The do's and don'ts, the how's and how much
It's safe to say that one of the very first things the art of tattooing is characterized by is permanency. Every time anyone got a tattoo, in any point in history and any place in the world, one of the realities this person was confronted with before, during or after getting the work done, was the fact that this is forever.
People make decisions based on who they are and where they are at a given time. Most of the times, this is a decision that will be cherished for the years to come as a loved piece of themselves, but sometimes it just won't. Sometimes that decision in the past was the right one for the moment but the wearer changed so drastically that no longer feels in alignment with what the tattoo represents. Or the decision was made without taking other factors in consideration and those factors showed up in the future. Or maybe the decision was right but the execution was not. And then other times, both the decision and the execution was right but the passing of time did what it does to tattoos.
No matter the journey, it is very common to want to change that past decision, but because tattoos are permanent, there are only two ways to go about it. The past few years, completely removing a tattoo has become possible by laser treatment. It takes several sessions and the pain is reportedly much greater than getting a tattoo, however the results can be astonishing. The other way has been around for as long as tattooing exists and it is that of the "cover up". Most tattoos can be covered up with another tattoo and in most cases this is the desired solution people go for. The differences between the two options are as follow:
Laser treatment
-Laser treatment is the best option for people who regret getting a tattoo whatsoever. The point in this case is not just to cover a wrong decision or bad execution but to get rid of tattoos entirely.
-Laser is also perfect for removal of tattoos that may affect a persons life, like facial tattoos for example.
-The other great reason to go for laser treatment is in order to make a cover up tattoo more flexible. Cover ups need to follow certain technical and artistic rules to work (that I am going to cover below) and the more faded the old tattoo the easier it is to cover it. So in some cases it might be recommended to have a few laser treatment sessions first and then follow with a cover up tattoo.
Cover up tattoo
-In the cases of people who regret a specific tattoo for artistic or personal reasons, but overall like being tattooed, a cover up is the best solution.
-Some people need to cover a tattoo because due to the passing of time or poor care, it faded or blurred out so much to the point that the wearer doesn't like how it looks anymore. A very common request is to have those tattoos "revamped" but most of the times they want them covered with either something entirely new or a more modern version of the theme of the old tattoo.
So lets find out what both artist and client need to consider in order to design a cover up tattoo!
Can any tattoo get covered up
Yes, almost any tattoo can be covered up. The general rule is that the new tattoo needs to be at least double the size of the old tattoo but that depends on a lot of factors. For example, a tattoo that is very faded because it’s very old or has had a few laser treatments can be covered by a tattoo of the same size . On the other hand, there are tattoos that are so dark, and in such a placement that the new tattoo needs to be two or even three times bigger. Every tattoo cover up is a unique case, but it’s good to know so that you are prepared, that the new tattoo will be a larger tattoo.
How can I cover up my tattoo?
So second, very important general rule about coverups is that all the black and dark parts of the old tattoo must overlap with the black and dark areas of the new one. Keeping this always in mind the artist will design the new tattoo accordingly. As an example, I recently covered an old banner tattoo with a Gothic witchy style moon, and a bat. The banner is under a black moon and the main focus is the bat. In that case however, the client was interested in her new tattoo to be bigger than the old one so we made it about four times bigger. This is a situation that is very easy to deal with because restricting space is not an issue. When the client doesn’t want a much larger tattoo, that’s when it starts to become complicated as the options in choosing a theme and design become very limited.
The goal of a cover-up tattoo is to not look like a cover-up tattoo. A successful cover-up looks like the new design is the first and only tattoo in the area and completely covers the old tattoo without giving it away.
What is the easiest/hardest tattoo to cover?
Small or faded tattoos are the easiest. For small tattoos as long as the client understands that the new tattoo must be bigger, the options are endless. What I suggest to my clients who want to cover a smaller faded tattoo is to think of themes and concepts they wanted tattooed on them, regardless of the cover-up at hand. So instead of having a minimum coverage cover up, have a larger scale tattoo they would have in the future anyways. But of course, this is only one of the options. Even when the client wants to have the minimum size of a tattoo that will cover an old tattoo, the options may be much more limited but are still plenty.
Can I cover a colour tattoo with a black and gray tattoo?
Black and gray tattoos are done by diluting, black ink in distilled water to create different shades of gray. This means that those shades are not solid colour so they can’t cover ink that is coloured. The best option to cover a colour tattoo is another colour tattoo. In this case the artist will take colour theory into consideration, so that the new colour doesn’t turn out muddy or even a completely wrong shade after inserted on top of the old ink. As for the opposite, covering a black and gray tattoo with a colour tattoo, it is possible, but in that case it depends on what colour lands on the gray shade as light colours wouldn’t cover it as well, while darker colours would.
Are cover-up, tattoos more painful?
Yes and no! The answer to that varies among clients. Generally as long as the old tattoo is fully healed for many years then the new tattoo won’t be more painful than it was in the first place. If it's only a few months old then usually it does hurt more than the original tattoo. However it is a good thing to keep in mind that since the cover-up needs to be larger, and all the dark areas of the old tattoo need to be covered thoroughly, It will, consequently take longer and heavier work to finish.
Do all tattoo artists do cover ups?
No, they don’t. And that is absolutely normal and acceptable. You cannot expect everyone to be good at everything and even if they are, you can’t assume they enjoy it too. Personally I enjoy doing them because I see them as a challenge. I also love to see the clients happiness after the tattoo becomes history. So I usually do not decline coverups. However, when I post a design of mine that I really enjoy, I rarely choose a client who also needs a cover-up, simply because that design being premade wasn’t composed with the purpose of a specific older design to be covered so the cover would fail.
Some tattoo artist never do cover ups, and some specialize in it, even specifically doing cover up as a career choice. A good way to go about it, is to go through an artist portfolio and see if they have any cover-up tattoos. It’s always mentioned in a tattoo caption if it is and most of the times, they will include a picture of the old tattoo. When they don’t include the old picture it is because the client didn’t want that for personal reasons but if you can’t tell from the “after” picture, then it was a successful cover-up. So if you find an artist, you enjoy their work and they happen to have lots of cover-up tattoos message them with a picture of your old tattoo and ask if they have openings and would be willing to work with you. You can always try contacting artists with little to no coverups in their portfolio because you never know. The worst thing that will happen is they’ll just let you know they’re not interested.
Be aware that a cover is a very complicated design process, so reception of your request my vary from “I absolutely I would love to do this” to “I’m sorry, no way on earth and I’m dealing with this”. Which takes us to one more very common question: the cost.
Is it more expensive to cover a tattoo?
Depends! So, as mentioned earlier, the new tattoo has to be larger than the original, which means it will cost more due to the size. After that, it depends on everything mentioned above. If you decide to have a much larger piece that will very easily cover the old tattoo that only occupies a very small area of the new tattoo, then you are most likely going to be charged what you would be charged anyways if this wasn’t a cover-up.
However, if it’s a complicated cover-up, that will need extensive work to create a design that will have all its dark areas and lines, completely aligned with the old ones without it being visible then yes, it will cost more than what a tattoo of the same size would normally cost. It will take the artist a considerable amount of time more, to figure out the best possible way to make the new design work within the restrictions, than it would if there was nothing of the sort to have in mind while designing.
What is a blast-over tattoo?
A tattoo blast-over is when the new design is applied over an old tattoo without the purpose of covering it. Usually a blast over will be a very bold design with thick defined lines that will make the old tattoo look like a background tapestry. It works best when there’s much contrast between the two, so a black thick design or a bold colour design, over an old and faded tattoo is the best combo.
The blast-over is the best alternative to a cover-up when the tattoo that needs covering is large, however it’s a very specific aesthetic. It might not be what people are looking for when they need a cover-up. Personally, I love the look of blast-over tattoos and believe they work best in a large scale, like an old colour sleeve that has lost its definition or a black and gray sleeve that has faded.
Final thoughts
Now that we went through a lot of the topics to learn about and take into consideration when looking for a cover up, you should be able to understand the process and it's limitations much better!
Furthermore I would like to add a disclaimer about everything I wrote above. All this is based on the knowledge I personally have acquired over the years. But all crafts are evolving over time, so different artists may have a different opinion and different way of tackling specific subjects like cover ups in that case. Some artists will agree with everything I've written and some won't. You as a client will make the choice that works for you.
And I know, navigating the tattoo scene as a client can be extremely hard due to the large number of artists, their vast range in craftsmanship and unfortunately the dissonance between media self presentation and actual skill. This is why I encourage you to delve into this incredible art and learn as much as you can about it. Even if you don't plan to get that many tattoos or ever a cover up, learning about the history of tattoos, how the industry works, how the craft works in an artistic and technical level will only be a win for you.
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