Tattoo
Cover up
Cover up
Things to consider
before committing to
a coverup.
Tribals are the most common tattoo people ask to have covered. In the late 1990s and even in the early 2000s, tribal tattoos were the thing. Today many people are trying to laser them off completely or cover them up with something more meaningful.
The problem with tribals (unless it’s just an outline) is that they are usually very densely filled in with black ink and stay dark for many years. Compare that to an old, cute dolphin tattoo whose blue has faded and whose thin lines now look light grey: a tribal will be with its owner “till the grave.”
When a client asks me to cover up a tribal, I first assess whether it can be lasered (if the skin isn’t tanned) and suggest they go for laser treatment first. The lighter the old tattoo, the easier it is to cover with something nice and detailed. The darker the tattoo, the more sessions will be needed, and most likely a very dark design too. This is why some people give up and go for a blackout cover-up.
When a client asks me to cover up a tribal, I first assess whether it can be lasered (if the skin isn’t tanned) and suggest they go for laser treatment first. The lighter the old tattoo, the easier it is to cover with something nice and detailed. The darker the tattoo, the more sessions will be needed, and most likely a very dark design too. This is why some people give up and go for a blackout cover-up.
Here is an example (see above this text) of a tribal tattoo that had a few laser sessions before I covered it with a lion. In this case, the client wanted to dedicate his sleeve to his family, and I had a great space to work with. Since he really wanted a sky with light breaking through the clouds, I advised him to lighten the old ink first so there was less chance of it “peeking” through the new design. Luckily, his skin and the old ink reacted well to the laser, and the tribal was light enough to cover with a grey wash.
In this photo the tattoo is a few months healed. The blue-ish ink of an old tribal is still slightly ever so visible, however once the new ink is aged it will also have blue tone and old tattoo will not be seen at all.
I will probably add more white ink in a few spots over the next few months to make sure even less of the tribal is noticable.
In this photo the tattoo is a few months healed. The blue-ish ink of an old tribal is still slightly ever so visible, however once the new ink is aged it will also have blue tone and old tattoo will not be seen at all.
I will probably add more white ink in a few spots over the next few months to make sure even less of the tribal is noticable.
How do you find an artist who will do a great cover-up?
You can try googling “cover up near me” or “best cover up tattoo in (insert your city).” However, it’s important to first know what style of tattoo you are after. Research the tattoo studios in your city, and when contacting a studio or a specific artist, make sure they have examples of cover-ups they’ve done and that you like the results of.
Artist should have at least a few cover-ups in their portfolio for you to see. And don’t forget to ask for a healed example too! Freshly covered ink always looks very impressive and can be misleading because it hasn’t had time to settle and potentially 'reveal' old ink (if it wasn't covered well).
Artist should have at least a few cover-ups in their portfolio for you to see. And don’t forget to ask for a healed example too! Freshly covered ink always looks very impressive and can be misleading because it hasn’t had time to settle and potentially 'reveal' old ink (if it wasn't covered well).
Are there cover-up tattoo specialists?
Yes and no. Nobody sets out to be a cover-up specialist when they start their tattoo career. Most artists want to excel in one or two specific styles first. Cover-ups are something only a very experienced artist can do successfully, after several years of tattooing and ideally with a great mentor by their side.
Do all cover-up tattoos have to be big?
As you can see in the picture below of a rose and I did many years ago, a cover-up can be small if the original tattoo was also very small. For example, covering up an ex-partner’s name is a very popular request, and it usually takes the least time to cover (if a name is only 1-2 inch long). Often it can be hidden under a flower or a bird.
Here are a couple of examples of cover-ups with black and grey and colour flowers. Hiding tiny ink in a dark petal usually does the trick, as no one looks at the petals as much as at the flower itself.
Here are a couple of examples of cover-ups with black and grey and colour flowers. Hiding tiny ink in a dark petal usually does the trick, as no one looks at the petals as much as at the flower itself.
Colour Tattoos
and Cover-Ups
and Cover-Ups
“Can you cover a dark tattoo with colour?” is another popular question I get asked a lot. The answer is yes, you can cover up dark tattoo with colour in some cases.
Like with any old tattoo, the artist will need to assess it:
Win win.
Like with any old tattoo, the artist will need to assess it:
- how much free space/skin there is around it
- and what style of tattoo you are after.
Win win.
Black and grey shading or colour for a cover-up:
what works best?
Black and grey shading works great on tattoos that are just outlines or very, very light (due to ageing or laser tattoo removal). See the example where I covered the outline of a cupcake with a bear cub.
Luckily, the old design sat perfectly in the darkest part of the cub, and to draw attention away from that area I also added a few butterflies, so the viewer automatically looks up at the bear’s face and then at the butterflies.
However, many tattoos that are very dark and densely coloured are best covered using colour ink. Colour ink can also be in grey tones, of course.
The difference between grey wash and colour ink is the density and richness of the pigment. If you have ever painted, you will probably know the difference between watercolours and oil paint, so I would compare watercolour to grey wash and colour ink to oil paint.
Unfortunately, if you have to use colour ink, it will most likely take longer, to go over stubborn old ink and hide it completely.
However, many tattoos that are very dark and densely coloured are best covered using colour ink. Colour ink can also be in grey tones, of course.
The difference between grey wash and colour ink is the density and richness of the pigment. If you have ever painted, you will probably know the difference between watercolours and oil paint, so I would compare watercolour to grey wash and colour ink to oil paint.
Unfortunately, if you have to use colour ink, it will most likely take longer, to go over stubborn old ink and hide it completely.
Can you cover my tattoo?
If you would like me to do a coverup for you please send photo of your tattoo and reference ideas to my email: askstudio58@gmail.com
To see more examples of the coverups that I have done you can find on my instagram @dika_o_real in the highlights Coverup .
To see more examples of the coverups that I have done you can find on my instagram @dika_o_real in the highlights Coverup .
P.S.
Of course, there are other styles apart from realism and watercolour that you can use to cover your old tattoos. However, since I didn’t want to steal anyone else’s work, I’ve only used my own as examples of cover-ups on this page.
IMPORTANT: Every coverup is unique and requires to be discussed and carefully planned.
If you have any questions about an old tattoo you want to cover, get in touch.
I love a challenge!
#tattoocoverupcarlisle #carlisle #cumbria #carlisletattooshop
Photography credits: Dreamstime.com and Studio 58. Studio 58 retains all rights to these images.