Crowned Lion Upper Arm Tattoo

The lion's face is the anchor of this upper-arm composition. I joined the crown to the brow instead of leaving it floating above the head, then used the mane to carry shadow and texture around the curve of the arm. The lower edge stops deliberately on the upper arm, so the tattoo reads as a complete half-sleeve rather than an unfinished full sleeve.

Two sittings gave me six hours to keep the eyes, mouth, individual hairs and crown detail controlled without turning the darker areas into one heavy block. The result covers the upper arm without pretending to continue to the wrist. You can compare how other shapes use the same area on my upper-arm tattoo page.