Tattping.Cover-Ups

Cover-Ups
Cover-up is a term that refers to the technique of freshly tattooing a design right over an already existing tattoo. This is done in such a way that the new tattoo will totally cover over or completely hide the original tattoo. This is usually done because the first design is no longer wanted and a new and better one can be placed over it Oftentimes, crude tattoos done by mistaught tattooists eventually become uncomely eyesores to the owners and they wish to change the situation. A good tattooist that understands cover-up can change their whole outlook. Because covering up tattoos is an art in itself, it should be seriously studied because a goodly portion of income can be marie by doing this. Believe it, a good living can be made by covering up other tattooists’ bad mistakes, and unfortunately, there is a lot of it around to do





The real key to doing good cover-up work is taking the time to correctly choose the nght design A perfect covering design must be right in many aspects and meet several requirements. It has to be a large enough design to more than hide the okl tattoo. It must havesubstantial dark areas, like lots of shading, to make theold tattoo disappear under it.
And. on top of all this, the design should be pleasing and acceptable to the customer, have some sort of point of interest (like a head or claw) to draw t he eye away from the actual cover up area Eventually, the tattooist will use a lot of imagination to invent new designs to cleverly cover-up old ones, making each one a custom tattoo. But it is still worthwhile, especially in the learning stages, to review some traditional standards popularly used in one form or another to achieve excellent cover-up success.
To start with, the heavily black shaded wings spread, are common cover-up themes. Justabout any old design may be hidden in the shading of wings, vet the head or claws (or whatever else that might be added on) will detract the eye from the old design (nowcovered up)and will creates brand new tattoo. When finished, the customer will be proud of it instead of ashamed.?
The great feathered tails of peacocks, the dark flowing hair of a Gibson girl or the draping folds of a grim reaper’s cloak are also great design ideas capable of disguising even the worst of tattoos. It’s easy to imagine an old tattoo getting lost and hidden in these designs and still have plenty of artistic license leftover to put a personal touch on any one of them. Since every cover-up will In? slightly unique, it will be hard to find designs "right out of the box" to cover every situation. This means that designs will have to be modified or acjjusted accordingly to fit the job. Maybe a design is perfect but too small, so get it enlarged, or a customer wants a peacock to cover an unusual tattoo, so draw in extra feathers to cover it sufficiently. Be flexible with the chosen design and be brave to change a few lines as the case demands, and eventually, a good eye will be developed to assess the job and provide sure solutions with a minimum of wasted time.

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With a good foundation now in what is supposed to be accomplished, the artwork itself isn t all there is to be concerned with. There are a few things to be considered about the actual tattooing process of cover-ups aiso. For instance, obviously, an old tattoo already has plenty of ink in the skin 10 begin with but while tattooing another design over it, it is an easy thing to forget. The general rule to remember is to not overdo the shading or coloring when tattooing directly over the old design (because it must be kept to a minimum on an already saturated area). Apply just enough of the new ink to lose the old design under it and then stop, A major mistake is to get carried away when it is not really needed. It is surprisingjust how little ink is actually needed to successfully cover-up an old tattoo. Too much ink will really spoil a new tattoo and too much ink means too many holes in the skin and could quite possibly leave bad scar tissue There is no need for excessive grinding of the machine into the skin you won t get more ink in there, anyway. The lighter the touch, with just enough ink to do the job, is the way to gee a superior looking tattoo. If a sharp eye is constantly used to see what is being developed, over-doing it won't suddenly creep tip on you and progress can be steadily monitored.
The Chapter on Names and Letters should be studied so the beginning tattooist will learn right away the correct procedures when doing inscriptions. Unfortunately there are just too many tattooists around who know nothing about this and it will be their work which will come to you in need of improving, like a rotal cover-upjob. Many of them will be old girlfriends' names that were tattooed on in a sudden whim. The only positive thing coming out of this is that most names are usually done small and can be covered up fairly easily. This is good for everyone concerned, being inexpensive for the client and a fast turnover for yourself. There is an unlimited amount oHrieas to be used to hide names in. Sometimes the name is within a banner or nag, and the customer might want to keep theoriginal design, but wishes only to be rid of the name in the banner. The name can be reworked into a bunch of flowers and leaves and still maintain much of the original design.





Sometimes, customers may show-up wanting advice in having a tattoo removed, but a little talking on your part may persuade them more towards a #«d cover-up than actual surgical removal Oftentimes, a good looking tattoo will be more what thev wanted in the first place. It is worth taking the time toshow them what vol. can doand usuaMy they will decide to go for a cover-up. A good professional can take a depressed

This old tattoo needs a serious cover-up
The design is stenciled over the unwanted tattoo
The completed cover-up. A major improvement


Coyer-up tattooing is a real artistic challenge. The customer presents a problem, and it is up to you to provide a solution. It is exciting because it keeps you sharp and flexible, and the mind is always being taxed to come up with good solutions that are both acceptable to the customer and meeting all the requirements to do the job correctly.