Sorry to drag up an old thread (not sure if that's bad form, but I don't believe I'm able to start new ones yet) -- I just had a little question that relates to this.
At some point soon, I'll be getting my third tattoo on the back/top of my shoulder, possibly onto my upper arm. It's gonna be a reworked design of the concept in the illustration below. It's possible that afterward, I'll get brave enough to head down my arm with some other nautical-themed stuff (other ship/shipwrecked stuff, an octopus, a mermaid), but I would want them to be "stand-alone" pieces, like the left arm of that guy in the image that @Kev posted up there ^^ (i.e., no filler, just negative space around them).
So my question is, if I don't want an entire integrated sleeve, is it necessary to talk through the possibilities for my entire arm with my artist before I get this first one at the top of my shoulder/back done? Or can I just go for it, and figure out what fits where for the rest later?
I don't want to overthink it since it's possible I won't get a bunch more after all, but I also want to make sure I have at least thought ahead a little if I do decide to keep going.
Sorry for the rambling, and thanks in advance for your thoughts!