You can practice stick and poke tattoos using different materials : fruits, pig skins and silicone are commonly used.  Eager to try tattoo practice skins with a stick and poke technique, we found two inexpensive products on Amazon. One is a practice skin made of borosilicate glass and the other one of silicone. At first glance, both products are very similar. However, while tattooing, we were quite surprised to see that each product behaves differently. Differences also appeared when removing the excess ink.

The borosilicate glass tattoo practice skin is flexible, but more breakable than the silicone one. It feels more porous than the silicone and is harder to clean even with alcohol. Having a clean sheet might not be an important point for practicing your work but, if you want to show it with pride to future receivers, keeping it tidy is nice.

The silicone tattoo practice skin is soft and flexible. It accepts ink similarly to real skin. It is easier to clean than borosilicate glass. Silicone exists under different forms (even in body parts such as hand, but those forms are quite expensive). Sheets are the more affordable option since they cost less than 10$.

Our preference for practicing stick and poke tattoos : although borosilicate glass is more fun to poke, silicone is a much better option to practice stick and poke tattoos. Before trying it, be sure to read our article on how to use tattoo practice skins to get the best out of your purchase.

Alternatives to Tattoo Practice Skins

Here are a few words on the alternatives your can find to tattoo practice skins.

Pig skin is supposed to take ink well. You can find this product at the butcher. It has the reputation of being smelly, but feeling is close to real skin. If you go with that option, you should ask for a tender part.

Fruits of the orange family are what comes in mind first when thinking of practicing tattoo because of their porous skin. You can also poke bananas, but they won’t make it for a long session. However, in both case, the feeling is far from the real skin.

Practicing Stick and Poke Tattoos on Your Friends

Ideally, as soon as you know the fundamental rules of hygiene, you start practicing on real people or on yourself. Not everyone has the chance of having friends that are ready to be guinea pigs for your stick and poke tattoo projects. If you have the opportunity to have a friend brave enough to let you do your first stick and poke tattoos on them, take every measure necessary to ensure that your first poke is a success. Be sure you know enough about the technique, start small and prepare the area. Feeling confident while you tattoo will have an impact on your work and on the way people perceive it.