otisc

I don't think I've posted this here--Todd Noble made this lady in a rose a couple months ago.  I really enjoyed getting this tattoo; he has a good bedside manner and just seems like an all-around good human.  I can't get an un-distorted photo of this but you get the idea.

Good review, but all I really got out of it is I want a schnauzer now.
 
But seriously, good job in keeping your arm covered and protecting that investment!

easy brutha - you just got into town here
lots of good info here for you
but if you come out swinging 
you wont get much help here

This!
I have my fraternity letters on my ankle. Got them in college at age 19. In my late 20s I was really embarrassed that I had been so dumb and wanted to cover them up. Had it all planned out, but the tattoo artist convinced me not to. Now, I'm 45 and I'm glad they are still there. Not as any allegiance... but as a sign of the memories of youth, the reminder that I'm not as smart as I think I am, and I can still point to my "first tattoo".
Leave it!
Edit: here's a photo. They looked really good for about 10-12 years but at year 26 they are fading... but the memories live on.

old sorority tattoo? why cover it - keep rocking it and get something else in another spot

I think the photos in @otisc's review also illustrates another important thing...importance of protecting your tattoos from sun exposure, especially while it's still peelin' and healin'. that sun hits hard and fast !

Hey guys. Just wanted to do a product review because I've looked online and aside from one video on YouTube, I haven't really found any product reviews for this item. I have nothing at all to do with the company and profit in no way from you liking this review or not. I think that would be pretty obvious, but I wanted to put the disclaimer up front.
Okay, a little back story -- two weeks ago today I had the linework done on my arm for a 7/10-length Japanese dragon sleeve. You can read more about that in the Initiation forum. I am an avid golfer, so let me tell you - the idea of completely staying out of the sun for more than a month was a real killer. I have definitely kept the new tattoo out of the sun completely until all the peel has gone away (between day 9-10)... but at two weeks, I wasn't sure I really wanted to lather it up in sunscreen yet since the skin is so new and the Texas sun can be brutal - but I needed to play golf!
My wife often wears a set of removable sleeves when she golfs, and she suggested I try these out. First I went to Dick's sporting goods, and they actually have a lot of these in stock from a variety of brands. They are really popular now because a lot of NBA players wear them on the court, and a lot of women on the LPGA wear them. I checked them all out. The baketball ones, while not super tight, were snug on my arm (and are really designed to be that way). And while they probably provide some protection as fabric, they are not specifically SPF rated. UnderArmour is a brand that has really jumped into this market, and they have a number of styles and patterns. NOT all of theirs have SPF ratings, so you have to be cautious if this is important to you, but some do. If you're a UA fan you really need to try these on in person, as different versions they make have different seam patterns, and not all of them felt comfortable to me. But mostly, I just didn't like the way they clung to my arm. They were kinda pinchy over the top of the bicep - not enough to hurt but just enough to be annoying. I ended up passing on all of these.
So I kept looking online and I found two companies that make coverup sleeves in varous sizes, primarily for the workplace. One is called TatJacket, and the other is called Ink Armor. They seem like very similar products, but on the InkArmor website, they made a big deal about how they sewed the product with flat seems so it wouldn't irritate you when wearing them. They are rated 50+ SPF and they claim to be made of 80% nylon and 20% spandex. The UnderArmour brand was 80% polyester and 20% some proprietary names fabric that sounds similar to spandex, so I figured the Ink Armour was a good bet. And the UnderArmour were only rated 30 SPF.
I have a 3/4 length sleeve, and they actually sell a 3/4 length sleeve size, so I went with that instead of the full sleeve style like the major brands. One big criticism is that they don't have great photos of the colors they offer online. The photos they have are sort of photoshopped onto the models and/or just color squares to choose from. They have two white-guy flesh tones, and I went with "Suntan." Here it is out of the packaging:

One more selling point that they mention on the website is probably my favorite thing about this product. The top of the sleeve, which fits above the bicep, doesn't pinch or grip your arm to stay up. The Ink Armor people have ingeniously sewn a ring of a tacky elastic (but not sticky) that just doesn't want to run down your arm. It is awesome. I measured my arm at the point it is supposed to fit and my arm was 14.5 inches around. The sizing on their website says that I should buy the size "XL2X" which has a top range of 13.5-15.75 inches. I'm right in the middle so I wasn't sure how this would work out. Here is a photo of the inseam I'm talking about.
 

This is so cool! My 14.5-inch arm fit right in, and the top of the product just sits nicely around my arm (not snugly) and the grippy nature of that inseam keeps it from slipping down. It's only a matter of time before the major brands figure this out and steal the idea.
Okay, a couple of photos. First, before:

And with the 3/4 sleeve on - perfect fit!!

Okay, so today was the day to put it to the test. I just played a 4.5-hour round of golf on a bright sunny day in Austin, Texas. Early in the morning I sprayed a very very fine layer of aerosol sunscreen onto my tattoo. It is only two weeks old and just wasn't sure it is ready yet to be lathered up. I barely put any of this on at all and I let it air dry before getting dressed. The rest of my body I liberally sprayed with this suntan spray, and repeated this three times throughout the round. Even with this spraying, I still caught a tiny touch of sunburn on my wrist.... but the tattoo that was under the Ink Armor was not burned at all! (I have vitiligo so the tan/white you see under the tattoo linework is "normal.")

Cameo from Fritz the Schnauzer!!

I totally give this product five stars, or a thumbs up, or whatever is the superlative in your universe. The main focus of the brand is to make coverups so you can effectively hide your tattoos in the workplace (they make the for legs, forearms only, ankles, and leg/arm sleeves of various sizes)... but really the sun protection factor is majorly overlooked and is probably something they should promote more. Especially to protect newer tattoos that are past the initial heal when they need air but still need protection from the sun. Here is one more shot of me wearing it - a great way to coverup when you need to:

Usually, it's a work requirement. But beyond that, I really don't think that people without tattoos assume it's a tattoo. I wore the sleeve again this weekend to an outdoor restaurant at Mother's Day, and the two people who did ask about it didn't even think tattoo.

I have some tattoos that I would not want children to see.  I made sure to get them in hidden places but if something were remotely questionable on my arm and I was going to a kid-heavy environment, I would cover it.  Even though someone can figure out that it's a tattoo, the person still wouldn't be exposed to the actual image.  It's similar to covers blocking the adult magazines in stores; you know what it is but aren't exposed to the image.

UPF technical clothing for hiking, etc. tends to be made of moisture-wicking synthetic material so you won't be dying in a long-sleeved shirt--I think places like REI sell these.  If you're out on the golf course a lot, it may be worth getting one of these for the UV protection anyway.  Fashion is another thing entirely, but I just took a look on REI's website and there are a few there that aren't so bad.  I have a couple of these shirts for hiking and they are way less gross and slimy than sweating off sunscreen in a cotton t-shirt all day.
 

That watch though!! I'm still bumming it up over here rocking a few Tags that I've bought or been given as a gift (from my dad).
Anyways, thanks for this review. I have 2 full sleeves and I've managed to pull of the collared shirt with jeans to attend those "casual dress" meetings, but I admit that I've been dreading that day when I have to actually go out on a golf course or to a BBQ or whatever and the company is not tattoo-accepting. My original thinking was that I'd get a spandex/compression under shirt (long sleeve), and then throw a golf shirt on over top. I'll definitely keep these in mind.
Cheers.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for posting this review. As I look ahead to getting my sleeves (probably half-ish), I've been considering something like this for certain situations. Glad to see an actual detailed report here. 
I have read some reports that the tops stretch out quickly and then they won't stay up. Perhaps that is another brand. It would be great if you could update us on the long-term durability as you continue to use it.

Well, today was the day!
What a long, but great day! It began a little before 11:00am. I was the first one in Triple Crown Tattoo with Scott Ellis (most of the day, there were 10-15 people there, and at one point six artists were tattooing simultaneously). He had been working on a few designs based on the sleeve length I wanted. Over the week between today and our consultation, I had decided to ask him to put the dragon's head somewhere on my arm instead of with the head in the more traditional chest area. I was a little worried to be asking for this, as Scott has a relatively new sleeve with the head in the center, and the last thing I wanted was for him to think I was trying to copy his own tattoo. Luckily, when I got there, he informed me that the last several dragons he had done had the head on the chest, and he was dying to do something new. Perfect! His sketches had just what I wanted. It was a really good sign.
However, getting it right took some time. Using thin paint brushes, he created the design over four separate layers. The dragon's head had to be moved several times, and the unique swirl of the dragon we decided on what difficult to get right without looking like the head was plopped onto the center of the body... but Scott is a perfectionist, and after a lot of erasing and revising, and then relining, and revising, etc... we were finally done with a design ready to be inked at 2:40. With only a few short breaks, it took a lot longer than I expected. But the result is something that works specifically with my body as opposed to just slapping a template onto my arm. I love it.
Here is a quick snap of Scott somewhere between layer 2 and 3 of sketching on me:

I haven't had a tattoo in nearly 20 years, so I had no idea what to expect from the pain, especially over so many areas. Tattooing in the ditch was no treat, but not as bad as I had come to expect from reading. The outside of the elbow lived up to expectations. But the worst was around my collarbone, where any wincing or tightening of my face would risk pulling the skin under his needle. And there was one spot on my chest where I could clearly feel the vibration on my pec, but the pain was in my neck. I could have sworn at the time he was tattooing my upper-middle neck.
Long story short (yeah, right), we finished up the linework a little after 5:00pm. I am absolutely thrilled with the result... and was getting tons of compliments on it by the many artists and clients in the shop throughout the day. Here is a front shot:

It is a little difficult to see from this angle and with only linework, but the dragon's body actually goes out the back of the head and swirls up and around the shoulders through the clouds and comes out belly showing under his head before turning again towards the end of the sleeve. It makes a little more sense visually if you can see the back. I also have the dragon clutching a pearl with his talons on the back on the sleeve and will actually be filling the pearl with a significant flower logo in the next session.
Overall, a fantastic day. I couldn't be happier that Scott got all the elements I wanted into the design, was able to keep it very traditional, but also with a great deal of uniqueness built just for me. If any readers are in Austin, Triple Crown Tattoo on Chicon Street (right around the corner from Franklin's BBQ!) is a must-visit.

Well actually because these sleeves wick away the sweat, they keep you cool. Much cooler than playing golf in long sleeves on a sunny day.

I was really on the fence as to the length of my sleeve. I've only done the linework, and I am only two weeks in, and I am already thrilled that I went as long as I did. Gotten so many compliments on it.
I've also figured out a great way to cover it in the sun (Ink Armor) and will be posting a review soon.

Well actually because these sleeves wick away the sweat, they keep you cool. Much cooler than playing golf in long sleeves on a sunny day.

Hey guys. Just wanted to do a product review because I've looked online and aside from one video on YouTube, I haven't really found any product reviews for this item. I have nothing at all to do with the company and profit in no way from you liking this review or not. I think that would be pretty obvious, but I wanted to put the disclaimer up front.
Okay, a little back story -- two weeks ago today I had the linework done on my arm for a 7/10-length Japanese dragon sleeve. You can read more about that in the Initiation forum. I am an avid golfer, so let me tell you - the idea of completely staying out of the sun for more than a month was a real killer. I have definitely kept the new tattoo out of the sun completely until all the peel has gone away (between day 9-10)... but at two weeks, I wasn't sure I really wanted to lather it up in sunscreen yet since the skin is so new and the Texas sun can be brutal - but I needed to play golf!
My wife often wears a set of removable sleeves when she golfs, and she suggested I try these out. First I went to Dick's sporting goods, and they actually have a lot of these in stock from a variety of brands. They are really popular now because a lot of NBA players wear them on the court, and a lot of women on the LPGA wear them. I checked them all out. The baketball ones, while not super tight, were snug on my arm (and are really designed to be that way). And while they probably provide some protection as fabric, they are not specifically SPF rated. UnderArmour is a brand that has really jumped into this market, and they have a number of styles and patterns. NOT all of theirs have SPF ratings, so you have to be cautious if this is important to you, but some do. If you're a UA fan you really need to try these on in person, as different versions they make have different seam patterns, and not all of them felt comfortable to me. But mostly, I just didn't like the way they clung to my arm. They were kinda pinchy over the top of the bicep - not enough to hurt but just enough to be annoying. I ended up passing on all of these.
So I kept looking online and I found two companies that make coverup sleeves in varous sizes, primarily for the workplace. One is called TatJacket, and the other is called Ink Armor. They seem like very similar products, but on the InkArmor website, they made a big deal about how they sewed the product with flat seems so it wouldn't irritate you when wearing them. They are rated 50+ SPF and they claim to be made of 80% nylon and 20% spandex. The UnderArmour brand was 80% polyester and 20% some proprietary names fabric that sounds similar to spandex, so I figured the Ink Armour was a good bet. And the UnderArmour were only rated 30 SPF.
I have a 3/4 length sleeve, and they actually sell a 3/4 length sleeve size, so I went with that instead of the full sleeve style like the major brands. One big criticism is that they don't have great photos of the colors they offer online. The photos they have are sort of photoshopped onto the models and/or just color squares to choose from. They have two white-guy flesh tones, and I went with "Suntan." Here it is out of the packaging:

One more selling point that they mention on the website is probably my favorite thing about this product. The top of the sleeve, which fits above the bicep, doesn't pinch or grip your arm to stay up. The Ink Armor people have ingeniously sewn a ring of a tacky elastic (but not sticky) that just doesn't want to run down your arm. It is awesome. I measured my arm at the point it is supposed to fit and my arm was 14.5 inches around. The sizing on their website says that I should buy the size "XL2X" which has a top range of 13.5-15.75 inches. I'm right in the middle so I wasn't sure how this would work out. Here is a photo of the inseam I'm talking about.
 

This is so cool! My 14.5-inch arm fit right in, and the top of the product just sits nicely around my arm (not snugly) and the grippy nature of that inseam keeps it from slipping down. It's only a matter of time before the major brands figure this out and steal the idea.
Okay, a couple of photos. First, before:

And with the 3/4 sleeve on - perfect fit!!

Okay, so today was the day to put it to the test. I just played a 4.5-hour round of golf on a bright sunny day in Austin, Texas. Early in the morning I sprayed a very very fine layer of aerosol sunscreen onto my tattoo. It is only two weeks old and just wasn't sure it is ready yet to be lathered up. I barely put any of this on at all and I let it air dry before getting dressed. The rest of my body I liberally sprayed with this suntan spray, and repeated this three times throughout the round. Even with this spraying, I still caught a tiny touch of sunburn on my wrist.... but the tattoo that was under the Ink Armor was not burned at all! (I have vitiligo so the tan/white you see under the tattoo linework is "normal.")

Cameo from Fritz the Schnauzer!!

I totally give this product five stars, or a thumbs up, or whatever is the superlative in your universe. The main focus of the brand is to make coverups so you can effectively hide your tattoos in the workplace (they make the for legs, forearms only, ankles, and leg/arm sleeves of various sizes)... but really the sun protection factor is majorly overlooked and is probably something they should promote more. Especially to protect newer tattoos that are past the initial heal when they need air but still need protection from the sun. Here is one more shot of me wearing it - a great way to coverup when you need to:

Hey guys. Just wanted to do a product review because I've looked online and aside from one video on YouTube, I haven't really found any product reviews for this item. I have nothing at all to do with the company and profit in no way from you liking this review or not. I think that would be pretty obvious, but I wanted to put the disclaimer up front.
Okay, a little back story -- two weeks ago today I had the linework done on my arm for a 7/10-length Japanese dragon sleeve. You can read more about that in the Initiation forum. I am an avid golfer, so let me tell you - the idea of completely staying out of the sun for more than a month was a real killer. I have definitely kept the new tattoo out of the sun completely until all the peel has gone away (between day 9-10)... but at two weeks, I wasn't sure I really wanted to lather it up in sunscreen yet since the skin is so new and the Texas sun can be brutal - but I needed to play golf!
My wife often wears a set of removable sleeves when she golfs, and she suggested I try these out. First I went to Dick's sporting goods, and they actually have a lot of these in stock from a variety of brands. They are really popular now because a lot of NBA players wear them on the court, and a lot of women on the LPGA wear them. I checked them all out. The baketball ones, while not super tight, were snug on my arm (and are really designed to be that way). And while they probably provide some protection as fabric, they are not specifically SPF rated. UnderArmour is a brand that has really jumped into this market, and they have a number of styles and patterns. NOT all of theirs have SPF ratings, so you have to be cautious if this is important to you, but some do. If you're a UA fan you really need to try these on in person, as different versions they make have different seam patterns, and not all of them felt comfortable to me. But mostly, I just didn't like the way they clung to my arm. They were kinda pinchy over the top of the bicep - not enough to hurt but just enough to be annoying. I ended up passing on all of these.
So I kept looking online and I found two companies that make coverup sleeves in varous sizes, primarily for the workplace. One is called TatJacket, and the other is called Ink Armor. They seem like very similar products, but on the InkArmor website, they made a big deal about how they sewed the product with flat seems so it wouldn't irritate you when wearing them. They are rated 50+ SPF and they claim to be made of 80% nylon and 20% spandex. The UnderArmour brand was 80% polyester and 20% some proprietary names fabric that sounds similar to spandex, so I figured the Ink Armour was a good bet. And the UnderArmour were only rated 30 SPF.
I have a 3/4 length sleeve, and they actually sell a 3/4 length sleeve size, so I went with that instead of the full sleeve style like the major brands. One big criticism is that they don't have great photos of the colors they offer online. The photos they have are sort of photoshopped onto the models and/or just color squares to choose from. They have two white-guy flesh tones, and I went with "Suntan." Here it is out of the packaging:

One more selling point that they mention on the website is probably my favorite thing about this product. The top of the sleeve, which fits above the bicep, doesn't pinch or grip your arm to stay up. The Ink Armor people have ingeniously sewn a ring of a tacky elastic (but not sticky) that just doesn't want to run down your arm. It is awesome. I measured my arm at the point it is supposed to fit and my arm was 14.5 inches around. The sizing on their website says that I should buy the size "XL2X" which has a top range of 13.5-15.75 inches. I'm right in the middle so I wasn't sure how this would work out. Here is a photo of the inseam I'm talking about.
 

This is so cool! My 14.5-inch arm fit right in, and the top of the product just sits nicely around my arm (not snugly) and the grippy nature of that inseam keeps it from slipping down. It's only a matter of time before the major brands figure this out and steal the idea.
Okay, a couple of photos. First, before:

And with the 3/4 sleeve on - perfect fit!!

Okay, so today was the day to put it to the test. I just played a 4.5-hour round of golf on a bright sunny day in Austin, Texas. Early in the morning I sprayed a very very fine layer of aerosol sunscreen onto my tattoo. It is only two weeks old and just wasn't sure it is ready yet to be lathered up. I barely put any of this on at all and I let it air dry before getting dressed. The rest of my body I liberally sprayed with this suntan spray, and repeated this three times throughout the round. Even with this spraying, I still caught a tiny touch of sunburn on my wrist.... but the tattoo that was under the Ink Armor was not burned at all! (I have vitiligo so the tan/white you see under the tattoo linework is "normal.")

Cameo from Fritz the Schnauzer!!

I totally give this product five stars, or a thumbs up, or whatever is the superlative in your universe. The main focus of the brand is to make coverups so you can effectively hide your tattoos in the workplace (they make the for legs, forearms only, ankles, and leg/arm sleeves of various sizes)... but really the sun protection factor is majorly overlooked and is probably something they should promote more. Especially to protect newer tattoos that are past the initial heal when they need air but still need protection from the sun. Here is one more shot of me wearing it - a great way to coverup when you need to:

Hey guys. Just wanted to do a product review because I've looked online and aside from one video on YouTube, I haven't really found any product reviews for this item. I have nothing at all to do with the company and profit in no way from you liking this review or not. I think that would be pretty obvious, but I wanted to put the disclaimer up front.
Okay, a little back story -- two weeks ago today I had the linework done on my arm for a 7/10-length Japanese dragon sleeve. You can read more about that in the Initiation forum. I am an avid golfer, so let me tell you - the idea of completely staying out of the sun for more than a month was a real killer. I have definitely kept the new tattoo out of the sun completely until all the peel has gone away (between day 9-10)... but at two weeks, I wasn't sure I really wanted to lather it up in sunscreen yet since the skin is so new and the Texas sun can be brutal - but I needed to play golf!
My wife often wears a set of removable sleeves when she golfs, and she suggested I try these out. First I went to Dick's sporting goods, and they actually have a lot of these in stock from a variety of brands. They are really popular now because a lot of NBA players wear them on the court, and a lot of women on the LPGA wear them. I checked them all out. The baketball ones, while not super tight, were snug on my arm (and are really designed to be that way). And while they probably provide some protection as fabric, they are not specifically SPF rated. UnderArmour is a brand that has really jumped into this market, and they have a number of styles and patterns. NOT all of theirs have SPF ratings, so you have to be cautious if this is important to you, but some do. If you're a UA fan you really need to try these on in person, as different versions they make have different seam patterns, and not all of them felt comfortable to me. But mostly, I just didn't like the way they clung to my arm. They were kinda pinchy over the top of the bicep - not enough to hurt but just enough to be annoying. I ended up passing on all of these.
So I kept looking online and I found two companies that make coverup sleeves in varous sizes, primarily for the workplace. One is called TatJacket, and the other is called Ink Armor. They seem like very similar products, but on the InkArmor website, they made a big deal about how they sewed the product with flat seems so it wouldn't irritate you when wearing them. They are rated 50+ SPF and they claim to be made of 80% nylon and 20% spandex. The UnderArmour brand was 80% polyester and 20% some proprietary names fabric that sounds similar to spandex, so I figured the Ink Armour was a good bet. And the UnderArmour were only rated 30 SPF.
I have a 3/4 length sleeve, and they actually sell a 3/4 length sleeve size, so I went with that instead of the full sleeve style like the major brands. One big criticism is that they don't have great photos of the colors they offer online. The photos they have are sort of photoshopped onto the models and/or just color squares to choose from. They have two white-guy flesh tones, and I went with "Suntan." Here it is out of the packaging:

One more selling point that they mention on the website is probably my favorite thing about this product. The top of the sleeve, which fits above the bicep, doesn't pinch or grip your arm to stay up. The Ink Armor people have ingeniously sewn a ring of a tacky elastic (but not sticky) that just doesn't want to run down your arm. It is awesome. I measured my arm at the point it is supposed to fit and my arm was 14.5 inches around. The sizing on their website says that I should buy the size "XL2X" which has a top range of 13.5-15.75 inches. I'm right in the middle so I wasn't sure how this would work out. Here is a photo of the inseam I'm talking about.
 

This is so cool! My 14.5-inch arm fit right in, and the top of the product just sits nicely around my arm (not snugly) and the grippy nature of that inseam keeps it from slipping down. It's only a matter of time before the major brands figure this out and steal the idea.
Okay, a couple of photos. First, before:

And with the 3/4 sleeve on - perfect fit!!

Okay, so today was the day to put it to the test. I just played a 4.5-hour round of golf on a bright sunny day in Austin, Texas. Early in the morning I sprayed a very very fine layer of aerosol sunscreen onto my tattoo. It is only two weeks old and just wasn't sure it is ready yet to be lathered up. I barely put any of this on at all and I let it air dry before getting dressed. The rest of my body I liberally sprayed with this suntan spray, and repeated this three times throughout the round. Even with this spraying, I still caught a tiny touch of sunburn on my wrist.... but the tattoo that was under the Ink Armor was not burned at all! (I have vitiligo so the tan/white you see under the tattoo linework is "normal.")

Cameo from Fritz the Schnauzer!!

I totally give this product five stars, or a thumbs up, or whatever is the superlative in your universe. The main focus of the brand is to make coverups so you can effectively hide your tattoos in the workplace (they make the for legs, forearms only, ankles, and leg/arm sleeves of various sizes)... but really the sun protection factor is majorly overlooked and is probably something they should promote more. Especially to protect newer tattoos that are past the initial heal when they need air but still need protection from the sun. Here is one more shot of me wearing it - a great way to coverup when you need to:

Based on the story, I was expecting much worse.  It's a little blurred out around the flower, but that would have happened with age anyway.
Think hard about your next tattoo, and look at a lot of artist portfolios in shops (or on Instagram, where most every artist posts their work), an then just get another one you like. This is may not have come out like you thought, but given what you said, it's really not that bad - I'd keep it!

Funny I don't have enough hair to bother shaving and my forearm itched like crazy!

I was really on the fence as to the length of my sleeve. I've only done the linework, and I am only two weeks in, and I am already thrilled that I went as long as I did. Gotten so many compliments on it.
I've also figured out a great way to cover it in the sun (Ink Armor) and will be posting a review soon.

New system is telling me I don't have permission to change my profile. Would like to add photo.

UPDATE: Well, today was the day!
What a long, but great day! It began a little before 11:00am. I was the first one in the shop with Scott (most of the day, there were 10-15 people there, and at one point six artists were tattooing simultaneously). He had been working on a few designs based on the sleeve length I wanted. Over the week between today and our consultation, I had decided to ask him to put the dragon's head somewhere on my arm instead of with the head in the more traditional chest area. I was a little worried to be asking for this, as Scott has a relatively new sleeve with the head in the center, and the last thing I wanted was for him to think I was trying to copy his own tattoo. Luckily, when I got there, he informed me that the last several dragons he had done had the head on the chest, and he was dying to do something new. Perfect! His sketches had just what I wanted. It was a really good sign.
However, getting it right took some time. Using thin paint brushes, he created the design over four separate layers. The dragon's head had to be moved several times, and the unique swirl of the dragon we decided on what difficult to get right without looking like the head was plopped onto the center of the body... but Scott is a perfectionist, and after a lot of erasing and revising, and then relining, and revising, etc... we were finally done with a design ready to be inked at 2:40. With only a few short breaks, it took a lot longer than I expected. But the result is something that works specifically with my body as opposed to just slapping a template onto my arm. I love it.
Here is a quick snap of Scott somewhere between layer 2 and 3 of sketching on me:

I haven't had a tattoo in nearly 20 years, so I had no idea what to expect from the pain, especially over so many areas. Tattooing in the ditch was no treat, but not as bad as I had come to expect from reading. The outside of the elbow lived up to expectations. But the worst was around my collarbone, where any wincing or tightening of my face would risk pulling the skin under his needle. And there was one spot on my chest where I could clearly feel the vibration on my pec, but the pain was in my neck. I could have sworn at the time he was tattooing my upper-middle neck.
Long story short (yeah, right), we finished up the linework a little after 5:00pm. I am absolutely thrilled with the result... and was getting tons of compliments on it by the many artists and clients in the shop throughout the day. Here is a front shot:

It is a little difficult to see from this angle and with only linework, but the dragon's body actually goes out the back of the head and swirls up and around the shoulders through the clouds and comes out belly showing under his head before turning again towards the end of the sleeve. It makes a little more sense visually if you can see the back. I also have the dragon clutching a pearl with his talons on the back on the sleeve and will actually be filling the pearl with a significant flower logo in the next session.
Overall, a fantastic day. I couldn't be happier that Scott got all the elements I wanted into the design, was able to keep it very traditional, but also with a great deal of uniqueness built just for me. If any readers are in Austin, Triple Crown Tattoo on Chicon Street (right around the corner from Franklin's BBQ!) is a must-visit.

Great story. I really wouldn't worry about what other people think. Just since having the linework of my sleeve done (only two weeks), I've had so many people confess to me their hidden tattoos or their wish that they could sleeve their arm - people you would never expect. Most people have hidden envy, wishing they had the freedom to do what you are doing. And while people your age may be less accepting, my experience is anyone under 35 doesn't care one bit about tattoos. They weren't alive when ink had any taboo at all.
Seems like you picked a great artist. Her Instagram shows that she really does good traditional Japanese tattoos. But since you are committing to such a huge piece that will take a substantial amount of time and money -- make 100% sure she is the one. I ended up really happy (thrilled, even) with my artist... but until the design was painted onto my arm, second-guessing my artist choice was probably my biggest anxiety. Especially since there are so many fantastic Irezumi/Horimono specialists out there. Even though Cindy seems totally awesome, I would force yourself to look and look and look and make sure she is the one. Having that peace of mind and confidence in your choice will make the process much easier.
Beyond that - get booked - we want photos!