One of our favorite tattoo techniques relies on no machine at all. We’re talking, of course, about stick and poke tattoos — an ancient form of body art that involves using a sharp point and some ink. With that last decade seeing a steady rise in stick and poke tattoos, Instagram is full to the brim with tattoo inspirations.
With some 100k followers, tattoo artist Jenna Bouma is a force to be reckoned with within the stick and poke community. Originally from Edmonton, Canada, Bouma works around the world, on top of working part-time in NYC, at East River Tattoo in Brooklyn.
“Bold and straight thick lines are pretty integral to what I do,” she summed it up in an interview with Acclaim Magazine. “I’m not interested in thin lines or a messy job, and neither are the people who want me to tattoo them. I know what I can pull off, and 99% of those tattoos look best if they’re solidly lined, and produced in a solid shop or studio. No messy home jobs,” she assures.
“There’s satisfaction in laying something so permanent into a person’s skin by means of a tactful hand, and their willingness to put up with the pain in order the receive something they really want,” adds Bouma. “I’m humbled by that. Even more so humbled that friends and strangers want me to do it.”
