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By: Chris Smith
Thinking about possible getting a full sleeve tattoo or just wondering what the heck they are? Well, full, half and quarter tattoo sleeves are very hot items right now and many people are getting them. This doesn't mean you should just run out and get one because other people are but if you want to know more about full sleeve tattoos then this can help give you some of the basic information. Women don't hold back on this one either as there are more and more women today then ever before sporting full and half 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 most common way that people end up getting sleeve tattoos are either by individual designs or as one large design. The individual design route usually works for people that have already gotten a few smaller tattoos on their arms and later they decide to connect them all together into one large design. The second way is to start out with a blank slate and completely do the design at one time. The Individual Tattoos Path: This is the path where an individual gets a bunch of individual tattoos over time. These are all tattoos on their arm but most often in a variety of places. For example one might get a big dragon on their shoulder in one sitting and then a few months or year later get some flames going up their forearm. Eventually the individual decides why not connect all for the individual tattoos into one design and they go about connecting them for a unified full sleeve tattoo. 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. Sleeve Tattoo Inspiration Ideas and Designs: Once you have chosen the method for getting your tattoo done then it is time to think about what design and tattoo you want for your full sleeve. This can be a hard and sometimes frustrating process. However, if you learn to enjoy the journey along the way the process will flow much more smoothly. Take your time in getting a full sleeve tattoo since this is a big commitment and something that you will live with for the rest of your life. Therefore you don't want to rush into anything. Instead take some time and think about what tattoo designs inspire you and what themes speak to you. Look at a lot of other pictures, flash and tattoo designs other people have done for their full sleeves. You don't want to just flat out copy but rather gather ideas and resources from other people's inspiration and then see if their is a unifying theme that you can use in your tattoo. Speak with a professional tattoo artist about doing a custom design and let him know the things you like and don't like and see what he or she can come up with. What Is Hot: One place to get started with finding a design is to think about what you have seen and what is popular in sleeve tattoo designs already. Below are some guidelines of more popular themes for sleeve tattoos. However, these are just meant to spark an interest and should not just be used because they are popular. You want your body art to express something about you so just use the ideas as inspiration. 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 Ideas: Celtic - Another way to go and one that is very popular is to integrated a Celtic tattoo design into the sleeve. Just think about Anthony Kiedis from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. He has a pair of wonderful Celtic forearm tattoos that could easily be extended into a full sleeve. There are step patterns, spirals, human and animal along with the classic knot work designs. These again make use of bold black lines of ink which can be intricate and bold at the same time. 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. Time, Cost and Commitment If you are thinking about getting a full sleeve tattoo then you should be prepared ahead of time. This is typically a big project that will cost a good deal of money and time. Prices and times will vary greatly depending on the design chosen for the tattoo and the shop. However a good guide is they take around 20 hours of work to get done and can cost between 1,000 to 2,000 dollars. The popularity of the shop and artist will change the price a good deal as will the amount of business they currently have. So shop around and don't be afraid to ask questions. Find a tattoo artist you are comfortable with. 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.
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Want more informative resources for sleeve tattoo designs? Try checking out this website which has lots of sleeve tattoo galleries, designs and pics including Japanese sleeve tattoos
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