Some people want a small tattoo that they can hide behind their clothing at work or keep their family from seeing. Other people want the full on ink experience known as a Full Sleeve tattoo. It’s called a sleeve because it covers the part of your arm where a sleeve would go.
My arms are covered and that is the way I always imagined they would be since I started getting ink over 25 yers ago. However, when I started applying artwork below the elbow in the 1980’s, it was seen as taboo or a sign that you were from the street/prison.
Usually the way to tell prison tattoos from the street is by the color or artwork displayed on a person. Black and gray fin
e line work with any type of skulls, prison bars, tombstones, gang names, scary/creepy faces etc can be a sign that someone obtained their ink from prison. Sometimes this work is called gangsta tattoos or ghetto.
But in my ink world, that can be a sign of coolness since the art was not store bought. Rather, it was earned by one drop of blood at a time behind bars and now they are free to show their story as a free man or woman to the world.
Now, full sleeves seem to be the hot item and a sign that your a hardcore ink lover to the world. Even celebrities like John Mayer (pictured at right) are opting to show the world their love for tats and nothing show that like an ink covered arms. But be prepared to cover tme when at some jobs because you still have weak or narrow minded people who think it’s tacky or criminal looking.
You can get half or quarter sleeves, too, but a full sleeve is the real deal. folks. Like I said, people who get these are serious about their ink .
You’ll see designs from floral work, tribal to Celtic to collections of symbols that are a personal totem to the tat owner and even celebrities. Sometimes a sleeve starts accidentally, the person gets tattoos and then decides they want a whole sleeve.
Time Involved:
Now if you’re going for a full sleeve you need to understand that it’s going to take a long time. Just one sleeve can take about 25 hours of work to get finished so be ready for that. You’re going to get to know your artist well so make a wise choice on your inker.
Pain Threshold:
You’re going to endure more pain than with a smaller tat, but for some folks that can be a turn on. It’ll run you anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 so make sure you have money to get your work finished before you start.
It’s a real status symbol to have a full sleeve tattoo but if that’s how you roll you’re gonna have a piece of art you can enjoy for a lifetime.
