Today we’d like to introduce you to Jules Flores.
Hi Jules, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Back in 2015 I was about to graduate high school & still only 17 years old scrolling Tumblr late at night in my room. I came across an article about one of my favorite SoundCloud rappers, Bones, and how his aesthetic was increasing in popularity. At the very end of the article was a small paragraph about his stick-n-poke tattoos along with a short list of materials used to give yourself a stick-n-poke tattoo at home. My interest was immediately piqued and I went shopping for supplies. I started giving myself & my friends novice, simple tattoos whenever & wherever I could. I became addicted to the feeling of sharing permanent art with those whom I loved. I did this casually until around 2018 when I quit a job I hated & was struggling to figure out what I was doing with my life. I figured I had been tattooing for fun for several years, I had gotten pretty good at it & my partner at the time was also starting to tattoo more seriously so I thought I would give it a shot as well. So far, jumping into tattooing as a serious career continues to be probably the best decisions I’ve ever made for myself. I’ve been going strong ever since!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The ups and downs of learning the art of tattoo are super tough both mentally and physically. There have been many times where my body does not agree with my path and my hands are screaming at me. Tattooers will talk all day about their aches and pains and I’m no different than them. However for me, my biggest struggle has certainly been on the mental side of things. Times when I felt inadequate, or completely and utterly overwhelmed by all the pressure that comes with this art form. To think about all the people who have their trust in you to be a safe space, be comforting, be fun, be cool, be smart and do an incredible piece of work every single time is, as you can imagine, arduous. But the coolest thing about tattooing is knowing that trust is there no matter how much it can make my tummy hurt. All the things that have felt like a road block end up becoming a valuable lesson learned for me in not just my art career but in life in general.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Tattooing is my main squeeze but what I do the most is definitely classic drawing with pen & paper, every tattoo starts first and foremost with a sketch. I’m usually drawing tattoo flash for skin but I also make flyers for bands/events, design merch (usually clothes), and I’ve even made a couple small batches of DIY CDs for friends.
My style has definitely evolved over the years but these days I’ve landed somewhere between ignorant and traditional. When I’m sitting at my desk sketching ideas I’m thinking: Is this fun? Are the colors fun? Am I having fun right now? I love to use a mixture of bold and soft colors inspired by the early 2000s patterns on my childhood bedsheets. I like to draw exaggerated features with solid outlines based on my favorite cartoons: Ren & Stimpy, Invader Zim, and SpongeBob. I just want to have fun and for me art is a way to reconnect with my innocence and the way I used to feel as a kid finger painting at the dinner table.
My biggest accomplishment so far in tattooing is definitely opening Patchwork Tattoo with some of the most talented tattooers in Austin. We are a cooperatively owned and operated tattoo studio & we (the artists and co-owners) work together to continuously build each other up as a strong community. It has been such an honor & a pleasure to work closely with so many different amazing artists.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Honestly I’m on Instagram really just to have somewhere to post pictures of my tattoos & other art like a portfolio. Ideally at some point I want to make a website so I can move away from social media even more, it’s a goal of mine for next year. Other than that I really only listen to music and watch movies for inspiration and resources. And play Candy Crush Saga to disassociate after a long day.
Pricing:
- $100/hr for tattoos
- $10/hr for commissions
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mindyourink.com/scratch.witch/book
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scratch.witch/
