Half-sleeves are tattoos that cover only part of the arm. Usually, they wrap around the upper arm from shoulder to elbow, but they can also cover the area below the elbow, extending all the way to the wrist. Men are particularly appealed by half sleeve tattoos, as their boldness can give anyone that “bad boy” attitude. In fact, men who got such tattoos in the past were associated with punks or rednecks. Later on, both athletes and celebrities started to adorn their arms with half sleeve designs. Even women started to wear them!

What makes half sleeve tattoos so interesting is being able to connect several designs and transform them into a single piece. Many people choose to “enlarge” an existing tattoo by adding new designs, therefore transforming it into a half sleeve pattern. Half sleeves are also very popular because they allow for curvaceous designs, colors, and intricate line work – in other words, a complex design. If you browse through photo galleries of half sleeve tattoos, you will most likely notice that most of them are color designs. This is because, as aforementioned, the size of such a tattoo allows for numerous elements that can be combined as you please.

Color half sleeve tattoos surely look amazing, but there are some things you should consider before getting inked.

1. The Placement

The first thing you need to do is decide where you want your tattoo to be placed. Typically, those who get such a tattoo choose to have it placed on their upper arm. This not only gives you more space to work with, but also makes it easier for you to cover your ink when needed – when meeting with your boss, for instance. Not the same thing can be said about a sleeve on the lower arm. However, some choose to get their lower arm tattoos, as this can sometimes help their arm appear bigger. Regarding the placement, you will also need to determine if you want to have your tattoo on the left or right arm.

2. The Theme

If you want to get a tattoo, you might as well choose a theme for it and give it a meaning. Also, a half sleeve tattoo will flow better if a common theme is used throughout the design. There is a wide array of themes and inspirations you can choose from, including:

• tribal



• floral



• animal



• music

…And so much more! There are endless designs you can choose from. Even though there are so many common themes you can look at to find your inspiration, remember that it is always better to add your own unique style and ideas. This will make the tattoo an original piece and will also add special meaning to you. Also, a pre-planned design is much easier to draw, since you are practically starting with a clean slate. This means that you or the tattoo artist can draw out the entire design on paper before having it inked, in order to make sure that it will look right. However, if you already have existing pieces, you should take the time to find pieces that will flow with the other ones or maybe consider a background that will connect all the individual pieces into one flowing design.

3. The Tattoo Artist

Take all the time you need when choosing not only the design of the tattoo, but also the tattoo artist. Remember that a tattoo is permanent, which means that it will be on your body forever. Not to mention that half sleeves are quite hard to cover up. This is why you must be absolutely sure about what you want before getting started. It is also highly important to discuss your ideas with several tattoo artists. In this way, you will be able to judge who would do the best job. So, look around at various shops and check our the portfolio of the artists you meet. By taking some mental notes, you will surely find a great artist who can deliver the artwork you want. Not only should you look at the artist and his/her portfolio, but also at the tattoo studio itself. Make sure it is a clean, sterile environment, where tattoo artists use sterile instruments and practice safe procedures.

When choosing a tattoo artist, many people take into consideration the price. This is perfectly normal, but always remember this: good tattoos are not cheap and cheap tattoos are not good. So, never, ever base your choice of tattoo artists solely on the price. No one is saying to choose the most expensive studio. Just make sure you base your decision on the artist’s previous work and abilities to deliver the type of artwork you desire. In most cases, the artist’s enthusiasm for the project values more than the price tag.

4. The Inking

The first thing you should know about the inking process is that, most likely, if will take more than one session for your half sleeve tattoo to be completed. Even though there are half-sleeves that have been completed in a single – but very long – session, most of them are split up into separate sessions. If this is the case, the tattoo artist may break the design into sections, or choose to do the outline first, then start on the shading, and work on the color in the final sittings.

There are several factors that determine how many sittings you will have to go through before your tattoo is completed. These include:

• the intricacy of the design;
• the amount of time the tattoo artist can do in one session;
• your pain tolerance;
• how much the area is swelling and/or taking ink.

5. The Pain

This aspect is not included in the inking one because it is very delicate. Also, when someone gets inked for the first time, they instinctively ask: “Is it going to hurt?” Yes, it’s going to hurt. This is the naked truth. Anyone who tells you otherwise either is lying, has a really high pain threshold, or had an area inked that did not hurt that much. Not to scare you or anything, but you should be prepared for a bit of pain. Also, be prepared for color to hurt even more than line work, grey wash, or black ink. Color tattoos hurt more because they use a wider gauge needle in order to really pack the ink onto the skin. Most tattoo artists will tell you that color is finicky and does not set or take nearly as well as grey or black. You know what they say, though: “No pain, no gain!”

6. The Healing Process

After getting your half sleeve tattoo done, there are various types of healing creams and lotions you can use as part of the aftercare process. You don’t even have to spend a fortune on them, since a good ointment recommended by a pharmacist will easily do the trick. Here are some other aftercare tips and tricks to keep in mind:

• never pick at the peeling from the tattoo; if you rip off even small pieces of the skin, you can also take out ink that is still setting;
• if you can’t help yourself, trim the annoying peeling skin pieces with medical scissors; in this way, you will significantly reduce blotching and spotting;
• if your tattoo goes all the way to your elbow, you can prevent messing up the work when sleeping by tying the arm that was worked on to your bedpost; in this way, you won’t be able to roll over on the ditch of your arm and cause damage to the artwork.

The tattoo will take about 5-7 days to heal. After that, you will be all set, ready to sport your brand new half sleeve tattoo. Now that you know what to expect when getting a half sleeve tattoo, you can decide if you’re ready to get inked!

Image source: Slodive

Half sleeve tattoos are great. Nonetheless, you have to be very careful when you choose one as you’ll have it for our entire life. As women are very attracted by men who have these tattoos, this is another reason why you should pay a lot of attention.

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According to many researches conducted with women, it was proved that they are very attracted to men with half sleeve tattoo designs on their arms. Women claim that these tattoos look mysterious and desirable, making men sexier. Nonetheless, it matters also the tattoo style you have. This may prove them that you have style and you’re also very sexy. Half sleeve tattoos are great and eye-catching, but important to search several models before and then decide which one you want to have it.

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Decide what represents you and what will be available for your entire life because you’ll carry it for as long as you’ll live. For example, you can choose from:

• animal patterns
• sports designs
• mythology inspired designs
• fenix tattoo patterns
• sea monster designs and many others

Therefore, the diversity is impressive, so you’ll definitely find what you’re looking for and what represents you. You’ll make no compromise, you’ll only find the right tattoo for you that fits your personality.

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Remember also that not only the design is important. The tattoo shop you choose has to be clean and ensure that sterilization is made after the right standards. See the tattoo shop for yourself and ask for a sterilization tour and everything you need to know to ensure that you’ll be fine. Don’t be shy and ask all these things as your health is always a priority. You can also look on forums and various sites to see what others said about the safety and services of certain tattoo shops. Their opinions will guide you and you’ll be able to choose the perfect design for you. Women will surely observe your style and will appreciate it.

Getting a tattoo can be a great idea. However, before making up your mind about it, you should get properly informed on how to care for it. Properly caring for your tattoo can keep you away from the risk of developing an infection. A tattoo that gets infected can lead to a series of skin problems. This is why it is better to be as careful as possible.

Below you can find a list of steps you will have to complete with the purpose to avoid tattoo infections. These tips can be quite valuable, so make sure to keep them under consideration.

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1. Do not take tattoos lightly. A tattoo can easily get infected if you are not careful enough. And so instead of enjoying the new beautiful design on your skin, you will have to follow a skin infection treatment. Most certainly, this is the last thing you would want.

2. Ask your tattoo artist how to care for the area that has just been inked. As infections can simply be caused by dirt or bacteria, you have to know how to care for your tattoo. In case your skin gets harmed, you can suffer long term consequences, this is why knowing how to care for your tattoo is so important.

3. Detect the infection in time. Sometimes, no matter how much you try to keep the area clean, skin is so sensitive that infections are developed. Well, in such situations is crucial to be attentive and discover the issue as soon as formed. The main signs of skin infection include swelling, redness, heat or tenderness around the area. Apply the right treatment immediately to avoid complications.

4. In case the infection is serious, seeing a doctor is a must. You may apply an antibiotic ointment to heal the infected tattoo. Make sure that the area is dry and clean at all times.

5. Be careful. In case the damage made to the skin is minimal, it can heal quicker. However, if the damage is serious, you need to see a doctor. Skin conditions that are not properly healed can lead to the development of some of most serious and hard to cure diseases.

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Getting a tattoo can be a great idea if you are certain that this is what you want. And if you are careful enough the risks are going to be as low as possible. Just make sure that you are properly informed, pick the model, a reputed tattoo artist and enjoy the body art you are going to have inked on your skin.

Half sleeve tattoos are very modern and they wrap completely around your upper arm from shoulder to elbow or half the arm. These tattoos can be designed easily by using many pieces connected with other elements or a background. There are a few instructions that are useful for designing half sleeves tattoos:

1. Decide your half sleeve tattoos placement. If you’ll have them on the typical upper arm, it’s easier than a sleeve on the lower arm.

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2. Think what theme you want for your half sleeve tattoo. If a common theme will be used throughout the design, will look much better. There are many common themes you can choose from and you also have the opportunity to add your own style. Thus, your tattoo will be unique and very beautiful, having a special meaning to you.

3. You can also choose individual tattoos which can be used within your half-sleeve. Additionally, you’ll have to find pieces that will flow with what you have already chosen.

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4. If you’re not sure about your ideas, discuss them with a tattoo artist and he will guide or give some new ideas that could be great. If you also have a pre-existing tattoo, you can also talk to him about this and how you will solve it. Make sure that he is experienced, popular and reliable.

5. There may be necessary sessions to complete your half-sleeve tattoo. There are many half-sleeves tattoos that are ready in one longer session, but there are others who need to be split up into separate sessions.

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You can find more about design ideas in magazines and also on the Internet. Or, you can visit tattoo shops and ask various tattoo artists to custom draw your half-sleeve. Additionally, always make sure that the tattoo studio is clean, sterile and that the tattoo practices are sterile and safe.

Are you in search of a half sleeve tattoo but haven’t found a design that speaks to you yet? Your search for a perfect tattoo design ends right now, since LA Ink Tattoo Designs is here to help you find the best half sleeve tattoo for you.

Half sleeve tattoos have always been popular, especially among men. Celebrities such as Lenny Kravitz and David Beckham have also contributed to the growing popularity of these half sleeve tattoos. If you are interested in getting a half sleeve tattoo, then you should take the time to find the perfect design, the one that suits you best and has a deep meaning to you. Once you see it, you will know that it is the one you want. Where can you find it, though?

LA Ink Tattoo Designs has helped thousands of members find their dream tattoo. It is your turn now! All you have to do is enter your name and email to get instant access to over 30,000 tattoo designs that you can browse 24/7 from the comfort of your own home. All the designs are sorted in 60 categories, making it easy to find what you are looking for.

With LA Ink Tattoo Designs, you can now get your dream half sleeve tattoo in 3 easy steps: find the tattoo you like, print the design, and then get it done. It’s as simple as that! Besides browsing the extensive tattoo gallery, you will also be able to select the type of tattoo that you want. You may opt for a black & white half sleeve tattoo, or perhaps you will like a color design. The choice is yours!

As a member, you will have access to all the designs in the 60 categories, which include abstract tattoos, animal tattoos, Celtic tattoos, Chinese tattoos, demon tattoos, dragon tattoos, Gothic tattoos, Japanese tattoos, eagle tattoos, and many other designs and symbols.

Moreover, you will also get access to an awesome Video Library, which contains celebrity tattoo videos, members videos, learn to tattoo videos, tattoo artist videos, tattoo TV shows, tattoo care videos, tattoo conventions, and more. Basically, LA Ink Tattoo Designs provides you with everything you need to know about tattoos.

And there is more. By becoming a member, not only will you get access to over 30,000 tattoo designs and to the Video Library, but also to the Learning Center. Simply sign up for membership and you will be able to learn how to choose a tattoo design, what questions to ask a tattoo artist before getting inked, how to care for your tattoo, the meaning of tattoo designs and symbols, how to choose a tattoo artist, and many other interesting tattoo-related stuff.

LA Ink Tattoo Designs comes with another great extra feature: you can now translate your name (or any other piece of text, for that matter) into either Arabic, Chinese, or Japanese. How cool would it be to have your name tattooed on your arm?

Everything is at the tip of your fingers. Once LA Ink Tattoo Designs introduces you to the wonderful world of tattoos, you will not be able to leave it, as you will be impressed and captivated by the extensive selection of tattoos.

Your dream of getting a perfect half sleeve tattoo is about to come true, so become a member of LA Ink Tattoo Designs now!

Celebrities are usually the ones who either set trends or innovatively follow them. This is why many celebrities are sporting some of the most incredible half sleeve tattoos in the “inking” industry. However, some of them have failed miserably when tattooing their arms and have ended up with some pretty bad tattoos. Whether they are awful designs, bard portraits, spelling mistakes, or dated designs, these tattoos are proof that even the most famous people in the world can make bad mistakes when it comes to body ink. Here are some of the most notable examples of worst half sleeve tattoos.

Johnny Depp

He may be one of the sexiest men alive and a renowned icon when it comes to tattoos, but he is far from being an expert in the field, or a good example of what you choose to have inked on your body. His Winona/Wino Forever tattoo is the best proof that tattooing your lover’s name on your body is a bad idea, regardless of the place where you want to have it inked. The more reason not to have such a tattoo in Hollywood, where relationships are known to be much less stable. Johnny Depp has another bad half sleeve tattoo, Betty Sue (his mom’s name), which looks dated because of the poor background choice.

Sean “Puffy” Combs

Whether you call him P. Diddy, Puff Daddy or Sean John Combs, everyone knows who this rapper is. Not everyone knows about his awful half sleeve tattoo, though. The rapper has an angel with a bible verse as part of his half sleeve tattoos. The tattoo is not a failure because it is completely unrelated to hip hop, but because it looks poorly. The angel was not drawn well enough and the bible verse is too long to be read in one passing. Moreover, the cursive font used is illegible. So, when looking at the rapper’s tattoo, most people see a confusing doodle with nondescript words.

Brad Miller 

NBA player Brad Miller has taken advertising to a whole different level. When he got an endorsement for Stephan Malbury’s pro model shoe line “And 1“, the basketball player tattooed the product’s logo on his arm. The shoe line was greatly advertised, but Miller got stuck with a permanent advertisement. Getting a permanent add on a celebrity’s skin is surely great for the brand, but what happens if their contract ends or the product stops being trendy? Be that as it may, it is safe to say that Brad Miller is now a walking advertisement. 

Kobe Bryant

Here is another NBA player with a bad choice of half sleeve tattoos. Kobe Bryant has a large butterfly crown inked on his arm. The tattoo represents an apology to his significant other, Vanessa. This may not be as bad as tattooing her name on his skin, but an apology for something wrong he has done will serve as a permanent reminder of his deeds. Now, Vanessa or whoever will replace her will never, ever forget what he has done. Talking about taking things one step further.

Nick Lachey

Former member of the boy band 98 Degrees and Jessica Simpson’s ex husband Nick Lachey got half sleeve tattoos all wrong. These tattoos are supposed to be a manly thing, but his dated tribal armband is just about as 90s as his boy band. Armband tattoo were quite trendy at one point, but they also denote a lack of identity and originality. This serves as proof that not everything trendy is worth getting, especially if it is permanent.

These are the top 5 worst celebrity half sleeve tattoos. This should be a reminder of how important it is to think things though before getting a tattoo, since you will be stuck with it forever. So, don’t rush into it, or you might regret it!

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Getting a half sleeve tattoo surely is a great idea. Nowadays, half sleeve tattoos are very fashionable, actually being considered the latest trend, at least when it comes to body ink. A half sleeve tattoo is a tattoo designed all around the upper arm, but people can also get half sleeve tattoos similar models on various areas of the body. Even though getting a half sleeve tattoo seems to be a good choice, there are some facts you will need to consider before making a final decision. The most important one is making your choice over the placement of your half sleeve tattoo.

Opting for the upper arm may be the better choice, as this way you will be able to cover you tattoo easily, in case needed. For instance, if you have a job position which requires professional behavior, such as the one of a teacher, having a visible tattoo may not be suitable. Covering a half sleeve tattoo on the upper arm will never be an issue. After choosing the area on which your half sleeve tattoo will be inked, you have to make up your mind on the model. There are numerous half sleeve tattoo models you can choose from, some being more suitable for men, while other being best for women. No matter the choice you will make, just be certain that your half sleeve tattoo is matched to your personality and your preferences, as you will have that design on your body for long time. 

Choosing an unique half sleeve tattoo model will never be a bad decision and if you have an idea in mind, you should discuss it with a tattoo artist. He will be able to offer you some valuable advices and he will also let you know how to prepare yourself for the inking process. A half sleeve tattoo can be inked on your body during one or more sessions. Most commonly completing a design will take more than just one session. The model and the complexity of the design, but also how painful you will find the process, will be the main factors influencing the number of sessions required for the inking of a half sleeve tattoo.

The half sleeve tattoo has become a major fashionable choice nowadays. Numerous people choose these trendy designs, as this way they can show their personalities and improve their looks. And the reality is that many people love half sleeve tattoo models. They are inked all around the upper arm, from shoulder to elbow, but this aspect may vary depending on each person and preference.

Anyway, the first thing you will have to make up your mind upon, prior getting a half sleeve tattoo, is the model. Naturally, there are numerous half sleeve tattoo models you can choose from, but before making a final decision you have to be certain on whether a particular theme is the right one for you or not. Remember that getting a tattoo is a decision you are not going to make everyday, at least if you are opting for a permanent one. If you just want to see first how would a half sleeve tattoo look on your body and the feeling you will have wearing it, you should consider getting a temporary tattoo first. Temporary tattoos are designs which are meant to last on the skin a period of a couple of days, up to several weeks. After a certain period of time, you will be able to remove such a half sleeve tattoo easily and get a permanent one only if you really loved it. 

The moment when you are decided on the half sleeve tattoo model and type, you should first discuss your idea with a tattoo artist. This way, you may get some valuable advices and the tattoo artist will let you know if your choice is a good one or maybe it could be improved. If you are thinking about a permanent half sleeve tattoo, consider first all risks. After getting properly informed, you will be able to make the fashionable choice of having such a great tattoo inked on your skin and there is really no way you will not be able to impress all your friends which such a decision. After all, half sleeve tattoos are beautiful and they can surely be described as a true art.

The half sleeve tattoo has been around for years. It is one of the most compelling and large designs available on the market and it stands as a symbol for uniqueness and intricacy. Probably one of the most fascinating things about the half sleeve tattoo is the complexity of the design. If you are thinking about getting a half sleeve tattoo, you have two options to consider. It is more recommended that you start off with a temporary half sleeve tattoo, in order to get comfortable with the new body art piece and then go for the permanent model. This recommendation comes in the idea that you will be able to test out the design and not have any regrets about adding such a massive drawing to your skin.

Regardless of the fact that you are going to opt for a temporary or a permanent half sleeve tattoo, you have to consider the elements to include in it. Most people decide to get these types of tattoos in order to have a picture of all the things that are dear to them in one place. Therefore, you should carefully think about the drawing before you go to a tattoo artist. After you have decided on what to include in your tattoo, you can take your ideas to a professional. The tattoo artist will create the piece for you and tell if it goes well as a half sleeve tattoo. In addition to this, you can take advantage of the tattoo artist’s experience and learn whether or not the elements you have chosen are suitable in a comprised piece and look great on the skin of the arm. 

The half sleeve tattoo will be a great choice for people of all ages. The main thing to consider is that you opt for representative images and that the tattoo means something for you. You should not get a half sleeve tattoo just for the thrill of having such an extensive piece, because you might end up regretting your choice and this is not a tattoo that can be easily removed or covered up.