A&E

Sitting on the floor of her dorm room, Weinberg freshman Vivian Xu spread out more than 20 pages of designs she had ripped out of her sketch book, ranging from detailed images of a clown sitting on a crescent moon to simple outlines of the human figure copied from clip art.

Her tools: a box of tattoo needles, India ink, disinfecting soap and stencil paper.

Xu gives “stick-and-poke” tattoos, an art form that involves dipping a needle into ink and poking it into skin. Since November, she has poked more than 40 designs into herself and her friends.

“I gave my first tattoo with a blunt embroidery needle,” Xu said. “I broke open an old Pilot Pen, and used the ink inside of there.”

This form of amateur body art has grown in popularity because it’s free, easily accessible and offers a more simplistic aesthetic, McCormick freshman Alex Castro said.

Over the last few months, Xu has begun using specialized tattoo needles, which she gets for $0.30 each on Amazon. The needles are dipped in ink and then plunged into skin to form a dot, she said. The depth of the poke determines the permanence of the design, which tends to fade faster than professional tattoos, Xu said. Some begin to blur within four or five years, she said.

Xu starts by picking out a drawing with her subject. She helps the person decide which part of the body will work best, she said, and depending on the complexity of the design, she will either use a stencil or draw directly on their skin. Then she washes the skin with tattoo soap, gets a needle ready and begins poking. Xu pokes two or three layers, she said, so the lines appear continuous.

“I really like the idea of putting original designs on someone’s body forever,” Xu said.

Xu has garnered a following on Instagram by posting pictures of body art she’s made. People from as far as downtown Chicago have trekked to Northwestern for her designs, she said.
Seeing her growing popularity, Xu said she soon realized it was not something she could do for free.

“It takes a long time, and if we’re not that close, you kind of have to compensate me,” Xu said.

Xu typically charges about $20, but the exact price depends on how long the process takes her. She said she sometimes accepts unique forms of compensation — for instance, some people pay her with small art pieces.

She added that she refuses to do “tacky” quotes or infinity signs.

“You can definitely put thought into your design,” she said. “But the point is you’re supposed to go for it in the moment.”

Xu said she is looking to expand her business and wants to tattoo more people. As an effort to grow the business, Xu said she gave tattoos at a flea market nearby on Tuesday.

The time commitment has never been a problem for Xu; she said she only gives tattoos when she wants to and does not let the business interfere with school.

Castro, the McCormick freshman who also does his own stick-and-poke tattoo art, said he likes the freedom of being able to do tattoos himself. If he ever got something more intricate, he said he would get it professionally done. For now, however, he likes the spontaneity of doing his own.

“It definitely requires more risk taking,” he said. “(You need) to be able to go with the flow, and have confidence in yourself and whoever you’re with.”

Though do-it-yourself tattoos are getting more and more popular, there are also some health concerns to be aware of. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, sharing needles, containers or ink can all facilitate the spread of blood diseases.

Kevin Owings, owner of Chicago tattoo parlour Mind Crusher Tattoo, warned against such risks.

“Doing something spontaneously, that’s a life risk,” Owings said. “And on top of that I’ve never seen one single stick-and-poke that looks good at all.”

Although giving tattoos can be fun, it is also a large responsibility, he said. Owings said he owns a special device used to sterilize needles.

Xu said she uses sterilized needles, but admitted to sharing needles between trusted friends once or twice. Despite the risks, Xu said she plans to keep inking.

“It’s just fun and cute, and it’s by your friends,” Xu said. “Stick-and-pokes have their own essence, especially when they fade. (They) carry a story.”

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