Stick and poke, also known as hand poke, is a tattooing method which uses a single needle instead of a tattoo machine. Until the introduction of electric tattoo machines in the 19th century, hand-poking was a common tattooing method, [1] alongside incision tattoos and subdermal tattooing. [2]
In the modern day, stick-and-poke tattoos are often performed by young adult amateurs. [3] Minors who are unable to obtain parental consent for a professional tattoo may receive stick-and-poke tattoos from peers. [4] Incarcerated people may also give and receive stick-and-poke tattoos, an association which sometimes gives them the name of prison tattoos. [5] Other groups associated with stick-and-poke tattooing include punks and bikers. [6]
Within the tattoo industry, stick and poke is often stigmatized as unhygienic or unprofessional. [6] Other tattoo artists dislike the trendiness of the resurgent practice. [7] However, professionals who practice stick and poke praise its "softness", [1] intimacy, and transgressive nature. [8]
Stick and poke tattooing requires a sharp object and a source of pigment; a handle may be attached to the sharp object for easier manipulation. Primitive tattoos were often performed with natural materials such as thorns or fish teeth, or with sharp implements made from metal, bone, or stone. [9] Soot was sometimes used for pigment, as in the tattoos of Ötzi the Iceman. [2]
Modern amateur stick and poke often uses a safety pin [10] or sewing needle, and ink from a ballpoint pen. [1] Professionals use tattoo ink, medical-grade tattoo needles, and stabilizer pens. [3] [1]
Ink is a gel, sol, or solution that contains at least one colorant, such as a dye or pigment, and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, reed pen, or quill. Thicker inks, in paste form, are used extensively in letterpress and lithographic printing.
Ötzi, also called The Iceman, is the natural mummy of a man who lived between 3350 and 3105 BC. Ötzi's remains were discovered on 19 September 1991, in the Ötztal Alps at the Austria–Italy border. He is Europe's oldest known natural human mummy, offering an unprecedented view of Chalcolithic Europeans.
A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing processes and techniques, including hand-tapped traditional tattoos and modern tattoo machines. The history of tattooing goes back to Neolithic times, practiced across the globe by many cultures, and the symbolism and impact of tattoos varies in different places and cultures.
A tattoo machine is a hand-held device generally used to create a tattoo, a permanent marking of the skin with indelible ink. Modern tattoo machines use electromagnetic coils to move an armature bar up and down. Connected to the armature bar is a barred needle grouping that opens the skin for the ink to flow into. All electromagnetic coil machines are powered by a wired regulated DC power supplies which send an electric current through the copper coils wrapped around opposing magnets and then moves the armature bar up and down. In addition to coil tattoo machines, there are also rotary tattoo machines, which are operated with regulated rotary motors and are powered by a wired external RC power supply or a wireless battery pack attached to the machine. There are many types of rotary machines, some that look similar to coil machines and some that look more like "pens". Coil machines are usually each tuned for a single function, such as for shading, or lining or packing ink. Rotary machines are multifunctional, taking any size or type of needle or cartridge needle. "The basic machine is pretty much unchanged today, in recent years variations of the theme have crept into the market, namely Manfred Kohrs' rotary machine of 1978 or Carson Hill’s pneumatic machine that uses compressed air rather than electricity, but the principle is essentially the same."
A medical tattoo is a tattoo used to treat a condition, communicate medical information, or mark a body location for treatment. People may get a paramedical tattoo to conceal a condition or the effects of treatment, such as creating the appearance of an areola after breast reconstruction, or a cover-up tattoo to disguise the area in an artistic way.
Criminal tattoos are classified in different ways. The meaning and histories of criminal tattoos vary from country to country, and they are commonly assumed to be associated with gang membership. They could also be a record of the wearer's personal history—such as their skills, specialties, accomplishments, incarceration, world view and/or means of personal expression. Tattoos have been empirically associated with deviance, personality disorders, and criminality. There is no direct correlation between tattoos and criminals, but we can observe the developed history of tattoos and their meanings in countries such as Australia, France, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the United States.
Norman Keith Collins, known popularly as Sailor Jerry, was a prominent American tattoo artist in Hawaii who was well known for his tattoo designs.
Permanent makeup, also known as permanent cosmetics, derma-pigmentation, micro-pigmentation, semi-permanent makeup and cosmetic tattooing, is a cosmetic technique which employs tattooing techniques to replicate the appearance of traditional makeup. By implanting pigments into the dermis, long-lasting designs are created such as eye liner, eyebrows, and lip color. This procedure appeals to a diverse range of people; from those who want to make their daily routines more simple to individuals with medical conditions. By eliminating the need to apply traditional makeup regularly, permanent makeup has become a very convenient and effective solution. More than an aesthetic technique, permanent makeup plays a crucial role in procedures of reconstructive type.
A tattoo artist is an individual who applies permanent decorative tattoos, often in an established business called a "tattoo shop", "tattoo studio" or "tattoo parlour". Tattoo artists usually learn their craft via an apprenticeship under a trained and experienced mentor.
Tattoo removal is the process of removing an unwanted tattoo. The process of tattooing generally creates permanent markings in the skin, but people have attempted many methods to try to hide or destroy tattoos.
Tattooing has been practiced across the globe since at least Neolithic times, as evidenced by mummified preserved skin, ancient art and the archaeological record. Both ancient art and archaeological finds of possible tattoo tools suggest tattooing was practiced by the Upper Paleolithic period in Europe. However, direct evidence for tattooing on mummified human skin extends only to the 4th millennium BCE. The oldest discovery of tattooed human skin to date is found on the body of Ötzi the Iceman, dating to between 3370 and 3100 BCE. Other tattooed mummies have been recovered from at least 49 archaeological sites, including locations in Greenland, Alaska, Siberia, Mongolia, western China, Egypt, Sudan, the Philippines and the Andes. These include Amunet, Priestess of the Goddess Hathor from ancient Egypt, multiple mummies from Siberia including the Pazyryk culture of Russia and from several cultures throughout Pre-Columbian South America.
Corneal tattooing is the practice of tattooing the cornea of the human eye. Reasons for this practice include improvement of cosmetic appearance and the improvement of sight. Many different methods and procedures exist today, and there are varying opinions concerning the safety or success of this practice.
Tattoo inks consist of pigments combined with a carrier, used in the process of tattooing to create a tattoo in the skin. These inks are also used for permanent makeup, a form of tattoo.
India ink is a simple black or coloured ink once widely used for writing and printing and now more commonly used for drawing and outlining, especially when inking comic books and comic strips. India ink is also used in medical applications.
A variety of health effects can result from tattooing. Because it requires breaking the skin barrier, tattooing carries inherent health risks, including infection and allergic reactions. Modern tattooists reduce such risks by following universal precautions, working with single-use disposable needles, and sterilising equipment after each use. Many jurisdictions require tattooists to undergo periodic bloodborne pathogen training, such as is provided through the Red Cross and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Lars Krutak is an American anthropologist, photographer, and writer known for his research about tattoo and its cultural background. He produced and hosted the 10-part documentary series Tattoo Hunter on the Discovery Channel, which traveled the indigenous world to showcase vanishing art forms of body modification. Between 1999-2002 and 2010-2014, Krutak worked as an Archaeologist and Repatriation Case Officer at the National Museum of the American Indian and National Museum of Natural History, facilitating the return of human remains, funerary objects, sacred and ceremonial objects. Today, he is a research associate at the Museum of International Folk Art.
The process or technique of tattooing, creating a tattoo, involves the insertion of pigment into the skin's dermis. Traditionally, tattooing often involved rubbing pigment into cuts. Modern tattooing almost always requires the use of a tattoo machine and often procedures and accessories to reduce the risk to human health.
Microblading is a tattooing technique which uses a small handheld tool made of several tiny needles to add semi-permanent pigment to the skin. Microblading differs from standard eyebrow tattooing, a form of permanent makeup, as each hair stroke is created by hand with a blade that creates fine slices in the skin, whereas eyebrow tattoos are done with a tattoo machine. Microblading is used on eyebrows to create, enhance, or alter their appearance in shape and color. It deposits pigment into the upper region of the dermis, so it fades more rapidly than traditional tattooing techniques. Microblading is often referred to as eyebrow embroidery, eyebrow feathering, microstroking, 3D eyebrows, nanoblading or hair-like strokes.
Blackout tattoos are a type of tattoo that involves tattooing an area of the body completely black. Although many people get blackout tattoos as a standalone piece, they are also a method of covering up unwanted tattoos.
Kakiniit are the traditional tattoos of the Inuit of the North American Arctic. The practice is done almost exclusively among women, with women exclusively tattooing other women with the tattoos for various purposes. Men could also receive tattoos but these were often much less extensive than the tattoos a woman would receive. Facial tattoos are individually referred to as tunniit (ᑐᓃᑦ), and would mark an individual's transition to womanhood. The individual tattoos bear unique meaning to Inuit women, with each individual tattoo carrying symbolic meaning. However, in Inuinnaqtun, kakiniq refers to facial tattoos.