Have you wondered what a full sleeve or half sleeve tattoo is? Maybe you have heard about them or even want one but you are not sure exactly what they are, how to go about getting one, nor ow much they are going to cost. Well, get ready to learn all of the above and a lot more. Full sleeve, half sleeve and even quarter sleeve tattoos are very hot and in right now. They have become a very popular spot for tattoos in both men and women. There are many women today that sport full sleeve tattoos and love them greatly!

So let's get started and down to the basic level to explain all of this. First of all you are probably wondering what the heck a sleeve tattoo is anyway. A sleeve tattoo is a any tattoo design that full covers an area of the arm. For example a full sleeve tattoo is like wearing a long sleeve shirt. It is a tattoo or group of tattoos that full cover the skin from the shoulder down to the wrist. A half sleeve covers the area from the shoulder down to the top of the forearm and a quarter sleeve covers the area of the upper arm.

While there are many ways to go about getting a sleeve tattoo most people typically fall into one of two categories. First they might have started by getting individual tattoos on their arms and then later connect all of these together with some larger tattoo design. The second way is to get one large tattoo that covers the whole area. The style or type you chose will depend on the existing tattoos you already have in the area and what your goals are.

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.

One Project Method: Another way in which people will go about getting a sleeve tattoo design is to design the whole tattoo at one time. This is not done by connecting up individual designs but instead starts with a blank slate and the design is unified and created at one time. This can make for a wonderful looking sleeve tattoo that is very unified and well put together.

Designs, Inspiration and Custom Work Once you have made the decision to get a full sleeve tattoo there is a good deal of work ahead of you before you start getting the ink done. You want to really take your time with this process and don't get frustrated. You see finding the perfect design can be difficult and most often you will not find any pre-made flash that will fit exactly what you want. It is therefore advisable to instead take your time and really contemplate the tattoo design that you want to get. Think about things you like and what you want the tattoo to represent. Then look at pictures and ideas from other people's tattoos. Find things you like and things you dislike about other people sleeve tattoos. Keep a journal or jot your ideas down some where. If you spend some time looking online you can easily find a ton of tattoo designs and pictures of other people's tattoo to get an ideas of what you want.

What Is Popular? Of course your tattoo design will be something that you live with for the rest of your life and you do not want to decide or choose a design just because it is popular. However below there are some ideas of common full sleeve tattoos. Look through and see if any spark an interest for you.

Sleeve Tattoo Ideas: Flames - One popular design theme that you can find on a good number of full sleeve tattoos are flames. These typically start down at the wrist and the flames burn upwards towards the shoulder. This look great and can easily be incorporated with other designs or tattoos.

Tribal Sleeve Tattoo - Tribal designs work well and really lend themselves to sleeve tattoos. They are often comprised of strong and bold black lines that will stand out very well on the arm and make a big bold statement. They are not overly delicate or too intricate and therefore will look better over time. You do not have to get stuck with the standard almost over done tribal tattoo either. There are tribal tattoo designs from many of the ancient cultures including Hawaiian, Maori, Samoan and Pacific Islander just to name a few. So be creative and find a patten that you really like.

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.

Sleeve Tattoo Designs: Florals - Another option to go for is a floral pattern. This can work for men as well as women but more typically women choose to get floral designs. The combination of flowers and vines can often be interwoven into an almost tribal or even Celtic look for a really amazing sleeve tattoo. These look great when they start down at the wrist and then grow up towards the shoulder.

Cost and Time - Before you make the final decision on your full sleeve tattoo you should consider the amount of time and money it is going to take to complete the project. You don't want to get half way done and run out of money so plan ahead. Typically a tattoo sleeve can take between 15 to 30 hours of time depending on the intricacy of the design and the ability of the tattoo artist. They typically run anywhere between $1,000 and $2,000. The price of course will really depend on the shop and the tattoo artist that you choose. So spend some time shopping around and even solicit a few recommendations from friends.

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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