What is handpoke: Instead of a machine quickly pushing a tattoo needle into your skin, handpoked tattoos are made by hand-pushing that needle into your skin, building a tattoo out of individual dots of ink.

Feel: All tattoos are painful, but the handpoking sensation is very different to machine. Many people describe handpoking to resemble the sensation of repetitive hair-plucking.

Healing: It’s typically less-traumatic on your skin than using machine, so it heals quickly and more easily than machine-made tattoos. Tattooing without machine requires precision and patience, but creates uniquely delicate, intentional tattoos. The dots create a slightly textured/stippled final product, unique to the handpoke process. Some examples of my handpoked tattoos (both fresh and healed) can be found here⋆˚✿˖° or on my instagram.

Any tattoo can be handpoked, but I would specifically recommend handpoke for finger tattoos, ear tattoos, areola tattoos, and any other dainty, small tattoo.

Machine-tattooing is the most well-known method of tattoo. A machine quickly thrusts a needle that an artist guides into your skin — allowing for more tattooing in less time.

Some examples of my machine-made tattoos (both fresh and healed) can be found here⋆˚❀˖° or on my instagram.

I love working with a prompt if I feel capable! Send reference photos if you’d like or I can make my own interpretation for you. Custom designs are not shared prior to your session, but we can make changes/edits together in-person.

I have hundreds of pre-drawn designs that are available for tattoo! These pre-drawn designs are called “flash.” You can find my flash book @softbarrio on instagram.

Some flash designs are repeatable, but some are one-off. Any design (both available and unavailable) may be customized and made uniquely yours upon request.

I am a resident artist at Hierro y Piel, located on the Southside of Chicago at 3700 S Iron Street. You can find the shop instagram here.

You will receive arrival instructions via email before your appointment date.

I am currently taking appointments at Hierro y Piel which has an elevator. Please let me know if you’d like assistance using the elevator, since it’s an old cage elevator.

You're welcome to bring headphones, sunglasses, or fidget toys to use during your tattoo if you have any sensory needs. And please let me know if you’d like me to mask with you.

If you have any specific accessibility needs or questions, please include that in your booking form.

I will present you with a sliding scale range for your session upon booking. Please pay as much as you are capable of within your given range. If a tattoo is over your budget, we can always split it into multiple sessions if that makes it more accessible for you.

Pricing guide: (Exceptions apply.)

• $150 is my minimum for a session. You can get a small tattoo around this price, or multiple simple, micro tattoos.

• Around $200-250 for small, detailed — medium, simple tattoos.

• Around $300-350 for medium, detailed — large, simple tattoos.

• Around $400-450 for large, detailed, single-session tattoos.

• $500 is my maximum for tattoos made in a single session. Large-scale projects will be split into multiple sessions, and priced by session.

Large and/or detailed handpokes are very possible to make, but consider that they may require multiple sessions to complete. I’ll let you know when scheduling if I think you may need to consider multiple sessions.

*Multiple sessions are also okay for ANY tattoo if you need to tap out at any point, or if we need to accommodate your budget.

Yes!! We can make your tattoo with any color, with or without shading, or let’s add some sparkles! If you’re inspired to, we can even make you a completely custom version of one of my flash designs. Maybe you like one of my fairies, but you want the hair or body to look more like yours. Or you’d like a design to fit a specific area of your skin. Whatever it is, I love to make any flash design into a collaboration! Please mention in your booking form if you’d like any flash customization.

— Be sure to moisturize in the days leading up to your appointment. (There’s no need to shave the area before-hand, though!)

— Hydrate (drink water!) and avoid alcohol for a couple days before your appointment. It’ll really help your skin prepare for the tattoo process. Your skin (and I) will thank you!

— Eat WELL before you arrive to your appointment. This will help improve your pain tolerance and also help you not feel faint. Please do NOT arrive on an empty stomach, it’s dangerous!

— Wear a comfy/cozy outfit. Consider bringing a tank top, shorts, zip up hoodie, or button-down shirt depending on the body part you are getting tattooed.

— Please bring cash. I only accept cash payments, due after the tattoo is completed.

— Optional: Feel free to bring snacks/candy/water bottles as well as fidgets, headphones, and/or sunglasses if you’d like.

I do not yet feel comfortable with my clients using numbing cream for our tattoo sessions. I use Bactine during the tattoo session as needed in order to lessen the pain, but topical numbing creams are too unfamiliar for me to confidently work with. Each brand of topical numbing cream is very different and everyone’s skin reacts differently.

Yes, on a very case-by-case basis. Please feel free to reach out, and I will let you know if I think I can do a good job on your specific cover-up.

If it’s your art and I feel I can execute it as a tattoo, then yes. If it’s someone else’s art and I feel I can execute it, then I’ll do it if you can prove you have the artist’s consent.

When you’re ready, please fill out my booking form! here’s the link ✮⋆˙

I require a non-refundable $100 deposit in order to secure your appointment. This deposit counts toward your final tattoo cost. Payment instructions will be sent along with my reply to your booking inquiry.

Your deposit is always non-refundable.

Please give me as much notice as possible if you have to cancel or reschedule your appointment. If you cancel within 48 hours of your appointment, I’ll require a new deposit in order to reschedule. If given over 48 hours notice, your deposit will go towards your new appointment instead.

Tipping is never required, but always appreciated. Monetary tips are amazing, but I also love to receive any other trinkets or art or snacks etc as tips too!!