Tattoo Sleeve Ideas

Tattoo sleeves are a growing trend. They are being spotted in every walk of life.  No longer is the tattoo associated with being a criminal or looking for trouble. Tattoos express who we are as individuals and give the world a glimpse into our deepest interests.

A full tattoo sleeve covers the arms from shoulder to wrist. Half sleeves cover only the upper bicep area and quarter sleeves cover a quarter of the arm.

While it may be easy to choose the length of a sleeve, it can be difficult to come up with inspiration for the actual tattoos.  Below we will discuss some starting points that can help you gain ideas for your own tattoo sleeve.

Phoenix Full Sleeve Tattoo

The first phenomenal sleeve idea is the Phoenix Full Sleeve tattoo. This beautiful tattoo is usually red, black and yellow in color with the natural skin tone poking through for contrast. The Phoenix is the bird born of fire, so flames adorn the background and smoke wraps around the tail. The background begins at the shoulder while the bird’s head is placed mid-bicep. The body stretches down the arm and the tail curls up on the wrist.

Tribute Tattoo Sleeve

Tribute sleeve tattoos come into the list as one of the coolest tattoos to honor someone or something in your life. A gentleman created a full sleeve tattoo to honor his grandfather who was in the Navy.He included a lighthouse in the clouds on his shoulder, a picture of his grandfather, his grandfather’s name and an image of the boat on which his grandfather served.

The background was set in hues of blue and white to represent the waves of the sea. Many sleeve tattoo artists present the idea of tattoo sleeve ideas built around a tribute to someone and will work with you to help you create your perfect tribute sleeve.

Tattoo Sleeve Ideas for Women

The number of women with sleeve tattoos is also on the rise. Many women will ask their artist for butterflies, flowers, or hearts for their sleeve options. As a woman’s skin is typically softer than a man’s, the skin provides the perfect background for these softer images.

One woman placed names in a heart on her shoulder then asked for butterflies flying down the length of her arm. Her white skin tone was used to bring texture to the image. Other ideas include vines of flowers, flying hearts and angels on clouds spread up the arm length.

Japanese Sleeve Tattoo

A final tattoo sleeve idea is the Japanese theme sleeve tattoo. As the popularity of the Japanese culture grows, so does the interest in Japanese body art. Tattoo artists will work with customers to design the perfect Japanese tattoo sleeve with old fashioned houses, native Japanese plants and traditional geisha’s.

Along the same line of Japanese culture is the koi tattoo sleeve – these majestic fish are often added to the Japanese sleeve as part of the design. The traditional culture of Japan brings a plethora of ideas to the tattoo artist’s table. A professional artist will be able to design, draw and apply a Japanese sleeve tattoo to your specifications.

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