The so called “stick and poke” tattoo technique is having a moment (for a while now actually). What is it exactly?

This technique is a non electric method of tattooing, done by actually poking the skin with a needle. Hand poked tattoos have a long history, different cultures doing variations of this method. Some tribal cultures create tattoos by rubbing ink or ash on cuttings in the skin (similar to scarification today), some cultures create tattoos by hand tapping ink into the skin with sharp objects like animal bones, sticks, discs and the more modern – needles, and the traditional Japanese tattoos where the ink is inserted into the skin with needles of sharpened bamboo or steel.

So: hand poked tattoo – the artist pokes the skin with one needle creating a design, hand tapped tattoo – the artist has more than one needle and instrument that he tapes the skin with in order to create the tattoo.

And why is this technique having a moment? Like with everything, at some point or another people want to go back to the roots, leaving the mainstream and more complicated ways the modern times forces on us behind and focusing on the simple ancient forms. Going back to basics if you will.

If you’re considering getting a hand poked tattoo, just remember that they take considerably longer than the machine ones, but they hurt less as the hand held tool does much smaller damage to the skin.

Do you have any hand poked tattoos? Would you get one?
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Featured image by neiz.vesten