LA Ink: Season 2 Episode 3
The theme of the episode is Kat’s dramatized self-intervention. She gets wasted, says something to upset her boyfriend and decides to stop drinking. Hmm, probably a good idea since her party antics got her fired from Miami Ink, and it appears she doesn’t have much involvement managing her own shop. The last thing I ever needed to see on television was her and Captain Crustache sitting in a bath tub, sobbing together about her wino ways.
What’s remarkable about this episode is almost all of the tattoos were of the quality I’d expect from “brand name” artists. Kat does a decent elephant back piece, which is probably the first good tattoo I’ve seen her do on the show. Hannah pulls off a great mermaid tattoo, though I must admit I was skeptical at first because she uses such dark shading. In the end it looked great. Kim reveals herself to be an amazing painter; as in, she could probably make a living painting. She translates the subject of her painting, a skull with roses, into an equally impressive tattoo on Shawn Barber. Shawn paints tattooed subjects in a classic realist style, check out his website. He has a remarkable sense of light and color.
The only thing that didn’t turn out so well was Corey’s “Faith” lettering on some lady wrestler’s wrist. The letters looked like a blur from a foot away, and upon close up revealed themselves to be blown out and shaky, with some parts of each stroke fatter than others as if drawn by a pen bleeding too much ink ink.
Judging by the quality of her work this episode, hopefully Kat being on the straight and narrow will have a significant impact on her professionalism.
Disclaimer:
First, I am not in any way affiliated with LA Ink, so please do not contact me asking how to get on their show or how much their tattoos cost. You must make it through the casting process before ever speaking with an artist. Their tattoos cost whatever the artist typically charges, and a non-refundable deposit (as in you may pay this but never get tattooed) in addition to all of your travel and accommodation expenses. The official LA Ink website details how to apply to be on the show.
Second, my reviews are intended as objective critique, not a personal vendetta against any of the artists or their customers. In choosing to appear on national television they have opted to be under the close scrutiny of the tattoo community. The customers have elected to put their tattoos in front of all of America, and as such have opted to be under the same scrutiny as the artists. As an informed person I feel it’s my duty to point out when the show misrepresents that community, or endorses dangerous practices.
people actually email you asking about how to get on the show? jesus christ, some people are thick.
Wow. Do you rank higher in the search engines for the LA Ink keywords than LA Ink themselves? Funny thought.
Yes, I get things like “how much u charge 4 back tatz?” and other such classy, poignant requests.
I actually do not rank higher for LA Ink or the LA Ink Casting site so I don’t know where these yokels come from, or why they think criticisms of the show would be an indication I work there.