Hey
I have been wanting to get a half sleeve done for a while now but haven’t got around to it as i couldn’t think of a design and didn’t want to get such a big piece done just for the sake of it.
I want a lot of variety in it but no themes come to mind.
So, i thought a potential idea could be to go to a tattoo artist and simply get them to do a fairly small tattoo somewhere on my upper arm, of any design that they choose. Then go to a variety of other artists around the country each time getting them to incorporate their own design(again, of their choosing) to the existing tattoo. Eventually ending in a half sleeve made up of lots of smaller designs from a variety of tattoo artists all woven together.
Any ideas as to whether this could end up as a decent sleeve? And do you think that the tattoo artists would be able and willing to add their own designs whilst still keeping the tattoo looking consistent and flowing rather than a collage of random pictures?
Any opinions appreciated
Thanks
Even though you say you dont want a half sleeve just for the sake of having one, your idea seems to be exactly that. You need to take more time and plan this out. For ideas, look into things you really like in your life, movies, songs, artwork (Doesnt have to just be paintings, can be things like album covers or book covers), activities, interests.
Whatever you do, dont rush this. Even half sleeves are large tattoos costing alot of money.
thanks for the reply
I see what you mean but im not sure i agree. I dont want a single theme as although i have hobbies and interests i dont see them as important enough to get a tattoo of. I think that the display of the variety of art (providing they are good quality) would be reason enough for the tattoo without hving to have some deeper meaning to it.
Im not saying they have to have deep meaning at all. I made those suggestions because those will probably give you ideas you will like. If you go up to an artist and say ” i want a tattoo a few inches by a few inches on my arm, do whatever you want”, he will have no reference of what you like, and what he should draw. He may draw something that you dont want at all, and that will mean a waste of the artists time. Most artists ive talked to really dislike getting a customer who has no idea what they want and no references for them to work off of.
Also, if you are getting one single tattoo from different artists with no advanced plan for the sleeve, it can easily turn out a jumbled mess. Most sleeves have a central theme for all of the different images because it allows the whole sleeve to flow nicely with the background. A good sleeve needs to be planned in advance, with good communication between you and the (preferably one) artist.
Like i said earlier, i really think you should take some more time to think about what you want in the sleeve, and get reference material for the artist whos going to be going the work. Im willing to bet the whole process will go alot smoother that way.
A good way to go about brainstorming is just anytime you see something you like. anything, write it down. Compile a list of things you like or are significant to you, eventually you can come up with enough ideas to get enough small pieces to make the sleeve.
Above posters are right, give the artist an idea and let them roll with it. Saying “do whatever” is like walking into a Subway and saying “I would like a sandwich”. The sandwich maker doesn’t know what the hell you like.
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