Cover-up Tattoos

It’s really great what can be covered up today. Not only is it possible to cover old or unwanted tattoos, it is also possible to cover scars, stretch marks, and even some birth marks.

The thing about a cover up tattoo is that it should not specifically just “cover up” what is underneath it. A big black square is not going to make your unwanted piece any less noticeable. What a successful cover up should do is completely distract your eye from what is underneath. Basically we need to put something much more interesting going on on top of it. This works well because it gives your eye something to look at as well as distracting from the 3D effect that is often present in scars and stretch marks.

Some good examples of cover up material would be the following:

  • Birds/Feathers
  • Skulls
  • Flowers/Plants/Vines/Trees/Naturalistic items and Landscapes
  • Fish/Lizards/Dragons/Scaled animals
  • Bio Mechanical designs
  • Abstract images
  • Oriental style waves
  • Bricks/Rocks (as part of a scene)
  • Hair (as part of a figure or animal)
  • All these things have textures or organic patterns to them that help distract the eye from what is underneath. These are not your only options, but rather examples of images that are not systematic or geometric which means they can be manipulated for the best kind of cover up.

I believe anything can be covered up with the right design. It’s just a matter of finding that design. These pieces are best drawn on free hand at the time of the appointment. That way we can make sure they not only fit well but distract without appearing to be doing so.


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