Jasper Jarvis - also known as Sad Girl Tattoo - is the incredibly popular artist making uniquely disturbing tattoos from their own twisted mind!

From their residence at Aura Ninety Four in London, Sad Girl has created an entire menagerie of creepy creatures combined with delicate and abstract patterns, all living within their self-made ā€œoracle verseā€.

We had a chat with Jasper about the tools they use, how theyā€™ve developed their personal ā€œoracle matterā€ style, and about taking inspiration from the horrible and frightening while making them beautiful!

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a rockstar or an artist!

How long have you been tattooing, and how did you get started?

Iā€™ve been tattooing for around 4 years now. I watched Oozy on YouTube to learn! I also had help and encouragement from artists who I was getting tattooed by at the time - Morgan and Oscar gave me some confidence and advice to take the leap and just do it! I was constantly drawing and sharing my stuff online, and it all just happened from there!

Why do you go by the name Sad Girl Tattoo?

The running joke was people used to sometimes mistake me for the rapper Yung Lean, whoā€™s known as the ā€˜sad boyā€™, and I always said I would ā€˜rather be a sad girl than a sad boyā€™. And to be honest, I was just so happy that the Instagram handle was available! I thought it was great!

How long have you been at Aura Ninety Four, and can you tell us about the other artists working with you?

Iā€™ve been at Aura now for over 2 years, itā€™s genuinely the best home and I feel very blessed. All of the artists here are amazing as well as the guest artists which come through! Iā€™m constantly inspired by everyone and feel like Iā€™m growing as an artist on the daily from all the surrounding peeps! Luke Ashley and Annie Elizabeth have created a space which is one in a million!

 Can you describe the "oracle matter" style for us please?

I started drawing the ā€˜oracle verseā€™ a few years ago, which is a world Iā€™ve created. I used to just draw ā€˜oraclesā€™, which are spikey orb creatures which inhabit the oracle verse, and over time it grew and expanded into other realms of the oracle verse. One sub section of the oracle verse is ā€˜oracle matterā€™ which has just had a full on takeover - itā€™s all I tattoo now! I didnā€™t intend to coin it as a style term but it has become its own thing over time. Iā€™m just letting things be and letting oracle matter form and change how it wants to!

How do you design your pieces, and what tools do you use?

Iā€™m mostly designing on Procreate! I do love hand drawing though, and have been doing more of it recently. I find I am super productive with the iPad and it lets me make constantly while on the go.

How do you choose what colour inks to use in your pieces?

Iā€™ve gone mostly by what people have wanted or requested - blue and red always seem to be popular. I love black with gold accents too!

Some of your blue designs evoke the style of old china - are you inspired by other forms of art and craft?

Iā€™ve always loved Suminagashi and that definitely inspired me when I started adding the swirl pattern elements in my work. I mostly look at things in the world that are deemed abject or things people have phobias towards. Then I try to translate them to being viewed as something beautiful or chic; thatā€™s my constant trail for inspiration!

Do you enjoy working with pop culture references?

I will never say no to a PokĆ©mon tattoo! Iā€™m also on the Labubu hype at the moment! Pop culture references can definitely be fun, especially when the client is happy for me to go crazy with my interpretation of it!

What's your current favourite pop culture to work into your art?

PokƩmon!

Which is your favourite piece you've done in the last year - and what's the largest?

Itā€™s always hard to pick a specific favourite! But hand pieces are always my favourite thing to tattoo! In terms of the largest, there are quite a few in the works at the moment. One finished piece that comes to mind is a giant eel as a front torso piece that I completed last year - I loved doing that one!

You've done a few collaborations now, but is there anyone you'd really like to make a piece with that you haven't yet?

Iā€™m definitely ready for a collaboration with my friend Lui Lopez, weā€™ve got to make it happen this year!

Can you tell us about your workstation setup?

Machine-wise I mostly use the new Cheyenne Sol Nova. I love Inkeeze products, Kwadron needles and Dynamic ink!

How many tattoos do you have these days, and do you have a favourite?

Iā€™ve lost count now as I have so much blastover on my body! A favourite is so hard to pick because I love all my tattoos for different reasons. Some just have great memories and some I love the art of it! I love my head tattoo which is my newest addition, and my leg piece thatā€™s being done by OOne is something I canā€™t wait to finish.

Who did the iconic tattoo on the top of your head?

Oozy! It was a big full circle moment for me to get tattooed by him. It has been a real life-changing piece and itā€™s something I never thought would happen or be a possibility, so I was so honoured to have the opportunity to get this piece!

Which tattoo artists do you think are doing incredible work right now?

Ah there are too many to name! The people Iā€™ve mentioned throughout these questions are definitely all worth checking out. All of the artists at Aura Ninety Four are also amazing and there is someone here for everyoneā€™s tattoo needs! A couple of names to shout out are my friend Zanzi who will do you the best Hello Kitty piece! And Em whoā€™s recently started working at Aura - the fractal pieces heā€™s doing at the moment go off, especially the white ink tattoos!

Are you attending any tattoo conventions or studio visits this year

Iā€™ve got just a couple of European guest spots in Paris and Zurich in the next couple of months and then Iā€™m done for the year! Itā€™s been a busy one and Iā€™m excited to be tattooing in London for the rest of 2025 - Iā€™m definitely more of a homebody! But I will definitely be doing more conventions next year!

Do you still DJ or have other creative projects, or are you fully committed to tattoos these days? Anything youā€™d like to do in the future?

Iā€™m fully immersed in tattooing at the moment! Never say never though - a sad girl club night could be coming to a space near you soon, who knows! For future plans, I think making some more hand drawings again and maybe doing a gallery show could be cute! But tattooing is such a blessing in my life and Iā€™m living the dream just getting to make art everyday; that was always what I wanted to do.

What do you do to relax outside of work?

Sit with my cats! I love going to a club occasionally (although I don't go as hard these days!), hanging out with my friends and sorting out and collecting my PokƩmon cards!

What does the future hold for Jasper Jarvis and Sad Girl Tattoo?

I want to keep on making and expanding the oracle verse and do some more exciting tattoo projects! It could also be cute to see the oracle verse enter spaces beyond just skin! I donā€™t have any exact plans, but Iā€™ve learnt to take any expectations and outcomes out of my head and let things happen organically and go with whatever ideas Iā€™m feeling in the moment. The best stuff happens and comes to you then!

Huge thanks to Sad Girl for answering all of our questions! You can check out Jasperā€™s work on Instagram, head down to see the team at Aura Ninety Four, or join the oracle verse by booking in for your own tattoo!