The popularity of getting "inked" or tattooed is having a resurgence worldwide. Young and old people have found tattoos as a means of self-expression aside from its decorative effects on the body. Technology advancements in pigments and equipment have allowed the creation of high quality monochrome and multi-colored tattoos with a high level of graphical detail.Tattoos as a form of body art has been elevated into a contemporary art form starting from the 90's. Exhibitions featuring photographs or printed designs of the tattoos called "tattoo flash" became pervasive. In some visual art exhibitions, people with tattoos are actually lined up to showcase the works of the artist. Tattoo Flash is now the prevailing portable media used in tattoo art. A lot of this is found on now the internet and can be downloaded and printed. This can then be shown to the artist as a pattern for one's desired tattoo.
With the difficulty of having a portable media like a canvass. Tattoo art exhibits get limited to displaying photographs of subjects and the use of flash prints. There is of course losses in the three dimensional attribute of the art work. Tattoo artists also make use of the contours of the body and the curves of the muscle as a design element. This can easily be appreciated when one sees a full sleeve tattoo on a muscular arm versus a print. The artistic effect of a colored cobra or dragon coiled around an arm is lost if it is only seen as a print out or a photograph.
In the past couple of years, a new fashion or novelty item has been introduced in the market called a tattoo sleeve or tattoo arm warmer. This is made of a thin stocking like stretchable material that is then printed with tattoo art. When worn on the arms, these sleeves blend well with the contours of the arm. The design looks very authentic since it is skin tight and the stretching of the fabric brings out the three dimensional effect of the subjects in the tattoo sleeve design. The raging wolf or the fearful skull in the tattoo sleeve design stands out when the biceps flex or when the arm is fully stretched.
The wearable tattoo sleeve has been used by some tattoo artists to mass produce their designs and make it a pop culture commodity. Many kids and adults want the "inked" look but would not want to go through the pain of getting inked. The wearable tattoo sleeve is the answer. This makes it as a fashion accessory that can be worn and matched with one's get up. And last but not least, the wearable tattoo sleeve provides a new media to exhibit tattoo art, at least for the full arm length designs.