Want the look of a full tattoo sleeve without the commitment or pain? For cosplay, costumes, or just for fun, Fake Tattoo Sleeves offer a fantastic temporary solution. Forget messy body paints or expensive temporary tattoo paper. With just a few household items, you can create realistic-looking tattoo sleeves in minutes. This guide will show you how to make your own DIY fake tattoo sleeves using nylons and Sharpie markers – it’s easier than you think!
Why Choose Fake Tattoo Sleeves?
Fake tattoo sleeves are gaining popularity for their convenience and affordability. Here’s why they might be the perfect choice for your next project or event:
- Budget-Friendly: The supplies are incredibly cheap! You might even have everything you need already at home. This is a significant advantage over costly temporary tattoo paper or professional body painting services.
- Rapid Creation & Minimal Mess: No need to wait for paint to dry or deal with messy application processes. Sharpie markers dry instantly, making this a quick and clean DIY project.
- Beginner-Friendly Artistry: You don’t need to be a professional artist to achieve impressive results. Simple designs and patterns work just as well, and templates are readily available online.
- Realistic Appearance & Comfortable Wear: These sleeves move naturally with your skin, creating a surprisingly realistic tattoo effect, especially from a distance. Many people are fooled into thinking they are real tattoos! The flexible nylon material is much more comfortable than stiff temporary tattoo paper or layers of body paint.
- Unexpected Bonus: You get to enjoy a snack! A Pringles can is a key tool in this process – more on that later.
Creepy sleeves made from nylons for tattoo application
Things to Consider Before You Start
While fake tattoo sleeves are a brilliant DIY solution, it’s good to be aware of a few limitations:
- Fragility: Nylons are delicate and prone to tearing or snagging. Forearms, in particular, are exposed to a lot of friction and contact throughout the day. While perfect for a weekend event, they might not withstand long-term or very active use.
- Skin Tone Visibility: Unfortunately, this technique may not be as effective on darker skin tones. Sharpie ink is somewhat transparent, so the darker the underlying skin, the less visible the tattoo design will be. For bolder designs on darker skin, fabric paint or body paint might be better alternatives.
- White Ink Limitation: Sharpies don’t come in white ink, and the ink is transparent. White areas in your design will remain the color of the nylon (which will be close to your skin tone). You can leave white spaces in the design, and they generally look fine, but truly white sections are not achievable with this method unless you carefully add fabric paint, which is not covered in this tutorial.
- Ink Transfer: Sharpie is considered permanent, but on nylon and with skin contact, some ink transfer to clothing is possible, especially with friction and sweat. This is usually manageable, particularly with lighter-colored or bleachable clothing, but consider this when choosing your outfit.
Gather Your Supplies
Ready to create your own fake tattoo sleeves? Here’s what you’ll need:
- Pair of Nylons: Sheer nylons work best as they are thin and allow the marker ink to show through clearly.
- Scissors: For trimming the nylons.
- Tape: To secure your design template to the Pringles can.
- Set of Sharpie Markers: Choose colors based on your desired tattoo design. Black is essential for outlines, and various colors can bring your tattoo to life.
- Printed Tattoo Designs: Find designs online or create your own! Print them on standard 8.5 x 11 paper to use as templates. Here’s a link to Newt Kaiju tattoo designs if you need inspiration.
- Bracelets (Optional): To neatly conceal the edges of the sleeves at your wrists for a more polished look.
- Empty Pringles Can: This is your secret weapon! The cylindrical shape and sturdy material make it the perfect surface for drawing on the nylon sleeve.
Supplies needed to create fake tattoo sleeves: nylons, scissors, tape, sharpies, printed designs, bracelets, and a Pringles can
Step-by-Step Guide: Creating Your Fake Tattoo Sleeves
Let’s get started on making your DIY tattoo sleeves:
1. Prepare the Nylons
If your nylons have a pantyhose section, cut off the legs. You’ll only need the leg portions. Slip a nylon leg onto your arm, like you would a sleeve. Cut off the toe section so your hand can pass through. You can also trim the top of the sleeve if needed, but start conservatively – you can always cut more, but you can’t add it back! You should now have a basic nylon sleeve on your arm.
Nylon leg cut and placed on arm to form the base sleeve
2. Design and Transfer
Tape your printed tattoo design template securely onto the Pringles can. The can won’t be as wide as the entire design, but that’s okay. The Pringles can provides a stable, curved surface that mimics the shape and size of an arm, making it ideal for drawing on. Roll the nylon sleeve over the Pringles can, positioning it over your template. If your design is longer than the can, simply roll up the excess nylon and adjust the sleeve and template downwards as you work on different sections.
Design template taped to a Pringles can for easy tracing onto the nylon sleeve
3. Coloring the Design
Start coloring your design onto the nylon using Sharpie markers. It’s recommended to begin with colored areas first and then outline with black. This prevents the black ink from accidentally contaminating the lighter marker tips. Remember how yellow markers always seem to get black tips? Nylons are thin and can shift, so use short, dabbing strokes or dots to apply the ink smoothly and prevent stretching or smudging the nylon.
Once you’ve colored the visible section, remove the template. Flip the template paper to the blank side and reattach it to the Pringles can. This clean paper background will help you spot any missed areas in your design. Fill in any gaps you find. Since the paper template likely didn’t wrap entirely around the Pringles can, you might need to freehand a small portion of the design where the template didn’t reach – typically the back of the arm.
Coloring the tattoo design onto the nylon sleeve using Sharpie markers
4. Finishing Touches and Wearing Your Sleeve
Carefully remove the nylon sleeve from the Pringles can. Gently put on your new fake tattoo sleeve! You’ll notice the tattoo design ends abruptly at the wrist. To create a more finished look, use bracelets to artfully cover the sleeve edges where they meet your skin.
Completed fake tattoo sleeve worn with bracelets to conceal edges
Enjoy Your Temporary Ink!
Congratulations, you’ve created your own amazing fake tattoo sleeves! They are perfect for adding an extra layer of detail to your cosplay, completing a costume, or simply experimenting with the tattoo look. Now, reward yourself for your crafting efforts and enjoy those Pringles you’ve earned!
