About

Me!

My name is Julia Hayes. I opened Moonrise Tattoo Collective in Brooklyn, NYC, and I now live/work in Kingston NY (Hudson Valley, 2 hours north of a NYC).

I try to do monthly work visits to NYC at Moonrise Tattoo, but most appointments take place at my private studio in Kingston - Little Moon!

My work is influenced by scientific illustration, printmaking, folk art, and the natural environment of my childhood - a rural, coastal area of Northern California. I moved to NYC in 2010, and spent 14 years there, but I still feel most at home amongst the dirt and the sea, and my work is a reflection of my roots. I specialize in illustrative blackwork, primarily natural themes - plants, animals, humans, science and magic.

I've been making art for as long as I can remember. After working for years in the restaurant industry and vaguely pursuing ways to make art for a living, tattooing presented itself as a clear path for me. When I began tattooing I was instantly hooked, and it feels like it has been a very organic transition from art as a hobby/passion to art as a career. I've been tattooing for 7 years, and I'm incredibly thankful that I get to learn and grow in this craft for the rest of my life. I believe tattooing can be an incredibly healing process, both for me in the act of applying a tattoo, as well as for the client in receiving a tattoo - the reclamation of the body, autonomy via adornment. Tattooing has helped me to love the vessel I reside in and I hope to share that empowerment with others. 

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Moonrise Tattoo + Little Moon Studio

I opened the first version of Moonrise in 2018 in Brooklyn, and over the years it has transformed into a wonderful, vibrant community of artists who are dedicated to creating a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable experience in the studio. The other artists have slowly taken the reigns and the studio is now fully run as a collective. The amount of talent that has passed through the doors in each location and iteration of Moonrise has been incredibly inspiring to me and I feel very lucky to have shared space with each artist.

In 2023 my little family was able to purchase a home in the Hudson Valley, which moved us out of NYC as of February 2024. Moonrise Tattoo continues on as a collective, and I have opened a second smaller location here in Kingston called Little Moon Tattoo.

At Little Moon I choose to provide sliding scale pricing:

  • covering mastectomy scars, surgery scars, and self harm scars.

  • need-based sliding scale for any individual who belongs to a marginalized group (LGBTQ, BBIPOC, disabled, +) and believes they would benefit from sliding scale. I want my work to be accessible to everyone. If you’re working with me and you believe you would benefit from sliding scale, just make a note in your booking form. I will do my best to work with you/lower my rates! This is an honor based system and you do not need to disclose your reasoning, just please be thoughtful of where your needs stand in relation to others - I can only offer so many sliding scale appointments per month in order to pay my bills! ♥️

I am constantly learning and growing and trying to offer a positive, respectful experience to everyone, so please let me know if there is anything I missed or if there’s anything you’d like to see/ways for me to improve/be more inclusive.

We love ALL bodies and want everyone to feel safe and welcome in our space. :)