The rise of stick and pokes in Denver and their contribution to the local tattoo community

When most people think of tattoos, they imagine a buzzing, hefty, gun with a needle in it. It goes up against the skin, placing down numerous splotches of ink at once. It creates permanence on the body almost seamlessly and can take minutes to days to complete depending on the complexity of the design.

Starting back in 5,200 BCE, tattoos got their start with the style known as stick and poke, which involves a singular needle placing ink into the skin one drop at a time. Though they have been around a long while, they are making a resurgence in the modern world, specifically amongst younger people.

Tattooers have seen young adults with stick and pokes and treat them just like any other tattoo. In Denver, Colorado, professional tattoo artists have had their fair share of experience with stick and pokes, and how they have influenced the local tattoo scene.

“I feel like that’s [stick and pokes] become pretty popular with those house parties, kind of just like random things like that,” said Marion Street Tattoo artist Dan Hayes. “I feel like there’s only a few artists in Denver that actually do stick and pokes professionally that I know of, but their works really good.”

Though the ratio of stick and poke artists to traditional artists in Denver is small, the special tattooing style remains popular amongst people in the city, especially with college-aged students. Although stick and pokes take a very long time in comparison, they are usually not carrying the price tag of what studios offer.

“I don’t mind them, they do take a long time to kind of do anything with them. I feel like the rise kind of in popularity with them has been the accessibility tool to a needle and some ink,” emphasized Hayes.

University of Denver student Vero Silva has been doing stick and poke tattoos since they were 14-years old and lived in New Mexico. Since moving to Denver for school, they have seen how common they have been amongst their friends and mutuals.

“The first one that I did was freshman year it was on a mutual friend,” said Silva. “Ever since then, it’s just been something I kind of do on the side. It’s not really like a business thing, it’s more of like word of ear and if I know the person and how close we are, so it’s something I’ve just done on and off for the past three years up here in Denver.”

Doing stick and pokes in a college setting in Denver has not changed much with Silva’s process of tattooing, but when they get to their craft, they always ensure it is done safely since stick and pokes can take a wrongful turn if done improperly.

“People have this idea that with sticking pokes, you can just give yourself them whenever and wherever and you can use any materials like I know people that use like sewing needles and like pen ink, and that is probably one of the least safe things you can do,” explained Silva. “Even if you’re doing it in a room, you have the ability to make it a sterile environment. So I wouldn’t say it like really influences it too much unless you’re being dumb about it.”

Even though there can be implications from stick and pokes, young people still turn to the creativeness and work of the original tattooing way. There is an appreciation for the patience of the stick and poke art, and that is noticed by artists such as Silva.

“It makes you feel very worthy as an artist knowing somebody trusts you enough to let you put a piece of art on their body forever.”