A sleeve or a back piece is a project, not an appointment. The people happiest with theirs a decade later planned it as one. This is how the studio approaches large-scale work.
One idea, not ten
The strongest large pieces have a single concept with room for supporting elements, rather than a collection of unrelated tattoos crowded together. Decide the theme first: a subject, a story, a mood. The details, backgrounds and connecting work grow from that.
The consultation
Large work always begins with an in-studio consultation. Bring references for the subject and the style, and photos of the arm, back or chest you want to work on, including any existing tattoos that need to be incorporated or covered. You will leave with a plan for the composition, the order of sessions and the cost.
Flow and the body
A sleeve wraps around a limb that bends and twists, so the design is planned in the round: the main elements sit where they read best when your arm is relaxed at your side, and background and filler carry the eye across the joints. Back pieces are planned around the spine and shoulder blades; chest pieces around the collarbones and the centre line.
Sessions
Expect several sittings of a few hours each, spread over weeks or months, with each area healed before the next is worked. Outlines usually go in first, then shading and detail. Between sessions the piece can look unfinished; that is normal.
Budget and deposits
Large work sits at the top of the studio’s published ranges (US$500 to $4,000 and up for pieces from 10 inches), quoted per session or for the whole project at the consultation. Each session needs its 50% deposit and the balance on the day. Plan the money before you plan the design, and there will be no pressure to rush or to cut corners.
Looking after it between sessions
Each session is a new tattoo to heal: keep it out of the sun and the sea, follow the aftercare, and arrive at the next sitting with healthy, healed skin. Sunburn or a scabbed, picked area means the session gets postponed.
Patience
A sleeve done well takes months and looks right for life. Start with the consultation, and send your concept to open the conversation.
Keep reading
How to choose the right tattoo placement
Pain, visibility, ageing, clothing and the shape of the design itself all pull in different directions. A practical way to decide.
How much do tattoos cost in Jamaica?
The studio’s published ranges by size, what moves a price up or down, how deposits and consultations fit in, and why the cheapest quote is rarely the best value.
How tattoo cover-ups work
What can and cannot be covered, why cover-ups are bigger and darker than people expect, and how the studio plans one across sessions.
Kingston, Jamaica
Have something in mind?
Let’s talk about it. Tell Soulraven the idea, the placement and the size, and send your references in WhatsApp.