Originally posted on November 16, 2021 @ 6:00 am
Tattoo sleeve fillers are one of the best ways to fill out the empty spaces you did on your first tattoo sleeve.
If show-stopping bold tattoos are to your liking, then getting tattoo sleeves for your arms is a beautiful idea to make a statement.
When you get your first few tattoos, you might barely have any idea which tattoos you want to add to your tattoo sleeve. And that’s okay because we’re pretty sure you’ll eventually figure out your desired tattoo collection with your preferences.
However, as you start adding new collections to your tattoo sleeves, filling up the empty spaces left on your arms can get more complicated. This is why it’s essential to be strategic with the placement and combination of your tattoos for your desired sleeve. In addition, you will also have to consider the overall style, color scheme, and sizes of your tattoos.
For those starting on their tattoo sleeve collection, you’ll most definitely be going for the biggest and most prominent tattoos first when you first get inked. However, smaller blank areas on your skin will be harder to fill with just any tattoo design.
But you don’t have to worry about those awkward spaces with the aid of a traditional tattoo filler. After all, a great traditional tattoo sleeve filler will do wonders to your sleeve and make it look more put together.
Of course, you will have to get a traditional tattoo filler that matches the overall theme of your tattoo sleeve. But you don’t have to worry about not finding suitable fillers to fit your tattoo sleeves because there are plenty of sleeve fillers out there for you to mix and match accordingly.
For instance, if you have a traditional tattoo sleeve or two, you have plenty of choices for an American traditional tattoo sleeve filler designs to fill in the empty spaces on your skin. And if you have no idea what to do with the awkward gaps on your tattoo sleeves, then you may check out these ten traditional tattoo sleeve filler ideas that you can mix and match with your current tattoos down below.
Traditional Tattoo Sleeve Fillers:
1. Traditional Star-Speckled Tattoo Fillers
One of the problems you may face when trying to blend your collection of old-school tattoos is the bold linework present among them. Because of that, your challenge lies in trying to fill up the empty spaces with something that can offset the stark outlines of your traditional tattoos.
This is where star-speckled sleeve fillers come in handy. After all, their simple star and dotted designs look neat on your skin’s empty spaces without disrupting your tattoo collection’s mood at all. Overall, star-speckled designs are a great choice if you want simplistic pieces that allow your more significant elements to stand out and make your collection look flawless altogether.
2. Traditional Flower Tattoo Sleeve Fillers
Traditional floral patterns also serve as great sleeve fillers when incorporated well into your collection. After all, a lot of traditional tattoo sleeves aren’t complete without some floral touches.
In addition, flower tattoos are also one of the most commonly recognized tattoos among traditional American designs. This is because of their simplistic but elegant designs, intense line work, and distinctly saturated color schemes.
Moreover, floral patterns can provide your tattoo collection with a delicate balance. They also hold a lovely meaning to them. For instance, rose patterns often signify allegiance, love, and even beauty. With a variety of traditional flower tattoos to choose from, you have a lot of choices to choose from to match the aesthetics and even stories behind your tattoo sleeve collection.
3. Traditional Arrow Sleeve Fillers
Another well-known traditional tattoo is the arrow design. Outside of the traditional American tattoo genre, some arrow tattoos’ simple line art makes it a wonderful choice for those who want a minimalistic tattoo inked on them. This is what also makes them an ideal option as a traditional tattoo filler.
The direction an arrow faces, its respective placement, and its corresponding angle holds significant meanings. In addition, an arrow accompanied by a bow and other illustrations also adds more meaning to it. For instance, an arrow that faces the left or right side serves as a means of protection against evil, and an arrow pointing downwards symbolizes peace.
4. Traditional Bestial Tattoo Fillers
Including traditional animal tattoo fillers in your collection can give off that solid finishing touches for your comprehensive collection of tattoos. After all, you can choose from various traditional animal tattoos such as lions, bears, spiders, and wolves.
Just like most traditional tattoo designs, bestial tattoos also hold several meanings. Because of the rich stories and mythologies associated with these traditional animal designs, people prefer having an animal inked on their skin. And with an entirely black color scheme, you can get a darker overall feel for your collection of tattoos.
For instance, traditional bear tattoos are a popular choice among people to symbolize strength or fierceness.
5. Traditional Skull Tattoo Fillers
A classic skull tattoo design is a superb traditional tattoo sleeve filler if you wish to add a darker feel to your collection. After all, American traditional skull designs are both amazing as a prominent piece in your sleeve or as a gothic tattoo sleeve filler to fill in your skin’s blank areas.
Going back to the old times, skull tattoos are worn by sailors to symbolize one’s acknowledgment of certain death, which is part of the natural cycle of life. Overall, you should definitely consider traditional skull tattoo fillers to give your sleeve the finishing touches for a gothic look.
6. Traditional Dagger Tattoo Fillers
A dagger tattoo is a fantastic addition that depicts power and fighting. Often, they can also mean one’s strong ability to fight for what is right continuously. Moreover, you can even combine a dagger design with other imagery to give a whole new meaning to your tattoo.
One example is pairing a dagger tattoo with a heart design. This imagery symbolizes heartbreak, particularly when the dagger is piercing right through the heart design. On the other hand, a dagger impaled on an animal’s head means
A traditional dagger tattoo’s ability to be combined with other images for a varied meaning makes them a popular choice as a traditional tattoo sleeve filler.
7. Traditional Anchor Sleeve Fillers
Out of all traditional tattoo designs, the anchor tattoo is probably the tattoo with the most straightforward meaning. After all, anchors function to keep a ship steady in its area. And in real life, anchor tattoos represent one’s ability to remain grounded even among various challenges and uncertainty.
In addition, the traditional anchor design can also be paired with other designs to represent contrasting meanings or if you want to come up with a tattoo of your interpretation. Moreover, an anchor tattoo can also include a person’s name as a form of tribute.
8. Traditional Heart Tattoo Fillers
Considered as another timeless piece of design among traditional American tattoos, the traditional heart tattoo is another design that goes back to the sailors who wore these designs. Such a tattoo design allowed sailors to keep their loved ones with them when they journeyed through faraway places. This is also where the phrase “wearing your heart out on your sleeve” most likely came from.
In addition, traditional heart tattoos can also be combined with other designs to produce new meanings. For instance, crying hearts and hearts paired with daggers both depict broken-heartedness. Other than that, such imagery could also pertain to one’s ability to rise back stronger in the face of adversity.
9. Traditional Hourglass Sleeve Fillers
If you’re looking for a tattoo sleeve filler where you can incorporate your own story and meaning, then you should go for traditional hourglass tattoo fillers. The hourglass design might seem plain to you, but as a tattoo, they hold a deep meaning that can include your meaning as well.
The most common meaning an hourglass tattoo holds is about the progression of time, but they are also open to another array of meanings, according to the tattoo owner. And just like other traditional tattoos, hourglass tattoo designs are significant as the focus of your collection or as a tattoo sleeve filler.
10. Neo-Traditional Filler Tattoos
Suppose you’re looking for filler tattoos that are a bit more modern but can easily complement your traditional or American-style tattoos. In that case, neo-traditional sleeve fillers might be the perfect choice for you. This is because a neo-traditional tattoo sleeve filler combines traditional elements and designs with much newer concepts of tattoos nowadays.
After all, your traditional American tattoos are primarily created with bold lines and a restricted color scheme. On the other hand, neo-traditional tattoos offer more choices in terms of color and design. And with the modern and traditional design combinations found in neo-traditional fillers, you can create a balanced look that perfectly makes your tattoo sleeve put together.
Final Takeaways
American traditional sleeve fillers usually comprise simplistic designs such as stars, flowers, arrows, and the like that perfectly align with your old-school classic tattoo collection. And depending on the spaces left for you to fill in, you can choose from a multitude of tattoo sleeve filler designs, styles, and sizes that will complete your tattoo sleeve.
It might seem difficult to fill out the awkward and varying spaces left on your skin, but there are always options for you. After all, your choices aren’t that limited as you think it is. Whether it’s small intricately designed tattoos or minimalistic designs, you can always get helpful advice from your professional tattoo artist to help you fill the gaps.
