Skeleton snake and gothic arches: a blackwork sleeve

The skeleton snake winds from the shoulder down the arm, and its spine and ribs can be followed all the way to the hand. Gothic arches stand between the coils. The photos show the healed sleeve from several sides: in profile, from behind, at the elbow, on the shoulder and on the forearm.

2nd place for a healed graphic tattoo

In 2025 this sleeve took 2nd place in the healed graphic category at Tattoofest. The work is judged after healing, so its value only shows once the skin has calmed down and the linework and the black are still where they belong.

Black that builds the form

The bones on this sleeve read as light because deep black lies around them. The form comes from contrast, not from outline, so every vertebra stays clear from a few steps away. That kind of depth needs black that is packed evenly and light areas that are planned in advance.

A sleeve has to work from every side

You always see an arm from a different angle, so the design cannot have a single front. I draw the sketch by hand on paper and then lay it out on the skin with a marker (freehand), guiding the coils of the snake along the upper arm, the elbow and the forearm. One of the photos in the gallery shows this marking before the session.

The consultation and the sketch are free. See more of my work: blackwork and sleeves, and read how black holds up over the years on the healed tattoos page. I work in Warsaw at Good Sign Tattoo. To begin, get in touch.