Handpoke Crash Course

Intro

Treat yourself and the people you work on as if their lives are on the line because they are. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that tattoos require you to pierce into someone's skin. This means that there's often blood involved which puts the person being tattooed at risk of being infected or exposed to a bloodborne disease. You want to mitigate these risks as much as possible. Once in a blue moon, even with all precautions taken, a tattoo will still get infected. But again, that's extremely rare.

Before I get started I'd like to touch on precare. The person being tattooed should abstain from having any type of alcohol or drugs the day before and the day of the tattoo. Even something as "harmless" as aspirin can thin your blood and cause more blood loss during the tattoo. DO NOT tattoo someone who is sick. They're putting themselves, you, and anyone else around at risk of contagion. Remember, a tattoo is an open wound that needs to be healed & the immune system of someone who's sick is already on overdrive. This can lead to the tattoo healing either improperly or more slowly, increasing the chances of an infection. Lastly, it doesn't hurt to ask your friend/client if they have any allergies to dyes/inks. Red inks are the most common culprit of allergic reactions.

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Okay, let's get started, I'm gonna break this down into four parts.

• Sanitation

• Supplies & Sterilization

• Softness

• Aftercare

At the very end I'll have a video demo of a proper set-up and tattoo session.

If you remember nothing else from all of this at least remember this: keep everything clean, take it slow, and be gentle.

I also strongly recommend practicing on either fake skin or fruit before touching actual skin.

THIS SECTION OF THE WEBSITE IS 18+ ONLY. INK & STAB DOES NOT CONDONE MINORS TATTOOING THEMSELVES OR OTHERS. PERIOD. END OF STORY. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Sanitation

Whether you're tattooing out of a professional multi-million-dollar studio or the living room of your house, whatever room you're working in must SPARKLE. If the room smells like a hospital, that's a good thing. Throw on your best maid outfit and make sure the following things are clean before getting any tattoo supplies out:

• Floors (should be a hard floor, carpets are next to impossible to fully sanitize)

• Counters/shelving

• Drafting Desk/Worktable

• Workbench/Supply Cart

• Client Chair/Arm Rest etc.

Next, the surfaces you will be directly working on should be covered with a plastic cling wrap for an added layer of protection and also to make clean-up after the tattoo easier.

After the cling wrap is secured on your workbench, place down an absorbant sheet (paper towels will do) to collect any ink or liquids that may spill.

Supplies & Sterilization

First and foremost, all needles should be TATTOO NEEDLES. This means they're individually packaged, sterilized, and specifically used for tattooing. No, it is never okay to use your mom's sewing needle. If you can't afford a cheap $10 needle set or $20 tattoo kit from Amazon you shouldn't be piercing anyone's skin. It's not worth it.

After you've finished a session throw the used needle into a sharps container (you can make your own, google it). Don't even think about re-using a needle. Saving 25 cents is not worth infecting someone.

Secondly, the ink you use should be TATTOO INK. Not pen ink. Not watercolors. Not some random black powder mixed with water. Tattoo ink. The last thing you want is toxic pen ink floating around your bloodstream & wreaking havoc on your immune system.

Handpoke tattoo kits that you can order online contain most of what you'll need to get started, here's a checklist of what you should have:

• Sterilized Tattoo Needles

• Tattoo Ink

• Tiny Ink Cups (never try to salvage unused ink, always use fresh ink)

• Stencil Paper or Surgical Marker

• Stencil Stuff (to apply stencil)

• Paper Towels

• Cling Wrap

• Disposable Gloves

• Tongue Depressors (for scooping ointment)

• Green Soap & Soap Dispenser (cleans and soothes skin)

• Transparent Dressing like Tegaderm or Saniderm ("bandaid" for tattoo)

Before setting anything up always make sure to properly wash your hands and throw on a pair of gloves. Expect to go through several gloves, especially on longer sessions. Stay cognizant of cross-contamination. If you pick up your phone to check a message, the gloves you're using immediately become compromised. Throw them out and put on another pair before getting back to work.

Anything that you'll end up re-using (spray bottles, soap foamers, etc) should be in either a disposable sleeve or disposable wrap.

Skin should always be cleaned with Green Soap before starting a session and once finished.

Softness

Proper handpoking technique is vital to the safety of our clients. It's easy for beginners to become accustomed to having a heavy hand when practicing on fake skin (I still strongly recommend practicing on fake skin first). Real skin requires us to be both gentle and adaptable since skin thickness varies depending on where it lies on the body. Here's a few things to keep in mind:

• Keep the area of skin you're working on stretched. I don't care if your hand and/or arm go numb. Loose skin & needles don't mix. The tattoo can end up blown out, patchy, and/or disfigured. Please, please, please keep that skin as tight as possible!

• Don't overwork the skin, 2-3 passes of ink is enough in most cases. Blood loss should be minimal. The second you see a speck of blood, stop working on that area. It can always be touched up after it heals.

• Keep a consistent pressure & remember that we're poking--not jamming--the needle into the skin. 2mm is not that deep.

• As you exit the skin you'll want to be doing a very slight flicking motion upwards. If done correctly, you will hear a click/pop come from the needle.

• If you're just starting out, take it slow. It might take you 2 hours to poke a tiny, 1 centimeter heart and that's OK. Practice, practice, practice. If you start trying to poke fast before you're ready, you'll end up scratching or cutting the skin instead. Ouch.

Aftercare

At the end of a tattoo session, it's your responsibility to look your client dead in the eyes and tell them to take good care of their new tattoo. Inform them of what they must do in the following days and weeks to ensure that their tattoo heals properly. Some people won't listen. That's on them. But it's important to do your part to inform them regardless. People are forgetful so I like to give them a little aftercare pamphlet that they can refer back to.

Set-Up & Tattoo Demo

This demo shows a very basic at-home set-up.