Have you ever heard of Handpoke tattoos (also called Stick & Poke)? This is a form of tattooing where a tattoo machine is not being used. The technique requires an artist to use a sharp point - a tattoo needle, and some ink, to create permanent designs on a person’s skin. How it works is that the ink is being ‘pushed’ into the skin by repeatedly puncturing it. So, dot-by-dot, the desired design is being created. I sat down with Geelika, a 21-year-old Estonian with a fun hobby of making handpoke tattoos, and asked her all about the experience.

It All Started in Quarantine

Geelika has always been a creative person and likes to look for new ways to express herself. In 2020, she started experimenting with Stick and Poke tattoos. “Right before Covid hit, I went to a concert and met someone who had just started doing Handpoke tattoos. She advised me on where to get the supplies and when the lockdown started, I decided to go for it and bought the supplies.” Her biggest inspiration to start was also the artist who she saw live - Cavetown, as he mostly makes money by singing, but also does Handpoking as a side job. “I always thought that being a tattoo artist meant that you have to do it as your main job, but when I learned that he is doing tattoos mostly just for fun, but still earning a bit of extra money from it, I figured that I can also do it myself.”

The First Tries

After receiving the supplies, it didn’t take too long for Geelika to start practising her first tattoos - and that on a real skin! “When the package arrived, I started right away with poking a flower design on a silicone-like fake skin, that came with the supplies. However, then I wanted to know what it would feel like on real skin, so I decided to do it on myself right away. I chose my ankle as a location, as this part of the body is less visible and won’t be that noticeable if I mess something up.” Even though Geelika was afraid that she might regret leaving a mark on her body forever, in case something goes wrong, she figured it can also be a fun story to tell in the future - how she decided to spontaneously tattoo herself during the quarantine. After practising a bit on herself, Geelika’s friends were amazed by her skills, and some asked her to tattoo them as well.

Finding the Style

“I like to do brainstorming sessions to come up with the designs. When I come up with a detail that I would like to tattoo, for example, a sun, moon, or a flower, I like to draw different versions of it. However, they all tend to be like one another. So, I can say that this has helped me to figure out my style - when I look at all the tattoos I’ve made I can see that they all have kind of a coherent ‘handwriting’”

Out of all the designs Geelika has made, she is sure that the first-ever one, is her favourite. “This one always holds a special place in my heart. Every time I look at the tattoo, it reminds me of how it all started and how I never expected it to turn out so good.” However, another special tattoo for her is the most recent one. “While I was in the process of that tattoo, I kept thinking about the first one and noticed how much I have improved. It made me feel really good about my skills and I got motivated to do even more.”

A Lengthy Process

Of course, getting (and making) a hand poke tattoo can take quite a while, as the ink is inserted into the skin dot-by-dot. “Even though my first tattoo was quite small, it still took me a couple of hours. It was all new to me and I wanted to take it slow to make sure that the lines turn out sharp and good. Now that I have practised more, it can take me only 1-2 hours, but of course, it depends on the design.” The reason why Stick & Poke tattoos take more time is that usually, after the first time, the lines won’t be dark enough. Therefore, the artist must go over them multiple times to make sure that the tattoo is strong enough. So, if you’re thinking of getting one, it's good to plan as much time as possible because then, the artist doesn’t need to rush and can make sure that the tattoo turns out looking good.

Hand Poked vs Machine

Hand poked tattoos are definitely not for everyone as many have strong negative opinions about them, as they might not be sanitary enough. However, they do have some perks over the machine ones. For example, they are cheaper. The average price for machine tattoos is around €200-300 and can even get up to thousands of euros. That, of course, depends on the size and difficulty of the design. Getting a Stick n Poke tattoo from an artist, on the other hand, usually costs around 40-50€. But doing it yourself can only cost around 20€ as you would basically only need a tattoo needle and ink.

Pain wise, hand poke tattoos tend to hurt less than the machine ones, but of course, like with every tattoo, the pain levels depend on the location of the design - if it is on a place where the bones are closer to the skin, it can hurt more.

Hand poked tattoos also tend to heal faster, as they are not so traumatizing for the skin. However, you need to still take good aftercare of them - the same way you would take care of machine tattoos, to avoid scabbing and scarring.

Hand poke tattoos usually fade the same way machine tattoos do. Nevertheless, it does also depend on how hard the artist pokes the ink into the skin - if they do it softer, the lines might be lighter and therefore can also fade faster. Of course, it also depends on the location of the tattoo. For example, the designs on fingers can fade faster due to constant hand washing. 

One of the biggest stereotypes around hand poke tattoos is that doing it in a home environment is not sanitary and safe enough and it could lead to the tattoo getting infected. Although that could always be a risk, it really depends on the artist and how important is it for them to keep their workplace as clean as possible. We can’t forget that the same goes for real tattoo artists that use tattoo machines and have their own studios. As long as the tattoo is done in a safe enough environment, there is no need to worry about the infections!

Here are the main differences between machine and hand poke tattoos:

If you are more interested in Geelika’s work, you can check out her on Instagram @geelikam and @gmxink. “I am up to expanding my portfolio as well so if you have been thinking about getting a Handpoke tattoo, don’t hesitate to send me a DM, as there might be a possibility to get one from me for a cheaper price ;)”