I have two full sleeve tattoos. It's a collection of smaller ones with a main theme on each arm.
That's pretty cool! I'm not a huge fan of tattoos but I can respect good ones.
Yeah, my friends arm is covered in tattoos, but it's not a real sleeve I keep telling him. It's not filled in, and there's a difference!
Oh really? I had no idea that there was such a distinctive difference.
Sleeve tattoo
A sleeve tattoo (or tattoo sleeve) is a large tattoo, or a collection of smaller tattoos, that has a unified theme, that covers most or all of a person's arm, usually from shoulder to wrist.
There is a difference between an arm covered in tattoos and a sleeve tattoo. A sleeve tattoo has a unified theme, whereas an arm covered in tattoos may have many tattoos of different styles that does not have an overall unity.
The term "sleeve" is a reference
. Asked about the public's perception of her full-sleeve tattoos, she said "I always felt strong and powerful about it, and I still do. But I try to keep my arms covered if I'm taking care of business -- I sorta wear a uniform according to what I'm doing. I want to get my business done quickly and easily, and I don't like having any hindrance or prejudice against me" (Vale and Juno 1989:125).
In her words:
Current works.