Cover-up tattoos: what to expect before you book
How cover-ups work, why the new piece is usually bigger and darker, when laser fading helps, and which artists take them on.
A cover-up puts a new tattoo over an old one so the old one stops reading. It's one of the hardest jobs in tattooing, which is why it starts with a consultation rather than a booking.
Why the new piece is bigger and darker
Ink doesn't erase ink. The new design has to hide the old lines inside darker areas, texture and movement, so it nearly always ends up larger than the original and heavier in black. Styles built on dense black and shading, like blackwork, Japanese and black and grey, tend to cover best.
When laser helps
If the old tattoo is very dark or very large, a few sessions of laser fading first can open up far more options for the new design. A good cover-up artist will tell you when that's the better route.
What to bring to the consultation
- Clear, well-lit photos of the old tattoo, and the tattoo itself.
- Ideas you like, with an open mind: the old piece decides a lot of the shape.
- Questions about healed cover-ups the artist has done, not only fresh ones.