Someone else having it isn't necessarily a reason not to get the tattoo--if anything, a tattoo as inherently silly as that is aided by the fact that it truly is a marker of a certain lifestyle. Not unlike the gang tattoos it resembles, actually.
Anyway, guys, I really like the way sleeve tattoos look, and I think I'd like to get one in a year or two. How do I go about finding original sleeve artwork? Do I need to talk to people who have sleeves done and meet some artists? I don't have very many friends with tattoos; how do you get to know tattoo artists in your area? Would it be silly of me to have a half or full sleeve be my first tattoo (i.e. should I get something else, smaller, somewhere else first?)?