OK – first off, let’s get one thing clear: I am generally not a fan of stick and poke tattoos (see this link if you are…and then reconsider – thanks Ben Grimm!). If you’re going to have ink jammed into your dermis, you might as well get it done properly. There are too many amazing tattoo artists in the world for people to be covered in shitty ballpoint pen drawings that I just want to take some spit and a thumb to. That being said, I know that at least a few of you reading this have either stuck yourself with a warbly, fuzzy tattoo or had someone else do it to you. I imagine that at least some of you immediately regretted it. If that’s what you’re into, great. Personally, I think stick and pokes are the latest incarnation of the tattooing fad mixed with ironic hipsterdom (gasp!), because for some reason, in some circles, it’s cooler to get a fucked up, stupid looking “dog in a diaper” tattoo that fades to a blob in a matter of months than it is to get a beautiful, professionally done tattoo that will last decades. Maybe it’s a quest for youth, because a lot of this shit looks like what I drew on myself, my jeans and my sneakers in elementary school. Maybe stick & pokes appeal to people who can’t think of a good idea to take to a professional tattoo artist, so they just jab a peace sign into their leg. Yes, a professional would laugh at you if you asked them to tattoo a peace sign on you, so home made is your best bet if you only have terrible, uninspired tattoo ideas. However, let it be known that I am willing to explore the internets for good stick and poke tattoos, just to prove myself wrong. If you know of some good ones, send them my way. For today, I’m sharing some ridiculous examples of tattoos that were posted to the FUCK NO STICK & POKE tumblr…but I think at least half the fun is reading the outraged responses on FNS&P from the people whose weak tattoos were reblogged…”stick and pokes are beautiful” LOL! Somebody should tattoo themselves with that…enjoy!
Lennon Giesbrecht
January 30, 2015 at 11:13 pm
who gives a fuck.
Nash Svanstrom
January 30, 2015 at 3:44 pm
How many people with s and p tattoos even have hepC? A lot less than you ignorant fucks assume. Im glad most of the comments here back up stick and pokes. Sry but tattoos started that way? And also, there are too many tattoo artists. And hella $. and hella judgemental dummies, there is some beautiful stick n poke action out there these days. Professional shit. Like in shops. Wow. Get with the program. Art is art. Fun is fun.
Andrew Hall
January 30, 2015 at 3:38 pm
This is the tattoo art world equivalent of choking on a katana like you just tried to commit seppuku with your gullet vs an actual sword-swallowing performer.
Take from that what you will.
Emily Lomax
January 30, 2015 at 2:26 pm
pahaha the ‘LOL’ on the leg is mine xD
biatch
January 30, 2015 at 4:36 am
Plus machine tatooing few years back wuz what only middle class white kidz would afford to do..but to who am i talking to? Fuck it…go find a proffesional..do something beautiful.
biatch
January 30, 2015 at 4:29 am
Its true all these suck big time but also does your conception about what is tatooing.That wuz a preety ignorant article if you know what i mean.If you dont thats allright.
Viruliferous
January 29, 2015 at 3:00 pm
There are a lot of professional tattoo artists who specialise in stick and poke, so don’t write it off completely. But note how I said “professional tattoo artists” and not “high school students”.
Dan Snow
January 29, 2015 at 2:56 pm
Some of these are gnarly as fuck. In a good way.
Vincent Thomas Bean
January 29, 2015 at 12:15 pm
Slower Black. Next level stick and poke tattoo artist. Look her up she’ll probably put most local tattoo artists to shame.
Tom Cat Man Croft
January 29, 2015 at 12:41 pm
The differnece is that a trained artist does those. Shit tattoos can be done by a noob and a gun too.
Meghan
January 29, 2015 at 4:22 pm
Thanks, this is exactly what I asked for…upcoming feature!
Colin Ford
January 29, 2015 at 9:48 am
Let’s judge people! It’s super cool and everyone is doing it.
Rus Sands
January 29, 2015 at 9:28 am
Stick n pokes only
Jacob Pelton
January 29, 2015 at 9:17 am
Judging by these comments, it’s apparently cool to get shitty tattoos and hepatitis now.
Adriaan De Raymaeker
January 29, 2015 at 9:38 am
All the cool kids are getting hep c, don’t be a square.
str8jacketx
January 29, 2015 at 9:01 am
I like the little coffee cup towards the end… Otherwise, why?
Jon Hoover
January 29, 2015 at 8:50 am
Awful
Larissa Wagner
January 29, 2015 at 8:22 am
It’s a quite personal matter, really. But I see no problem in s’n’p tats and I would definetely get one.
David
January 29, 2015 at 8:10 am
Lol, there are plenty of good tattoo artists who work by hand. And it’s not exactly a new thing, Japanese traditional and Polynesian is still done by hand in many cases.
http://instagram.com/sanon_deror/ This guy does some great work, he also uses machine, but a lot of his stuff is handpoked.
http://www.horimyo.com/ only does handmade Japanese traditional
And here’s a picture of Gerhardt Wiesbeck in action, also an awesome tattoo artist
Daniel Jäger
January 29, 2015 at 6:47 am
How about everyone do what they want and you cunts get over it?
Michael Christopher
January 29, 2015 at 6:40 am
Lazy article
Kieran Fewkes
January 29, 2015 at 8:58 am
No one knows stick and poke till they have seen my leg.
Rich Evans
January 29, 2015 at 6:35 am
You know what’s awesome about the renewed stick n poke tattoo trend? A bunch of shitheads will get Hep C and die.
Alliott Peterson
January 29, 2015 at 6:27 am
the memory of getting a stick and poke on some fukt night out with your mates is generally a fuckload better than the monotonous sit in a fucken doctors waiting room style fucken tattoo clinic for hours on end making small talk with some pretentious wanker who thinks theyre better than you cuz they got the same skull on their neck that 100000 other people have. fuck what it looks like its what it means to you.
Martin Medin
January 29, 2015 at 6:05 am
Stick n Poke is the antidote to the super pretentious tattoo trend brought on by the likes of LA Ink similar garbage. How punk is it to spend your entire months salary on a tattoo made by some douchebag? That said, there are some s’n’p that are so amazingly bad that it boggles the mind, haha.
Finn Meehan
January 30, 2015 at 1:14 am
If you’re so bothered by what some guy you’ve never met is doing that you need to carve your protest onto your skin, I think we’re looking at a skewed sense of priority rather than a dedication to artistic purity.
Ben Grimm
January 29, 2015 at 5:08 am
Dermatologists are gonna make a fortune in a few years!
Ben Grimm
January 29, 2015 at 5:06 am
I’m afraid it’s too late, Meghan : http://www.style.com/trends/fashion/2014/stick-and-poke-tattoos-2015-trend
CVLT Nation
January 29, 2015 at 12:27 pm
Hahahahaha yes! Thanks Ben Grimm! Putting this in the post.
Andrew Hall
January 30, 2015 at 3:11 pm
Bahaha
Keith Kornies
January 29, 2015 at 5:05 am
This isn’t a stick n poke but makes me smile when I look down. Bacon gone bad.
bacardimark
January 29, 2015 at 5:00 am
Tattoos being an art form is like any other, there is good and bad. You cannot have one without the other. Professional or amateur this rule still applies. I’ve seen hideous tattoos from professionals and great amateur work. Stick n poke was the first for of tattooing and is a link to the past. In Japan it’s the true method and non western ways of ancestors. Stippling/dot work is much easier when done with less needles. I’m a fan of both methods as long as you like your tattoo. I have both and no regrets.
Diogo Poelzig
January 29, 2015 at 4:43 am
Oh c’mon, some of those are awesome! Trashy tattoos is the antidote against this feeble tattoo-artist glam/shitty-faux-occult-ink/fake-ass-retro that’s been all the rage on all the boys and girls of this humourless world.
Billy Morrell
January 29, 2015 at 3:50 am
this article is stupid
Matt Henley
January 29, 2015 at 1:51 am
There are too many tattoo artists in the world. That’s the problem. To get anything interesting done you end up having to do it yourself or you’ll get scammed by one of these so called ‘amazing artists.’ Fuckin tattoo a pigeon or daisy on you or some shit.
James Rowsell
January 29, 2015 at 3:12 am
you know tattoos don’t even exist right?
brian
January 29, 2015 at 1:50 am
that dog in a diaper I think is from courage the cowardly dog lol
Jonny Wisconny
January 29, 2015 at 1:33 am
Not everyone can afford $100-$300/hr. for professional tattoo work.
Anthony Lute
January 29, 2015 at 1:30 am
Fuck you!! Stick and poke or lyfe
Daniel Novet
January 29, 2015 at 12:33 am
One’s taste in art is personal and subjective.
Susan Nygren
January 29, 2015 at 2:00 am
But then there is good and bad taste, better and poorer judgement.
Daniel Novet
January 29, 2015 at 2:01 am
You can get absolute shit work in poor taste from a tattooist too. I’ve seen some fantastic stick and poke work.
Keith Kornies
January 29, 2015 at 5:01 am
I fully agree.
Yngwie Malware
January 29, 2015 at 10:55 am
Who judges the judges lol fuck anyone to death who self-proclaims good taste
Alex Igorsson
January 29, 2015 at 12:30 am
Pierce Lightning