(Part 2) Top products from r/sticknpokes

Of course! It's my pleasure! I'm an open book. We're here to help each other grow.


Thank you so much for your kind words! My IG is @archertattooer - feel free to DM me and we can chat there too. If you're in Chicago I'm happy to tattoo you on the house! I've only been tattooing for about 2 months and came from very humble beginnings - it's just a matter of making sure that I tattoo every single day, either myself or somebody else, even if I'm exhausted after a 9 hour work day. I did apprentice in my early 20's but left for a lot of reasons, so I was able to pick up all the peripheral stuff like building a clean workstation. I'm happy to walk through sanitation with you too!


Yeah so stencils are 100% dependent on the quality of the hectograph paper and your transfer method.


I use this hectograph paperand it's flawless. It's expensive but you can squeeze a ton of tattoos onto one page.

To transfer I use this


Process:

• build your image on separate tracing paper
  
  
• Once you're happy, pull out a sheet of hectograph, then remove the separation paper (it's brown in that kind of paper).
  
  
• Open up the paper so you can transfer your drawing onto the tracing paper portion of the hectograph page - do it however you like, the goal is to get the design on to the hectograph page's layer of tracing paper without activating the actual hectograph portion.
  
  
• once your design is in place, just simply re-trace the image without any lead in your pencil, or with any soft but fine-tipped object, and go over it. You'll see on the back of the page a perfect outline in purple.
  
  
• Shave down the site, clean with greensoap, use gloves of course.
  
  
• Once dry, moisten the area with transfer solution - you barely need any at all.
  
  
• Very gingerly apply the stencil to the site, making sure to never move it once it's applied. Apply firm pressure with your gloved hand.
  
  
• wait just a sec, then gingerly pull it off slowly.
  
  
• Wait a full 10 minutes
  
  
• Tattoo that shit!
  
  EDIT: formatting.
  

It looks like you do have some solid lines in certain areas which means you can do it well everywhere!!! Honestly it just takes practice and patience.

I use 3rl - 5rl for outlining and higher for shading/filling up space. The only time i have used 1-2rl is when I give friends knuckle/finger/toe tattoos. These RL sizes have worked out great for me.

When my lines get bad, it is usually because I am rushing and not cleaning up excess ink/blood. This can cause "guessing" where your line is. Take your time and make sure to watch where you are poking, if you can't see, clean it up and continue. The results will make you extremely happy.

Also, it looks like you did this freehand, which can make it harder. I LOVE freehanding, but using stencil transfer paper helps out a lot and can make you a better freehander! It allows you to draw what you want beforehand and then lay it down on you skin so that you can follow the lines your first go through. (It comes off with your first wash off of excess ink, so make you don't forget a line or else you'll have to freehand it)
This is what I use
It will also help 10 fold with letters

Let me know if you have questions about any techniques I described here.

EDIT; Wording and grammar

Absolutely hands down the best lotion for healing tattoos, it's like skin glue, amazing!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000XY9LT4/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1492461012&sr=8-1&keywords=Eucerin+Intensive+Repair&dpPl=1&dpID=41U7-l0LsEL&ref=plSrch

Alright I am home now.

These are the needles I bought and have lasted me 6 tattoos (5 of which took two sessions). There are some in there I will probably never use but you never known when you decide to do some fat lines and need those 9rl's.

Washing your hands is nice but gloves are another layer of safety on top. Unless you are going to the doctors soon to swipe some.

This is the ink I use. Small but has lasted me.

Dettol for stencil transfer paper because I am not about to fuck up the bad on something that is gonna stick around for a bit. I also just have alcohol wipes at home from a kit, dollar store plastic shot glasses I wash, and paper towels to complete my kit. Should set you back 50 but last you through a ton of stick and pokes.

I still use sewing needles for my pokes but I had bought a pin vice to help hold it. I would imagine it could work well for a tattoo needle too.

I have this one. The top can be removed so I would imagine it could handle the length of a tattoo needle.

So I bought a a variety back of 60 needles (you choose what needles you want and how many of each you want) for 8.99

It seems like quantities of 50/60 are about as small as they get as the retailers sell mainly to shops who need large amounts of needles. Unfortunately, having this many needles has resulted in me forever finding them in purses, couch creases, drawers, and oddly enough, in books....

Kuro Sumi!!!

You can find lesser quantities for less money, but this is what I bought and I’m confident in saying that I’ll never have to buy ink again. Also, keep an eye out for knock offs. If it seems too cheap to be real, it’s because it is.

Kuro Sumi has been the most consistently praised ink I’ve seen which is why I went for it, but there are other options that don’t run as much that are still reliable. You just gotta look at reviews and see what other pokers say, not just machine tattooers.

Edit: formatting shit.

From my experience, I transferred my tattoo from a normal piece of paper drawn with this pen and it worked pretty well. I've also heard people talking about surgical markers like [these] (https://www.amazon.com/Viscot-Surgical-Markers-Tattoo-stencil/dp/B007P550WG)and saying that they work great but I have never tried them myself.

I wouldn't. Here's a better option :)
https://www.amazon.com/Candy-tattoo-ink-purpose-black/dp/B006MAMS5C/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1498366305&sr=8-1&keywords=bloodline+tattoo+ink

Old Spice Classic Deodorant Stick, Original 3.25 oz (Pack of 6) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017WNFXE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_bVTvDb44V8N6Q

I've used this and did not die: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002RJWDSY/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1479147549&sr=8-2&keywords=StarBrite+Colors+-+tribal+black

12$ amazon prime 100pk. Get to it.

Yeah I’m thinking eBay. Then the foam is dead cheap. Found this https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NDYEYNE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_sWhZCb1CTJ643
5in deep, so I can put foam in it, cut out slots for different size needles, Vaseline, gloves and so on. Maybe even diy some layered compartments.
Need me a diy project.