Stick and Poke vs Tebori

Stick and Poke was influenced by Tebori — revives the hand-poked, machine-free marking tradition.

Original illustration evoking the Stick and Poke look

Stick and Poke

A machine-free technique that builds images by hand from individual ink dots poked into skin, prized for its raw, dotty, DIY texture.

  • Images built from individual ink dots
  • Stippled, slightly irregular texture
  • Single solid black ink
  • Simple graphic motifs
  • Hand-poked machine-free marks
Full Stick and Poke guide →
Original illustration evoking the Tebori look

Tebori

The traditional Japanese hand-poking technique in which ink is inserted with a hand-held grouping of needles, producing soft, dimensional gradients.

  • Hand-held needle rod (nomi) poked by hand
  • Soft bokashi gradient shading
  • Velvety, atmospheric color transitions
  • Same motifs as irezumi (dragons, waves, blossoms)
  • Rhythmic manual insertion rather than machine lines
Full Tebori guide →

At a glance

Stick and PokeTebori
EraAncient roots; 2010s revival1700s–present
DisciplineTattooTattoo
RegionGlobal, United States, EuropeJapan
FamilyIllustrativeJapanese
Formal traitsdotwork, hand-poked, irregular, minimalhand-poked, soft-gradient, bokashi-shading, atmospheric, pictorial

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