By: Virginia Garner
laughs while cleaning her gloved hands with an alcohol preparation pad. Making sure
her hands are clean is the first step in her tattooing process, which she has honed over
the past year, having tattooed herself and close friends.
needle, using the “Stick-n-Poke” method of tattooing, which mimics the movements
of a traditional tattoo gun, but without automation. “All tattoos hurt, but since this
one is small, it shouldn’t be too bad,” Hines said. “I’ve been getting tattoos for six years
now, this will be my sixteenth.”
into the skin and can be dark enough to be seen. “My goal is to be able to tattoo around
the world,” Smith said. “I like the fact that a bunch of people are going to walk around with
my art on them forever.”
the area with a clean towel. “I’ve designated my ankle as a place where my friends
can practice their tattooing at home,” Hines explained as she showed her mushroom
and eyeball designs on her ankle.
“baby.flea” where she posts her designs, art, and completed tattoo work. “It’d
be cool to have enough clients so I can tattoo full time and travel to new places where
people want to get tats from me,” Smith said.
a sanitary shield over Hines’ ankle. Hines will have to keep the tattoo clean and use
gentle moisturizers so that the design stays fresh and healthy.
my good friend’s art on me forever.” She’s excited to help Smith accelerate her tattooing
career.
“Overall, I just want to reach people with my art,” Smith said. “And friends letting
me tattoo them does just that.”
