Full sleeve tattoos are practically the pinnacle of body art, second only to full-back tattoos in terms of total surface area. They take a lot of work on the part of both customers and artist to do correctly and thoroughly. They also require a lot of planning and development before the ink even starts flowing. You've probably seen, and maybe even ogled at, more than a few full sleeve tattoos, and then spent the next several hours being regaled with a long story of every tattoo session. Maybe you even dream of having such a story. Half sleeves are also very trendy and with the proper design may look stunning!

The Best Full Sleeve Tattoos in Toronto

Chronic Ink Tattoo is one of the top tattoo parlours in the Toronto area, so we've seen it all and worked on most of it. Our pride for our ink comes out in everything we do and spills out into the world as our customers spread our skills far and wide. If our customers are happy with their tattoo sleeves, we're happy, and we love it when our customers tell their stories of endless sessions in the chair. A full sleeve is a big investment in more ways than one—they are time-consuming, can be expensive, and take up a lot of skin real estate, so to speak. You want the best if you're going to embark on this journey, and we want to be the best choice for you and your design. Sleeves are universal so there are many sleeve ideas for men, as well as sleeve ideas for women. As one of the best tattoo parlours in the Toronto area, we’re confident we can help you put your ideas in ink. However, we still encourage you to explore the many wonderful artists in our area to find the perfect fit for your style.

Deciding on a Design

Not even exactly sure what you want yet? The first place to go to find the best full sleeve tattoos is the internet. With a few quick searches, you can come up with hundreds of excellent— and some not-so-excellent—examples. Get inspired and do your research. There's a lot of information out there to sift through, and you can get a lot of inspiration from checking out photos online. Don't just look at the photos, either. Tattoos carry a lot of meaning and personal significance, and each tattoo is unique. Countless online resources help show the symbolism and deeper contexts for various designs. If you think you've got an idea, online resources can help you flesh them out even further. Sit down and make a list of ideas you’d like to incorporate and work from there. Sleeve art offers plenty of space to work in lots of small personal details if you wish to do so. Coming up with a primary image or theme is often the best way to start building a tattoo design, and you may change your mind a dozen times before you ever sit in a chair.

Choosing an Artist

Next, you want to visit several different parlours and check out their galleries. Not only is this a great practice to get more ideas, but you can sneak a peek into the work environment of each artist. Is the shop clean? What are their safety practices? Do you like their previous work? Every tattoo artist is their own person with a work style and an individual flair. Spend time finding the right artist whose vision matches your own, and someone compatible with you. After all, you'll be hanging out with them for a long time while you get your full sleeve tattoo done, so it makes sense to get to know them beforehand. A good tattoo artist is going to get excited about doing a full sleeve, and they're going to ask a lot of questions. They know that it's a huge undertaking, and you're paying for them to use your own body as a canvas for their art. They'll want to make sure you know everything about the process and what you have in mind, so don't be surprised if some of the questions are personal. Don't go to just one tattoo parlour unless you're sure that the artists there can match your vision. Always investigate more options, and page through as many galleries as you can. The last thing anyone wants is to have to sit through an expensive tattoo removal process after getting ink that wasn't right.

Perfect Your Design

Once you think you've found the right studio, be sure to consult with your artist extensively before settling on a final design. They'll walk you through the entire process and help you build and flesh out your sleeve idea. They're experts at this, and if they're any good, they'll have a lot of patience when you change your mind or have new motifs you want to add. Naturally, at Chronic Ink Tattoos, we think we're pretty good at this, and we're looking forward to getting your ink started. We've got years of experience with full sleeve tattoos and brilliant tattoo artists who are the best in the area. Body art is our thing, and we've got hundreds of gallery pages to prove it. But, if you find another studio or gallery that you prefer, we respect that and want you to choose the artist that is the best fit for you. It's your body, after all, and though we're honoured to be selected for your arm design, we'll understand if you go a different way or have a closer rapport with another artist or studio.