Everything You Need to Know About Tattoo Cover-Ups

There are many reasons for people to want to cover their old tattoos. Some people have tats done by non-professionals that simply don’t look good. Other people no longer love “Shannon,” “Chris” or “Jim” and don’t want their names on their bodies. Still, others simply have old tattoos no longer significant to them, and they want a change. Whatever the reason, cover-up tattoos are a huge part of the tattooing industry.

Here’s what you need to know before getting one.

Know What You Want

One of the worst things you can do when you go to get a cover-up is to simply pick something off the wall or from a book. If this is your first instinct, that is probably what got you into the “I need a cover-up” situation in the first place. Take your time and do some research. Find something that means something and is going to resonate with you.

Furthermore, find a design into which your old tattoo can be worked. It’ll be a lot less work for the artist – and likely a lot cheaper and less painful for you – if he can work your old tattoo into a new design rather than having to use heavy color to try to cover over your old tattoo.

Pick the Right Size

Size is another important consideration when choosing to cover up tattoos. Your new tattoo must be larger on all sides than the original one you’re covering, so keep that in mind. Again, it’s best if the original tattoo can somehow be worked into the larger design of the new tattoo rather than simply covered up and hidden.

Choose the Right Colors

Getting a cover-up tattoo isn’t the same thing as painting over an old wall with a new color. The colors in your new tattoo won’t simply mask your original tat. Instead, the color of your cover-up and the color of the original will blend together, often forming an entirely new color.

For instance, if you’re covering a tattoo done mostly in yellow with a new tattoo that is red, the resulting color will likely be an orange color instead. However, most decent tattoo artists won’t recommend using light, bright colors to cover your old tattoos anyway. They will insist you stick to darker colors, such as blue, black, brown and dark grays and greens.

That’s because darker colors do a better job of covering your old tattoos. Light colors like yellow, orange, pink or even red will often allow the old tattoo to show through the new one. Furthermore, the darker your original tattoo, the darker your cover-up is likely to be. This doesn’t mean you can’t use bright colors in your new cover-up; you can. The artist will simply have to be very specific about placing the darker parts of your new tattoo in the areas that cover the darkest parts of the original.

Find the Right Tattoo Artist

Finally, the most important part of your cover-up process is finding the right artist. Not every artist can do good tattoo cover-ups. Don’t just walk into the first tattoo shop you see and pay to have one done. Do your research. Shop around. Talk to others who’ve had cover-ups done and see who they recommend. Picking the right artist is the single most important thing you can do when getting a cover-up because a good artist will make all the difference.

Ready For The Ultimate Tattoo Cover-Ups?

At our shop, you will find the most talented and award-winning tattoo artists in South Florida, Visit one of three locations in Miami and get your bad ink fixed! And make sure to follow us on our Instagram page for a chance to win a $1,000 tattoo and more exciting prizes.