Popular Sleeve Tattoo Ideas and Tips

Sleeve tattoos, which have been used in tribal cultures for centuries, have become more mainstream in recent years. Most often found on the arms, sleeve tattoos cover the arm in the way that a shirt sleeve would, from wrist to shoulder. They can also be done on the legs.

As a rule, the designs of sleeve tattoos are intricate and cover, nearly completely, the skin on the arm normally covered by a shirt sleeve. Sleeve tattoos can also be done on the legs. Although these tattoos are traditionally more popular with men, a growing number of women are discovering this form of body art. These designs take patience and care.

You can find designs for sleeve tattoos online or at your local tattoo shop. There are ancient and modern designs available.

If you are into Japanese culture, you can combine different popular Japanese tattoos for your sleeve tattoo such as cherry blossoms, kanji or Japanese characters, koi fish, and samurai designs. Old Japanese culture includes ancient tattooing. And what better way to bring that culture back to life than by using Japanese designs for your tattoo.

For females who want to have sleeve tattoos, floral design is a great sleeve tattoo idea. Different styles and patterns of flowers interwoven with leaves and twines can be a very interesting sleeve tattoo design. Flower sleeve tattoos also give you a chance to use bright colors for the flowers. Some nice flower tattoos that you can use for your sleeve tattoos are hibiscus and roses. For the rose tattoo, this can be both feminine and masculine, depending on how it was drawn.

Also popular with both men and women are Celtic knot work designs. Often seen in designs for crosses, the knot work designs have ancient religious associations. The designs are very intricate and can be done is just an outline color, or can be colored in to give a stained glass effect.

Tribal tattoos have become popular with young men. These are typically done in a single dark color and feature heavy lines. Most tribal tattoos are done in black ink, although if you chose to use color, the design will be more unique. The reason for the single ink, is that primitive cultures rarely had access to colored inks.

As you probably know, these tattoos are large and their designs or patterns are very complicated. You have to know that the larger and more complicated the tattoo is, the more expensive it will be. You also have to know that a popular artist will more likely ask you for a higher payment.

Getting a sleeve tattoo is a process that requires patience. It will take some time, probably several weeks to complete that tattoo. The completed areas have to be allowed to heal before additional details can be added. Your artist will be able to give you an estimate of the time it will take to complete your tattoo.

These tattoos are expensive and often take multiple visits to the artist over a period of several weeks. The cost varies depending on the design and the reputation of the artist.

Find more about small angel tattoo and other great arm tattoo ideas.