Tattoo Cover Ups
Do you have your ex’s name on your collarbone, Winnie the Pooh on your bicep (sorry, Josh), a misspelled word on your thigh, or a Chinese character on your lower back that means nothing?
The real question is, what do you do when you are done with a tattoo?
The time comes for many of us when, for one reason or another, we just want our ink gone. When this happens, you can:
Remove it (we’ll talk about that another time).
Conceal it. You can wear long pants or sleeves for the rest of your life, but eventually it’s going to get hot! There are also a number of products on the market to help you cover up your ink: makeup, temporary flesh-colored tattoos, etc. Some are better than others (we’d love to hear what works for you and will do a product review in another post), but, while concealing a tattoo might be a great short-term solution, it really doesn’t make sense in the long run.
Deal with it. Rather than go through the hassle, most of us just deal with our poor past tattoo choices. We chalk them up to being young, remembering the past, or whatever we have to say to make ourselves feel better.
A better option – Cover it up! If you find a really, really good tattoo artist (or even better, a cover-up specialist), the good news is that, in most cases, you can cover up your past mistake with fresh art. Here are a few things you should know before going down this path.
- Find the best. Covering up an old tattoo is completely different from tattooing on unmarked skin. It takes a special eye, and special skills, to make the new art look good. Would you see a podiatrist if your had a toothache, right? Ask around and call around to find an artist who specializes in cover-up work.
- Be realistic. Depending on the color, size, location, and prior scarring, you may still be able to see a hint of the old tattoo behind the new one. Your artist should be upfront with you about what to realistically expect and what designs you should be thinking about.
- It’s gonna be big. A proper cover-up tattoo is going to be about three our four times the size of the original tattoo.
- Be flexible. The size, color, and shape of the old tattoo will influence what is possible with the new design. You should have an idea of what you want your new tattoo to look like, but don’t be too depressed if your artist pushes back on your vision. You’ll need to try to find a design that offers a lot of coverage. Highly detailed designs that include things like scales, feathers, or a lot of shading tend to work well. Solid black designs are especially hard to cover.
- Don’t be cheap. Because this type of work needs to be customized to you, it takes more time and effort and requires a seasoned artist. The bottom line: this ink will cost you some more.
If you’ve had a good cover-up, email us at tim@tattooshopfinder.com with a photo and the name of the artist. We’d love to share it with others!
Photo Credit: https://flic.kr/p/s533nW
August 2015
Tattoo Cover Ups
Tattoo Mistakes
Bad Tattoos
August 19, 2015
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