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It's so intricate and striking. I absolutely love the red on the eyes, how it's blended beautifully down onto the face. You got these tiny, little teeth in there. These things are awesome, man. JAMES TEX: The headset, all the hairpins are really nice. The gradations in the kimono are really beautifully done. JOEL MADDEN: You couldn't help yourself and throw in a weird little skull, but it's fucking sick. I love it. RYAN ASHLEY: It's traditional, but it still has your personality in it.
ISNARD BARBOSA: Thank you, guys. JOEL MADDEN: The time has come to critique your 24-hour master canvas back pieces. The style and subject were completely up to you. Shitting my pants right now, man. James, you're up first. [DRAMATIC MUSIC] Ooh, that's pretty cool. Whoa, man. RYAN ASHLEY: In the history of this competition, no one chooses a Medusa because they're usually the kiss of death. Not only do you have to render a female face, you have to render multiple snakes. JAMES TEX: One of my favorite subject matters is tattooing female form. And no references, it's right from my head. So I'm pretty proud of that.
There is so much beauty in the composition. The glowing flare in her eye is center with the center of the back. And then you have that perfect bend of the snake right under that. So even though this composition is asymmetrical, you still have this perfect line up that spine. It's so successful. The anatomy is beautiful, bro. The way the angle of her head is with her hand and holding that snake, it really has a beautiful, timeless look. I love the underbelly of Medusa's throat, which matched that underbelly of, like, a snake. It's really subtle. It's really cool.
I also liked that you brought tails into this. You think of a regular Medusa, you know, those snakes kind of grow from her head. I do it so there's not so many snakes. Big, readable snakes have better effect. JOEL MADDEN: It's a bold choice. It could go really wrong. And this went really right for you. It's a great tattoo, James. Thank you. It's so good. Thanks, Cat. Anthony, you're up next. [DRAMATIC MUSIC] Whoa. This is sick.
The colors you chose for this are beautiful. The composition, I love. It's laid out really nicely. RYAN ASHLEY: The legs of the crane are in such a dynamic pose, like it's just taking off. One of the claws comes down onto the butt cheek, and it fits so well. This is a dominant tattoo. But as it comes down in that asymmetry, the fact that the one branch just breaks that negative makes it delicate. It's elegant and powerful at the same time. There's a ton of leaves on here. They're all different shapes, blowing different directions.
You know, they're not just that stagnant, stiff sticker. They have life themselves. NIKKO HURTADO: I love the moon. It's got great readability. And I know when this heals, the background is going to soften up so nice. And this bird's just going to jump out at you. It's a beautiful tattoo. And in 24 hours, man, you were soaring, just like this bird, dude. I can't even believe you did that in 24 hours. Thank you, Anthony. [DRAMATIC MUSIC] I wonder who's next. And finally, Cat.
Wow. You're a G with your illustrative realism. You pull it off really nicely. There's a lot of areas in here that are really smooth. You nailed contrast. You're really good with light and shadow. You have a lot of really cool, open, negative skin that really gives the impression that it's glowing. I love that bottom arm. The darkness of the bottom of the hand is great. You're not afraid to do everything in shadow and commit to your darks and commit to your shadows.
I really love the shoulder and the material, and the back arm. That material feels puffy and feels like light. And I love the way the light's hitting it. It legitimately looks like there's a gust of wind blowing this hair up in both directions. I love that the earring is blowing with the gust. It's not just hanging down and dangling like it's unaffected. You crushed. Definitely is tattoo sorcery. [LAUGHS] Thank you, guys.
(WHISPERS) [INDISTINCT]. She killed it. (WHISPERS) Yeah. This is not going to be an easy decision. Three badass back pieces. NIKKO HURTADO: I don't see one tattoo that's short of amazing. RYAN ASHLEY: The amount of coverage and detail and sophistication you all pulled off in 24 hours was super impressive. You guys blew me away on this one. That's right. But as you know, being an Ink Master is about more than just proving your strengths.
It's about proving you can take on any challenge any day. For your second master canvas tattoo, you had 12 hours to tattoo in the style and subject determined by the opposing team. I wonder what they did. JOEL MADDEN: Cat called a black and gray photorealistic realistic lion for the OGs. [LAUGHING] Playing the game. JOEL MADDEN: The OGs called an American traditional lion for Cat. [LAUGHING] Flip the script. JOEL MADDEN: Let's see how it went.
Cat, you're up first. You had to tattoo an American traditional lion called by the OGs. The closer you get to this tattoo, the more you can appreciate how beautifully saturated every single color is in this entire tattoo. The roses are sick. I love the mouth, the teeth, the eyes are really cool. But I do think that the sun gets away from American traditional because it has no outline. It's just, like, the shape. I wonder why you didn't go bigger in 12 hours. DJ TAMBE: What I think is that you got tripped up a little bit on the style.
This lion could have had on boxing gloves with a crown. He could have had anything you wanted to do, because you're such a good illustrator, in an American traditional style. I would have loved to see more of that Cat creativity in this piece, a little bit more of you. [DRAMATIC MUSIC] James, you're up next. You had to tattoo a black and gray photorealistic lion, called by Cat. DJ TAMBE: There's a lot of areas of great detail.
Under the chin, you create a lot of good texture. The whiskers, they're not overpowering. NIKKO HURTADO: But as far as the photorealism, you took a little bit of liberty to illustrate into it a little bit. When you have the tattoo next to the photo reference, you have those really deep, dark pockets. I wish you would have pushed those dark to lights a little bit more and really commit to black to create those silhouettes that you see. RYAN ASHLEY: You approached this more as an Illustrator and less as a replicator. And that's where Cat got you. That's fair.
It is sick, though. It was a tough day, man. Finally, Anthony, you also had to tattoo a black and gray photorealistic lion called by Cat. RYAN ASHLEY: There's a lot of nice moments in this tattoo. The sharpness of the whiskers is really nice. That reflective light under the chin is really pretty, the way all those details are so intricate. But you missed the peppery texture under the eye, on the snout. The way that you rendered this is really smooth, but in that smoothness you lose the illusion that things are textured.
NIKKO HURTADO: I can see why you chose this image. The front of the lion has this cool, aggressive, black contrast with the light. But I think it was the wrong choice of a photo because the further I get away from it, it starts to kind of look like a koala. ANTHONY TEX: I think it was that lighting that was probably, like, drew me in, and then just didn't even think about the other things. NIKKO HURTADO: I do think for your second photorealism tattoo ever, you can tell the growth. But still, for not doing this, you guys did really well.
I'm just gonna go do lions every day now until I nail it. Three incredible artists, but there can only be one Ink Master. It's time to vote. [INDISTINCT] James and Anthony, these back pieces, I really am blown away. I got to go with the tattoo that turns me to stone. My vote goes to James. Thank you. Both of these back pieces are two of the best tattoos I've seen in this competition. James, your back piece is badass.
It's sick. It's clean. My vote is for Anthony. Your back piece, I just can't stop looking at it. This back piece is one of the coolest ones I've seen. - Good job, buddy. - Thank you. That's one vote for James, one vote for Anthony. Both of you guys crushed it. My vote is for James. It was this close. Anthony, James edged you out a little bit on just the overall design has more feeling and emotion. JOEL MADDEN: That's two votes for James and one vote for Anthony.
I can't stop looking at the composition of Anthony's. James, you could take a couple notes from your son. I will. Looking at this Medusa, every single piece is so methodical. It's so well thought out. Thank you. My vote is for James. JOEL MADDEN: That means, James, you do have what it takes to be Ink Master. [CHEERS, APPLAUSE] [DRAMATIC MUSIC] It is an overwhelming feeling. [CHEERS, APPLAUSE] Anthony, come here, give us a hug.
You [BLEEP] deserve this. JOEL MADDEN: Welcome back to the Ink Master season finale. Four finalists from four different countries remain. And tonight, one of them will bring the title of Ink Master back to their hometown. The time has come to critique your 24-hour master canvases. I don't know if I want to hear this. JOEL MADDEN: The style and subject were completely up to you. [INDISTINCT], whatever becomes. JOEL MADDEN: Isnard. Oh, god. JOEL MADDEN: You called color illustrative. These are tools to represent a bit of myself, feeling a bit like an outcast.
Ended up getting inspired to do the judges-- DJ, say, like, you gonna have time for this; Ryan, take your time, take a break; Nikko saying, like, it's cool, bro. Clearly, you are a great Illustrator. The face is fantastic. The eyes are striking. RYAN ASHLEY: The neck is repetitive of the bright pink vertebrae coming down the back in a really cool, cohesive way. NIKKO HURTADO: I just love the way the anatomy on the skull is with this weird, creepy hand. DJ TAMBE: But I find myself trying to pick out what I want to look at.
The composition is a bit off. All the energy is flowing one way and just heading off in one direction. Nothing's pulling me back in the piece. But other than that, it's frickin' fantastic, man. I can't believe you pulled this off. - Thank you, guys. - Good shit, man. Good job, so good. That was easy, Luka. All right. JOEL MADDEN: You also called color illustrative. The idea is to represent a way to embrace your fears. That's a little bit about my life, especially being here.
The wolf looks fun, the energy of it. I just think it looks wacky. RYAN ASHLEY: The line work and the sketchiness in the wolf is sort of anxiety provoking. But I think that's part of the story because the bunny is so perfect. DJ TAMBE: I really love the flow and direction of this piece. It makes me look down the tongue and find the rabbit at the bottom. I love that. It's very much a payoff. The bunny is awesome, cute little face. It makes me smile. I just wish the tongue was solid red.
It just looks unfinished. But I love these exclamation points. I like the technique that you used inside of 'em where it's almost this kind of spray paint. It's a great back piece. It's different. You don't see this every day. It's very cool. Thank you very much, guys. ISNARD BARBOSA: That was cool. That bunny was so sick. Seth. Good luck, buddy. JOEL MADDEN: You called traditional. Everything in this piece, I wanted to represent my experiences here.
The eagle at the top is for me being the last American standing here. The chain link to represent my hometown of Pittsburgh, Steel City. The eagle and the chain link is the coolest part. It's big, it's bold, it's in-your-face, it's purposeful. JOEL MADDEN: I don't know if I love the ship as a centerpiece. It would have been cool to see the biggest and boldest piece be right up there in the middle. JAMES TEX: You could have done it a little bigger stretch it out. It's just too stiff.
I think you just smothered it with too much stuff. It's a cool, traditional scorpion on its own. It's a cool, traditional skull on its own. I just think it's very pasted. NIKKO HURTADO: I do think you gave this canvas a timeless, bold tattoo that will stand the test of time. Thank you. Solid shit. - Thanks, man. - Matt. Here we go. JOEL MADDEN: You called Japanese. Trying to do that tattoo in such a small period of time, rolling the dice on pain, that's what I like about tattooing.
You kind of roll the dice all the time. I just love it. It's really tailor made to fit this back perfectly. I mean, the sheer size of this tattoo, it's really impressive that you got that much done. RYAN ASHLEY: The strategy of leaving all of your negative space in the center-- MAN: It looked white-- RYAN ASHLEY: It looked white. MAN: --like it was packed white. DJ TAMBE: I love the vibe in the face, really exaggerated, almost looks like too many teeth with this just shit grin.
JAMES TEX: One of my favorite things, too, are the veins in the eyeballs that push up to the top with the horns, because everything's looking up. There's a lot of energy and flow. The flames are really stylized and cool. And I fucking love this piece. Awesome, thank you. So fucking sick, man. Looks smaller than I remember. JOEL MADDEN: Four incredible back pieces, three different styles. That's fucking cool. Good job, guys. But being an Ink Master is about more than just playing to your strengths.
You also had to create two six-hour leg tattoos. Might as well do a few little ones while you're at it. JOEL MADDEN: Each of the tattoos had to be done in one of the styles that your opponent called for their 24-hour master canvas. Isnard and Luka called color illustrative. Let's see how you did. Seth. This, like, melty, almost vibrating style, it's really creative and new. JAMES TEX: The tattoo itself has lots of flow. I love the saturation of color going through it. There's some movement and energy to it.
NIKKO HURTADO: It looks really loose, like when you drew it, you had fun doing it. It's a really unique design that I've never seen anyone do, so, dude, awesome. Thank you. It pops. Thanks for calling color illustrated. Matt. Man, it's awesome. The little expression on the snail's face, his downward little mouth. I love the three eyes. It makes it super extraterrestrial. The color choices are amazing. I do like the depth of the eyeball. That has a glare and the outside has a glare.
DJ TAMBE: It's just a cool drawing man. It shows your illustrative abilities at the drawing table and it's super sick. Awesome, thank you. MAN: Cool. - This was a fun one. It was really cool. Seth called traditional. Asshole. Sorry. Luka, let's see how you did. Sir. It has a really classic vibe. I like that the color isn't completely saturated. That lends to the style. It's funny and cool because it's quirky.
It's interesting. You look at all the little details-- the blood drops, the mouth, she's holding a knife. I really love this tattoo. - Thank you very much, guys. - Yeah, that was awesome. - Thank you. - Pretty cool. Isnard. I love the belly of the snake coming down. The color palette is awesome. My favorite part about it is the blush on the side of the face. It's just classic. But you're just putting too much with the blade.
You should have just shaded one side of that blade and left the other side of the blade negative, just let it breathe a bit more. I see traditional, but not straight up traditional. DJ TAMBE: I think you created a new style-- "Tradisnard." RYAN ASHLEY: "Tradisnard." ISNARD BARBOSA: I'll take that. Good job, Is. Let's take a look at the last traditional tattoo, Matt. This is a cool, classic Image. The color palette is great, and it's simple.
There's not too many colors going on. I love how confident your black is. I really love these roses. They're really solid. The horses are awesome. Could have used a little separation between the first and second horse. But this is a super solid, clean tattoo. Thank you. Good job. A little too much off to the races for me. Matt called Japanese. Three more tattoos to look at, boys.
Isnard. Oof. It's so intricate and striking. I absolutely love the red on the eyes, how it's blended beautifully down onto the face. DJ TAMBE: You got these tiny, little teeth in there. These things are awesome, man. The headset, all the hairpins are really nice. The gradations in the kimono are really beautifully done. JOEL MADDEN: You couldn't help yourself and throw in a weird, little skull. But it's fucking sick.
I love it. RYAN ASHLEY: It's traditional, but it still has your personality in it. Thank you guys. SETH HOLMES: Now we gotta go after that. Good luck. Luka. This is so detailed. There's so many intricate, tiny little pieces to this put in with so much precision. NIKKO HURTADO: I love the way you made the different tones in the kimono. DJ TAMBE: That's one thing you know how to do is get that color in there clean.
JAMES TEX: I really like the positioning-- the hands, the placement, the head down. I like that flow to it. I like how you put the maple leaves in there, a Canadian thing there. Good you noticed. JAMES TEX: The problem with that is that they're unnecessary. It's just too much in that little area, right? It's tight. But it's well applied, man. I love it. - Thank you very much. That was cool. Seth. JAMES TEX: It's a nice classic design.
I like the face expression. I like the hair. DJ TAMBE: I do like the direction of the flowing hair and how it creates almost a circular motion. RYAN ASHLEY: I love how you brought the golden tone into the eyes and made those eyes yellow. It's weird. It's cool. It's a bloody, severed head. It's super clean. It's just fucking cool. I love it. - It's awesome. - Thanks. - Good job, man. - Thank you, guys. Three chances to prove your versatility. And all four of you delivered.
Awesome. JOEL MADDEN: This is going to be a very difficult decision. I feel like it could go either way. JOEL MADDEN: Four finalists, four hometown heroes, only one Ink Master. All right, judges, it's time to vote. What the fuck. Isnard, I love your big swing you took on the back piece because I love your creativity. But readability is a big one for me. My vote is for you, Matt. Thanks, man. Matt, you're a cheeky one. I love your fucking back piece. I have loved every single tattoo that you've done.
Isnard, you started out a little bit rocky, but the imagination that flows through you, it's just something special. My vote is for Isnard. Thank you so much. NIKKO HURTADO: This is a hard decision. It's two different takes on tattooing. And my heart usually leans towards Isnard. I always like to look towards the future of tattooing. But with Matt's, efficiency with such a size blows my mind because I'm not the fastest tattooer. So when I see a fast tattooer, I'm like, dude, this guy's lightning My vote is for Matt.
Thank you. JOEL MADDEN: That's two votes for Matt and one vote for Isnard. You guys have both done incredible work. I love the tried and true tattoo. That back piece is fucking rock solid. I love the innovative, original, weird shit. Isnard, the more I look at yours, the more I like it. And I'm starting to kind of love the weird shit. My vote is for Isnard. Cool, thank you so much. JOEL MADDEN: That's two votes for Matt and two votes for Isnard. [DRAMATIC MUSIC] Isnard's back piece is super creative.
Matt's back piece is bold and striking. Matt's snail on the thigh, I think that's super creative and new and refreshing. And Isnard's Japanese piece, super readable, striking. DJ TAMBE: Both solid tattooers. I'm gonna go with bold, striking, and creative. My vote's for Matt. JOEL MADDEN: That means, Matt, you do have what it takes to be Ink Master. Hey. I'm fuckin' so stoked right now. Thank you. MATT MOONEY: I feel like a huge weight's off my shoulders. I set out to win this, and I did.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
