The tattoo sleeve is an unusual, but at the same time a stylish way of self-expression. However, despite this, not every person will dare to such experiments. This is due to some nuances, which we will talk about next. Still we can say that such tattoos more often choose for themselves strong, strong-willed men who are not afraid to be in the spotlight.
What is a tattoo sleeve and its types
Tattoo sleeve - one of the most trendy trends in body art. It is difficult not to notice and even harder to ignore. Not everyone manages to hide their curiosity at the sight of a girl with images of flowers, animals or portraits of important people for her, drawn from the shoulder to the wrist. In this case, the drawing occupies at least 95% of the area of the hand. In other words, there is no free space on the skin.
Many people confuse the "half arm" with a regular tattoo, made from the shoulder to the elbow. The difference is still there: the regular tattoo is applied to the outside or inside of one side of the arm, while the sleeve has no end, except for limitations in length. It is applied around the arm, in a solid pattern, like a detached sleeve from a shirt or armor protecting only the arm of a gladiator.
Full sleeve.
Half sleeve
3/4 sleeve
Sleeve 1/4
According to the area of the image, tattoo sleeve is divided into several types.
- Full sleeve. Image covers the entire surface from shoulder to wrist.
- Half sleeve or half sleeve. The area of the image from the shoulder to the bend of the elbow or across the entire surface of the forearm (from elbow to wrist).
- Three quarters. Tattoo from shoulder to half of forearm or from wrist to half of shoulder.
- One-fourth. A mini sleeve is practically one of the four fragments of a split tattoo. In this case, the image can be on any part of the arm.
In most cases, the half sleeve or its counterparts is an "unfinished" sleeve. This way you can save money. Start with half, and then, after some time (at least 2 weeks for the healing of the previous work) finish what has begun, then, when funds will be available or unpleasant memories of painful feelings from the application process will pass.
And it is not even necessary to have a completed sketch of the full sleeve. Ideas for continuation sometimes arise on their own, it is worth just starting.
The meanings of the rose tattoo: a little history
The meaning of the rose tattoo is one of the most versatile, deep and loaded with symbolism. Throughout history, images of roses have always been given deep meaning. In myths and legends around the world there have almost always been references to this beautiful flower with a magnificent fragrance.
In India it was believed that the most beautiful woman in the world (Lakshmi) emerged from the blossoming rosebud. In the myths of ancient Greece, the beautiful Aphrodite emerged from the foam of the sea, which flowed from her body to the earth and turned into a rose. That is why beauty is one of the main symbols of the rose.
A Persian legend says that the red rose appeared when the Nightingale fell in love with a beautiful white rose, embraced it, and blood gushed from the thorn-pierced chest, which colored the flower. In ancient Egypt, Cleopatra loved roses; she showered petals on her lover, Mark Antony, when she took him in. So one of the meanings of the rose true love
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The holy book of the Qur'an, states that the white rose grew from the drops of sweat of the prophet Mohammed as he made his nightly journey to heaven. For Muslims, the rose a symbol of purifying power.
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The ancient Romans believed that the rose symbolized morality, fearlessness and courage.
. Warriors wore wreaths of roses on their heads as they prepared for battle, and the image of the flower adorned their shields. Another meaning of the rose among the Romans
silence, mystery
The famous Latin saying "sub rosa dictum" literally means "spoken under a rose" and means that everything said should remain secret.
In China, roses were considered a symbol of the emperor, while in England they were elements of the heraldry of the royal dynasties: the Lancaster and York, who in their struggle for supremacy waged armed conflicts, called the war of the scarlet and white rose. Hence another symbol of the flower - power
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In Christianity, the rose is associated with the pure Virgin Mary, so the beautiful flower also symbolizes purity and innocence.
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Colors.
There are only two: colored and black and white. Both look equally stunning when done by professionals. The only difference is in the styles, techniques and complexity of the image.
For example the same sunflower can be put as in colorful rich and bright style "water color" and in style "realism" using only white and black pigment in the technique greivosh (the technique using smooth transition from dark color to light). Both drawings will be admired if done by an experienced artist.
Some styles of work
Chicano Style
This style is based on gradient transitions, shadows and penumbra. The tattoo has obvious contours. The basis of the image are maps, weapons, crowns (as a sign of power), various calligraphic signatures, casinos, girls.
Blackwork style
This technique can help those who have already had an unsuccessful experiment with tattoos, as it gets along well with the coverup method, that is, covering the past tattoo with a new one. Most of the arm is covered with a black background, on which the design is then done in white.
Realism Style
This style is dominated by images of people (warriors) and animals. It helps to reveal all the artistic possibilities of the tattoo, make the picture moving.
Only professional masters are able to fully master this style. The performer must be a true artist and have a gift for the art of representation.
Biomechanics style
This style is suitable only for men. In the image, we can observe a cybernetic arm implanted in the body of a guy. This gives brutality and reliability, determination and courage to the wearer.
Drawing in all the details depicts the device of the mechanism. Hinges, springs, gears, screws - all can be found on the tattoo of this plan.Colors can be different.
Ornamental Style
This style is based on geometric figures. These designs are black and white, but with good color contrasts.
Some details of these tattoos can be done in the technique of dotwork (application of tattoos to dots).
Oriental Style
This style is also called the Japanese style. In the plot can often be seen blooming flowers, river carps, masks samurai. These tattoos show courage, steadfastness, resilience.
Style Thresh polka.
This trend appeared in the 70s of the last century and immediately became popular, and in both sexes. The basis of the style is formed by aggressive and gloomy drawings, having volume and soft gradients from black to white.
The main highlight of the technique are bright red spots.
Celtic Style
A large number of men liked the TV series "Vikings" and want to compare themselves with the heroes of the picture. Braided ornaments, symbols of Scandinavia (the Celtic cross, ruins), animals and birds (wolves, crows) are all present in the drawings of this technique.
Polynesia Style
The drawings are made on the basis of national Polynesian ornaments. The patterns are composed mainly of triangles. The color is strictly black, no shadows.
Many Polynesian island warriors had similar tattoos, so this is a male-only option.
Other styles
Worth mentioning are such techniques as sketch, graphics, and old-school. Usually tattoos in these styles are not as large, although unusual variants do occur.
Themes and nature of women's sleeve tattoos
Unlike men's themes, girls' sleeve tattoos are genuinely admired. They are simply works of art, consisting of a huge variety of wild and domestic flowers. In tattoos you can see entire bouquets of tastefully selected popular gifts of flora.
The second, no less popular female theme is animals. Everything with which the owner of the tattoo associates herself, sly chanterelles, fluffy rabbits, angry wolves and tigers, can be added to the composition of the overall drawing of the sleeve. All images look effective and also correspond to the character of the person or the zodiacal totem according to the horoscope.
Birds and insects. Representatives of the younger ones in the fauna can also carry their own meaning. They can represent either a symbol or simply a sympathy for the personal qualities of an insect or feathered creature. The latter are often depicted near the nest as a symbol of domesticity.
Portraits of celebrities or family members. Often as a reminder, girls put images of their favorite characters from movies or household members. They can be portraits of a daughter, son or parents as a tribute and affection.
Chicano style sleeves
Tattoo sleeve on a girl in the Chicano style is no different from the men's. The same attributes of the style: roulette, cards, money, inscriptions, crowns, roses and the obligatory character in the shoulder area - a girl with a painted face as a sign of belonging to a street gang.
The tattoo is applied to the full length of the arm in black and white. Often its size extends beyond the wrist towards the hand all the way to the fingers.
Ideas for a watercolor tattoo: photo
Permanent arms, made in the technique of watercolor, look gentle and neat. Such tattoos will emphasize femininity and give the image of its owner a drop of mystery.
And yet partial arm tattooing among the fair sex occurs more often.
And here are a couple of fashionable space-themed designs to create a spectacular sketch on the whole arm or half arm.
Blackwork Sleeves
Women's Blackwork sleeve tattoos have one difference from men's - in addition to the general classic geometric patterns or lines, girls often have flowers in the composition of the tattoo. Black background strengthens the contrast and visual image of the buds, regardless of whether they are made in color or in black and white resolution.
It should be remembered that Blackwork tattoos can be applied with the purpose of overlapping old unsuccessful works, a dramatic change of image or concealment of any physical defects of the skin.
Disadvantages
For women working in an office or in a government office, the presence of such a pattern can be a reason for dismissal. Large-scale compositions are not always possible to hide under clothing, especially in the warm season. To avoid such problems, it is worth either to reconsider your closet, or to stop at a small sketch.
It is also necessary to take into account the fact that tattoo sleeves are not made in one session. It's a long and painstaking job that can take up to a month. There are cases when girls get only a third or half of the tattoo.
If you do not like the result, it is difficult to get rid of the image. Laser removal is a long and expensive process, and mechanical removal is fraught with scars and scars. To protect yourself from such consequences, it is advisable to choose a proven master, look at photos of his work in advance, collect reviews and communicate in person. Remember that with this person will have to spend many hours one-on-one, so disagreements and misalignment of views on some things can make the psychological environment tense and even unbearable.
Sleeves in the style of Realism.
The most spectacular Realism style sleeve tattoo, which got its name because of its realistic images. In this style, flowers, animals and people, especially eyes, look especially spectacular.
To enhance the effect, in order to highlight some part of the composition or to visually denote an important subject or object of the drawing, it is depicted in color, while the other parts remain muted, in the form of black or gray background.
Sleeves in the Oriental style.
It is also called the Japanese style. It is commonly believed that the history of the style has its roots in the tattoos of the Yakuza crime syndicate, but this is not entirely true. The fact is that there are girls with Oriental style tattoos in black and white photographs from the 19th century that are in no way related to the criminal gang. Their tattoos are a bit primitive, but nevertheless it proves about the development of the style as a cultural heritage of the country.
Color
More often than not, men prefer black and white work. Here, the play of light and shadow is very important, which advantageously emphasize the main plot lines of the tattoo.
In colored works, bright colors are muted. This is necessary for greater versatility of the tattoo, so that it fits a variety of clothing styles. Everything has to look fashionable, brutal and solid.
Perhaps there are only two exceptions - Japanese style and trash polka dot. They just need bright colors.
Ornamental style sleeves.
This is a really feminine style. The sleeve looks like thin lace composed of clear geometric shapes. It is a style of patterns and beautiful mandalas that have their own sacred mystery. The tattoo gives the girl mystery and a kind of southeastern charm.
Tattoo perfectly harmonizes with jewelry in the form of bracelets.
Some work is done in conjunction with the technique of Dotwork. The essence of the technique is the simple application of dots on the skin. The greater the density of dots on a square centimeter of skin, the darker the area of the tattoo. Thus creates the ratio of light background to dark background.
Mandala tattoo on a sleeve
Looking for a tattoo with meaning? Consider depicting a Buddhist amulet, the mandala. A mandala is a model of the universe, symbolizing the harmony of the world. It is believed to protect the inner world, promote concentration and reduce stress levels. Of course, such bonuses are achieved through meditation, not in the office of the tattoo-master, but, in any case, the mandala on the skin looks very beautiful.
Oldschool-style sleeves.
The only tattoo sleeves that don't have a background. Since the idea of the tattoo consists of applying small and bright images to the body, the overall sleeve tattoo is a set of these images, popular for the Oldschool style.
The style uses the basic colors of the "traffic light" for dense coloring: yellow, red and green.
A few tips before applying the "sleeve"
In preparation, you should:
- Select a master with a portfolio.
- Determine your pain threshold.
- Drink plenty of fluids, it is strictly forbidden to take alcohol and medicines that affect blood thinning.
- Choose comfortable clothes.
- Take care of a snack in advance during the session.
Taking care of the tattoo area after the application procedure.
You need to ask the master about all the nuances of care. If the skin is problematic or there are any diseases - doctor's supervision is desirable.
Secondary styles of tattoo sleeve
Engraving
Linework
Graphic
Secondary styles are not as widespread among girls as those listed above, but they still exist. These include Engraving, Linework, and Graphics.