jen7 Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 I currently have a half sleeve (upper) on the left, and am planning a Japanese koi piece for my right. I was toying with the idea of going for the full sleeve instead of half for this one. Anything I should consider in making this choice beyond the obvious ones of cost and coverability? I know near the elbow sucked on my half so I am a little wary on that. I am interested in your thoughts and experiences. I am a gal, if that matters. My forearms have very light blonde hair if that is a consideration too.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hands On Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 if you're already considering it now, you'll only consider it more once you have two half sleeves. elbow is bearable. gender doesn't matter. light blonde hair doesn't matter. do it! (you're talking to LSTers here). it's a big jump to the forearms, if you don't have any visible tattoos. there are other threads about this that you can find with a quick search. if you get a full sleeve now, the artist can make it more cohesive and have a fuller vision rather than moving down to a full sleeve later and tying it together. Hogrider and Graeme 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen7 Posted August 24, 2015 Author Share Posted August 24, 2015 Its true.....i want it, but hesitate because I will need to buy a new work wardrobe. Sigh....time to play the lottery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hands On Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 ahh. there's always an argument either way, to just keep getting tattooed!.. ;) if you're ready for a half sleeve now, you can start that process and slowly build that wardrobe while the half sleeve is in progress. by the time the half sleeve is done, BOOM!.. full sleeve work clothes are ready to go. be sure to consider what you'd put on the lower sleeve to add to the koi on the upper half. the right artists are able to make this addition appear seamless and might even be able to give you ideas of what you could add. you might even add something different on the upper half and put the koi on the lower half, if you can hold out that long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen7 Posted August 25, 2015 Author Share Posted August 25, 2015 I was going to wait until retirement to go past the elbow, but I am starting to think it's close enough! The Tig and soraya 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synesthesia Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 I'm making plans (distant plans) for my forearms now. I have a couple tattoos on my upper arms that stick out past t shirt sleeves anyway, and since that's most of what I wear, I figure I might as well go for it. Once I looked at things from that point of view, forearms seemed like a no-brainer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 When I was planning my left arm I had a lot of reservations about going down to my wrist so I was thinking 3/4s, but I was also thinking of what I could do later to extend that down to my wrist. I ended up going down to my wrist and I'm happy that I did because I ended up with a stronger tattoo than I would have if I'd gone for less coverage initially and then later extended it. I don't have a job where I need to cover my tattoos, and in situations where I do need to cover them, short sleeves still don't work with half sleeves. I know it's slightly different with women's fashion because there are more options, but if you're already tattooed near your elbow, chances are you've already limited yourself in terms of clothing if you need to cover them. How much a tattoo is going to hurt should never be a consideration. sourpussoctopus, sighthound and bedoktime 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyirish Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 I spent a long time agonising about whether to go to the wrist or not and I do regret slightly not just going to the wrist right off the bat. As others have said, if you remain interested in tattoos and don't live or work in an extremely prohibitive environment chances are you will want to extend it later on. On the other hand I'm a firm advocate of not doing anything that you are not comfortable with-if the idea of going to the wrist causes you anxiety then don't do it til your sure, if that means a slightly less cohesive overall sleeve then so be it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAllen Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 If you're going to do a half sleeve now but want it to be a full sleeve later, you will need to plan it accordingly. Like if you do a koi on your upper arm then you have to think that everything below it will be in water. cltattooing and Graeme 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pidjones Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Yes, consider asking the artist to design the koi with an eventual full sleeve in mind. Then when that rich aunt dies.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soraya Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 I was going to wait until retirement to go past the elbow, but I am starting to think it's close enough! I look toward retirement to open a lot of tattoo doors for me. I'd love 3/4 or full sleeves. Heck, I'd love to be totally covered, but just not realistic. Sigh...Someday? The Tig 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen7 Posted August 28, 2015 Author Share Posted August 28, 2015 I am already partially retired, so it's time. The trick will be convincing my spouse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soraya Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 My husband likes my tattoos and supports me in getting more. But he does caution me to think carefully about moving below the elbow. It is a big step, and really changes the cover-up equation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sourpussoctopus Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 What about holding off on extending the sleeve/starting a new 1/2 until you're sure, and getting tattoos elsewhere in the meantime? Legs are pretty easy to cover, there's plenty of room to play with, and most spots don't hurt any more than the arm (in my experience, at least). You could go full squidpants and no one at work would be the wiser :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colored Guy Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 I was going to wait until retirement to go past the elbow, but I am starting to think it's close enough! Going for the pistons & crossed checkered flag neck tattoo the day after I retire.... so go for it! The Tig 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrickkinder Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 My wife always tells me that if my tattoos would keep me from being employed by someone, I wouldn't be want to work there in the first place. Go all the way and find a career that won't look down on it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noobink Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 I'd say go for the full sleeve, honestly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatKidChris Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 If your still on the fence about it but highly considering it I say let ur artist know and at the very least he can finish and position the bottom of the half sleeve to be easily extended to a full sleeve whenever you are ready to make that leap? Good artists can do exactly this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slightreturn Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Full sleeves look a lot better in my opinion but at the end of the day it's your decision Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 (edited) On 8/24/2015 at 3:33 PM, jen7 said: I currently have a half sleeve (upper) on the left, and am planning a Japanese koi piece for my right. I was toying with the idea of going for the full sleeve instead of half for this one. Anything I should consider in making this choice beyond the obvious ones of cost and coverability? I know near the elbow sucked on my half so I am a little wary on that. I am interested in your thoughts and experiences. I am a gal, if that matters. My forearms have very light blonde hair if that is a consideration too.... IMO it really does not matter,a full sleeve is an ongoing long term project,don't make a choice now,the thing you should consider is if you do will this work with what you want to continue on with later ? do you have a common theme you want to do ? plan ahead !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! if I could do one thing over again,I would have thought farther into the future. Edited August 28, 2016 by Dan Lance 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hogrider Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 Just go full sleeve from the start. As for the elbow, my artist looked at me and said, "I'm not going to lie to you brother, this is going to hurt." And he wasn't lying. The hurt is for a few minutes (or hours), the joy lasts a lifetime. DJDeepFried 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 2 hours ago, Hogrider said: Just go full sleeve from the start. As for the elbow, my artist looked at me and said, "I'm not going to lie to you brother, this is going to hurt." And he wasn't lying. The hurt is for a few minutes (or hours), the joy lasts a lifetime. personally I didn't think my knees and elbows were all that bad.My inner thighs were by far worse than my elbows and knees.Even the tops of both my hands were not too bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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