What the heck is a sleeve tattoo and why would I care you ask yourself? Well, sleeve tattoo are hot and a lot of people are curious about them. For example not only what are they but how much do they cost, where can I get one? or How much time will it take to get a tattoo done. This article contains a ton of useful information to get your started with sleeve tattoos.What Is A Sleeve tattoo? So if you are wondering what I am talking about it is a large arm tattoo. Sleeve just comes from the shirt sleeves that typically cover our arms and a sleeve tattoo is a full tattoo design that frequently covers up the whole arm in the tattoo design. You can get a variety of different lengths which will mean different amounts of the arms will be covered. For example a half sleeve tattoo is typically from the should down to the elbow or forearm area. A full sleeve then is all the way down to the wrist with the tattoo design.
The Two Paths Of A Sleeve Tattoo There are really many different ways to go about getting a sleeve tattoo. However, most of the ways fall into two common categories or steps for getting the work done. The first way is through individual tattoos and the second way is through one complete project. Which one you choose to have done will really be up to you and what you like. Also you will have to take into consideration any existing tattoos you already have in the area.
Connecting Tattoos: One way to end up with a sleeve tattoo is to take already existing tattoos that are on the arm and somehow find a unifying theme to connect them together. For example one might have a horseshoe tattoo for good luck on their bicep and want to connect this and extend the design down their arm. So they might decide on some flames and a pair of lucky dice to go with the horseshoe.
The Complete Project Method: The complete project method is pretty much what the title says. This is done when a person decides before getting any other tattoos that they want a full arm or a full sleeve tattoo design. They want to get the whole thing done in one shot. They will typically then decide on the design that they want done and work with a tattoo artist to get a custom tattoo design drawn for them. The tattoo will take several sessions at the tattoo shop to get the whole thing done but the design was done as one piece. This lends itself to large designs and typically bigger art work as opposed to a lot of small tattoos connected together like int he other way.
Tattoo Inspiration, Designs and Ideas: Choosing the perfect design for your sleeve tattoo can be a long and sometimes painful or frustrating process. It can be had to find a pre-made flash design that is exactly what you are looking for. It is therefore often better for people that want to get a sleeve tattoo to work with a competent tattoo artist and get a custom design done. Take your time with this process and don't try to rush it or be in a hurry to get the work finished. Once it is done you will have the design for the rest of your life and you want it to be something you are proud of and satisfied with. Therefore take your time and look at existing ideas, designs and photos. From every source you look at try and find the things you like and the things you don't like. This should help clarify the elements you want in the design. Then you can work with a professional and competent tattoo artist to come up with a custom full sleeve tattoo design.
Popular Sleeve Tattoo Designs: Of course your tattoo needs to be individual and unique to you so these are just some suggestions of ideas that have been done often and make great full sleeve tattoo designs.
Flame Tattoo Sleeve - Flames are a great tattoo design that looks wonderful on the arm and as part of a overall sleeve tattoo. Very frequently these flames will start off down at the wrist and then burn their way up the arm. Towards the end of the flames other elements can be incorporated into the design.
Sleeve Tattoo Ideas: Tribals - Tribal tattoos typically make for a great sleeve tattoo. There bold lines and strong black ink make for a tattoo that really stands out. They can easily incorporate a lot of different ideas and even other tattoo designs. The world of tribal tattoos is very open and you don't have to get stuck with the standard stuff you see out there. Many ancient aboriginal cultures such as the Maori elevated tattoo design to the finiest of arts. Many of these ancient cultures can offer a wide variety of very unique and interesting designs.
Tattoo Sleeve Designs: Celtic - Celtic tattoo designs offer a lot of wonderful designs and ideas that can easily be incorporated into a full sleeve tattoo also. There are the animal and human knot work designs as well as step patterns, spirals and the classic Celtic cross designs. These can all be worked into a wonderful sleeve tattoo design.
Floral Patterns - Floral patterns also make great sleeve tattoo designs. The vines, buds, and flowers can easily be intertwined up and throughout the arm. These are great for women and also very popular among men.
The Time and Cost Factor: You should consider carefully the costs and time commitment involved in getting a full or even half sleeve tattoo. They can be rather costly and time consuming and so you want to plan ahead and ensure that you can complete the project before you get started designing it. Typically it can take 25 hours of time to complete just the tattoo part of the work and this number can go up drastically depending on the design and the shop. As far as cost it can be hard to project again it depends on the shop. the experience of the tattoo artist and the amount of work they currently have. Of course when they are super busy they are good but you will have to pay more. Very rough guidelines in terms of price would be anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 dollars.
While the time, commitment and choosing the perfect design can all be a challenge if you are really dead set on getting a full or half sleeve tattoo then go for it. Just learn that it will take time and there is no use in rushing things along. Especially take your time to choose a design that you are happy with and you will end up with a wonderful piece of body art.