Mar 8, 20233 min read

Tips for Choosing the Perfect Tattoo Cover Up Design

Have you found yourself in the position of needing a cover up tattoo? It happens a lot more often than you'd expect. Maybe you've outgrown the meaning of the tattoo or are no longer friends with the person you got it with. No matter what the reason in, there are some things you should consider before getting a cover up.

Cover up tattoos camouflage the previous tattoo with a larger, darker, or more colorful design. Cover ups are tedious and require a more complex process than regular tattoos. Here are some things to consider.

CHOOSING AN ARTIST

The process of covering up a previous tattoo is often misunderstood by the general public. First of all, not just anyone can precisely execute a cover up. That means you should be even more careful when choosing an artist for a cover up than you would a regular tattoo.

Do your research! Choose an artist who has experience doing cover ups. Don't make the same mistake of going to someone random. Check out the artist's portfolio and don't be afraid to ask questions.

YOU CAN'T COVER UP A TATTOO WITH JUST ANYTHING

Not every tattoo can be easily covered. It's not as simple as slapping some black over the tattoo and hoping it does the job. The art of a cover up tattoo is that it should elegantly distract from the previous tattoo. Meaning it's going to have to be quite a bit larger than the original tattoo. If you're not looking to have a larger tattoo, you may want to consider tattoo removal instead.

Size, color, and age of the previous tattoo will impact the difficulty of covering it. An older, faded tattoo will be much easier to cover, granting you more flexibility with the design of the new tattoo. Color is typically easier to cover than black work - black will always cover color but color won't fully cover black.

Don't ask an artist to cover up your tattoo with some dainty line work, it won't work. Keep in mind that the artist may limit you to certain tattoo ideas depending on how large and dark your tattoo is. You'll need to be open-minded when discussing options with your artist and be prepared that your ideas may not work for a cover up.

If your tattoo is large and dark and you're not happy with the ideas your artist suggested to cover it with, consider getting a couple sessions of laser tattoo removal to lighten it, making it easier to cover.

COST

Some artists charge more for a cover up, some charge their regular hourly rate. Since cover ups need to be larger than the previous tattoo, it's likely they will be more costly. The price of your cover up will be dependent on a few factors - size, placement, and the artist's rate.

If you have a limited budget, many artists will be willing to work with you. For example, your budget may only buy 2 hours. In this case, the artist could get the outlining process completed and book a second session with you to have the tattoo shaded/colored.