WHAT

WHAT I do is called handpoke tattooing, also known less formally as "stick-and-poke" tattooing. 

It is the process of introducing ink into the dermis with a tattoo needle without the use of electricity. So, instead of having an electric machine pulse the tattoo needle back and forth through a tattoo gun, I hold the needle in my hand and "poke" the ink into the skin using my own force. 

Think of it like this: handpoke tattooing vs. conventional tattooing is like saying manual vs. automatic. I use the same exact tattoo needles and ink that any regular tattoo artist uses, the only difference is the way the needle is put in to the skin.

Tattoos have been around for thousands of years and electricity has only been around for a couple of hundred. Handpoke tattooing is how tattoos started out and there are different kinds. For example, Tebori tattooing is a traditional Japanese way of tattooing using a wooden stick attached to a needle to make an image. Tebori literally means "hand carve". Now, I do not in anyway claim that I am mimicking this ancient ritual method of tattooing, I am just mentioning it because I do appreciate the history of the art of tattooing and all methods that exist.

WHY

WHY I like and choose to do handpoke tattoing is simple: It causes less trauma. 

When getting a tattoo from a tattoo gun the electricity is moving the needle at a very fast speed and therefore with the needle moving back and forth constantly. When the ink is being deposited into the skin in this way the needle is basically making a constant 'cut' through the skin its touching. During a handpoke tattoo, the needle is making individual 'pokes' or 'holes' into the skin independent of each other, not a continuous line of pokes at a high speed with high impact on the tissue.

By making less impact on the tissue(causing less trauma to the skin) it makes the body have a lesser reaction to the "injury" obtained. Because, lets face it, no matter which way you look at it, a tattoo is an injury to the skin that we choose to inflict on ourselves for the joy of having permanent art on our bodies. 

After getting a tattoo the immune system starts to send serous fluids with healing factors and macrophages, which are a type of white blood cell, to the area of the tattoo. This is the body's attempt at healing itself and cleansing itself of the foreign material(ink) that was just introduced there. The scabbing that forms over tattoos is on the layer of the epidermis(the most outer layer of your skin) and this is a conglomeration of the ink that was stuck in the epidermal layer along with healing factors and proteins, such as fibrin, that are slowly working its way out of the body. Once the epidermis finishes healing, what you are left looking at is the pigment from the ink left behind in the dermis layer.

So in conclusion, the WHY handpoke tattooing? Is... By making less of an impact on the tissue(by causing less trauma to the skin) it results is a less painful experience, faster healing time, a lesser chance of the ink "bleeding" or "blobbing", and the ability to achieve very fine detail in smaller, more delicate tattoos.

DISCLAIMER

Now, I just want to make it clear, that I am not, in any way, knocking traditional gun tattooing AT ALL. 

I have multiple regular tattoos myself and I love them all, and I am not trying to discourage anyone from getting a regular tattoo. However, I am stating the facts when it comes to the healing process. I have found with handpoke tattoos, especially on the fingers, end up looking so much better(at least in my opinion) in the long run. I had always wanted finger tattoos for as long as I could remember, but I have just met so many people with them, and to be honest, none of them looked that great. Now, whether or not the artist wasn't good or the person with the tattoo didn't take care of it properly afterwards is a mystery, I was just noticing a pattern. I have even asked multiple tattoo artists to possibly add a little ink to a finger after a tattoo session and everyone is always hesitant because of how difficult it is to get a clear picture and how the healing process isn't always great.

So, I decided to finally take the plunge and tattoo my own fingers, and I could not be happier with the results I have received.