STICKS BY SHAY
banner
sticksbyshay.bsky.social
STICKS BY SHAY
@sticksbyshay.bsky.social
all pronouns! chicago handpoke artist practicing out of my home studio :) most tat and flash sheets are custom drawn. sliding scale always. book by DM xoxo FUCK THE CISTEM
Pinned
freehand design for one of my DND players :))) we’re waiting to start on their thorny vine half-sleeve until they’re back from an extended trip. doing big handpokes is so rewarding but requires at least one BIG chunk of time… i am often tatting friends into the wee hours…
December 20, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Reposted by STICKS BY SHAY
"Fuck ICE"
Seen in Chicago, Illinois
December 20, 2025 at 3:08 PM
hey lol i love doing free tats but anyone wanna buy one?? teehee
December 20, 2025 at 2:16 PM
my friends’ other tat from today… their name is close to Demon, so we made one whispering in his ear 😈
August 3, 2025 at 1:54 AM
handpoke! color-tested some light pink details on this client’s multicolored skin. the lighter shade is scar tissue, and for now we just put a black border around it, but we may go more detailed soon… sketchy little luvdrunk skull awwe!!!
August 3, 2025 at 1:47 AM
Andrea/Andrew Gibson has died today of ovarian cancer. Way to kick off Enby Awareness Week with a stab to the fucking heart, Andrea. You always knew how to make me sob, you fucker
July 15, 2025 at 4:47 AM
freehand design for one of my DND players :))) we’re waiting to start on their thorny vine half-sleeve until they’re back from an extended trip. doing big handpokes is so rewarding but requires at least one BIG chunk of time… i am often tatting friends into the wee hours…
July 15, 2025 at 3:23 AM
fuck w meeee

yall want more tattoos so badddd
May 18, 2025 at 7:43 PM
thanks @gardenarcade.art !!! it was fun yapping w you for a few hours :) ANOTHER FIRST TATTOO!!! YIPPEE 🥳
May 4, 2025 at 6:43 AM
my friend came over and realized they never got a tat from me before so we made this filler :)
April 14, 2025 at 7:28 AM
bluejay feather drawn by someone else, but it was V lovely to get to tell this person with melanated skin that colorful tats CAN look gorgeous on them!!! trick is understanding undertones and not over-working the skin xoxox
March 17, 2025 at 1:23 AM
FR GIVE ME COLORFUL TAT REQUESTS OR I’LL D!E
I wanna do more ombre tats btw, hit up @sticksbyshay.bsky.social for that
March 17, 2025 at 1:16 AM
cutie flowers based on a client’s drawing <<<333
February 11, 2025 at 1:25 AM
January 17, 2025 at 2:43 AM
January 17, 2025 at 2:39 AM
January 17, 2025 at 2:38 AM
January 17, 2025 at 2:36 AM
only the swamp gator is taken so far from these :)
January 17, 2025 at 2:35 AM
here’s the very first handpoke i ever did on another person, Mitch’s first tattoo :’) thats a real friend folks
January 17, 2025 at 2:09 AM
your first tattoo is a gateway to body mod heaven btw. I searched for two years for the perfect artist to do my first piece at age 18 and settled on Emily, co-owner of Thin Line Tattoo in Plainfield/Batavia. this tat looks AMAZING a decade later. I have never once touched it up, possibly never will.
January 17, 2025 at 2:07 AM
bee on my fave :) I normally hear that my handpokes are so comfy and nonpainful BUT THIS ONE… their FIRST neck tat… the most painful of all 20+ tattoos they’ve received. we finished it in two tiny sessions to break up the pain <\3
January 17, 2025 at 2:02 AM
on their ass, in their partner’s handwriting. he wore his jockstrap for the appt so we could make sure the positioning looked good with it on :)
January 17, 2025 at 1:48 AM
perhaps my favorite piece? On Zach, dreamed up by Zach, a picture of Zach looking at Zach
January 17, 2025 at 1:46 AM
3 little flowers, a trade for the temple tat on my sternum
January 17, 2025 at 1:44 AM
medusaaaa in cunty little glasses!! so fun for my MPLS comrade
January 17, 2025 at 1:42 AM