Quarter Sleeve Tattoos: What to Know Before Getting One - AuthorityTattoo (2024)

What Is a Quarter Sleeve Tattoo?

There are different sizes of sleeve tattoos and a quarter sleeve will go from the shoulder to just above the elbow. This is less painful than a half or full sleeve as it misses some of the most painful areas of your arm, the elbow and the wrist. However, the armpit can be painful also so bear this in mind.

A quarter sleeve can be good for those who have to cover the tattoo for work as most clothing will cover the tattoo.

Quarter Sleeve Tattoos: What to Know Before Getting One

Any kind of sleeve tattoo needs a lot of thought as you need to decide what style of tattoo you want to have. Do you want one large tattoo to cover the whole area or do you want smaller tattoos that are integrated?

You need to choose the right tattoo artist to complete the job and then decide what theme you want to have. You also need to consider the time it will take to complete the tattoo, the pain of the tattoo process, and the cost of the tattoo.

The aftercare of a sleeve tattoo is important and you need to make sure that you know the right way to care for it so that it heals properly.

Choose a Tattoo Artist

Don’t choose the first tattoo artist that you find, you should always check out their reputation and their portfolio. As you are wanting a larger tattoo you should make sure that you discuss this with them thoroughly before starting any work.

Ask around, speaking to people that have used the tattoo artist and take a look at their social media for comments and reviews.

You should make sure that you have a good relationship with your tattoo artist and that you are able to communicate with them. You should be able to share ideas and then come up with the perfect quarter sleeve for you.

What Theme or Design Will You Have?

As this is a larger tattoo than many you should think about what kind of style you will go with and what theme you are looking for. Will you have one tattoo that covers the area or will you have smaller tattoos that are linked to one theme?

If you have features and symbols that are linked and integrated to create a theme, you will be able to add to them at a later date. This is good if you want to extend your sleeve to a half sleeve or full sleeve.

Black and White or Color?

Will you have lots of color in your tattoo or will it be a black and white design? Color will add to the time it will take to complete the tattoo and also to the cost. However, this may add the vibrancy that you are looking for in your sleeve.

A black and white sleeve can be quite striking also if you have a great theme going on.

How Long Will It Take?

The time it will take to complete the tattoo will depend on the design and if there is lots of intricate detail or color to be added. A quarter sleeve will take a minimum of five to eight hours which will be completed over a number of sessions.

How often you have a tattoo session will depend on how quickly your tattoo heals, this will be around two to three weeks apart.

Conclusion

Once you have decided that you want a quarter sleeve tattoo then the work begins. This is not something that you should rush, but something you should put lots of thought into it to make sure that you get the tattoo that you wanted.

We hope that you found our guide useful and you now know what you should be thinking about before going ahead with your sleeve tattoo.

Once it’s done properly with lots of thought and inspiration, it will look great!