Ink Master interview: Tito Zambrano on elimination, season 12 run

Throughout Ink Master season 12, Tito Zambrano was a dynamic artist on the men’s team. He showed off a lot of variety across his several weeks on the show but, unfortunately, a Hannya mask showdown Tuesday night proved to be his undoing.

So while he may be gone from the competition moving forward, Tito makes it clear in this Ink Master interview that he still took a lot away from this competition. Not only did he learn about himself as an artist, but he also made some great friends who he can carry with him. Check out our questions and all of his responses below!

CarterMatt – How do you feel about your time on the show overall?

Tito Zambrano – I learned a lot about myself as an artist. I didn’t know how things were going to be after we got split into teams, I was concerned about some of the men’s behavior, but we ended up becoming friends. I’ve been tattooing for 12 years, I’m a father and a professional, I wasn’t into all the drama.

Did you feel like you deserved to stick around on this past episode?

From day one things were difficult for me, I got up and fought, but it happened again and again. By episode 7 I was not on my 100%, this made me make poor decisions in my technique and competitive choices.

Do you regret choosing your own team member for the head-to-head challenge?

I DO NOT REGRET MY DECISION, it was a technical move. By not being on my game, I decided to make a drastic choice which ended up being the ultimate sacrifice!

Jake is one of my favorite artists, he is my friend, we worked together on the first episode.

I was getting so many critiques, feeling tried and exhausted, so I figured, even if I lost to him, I could do a tattoo that would save me from elimination. That didn’t end up being the case.

Did the battle of the sexes twist make you play your game differently?

The whole thing changed after day one when they split us up guys vs girls. I wasn’t thrilled about it but I was already in the competition, so I move forward with it. However, gender really didn’t matter in the competition, the tattoos spoke for themselves. All the ladies this season are brilliant artists and I’m excited to see which ones end up in the finale!

Is there anything that you wish you had a chance to show off with your art?

I forgot what got me on the show in the first place, being myself. I have done some of my best work at national and international conventions, in front of so many people, getting recognized with awards in many places in almost every category.

But instead of first and foremost doing tattoos that I love, I was also trying to impress the judges and would do what I think they would like. Tattooing comes naturally to me and it got difficult for me during this competition, I definitely did not get to show all the best sides of me, I’m taking all of the critiques to become a better artist, this just the beginning!

What’s the best way to contact you for an tattoo?

I don’t have a website but my contact info can be found on my Instagram @titozambrano

For some more Ink Master news…

Be sure to visit the link here to preview more of what’s next! Also, let us know in the comments if you’re going to miss Tito Zambrano being a part of the show. (Photo: Paramount Network.)

This interview was conducted by Jessica Carter. Be sure to follow her on Twitter.