Most often, a tattoo is applied to the most exposed part of the body - the arm. Since ancient times, a drawing was applied to the upper limb not only to demonstrate its status, but also for beauty. The hand is the most mobile part of the human body. In addition, it is at this point that the drawing will be most likely to be visible. That is why people so often “clog” their hands. A full-arm tattoo is called a “sleeve” and is very popular in the modern world.
History and Varieties
As the name implies, a tattoo of this kind has a fairly large area and is applied to the arm, thereby simulating clothing. Since ancient times, the tattoo has a protective character. People believed that drawing on the body would help them protect themselves from dark forces and evil spirits. Now, a tattoo on the whole arm is applied, most likely, not with a view to preserving, but for beauty.
Sleeve length may vary. It depends on your chosen sketch and individual wishes. Often you can find a tattoo on the whole arm. This is a classic look for sleeves. Also a fairly common option is a three-quarter sleeve tattoo. Most often, such a tattoo is done from the shoulder, not reaching the wrist. A sleeve is considered a half-sleeve tattoo. The image can range from the shoulders to the elbow, and from the elbow to the wrist. There are also one-quarter tattoos. In the event that you have filled such a tattoo, starting from the shoulder, then you can easily hide it behind a T-shirt.
Pattern selection
The choice of men most often falls on large tattoos: on the whole arm or three quarters. But women love more miniature images on their hands. In addition, they adhere to smoother and more gentle lines when selecting a sketch for a tattoo for the whole arm. Men's photos of sleeve tattoos most often show us that the stronger sex prefers hard lines.
In general, there are no specific rules for selecting a pattern for sleeves. You can choose everything that the master will offer you in the cabin. Full arm tattoos can be performed either in the style of blackwork or using a large number of colors. For sleeves, you can choose absolutely any pattern: flowers, animals, landscapes, motifs of patterns of different nations, and so on to infinity. It may even happen that initially you did not plan to hammer the whole arm, but only made a small tattoo, but gradually began to supplement it with others, united everything with a common theme and eventually got a tattoo on the whole arm. “Male” sleeve designs can be found a bit more often than “female” ones, but nevertheless both sexes equally love this kind of tattoo.
Some nuances
In order to make a sleeve, it will take a considerable amount of time. In fact, this is a very long and painstaking work. If you chose a sleeve on the whole arm, then most likely, to fill it completely, it will take about 6 sessions. Moreover, one session lasts no more than 4 hours, and the intervals between them are a couple of weeks. Since this tattoo will occupy a large place on the skin, it is better to think through the sketch to the smallest detail in advance, choose an experienced master and take your time.