More and more lately I have been approached by clientele seeking larger scale projects. Sleeves, backs, and chest pieces are becoming a common request. These days everyone wants to get “sleeved out”. Understandably so, there is nothing cooler than looking down at your own arms and seeing something that makes you feel unique. It is not uncommon to see people out and about with full sleeve tattoos. But, what is uncommon, is to see someone with professional quality, fully completed, large scale tattoos.
There are many reasons. A lot of it has to do with the financial side of getting tattooed. It is true what they say, “Good tattoos aren’t cheap and cheap tattoos aren’t good”, and “You get what you pay for”. I can speak from experience. My best tattoos were hard to get and cost a pretty penny.
Another reason why people walk around for years with incomplete work has to do with dedication. Large scale work takes more time and patience than most modern people have. We are used to a world where things happen instantly. The internet and social media have shortened our attention spans to an all time low, and most people just don’t have the patience to wait a couple months for an appointment. Not to mention a full sleeve can take 20-30+ hours to complete depending on size and detail. A full back piece can take 30-40+ hours of hard work. To complete a project like this at a relatively quick pace clients are recommended to come in at least once a month. Some can get in over their head with these projects and lose sight of the end goal, leaving the wearer with a lifelong outline or partially shaded unfinished tattoo.
The final reason I will mention is trust. After researching and finding the perfect artist for your tattoo, I would recommend fully trusting your artists vision. Personally, I always like to give my customer the image that they want, but most of the time I prefer to manipulate that image to suit the skin. Often times, that means changing details of the original design. Many times tattoo clientele know what they want but have no technical knowledge of tattoo design and application. This is where the artist comes in. We are here to help you accomplish your dreams in the skin.
I am thankful to have many great trusting clients and, I feel that together we have achieved some amazing art in the skin. I am looking forward to finishing some current projects and starting new pieces in the near future.