Hey guys.
I am thinking about getting a themed sleeve going, and I need some experienced advice here.
The thing is, that it’s really going to be a sort of a theme-less theme, where I’d get one character from one place, then another character from another place, and so on. It’s going to fit together color- and size wise, and be in a general fantasy theme, but otherwise not connected.
My first question is thus, if I want to get the sleeve one piece at a time, perhaps even from different artists, will the tattoo ‘work’ ? Can I get one character today, then another one in 6 months when I can afford it and have decided on the next character, and then again in another 6 and so on.. but still end up with a sleeve that looks like it was designed to fit together from the start?
I’ve seen people fading tattoos together, either as cover-ups or intentional themed connections, but can that be achieved without sticking with one artist that’s already drawn the entire piece out.
Second question is, I’m aiming for a half-sleeve right now (So far I’m trying to keep my tattoo’s minimally shown through my shirt and tie or short-sleeved shirts) but if I then decided I wanted to go for a full sleeve, will there bee too much of a ‘line’ at the bottom of the upper half so that the bottom half won’t blend in nicely?
Hi
This really depends on several factors;
A sleeve or half sleeve is usually considered to be a singular piece of art that is either composed of a single tattoo that spreads across the arm or several tattoos that interact with one another to form an overall theme.
The mistake a lot of people make when piecing a sleeve is not the style of tattoo but the placement and sizing.
You have to make sure that if you are doing a sleeve (half or otherwise) in pieces that you are leaving enough room to allow not just for the next tattoo but also any background filler that will link the tattoo together.
Failure to plan the spacing and sizing can seriously mess your sleeve or 1/2 sleeve.
EG
You do a fantasy wizard with lightening crackling through fingers. He is stood up and looking ahead. You would need to leave room for;
The lightening bolts/Magic Explosio/Fire that are streaking from his hands and across the arm towards the hulking warrior that is advancing up your arm.
Both need to be proportioned so it don’t look like he is getting attacked by a midget.
Then you think damn – I wanted a captive male/female at the feet of the wizard so you squeeze ina tiny figure between the space of the wizard and warrior or try and place them at the side which looks like another tattoo swinging in the wind and no part of the sleeve.
That is how easy it is to mess it up because you needed that few extra cm in space on your skin.
As long as you get these 3 things right you can do a sleeve or half sleeve in parts;
1. Spacing – make sure enough room and in the right order.
2. Proportions if it is animal or humanoid they need to be in relative size to one another. The biggest error I saw was a barbarian fighting a ‘dragon’ – this was about the size of a gecko lizard and made the barbarian look huge.
3. Filler – this is the background detail that really makes your tattoo flow. Make sure you have enough room for the smaller details that brings your tattoo to life. If you want flames make sure they don’t look like tiny embers where you want an inferno.
Artists – this is a bit harder.
I have seen sleeves done by up-to 3 artists that looked sweet because they shared a similar style which complemented each other.
But I have seen sleeves done where the artists were just way too different in style and it just looked like a series of separate tattoos down their arms.
Choose your artists carefully – it is easier to get one artist to rework a sleeve in place or add small detail than to get several artists to create a whole sleeve. It is not impossible just takes more planning.
Half To Full Sleeve – Again this is all based upon the correct sizing, placement, and filler many half sleeves can become seamless if done by a pro artist when extending to a full sleeve.
I know it is a long post but hope it helps.
Take Care
Matthew
Well Sherav pretty much covered everything lol, he’s good for that! You don’t really have to wait 6 months inbetween sittings; just make sure you know exactly what you want and if you have the money to spend.
But from my personal experience; I am sleeving my left leg from the knee down. I currently have three pieces one on my calf, one on my shin just below the knee and one that goes from the bottom of my theigh over my knee and just above my tattoo on my shin.
I don’t really have a theme right now, but I have 3 pieces that all have a particular meaning to me like my ‘HOPE DIES LAST’ that passes over my knee. I’ve have two seperate artists work on it and I’ve let them both know I plan on sleeving my leg within the next few months.
But just make sure you’re still going to be into fantasy stuff when you are older. People always grow out of things.
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