‘Ink Master’ exclusive: Alex Rockoff on elimination, St. Marq rivalry, and more
On this season of “Ink Master,” many of the first-time competitors had an uphill battle almost from the onset. You were forced to not only compete against people who already have experience in the competition, but also are getting to choose their own desired style for a given week. Therefore, it’s hard for anyone to get comfortable in the environment.
Yet, Alex Rockoff was able to withstand many close eliminations, and even saw one of his veteran rivals in St. Marq go home before having his own exit from the competition Tuesday night. In an email exit interview we talked about his tattoo design from this past episode, his relationship with St. Marq now, and how the schedule made the show at times extremely taxing.
CarterMatt – What were your first thoughts when you heard you were doing surrealist women for the elimination tattoo?
Alex Rockoff – I thought it made sense, considering it was Sarah Miller’s choice, but I knew it would be tough subject matter for me because I wouldn’t have enough time to put in the proper amount of focus and energy into my drawing. It was a lot easier hearing that, then hearing I had to turn a human canvas into a super hero.
Were you surprised that you went home on this tattoo and who did you think should’ve been sent home over you?
I was a little surprised by it, as others in the house were. But at the same time, at that point, I was mentally exhausted and running on fumes. Cleen and Sarah’s I thought should have went home before mine did.
Your rivalry with St. Marq got pretty heated at times on the show, have you two spoken since filming ended and what’s your relationship like now?
We certainly have spoken. You know, he’s one hell of a tough competitor and yes, at times it got very intense between us. We are cool though, I got to hang out with him in Las Vegas afterwards and we got along great, very fun to talk to.
What was your favorite tattoo that you did this season?
My favorite tattoo I did was my final one. I used a girl’s face and the city skyline. I only made a couple errors in the tattoo but ultimately I used the best color composition and layout that I’ve done all season for it, as well as it being one of the cleanest tattoos I did while I was there and it was an all around fun tattoo to look at.
What did you find to be the most challenging about the Ink Master competition?
The scheduling and the drawing time. It was grueling doing this 7 days a week for 12 hours day with maybe a break on Sunday. The drawing time really got to me as well, I couldn’t quite produce good enough drawings in the time allotted, had I taken specific shortcuts with my designs, maybe it would have turned out differently.
If clients want to book you for a tattoo what’s the best way for them to go about doing that?
I usually make appointments through my website Alexrockoff.com or my email [email protected]