us multiple colors of glitter.

13:39 Glitter around the eyes.

13:40 Look at the reflective light.

13:41 You actually made it look 3D.

13:44 I love the expression on its face.

13:46 It shows great contrast with the softness of the shadow.

13:48 RYAN ASHLEY: It's a beautiful tattoo.

13:50 This is exactly what we were looking for on glitter day.

13:55 Big dog.

13:56 What?

13:57 Big dog, that's impressive.

14:00 Isnard.

14:04 I like the contrast in the color play.

14:06 You have really nice blues and oranges that play off each other,

14:09 which are high contrast.

14:10 You actually focused on a light source,

14:13 and you rendered the glitter to have an actual shine to it.

14:16 And that creates a perfect illusion when it comes to glitter.

14:20 I like this tattoo.

14:21 Thank you.

14:24 Judges, it's time to determine who had the best tattoo of the day.

14:28 What about Kyra's tattoo?

14:29 Wow, what dimension, and what glitter.

14:32 And then, the extra little origami?

14:34 DJ TAMBE: Yeah.

14:35 NIKKO HURTADO: Amazing.

14:36 This heavy shadow coming off the side really sets this thing off

14:39 and makes it look like you can pick it up off the skin.

14:41 My vote for tattoo of the day goes to Kyra.

14:45 Stepped her game up.

14:47 Kyra killed it with this tattoo.

14:48 My vote goes to Kyra.

14:51 My vote goes to Kyra.

14:53 Yay.

14:56 The judges have decided the best tattoo of the day goes to Kyra.

15:01 Today, you must create— What is it?

15:06 --melting tattoos.

15:08 Oh.

15:10 What is melting?

15:11 Yeah, I don't know shit about melting.

15:13 The closest I get is when my daughter eats ice cream,

15:15 and it drips all over our couch.

15:17 You must take a seemingly solid object and make it appear

15:21 to be melting right off the skin of your canvas's upper arm.

15:26 Yo.

15:28 It's a good spot at least.

15:30 You have to approach this completely different if

15:32 you're working on a bodybuilder versus a soccer mom.

15:35 If your canvas has big shoulders, it can easily deform the whole design.

15:40 So placement is going to be key.

15:42 Shit, let's do it.

15:43 Let's meet your canvases.

15:44 This is my favorite part.

15:49 Metallic, melting dragon in a pool of fire with a sword.

15:52 In the pool of fire.

15:53 I think so far, everyone's fucked on all of them.

15:56 A colorful, illustrative, melting mushroom stained glass window.

16:00 Hmm.

16:01 Keahi.

16:03 What's up, man?

16:04 Mushroom stained glass.

16:06 Seth.

16:07 Let's get trippy.

16:10 Everybody's really trying to get to the finale so

16:12 we can all show off what we really do.

16:16 I feel like I'm versatile enough to win.

16:18 There's not a single challenge that they can throw

16:20 at me that is going to make me shake.

16:23 I kind of like being the underdog.

16:24 I like showing people that there's still more to what

16:27 I can do and shocking the hell out of them.

16:29 Nobody here can do color like I can do color.

16:31 HUMAN CANVAS: That's what I like to hear.

16:35 You've got the metallic dragon with a sword, in a pool of fire.

16:40 TATTOO ARTIST: It seemed like the most fun.

16:42 NIKKO HURTADO: And you picked it.

16:43 TATTOO ARTIST: So hopefully, it works out.

16:45 If I don't step up to the plate and knock this out, I'm going to look so dumb.

16:49 Because I was the one, ultimately, who was like, yeah, I'll do the dragon.

16:53 Not here for nothing.

16:55 I got kids back home, my wife back home.

16:58 Being away this long,

16:59 it would definitely be a lot better if I came home with the title and that cash.

17:03 HUMAN CANVAS: Absolutely.

17:04 Today, you had to show detail with melting tattoos on the upper arm.

17:09 Let's see how you did.

17:10 Seth.

17:13 The areas of the melting you have,

17:15 how you have the lead actually look like chrome— NIKKO HURTADO: Very successful.

17:19 RYAN ASHLEY: --it's so successful.

17:20 That shit looks metallic.

17:22 I love that you switched up the underside

17:24 of the mushroom and just did it that yellowish color.

17:27 It kills some of the detail under there

17:28 and brings your eye to all those other colored parts.

17:31 My favorite part about this are the few little

17:34 stained glass pieces that have a stripy texture in them.

17:38 It's such a cool approach.

17:39 Keahi.

17:44 I like this dragon.

17:46 You were very successful in making the chrome look shiny.

17:49 NIKKO HURTADO: There's tons of details in here.

17:50 I just think there's too many details everywhere.

17:53 The sword gets a little lost for me.

17:55 RYAN ASHLEY: You used the same sort of dark rust

17:58 brown in the background that you used in the chrome.

18:01 So there's no separation.

18:03 There's just too much shit going on.

18:07 Judges, it's time to determine who had the best tattoo of the day.

18:11 There was a couple that really stand out.

18:13 JOEL MADDEN: Seth's tattoo is definitely one of the contenders.

18:16 NIKKO HURTADO: The melting parts are really cool with that lead.

18:18 My vote's for Seth.

18:19 My vote for tattoo of the day is Seth.

18:23 It's really hard to beat those drips, man.

18:25 My vote is for Isnard.

18:27 I like looking at this.

18:28 It's fun.

18:30 So that is one vote for Isnard, two votes for Seth.

18:34 My vote for tattoo of the day is for Seth.

18:41 The best tattoo of the day goes to Seth.

18:43 Fuck, yeah.

18:44 You're lucky, bro.

18:44 You're lucky.

18:45 I was ready.

18:46 I was ready.

18:47 Yeah.

18:48 [ROCK MUSIC]