A tattoo is a
big commitment; a whole sleeve tattoo even more so. Often, with the help of the
right tattoo artist, these pieces can be less tattoo and more genuine piece of
art. It can be a real statement that defines your client and as such is not a
piece to be taken lightly.
There are a
number of things that you should advise anyone thinking of getting a full
sleeve tattoo to consider. It’s a serious, life altering, decision and you
should have a few key issues to discuss with your client as you develop tattoo
ideas.
A Full Theme
There is an
endless sea of ideas from which your clients can pluck their tattoo sleeve.
Whether it is close to their heart, a style they find cool or a lifelong
passion in tattoo form, the design can be everything. A mismatch that makes no
sense can be the tattoo of their dreams, but it might not look as good as
something with a coherent theme. So, it might be dragons or flowers or moon
rocks for all anyone else knows, but help your clients plan a theme that you
can then design around. They may find it looks better in the long run!
Colour or Not
Any tattoo
you might create has an important question to answer: should it be in colour or
black and white? As a large piece a sleeve can be the perfect candidate for a
fully coloured tattoo. A lot of popular sleeve designs, such as mermaids or
religious scenes, pop fantastically when they are done in colour. But that
doesn’t necessarily mean that it won’t look even better in black and white.
This is obviously a personal decision for your client to make, but if you think
that one or the other works better stylistically then it is best to let your
client know this early in the process.
Why Shouldn’t They Get a Full Sleeve
Tattoo?
However, is a
full sleeve tattoo a good idea? They can be the most obvious and hard to cover
up tattoo that a client can get. On a hot day in the office, rolling up sleeves
is the go-to way to cool down, but this puts their ink on full display and is not
exactly subtle.
Also, if they
are unhappy with the final outcome this isn’t a small tattoo that can be changed
in a jiffy at your studio, covered up or removed. A full sleeve is likely going
to be the final product that they have to live with for the rest of their life.
So it is important to ensure that the client is confident in your skills as a
tattooist and that they are fully in love with their design choices. A full
sleeve should be a testament to the creativity of the client, not a life-long regret.
Want to give
your clients some amazing tattoo sleeves? Then it is important to have the
right ink to get their tattoo looking as close to their dream as possible. Get
in touch with our
friendly team to discover the choices available!
