Major Tattoo Investments: Money and Skin in Sleeve Tattoos

Thursday 12th of March 2009 07:26:41 PM [Add To This Article]

When most people think of getting a tattoo, they spend some time and effort planning how they will get the perfect look for their tattoo design. They may spend some time investigating different tattoos online, or they may look for tattoo designs that come with stencils and test drive tattoos so that they can get a feel for how they will like their tattoo and make sure that it fits every requirement that they have for their personal body art. These tattoos are usually relatively small designs from two to eight inches across, and they tend to be petite, such as insect tattoos or small cartoon tattoos. However, some people think much bigger. These people are thinking of their tattoo not just as a decoration or adornment, but as a permanent investment in their appearance and in art as well. People who think big about tattoos often decide to literally commission large tattoo works of art using their skin as the canvas. There are several different options for this type of tattoo, and if you are interested in a large, coherent piece then you should definitely investigate all of your potential tattooing opportunities and make sure that your tattoo is placed in such a way that it can continue to grow beautifully and cogently should you decide to expand it at a later date.

Sleeves are one of the most popular forms of large or comprehensive tattoo. A tattoo sleeve, just like a shirt sleeve, comes in several different forms and can be several different lengths. A quarter sleeve is roughly the length of the sleeve of a man’s T-shirt. It tends to cover the shoulder and the very top of the bicep. A half sleeve extends halfway down the arm, and ends either just above or just below the elbow. A full sleeve extends as far as a full shirt sleeve would: all the way to the wrist. Some people cut their sleeves off with a firm line, while others allow the patterns to extend slightly past the area covered by the sleeve. Often, sleeve length is determined by whether or not a person is comfortable or permitting to show tattoos in the workplace. A quarter sleeve can sometimes be completed in one sitting, while the other lengths of sleeve tattoos may take longer.

Sleeve tattoos are unique for several reasons. They are great for joining previously unconnected tattoos that did not create a coherent, beautiful statement. Sleeves often are actually the result of a person getting several meaningful tattoos on different parts of their body (say a shoulder tattoo, a forearm tattoo and a bicep tattoo, for example) then working with a tattoo artist to create a background for these tattoos that makes them more beautiful as a whole. Just like a shirt sleeve, a sleeve tattoo actually covers all the skin on the part of the arm that it is designed for, so once it is complete the individual tattoos will all be one unified tattoo design. Sleeve tattoos can also be planned, coherent pieces of large tattoo art. Often, sleeves’ main designs are things like dragon tattoos, koi tattoos, snake tattoos or phoenix tattoos and bird tattoos. All of these tattoo themes easily adapt to the shape of the arm, and can curl, coil or fly around it in a beautiful way. Japanese tattoo art is a favorite when it comes to sleeves because Japanese tattoo art involves ornate, beautiful backgrounds as well as elaborately drawn designs and fantastic creatures.

If you are interested in joining several tattoos together, or you think that you might want to get a sleeve tattoo in the future, there are several things that you can do while you are assembling your tattoo art collection or to help you determine if you want to get a full sleeve tattoo or partial sleeve tattoo. There are many popular themes that are often used to join disparate tattoo designs on sleeves. Flame tattoos designed to appear to be flowing up the arm are popular, as are tribal tattoo designs and Celtic knot tattoo designs. Floral tattoo patterns are also a great way to bring a variety of delicate tattoo designs or feminine tattoo designs together without overwhelming the original artwork. If you are currently only interested in getting a single tattoo design, but know that in the future you are interested in getting a sleeve tattoo, then consider carefully how you place your tattoo on your arm. Avoid dark blocks that could detract or distract from a sleeve tattoo, and try to keep your tattoo designs in harmony with the lines of your body. A great way to see how a tattoo will look on your arm before you actually get it is to do a tattoo test drive. You can purchase a transfer version of your tattoo, then place it wherever you want on your body and try it out. If you are interested to see what a complete sleeve might look like on your arm, you might want to purchase a pair of slip-on “tattoo” sleeves in a pattern similar to the style that you want your sleeve tattoo to model.