Women with a needle: Handpoked women on instagram

Ksyusha Petrova

Handpoke is a style of tattooingwhich is becoming more and more popular on the wave of interest in naive art and new sincerity. The vintage technique, which does not involve the use of a machine, is most often mastered by novice masters, but there are also experienced tattooists who simply like this method better. It is believed that handpoke tattoos do not hurt as much as machine tattoos, and they also heal faster. We decided to collect accounts of tattoo artists from Russia and other countries, which show the diversity and charm of handpoke - subscribe and be inspired by them (just don't copy someone else's tattoos and sketches without asking).

Anya Satsuro

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A post shared by Satsuro Anya (@satsuro.tats) on May 19, 2019 at 5:25am PDT

The illustrator and tattoo artist shuttles between Moscow and St. Petersburg, leaving neat little images on the skin of all comers: very often they are cats or touching cat paws, but there are also other subjects, such as dinosaurs, plants, food or ghosts on rollers. If you like the Satsuro style but haven't decided on a tattoo yet, look no further than merchandise like badges, stickers, and transferable tattoos.

Classification of Tattoo Needles or What are Tattoo Needles

Sharpening (taper).

Diameter.

Configuration of the solder needle.

L (Long). -Long, sharp sharpening.
M(Medium)-medium sharpening
S(Short)-short sharpening, it is also called a bullet.

To be precise, all these configurations are also divided by sharpening length of the needles

Standard (Short) Taper - 1.4mm-1.5mm
Long Taper - 1.8mm-2.0mm
Double Long Taper - 2.2mm
Extra Long Taper - 2.5mm-2.8mm

Tattoo needles vary in diameter from 0,25mm to 0,40mm. When you see this code on the package 1207RL - The first two digits "12" stand for the diameter of the pins, the 4 most common needle diameters are #12 (0,35mm), #10 (0,30mm) #8 (0,25mm) #6 (0,20mm). The most common size is #12, for liners the #10 is most commonly used

Needles, most often, are soldered in a circle, row, or 2 rows. The number of soldered needles can vary from 2 to 30 or even more.

R (round) - Soldered round needles are called rounds.

In turn, R rounds are divided into contour L (linear) and touching S (shader):

RL (Round Linear ) - In this soldering needles are tightly bunched at the end, they are also called "bunched" Such needles are designed to apply the contour, lines. They are most often used for RL "bent" needles are sharpened with a tapered point. L (Long) long or M (Medium) Medium, with the smallest needle diameter. More popular in tattooing are contoured units with an S (Short) sharpening rather than a sharp L (Long). Too sharp needle can easily go deep into the skin, but at the same time contributes a minimum of pigment, forcing the master repeatedly to pass, on the same places. On the other hand, a needle with L (Long) sharpening is good for fixing a sketch.

RS (Round Shader). - In this shader, the needles are parallel, in relation to each other, they are called "bifurcated". These needles are designed for stroking, shading. For RS "bifurcated" needles use a tapered sharpening M (Medium) medium or S (Short) Short, with a larger needle diameter.

M (Magnum)- Needles soldered in two rows are called Magnum. Magnum needles are in turn divided into M1 and M2

M1 (Weaved Mag): Needles at the base are soldered in one row, but at the end they are separated into two rows in a staggered arrangement. These needles are used for soft strokes, from clear to dense.

M2 (Stacked Mag) - needles at the base are soldered in two rows tightly together. These pins are for dense stippling.

F (flat)- Stacked Mag-needles are called flat needles. Flat needles are for dense fill. They are mostly long or medium sharpened and can have different needle diameters.

RM, RF- Flattened needles are of unequal length in order to create a circular shape. This form of soldering needles is safe to work with, gives uniformity of shading, softness of the shading and smoothness of the transitions. Such needles also damage the skin less.

Here we go over the marking of the premade needles:

The first two digits are the needle diameter (12-0.35mm, 10-0.3mm), third and fourth digits are the number of needles in the fusion. Letters at the end: RL is the roundliner, RS - roundscheider, M1 - magnum, М2 - doublefleet, F - fllet, RM - round magnum if added at the end Т - means textured needles (considered to be the most effective for painting) example: 1209 RMT - round magnum of 9 textured needles, each 0.35 mm in diameter. 1213 RL - contoured, assembled of 13 needles 0.35mm long sharpened.

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Mellow Pokes

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A post shared by Mellow Pokes (@mellowpokes) on Apr 22, 2021 at 10:39am PDT

The Toronto-based artisan makes simple and impactful small tattoos with women, flowers and flower women, as well as doggies in sweaters and other cute animals. We particularly liked the squirting woman - but less explicit subjects like a plastic bag clinging to a branch work just as well.

From history

People not so long ago began to use special machines for drawing on the skin. Therefore, the classic option is to perform a tattoo with a needle. The same method, using needles made of bone or stone, was used by wild tribes to decorate their bodies.

But what is the difference between the Handpoke tattoo and the usual partaks? This style emerged as a protest against the commercialization of the entire tattoo industry as a whole. Tattooing has always been an underground art. Now its popularity has grown so much that it has become part of fashion. Many experienced craftsmen are doing Handpoke, wanting to get back to their roots. No professional machines, no famous brands, no fancy equipment, no cool salons. Only pure creativity and self-expression.

Zlata Ziva.

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A post shared by skin poetry tattoo (@zlata_ziva) on Jun 2, 2019 at 6:38am PDT

A student of animation and illustration at the Higher School of Design, she has time not only to study, but also to draw sketches for tattoos, badges, stickers and other merchandise (her stickers are sold in the Garage Museum, among others). Zlata does tattoos both by machine and by hand-she can put a quote from a song by Valery Meladze or the word "ass" if that's what the client asks for.

Distinctive features

The most important thing is the simplicity of the drawing. Funny and obscene, meaningful or not. The color is almost always black, less often red is used. Sometimes masters deliberately give carelessness to their work: make crooked lines, oblique inscriptions, mistakes in the words. More often than not, tattoos are made according to their own sketches. Thus, truly unique and unusual tattoos are created, and you can be completely sure that you are its only owner. This is an exceptionally original thing.

Thumbelinnat

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A post shared by Handpoke tattoo (@thumbelinnat) on Jul 8, 2019 at 9:46am PDT

Natasha Sorokina reports that she loves Japanese culture and shiba-inu dogs - this is reflected in the style of her tattoos, which depict very charming animals (mostly dogs, of course). Natasha can design a sketch with a portrait of your pet - so if you want to immortalize your favorite dog, cat or python on your body, go ahead (most often you can find the tattooist in Moscow, but she also happens to be in St. Petersburg).

Why is it important to choose several needles?

In the drawing there are thinner and thicker lines, and there are also moments when you need to perform a clear filling of a certain area. Each moment requires a different needle that has a certain diameter for ease of application. The variety of needles used determines the clarity of the final result.

Needles are mostly made of steel and nickel. Popular products of these tools are Tiptop and TrueStar. The needles can be placed differently at the base of the tool and have their own individual cut.

The spike allows you to make sharper lines or a smooth transition, and with a full fill will not leave gaps or, on the contrary, excessive pigmentation. Multiple needles can be placed on a single spike, however, if the skin is very sensitive, we do not recommend using more than three needles.

Jess Chen

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Canadian tattoo artist Jess Chen works with a machine, too, but her tiny and poetic handpoke tattoos deserve special reverence: she depicts flowers, leaves, and most importantly, a little food. If you like McDonald's breakfast as much as we do, you'll probably appreciate the realistic mcmuffin and burger. It's hard to sign up for Jess, and you have to drive all the way to Toronto, but no one stops you from signing up for her work for beauty and inspiration.

Lara Maju

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A post shared by Lara Maju (@laramaju) on Jun 20, 2021 at 7:30am PDT

Lara Maju, who works at the Hamburg-based studio coco schwarz, specializes in delicate floral tattoos. The subtle stems and leaves with a masterful gradient can be portrayed on either ankle or forehead - everywhere they look very delicate. If you don't want to look at the flower on your own skin forever, check out Madju's collaboration with the brand of translational tattoos Tattly.

Kelly Kixio

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A post shared by kelli (@kellikikcio) on Jul 9, 2021 at 9:41am PDT

Co-owner of Brooklyn-based Welcome home tattoo studio Kelly Kikcio used to work in fashion and founded her own design agency, but now she's fully devoted herself to handpicking. The tattoo artist's calling card is intricate graphic still lifes of beautiful dishes and fruit, which look amazing on the skin. Kelly also has some very nice cats that regularly appear in her storizas.

Features of Needlework

Modern equipment for performing any tattoo has special power and more than one needle can be installed. The tattoo machine is arranged so that the master can quickly change needles for the execution of any area without problems. This makes the work faster, but of high quality. The pigment will be applied evenly and the lines will be drawn clearly.

Needles for tattoos may differ in the type of sharpening. On the basis of this point, there are two main varieties:

Needle with a long cone sharpening - ideal for drawing fine lines;
needle with a bullet sharpening - used to completely fill the area with color. This kind of sharpening allows the paint to penetrate deep into the skin and is also suitable for blurring, smooth transitions, and tight strokes.

Lucy Salay

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A post shared by Handpoke tattoos (@lucysalay) on Nov 11, 2018 at 8:26am PST

Tattoo artist Lucy Salay works in Bratislava - but often finds herself in other countries and cities, so clients have a chance to catch her on tours. Among the tattoo artist's cheerful work are realistic life-size images of flowers and fruit, as well as masterful rainbow gradients and abstract compositions. A bonus is the spectacular photos from her travels with which Lucy dilutes the tape.

Needles for doing contour work

How much paint is applied under the skin determines the final result of the work: the depth of color, the clarity of the lines. If you look closely at needles, you can understand the features of their varieties.

An important part of needles is their sharpening and diameter. In order to perform a tattoo composition, the artist will need a whole set of needles, which he will change throughout the work process. For example, the 1RL needle has an elongated sharpening, which helps to apply a clear and bright outline. The more medium sharpening in the needles helps with basic details and to get the paint under the skin better.

In order to understand what kind of needles you need to do a certain pattern, you need to determine how thin the line should be. There is a series of needles - Round Liner, which will help to perform even the most complex elements of the tattoo. Manufacturers create a variety of needles on the solder, so you can choose the right tool that is suitable for a particular area of work.