Body Mod Blog: All About Starting A Sleeve

What do Justin Bieber, David Beckham, and Ruby Rose have in common? Well besides being celebrities in the public eye, they all have sleeve tattoos. Sleeve tattoos can come in many styles, from Japanese to New School but what brings this type of tattoo together is that it covers the eternity of a persons arm or leg. And while sleeves may be a large commitment for those just starting out in the world of tattoos, here are some tips and tricks to achieve a sleeve fit to be framed.

 

1. Consistency is Key

Now there are many different ways to go about compiling a sleeve’s worth of tattoos and making it look cohesive. Some choose to go to one artist and have them map out and design an entire arm piece. Others may pick and choose to go to different artists who share similar styles or color palettes. And then there are those who create what is known as a sticker sleeve, a collage of different styles, in different colors, by different artists. Which ever way that you chose to go about the style, make sure that you plan your sleeve out so that the images flow well together and you wind up with a sleeve that morphs into one homogenous tattoo. 

 

 

2. Planning, Planning, Planning

Planning out the individual aspects of your sleeve is extremely important because you want your tattoos to interact well together. Your tattoos by no means need to be conjoined together by the outlines but it is important to plan out the spacial aspects of your tattoos. You want to find designs that will interact well with other tattoos and will fit the part of your sleeve with the curves of your body. 

 

3. Meaning or No Meaning? An existential Tattoo Quandary

There is an epic debate going on within the body modification community over whether or not tattoos have to have a meaning behind them. And furthermore, many wonder whether or not a collage of tattoos or a sleeve has to have a uniting sleeve to bring each piece together. Now I may not be the voice of all tattooed people, but it is my personal opinion to say that you can get a sleeve with one united meaning, a few smaller themes, or no connection between the pieces at all. Just because the tattoos all go together on your arm doesn’t mean they have to all go together in a theme. 

 

 

4. What about filler?!

For those who are unfamiliar with the term, filler is what fills the space between individual tattoo pieces in a sleeve. There is argument over what is the ‘best’ kinds of filler but all I would say is to go with your style of tattooing and work from there. Got a traditional sleeve? Go for traditional dots and stars. Got a geometric tattoo? Go for more geometric and dot work. Got a Japanese sleeve? Go for soft Japanese shading. Got a realism or more modern style of tattooing? Play with the idea of having no filler at all and having your tattoos seamlessly flow together. The key point with filler is having it match the other styles and works of your tattoos, so that your tattoos flow together in one cohesive image. Think of filler as the glue, an ‘invisible’ bind between two distinct works of art. 

 

5. Where do I start and Where do I end?

There really is no correct place to start or end a sleeve. Some people start from the top and go down. Others start from the bottom and go up. Then there’s me who just sort of randomly added pieces here and there until they added up to what I wanted. Just remember to think spacial. Be careful not to put a tattoo in an awkward place, because you may have to work around it (or over it) in the future. As far as ending a sleeve, that’s up to you! Whether you want a full sleeve, half-sleeve, or even a quarter sleeve it is all your choice of how tattooed you want to be.