A sleeve tattoo

Tattoo

A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...

(or tattoo sleeve) is a large tattoo, or a collection of smaller tattoos, usually themed in similar manner, that covers most or all of a person's arm, usually from shoulder to wrist.

The term "sleeve" is a reference to the tattoo's size similarity in coverage to a long shirt sleeve on an article of clothing. In this manner, the term is also used as a verb; for example, "getting sleeved" means to have one's entire arm tattooed. The term "sleeve" is also sometimes used in reference to a large leg tattoo that covers a person's leg in a similar manner.

"Half-sleeves" or "quarter-sleeves" are tattoos that cover only part of an arm, usually above the elbow, but can also be found below the elbow. The term "sleeve" implies complete tattoo coverage of a particular area, so a "half sleeve" is a tattoo that covers the entire upper or lower arm. A "quarter sleeve" usually covers the area of skin from the shoulder midway to the elbow.

Sleeve tattoos are a collaboration between a tattoo artist and customer to demonstrate a personal and unified artistic theme. Other times, a sleeve is created when a person has many smaller tattoos on his/her arm and later has them "connected" with background tattooing to form a sleeve. Pre-planned sleeves generally require many long hours of tattooing and can take weeks, months or years to complete.

Some organizations have proposed rules banning sleeves among their members; the United States Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

 banned Marines from getting sleeve tattoos (or leg "sleeves") from April 1, 2007 forward (those who already had sleeves are protected under a grandfather clause

Grandfather clause

Grandfather clause is a legal term used to describe a situation in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations, while a new rule will apply to all future situations. It is often used as a verb: to grandfather means to grant such an exemption...

rationale). Nevertheless, tattoo sleeves have become so popular that several clothing companies have produced apparel that simulates the look of tattoo sleeves using transparent mesh fabric printed with tattoo designs.