Sleeve tattoos are the type of tats that wraps from the upper part of the arm all the way to elbow or wrist area, depending on whether its full sleeve or half sleeve. This is a popular choice among men because of the great artistic possibilities it can accommodate for amazing and stunning body art work. Whether it be tribal, Japanese art and even flowers, there is just something about tattoo sleeves that make men look edgy and cool.
Sleeve tattoos come either as full sleeve of half sleeve. When the whole arm or the whole leg is covered, that is a full sleeve tattoo. A half sleeve tattoo on the arm covers either shoulder to elbow or from the elbow to the wrist–when a half sleeve tattoo is done on the legs, it can be from knee to ankle or from knee to thigh. Sleeve tattoos are commonly done using just a single design, but it is not uncommon to find smaller tattoo designs being connected or aggregated to comprise a sleeve tattoo.
Polynesian tattoo design is one of favorite designs for sleeve tattoos. These tattoos are intricate in design and are beautiful to look at. In the olden days, these tattoos were symbols of courage because the long, painful and arduous process of imprinting the tattoo is not for the faint of heart . Another reason why Polynesians had tattoos was because it was a symbol of a rites of passage, perhaps from childhood to adult. Sometimes, these tattoos were also a record of one’s personal voyage, as is the case with the Hawaiian tattoos which are more personal rather than tribal. On other times, the tattoos were imprinted to drive away evil spirits or bad luck, they serve as talismans. Another popular reason why Polynesians tattooed themselves was for sexual attractiveness–this reason holds true even today, and not only for Polynesians.
Japanese inspired tattoos are also common place for sleeve tattoos. The Dragon image is a popular choice for tattoos, there are other popular design patterns for Japanese style tattoos like Koi fish. The Koi fish pattern is particularly attractive because it is done in color, typically with a blue background then the Koi fish is tattooed in vibrant orange. The Koi fish tattoo is popular also because it is believed to attract good luck. Other popular Japanese style tattoo are the Hannya mask and Samurai patterns.
Floral tattoos are quite popular too. This kind of pattern is perfect for bright colored tattoos. There is plenty of design ideas that you can play around with the floral pattern, butterflies and vines can be incorporated, for example.
