Cover Up Advice

[hallious]

Hey all,

Sorry if there's already a thread for these kind of questions, but couldn't find anything after a quick search.

A good friend of mine desperately wants to get a cover up of a tattoo he had done by a mate back when he was 17. Thing is, he's gone into a few shops here in London and has pretty much been laughed off the premises. Is this a normal thing? Do tattooers and parlours frown upon the idea of a cover-up?

So now he doesn't know what to do and feels like a bit of a tool for even asking.

I was just hoping for some advice from the Last Sporrow community and/or some recommendations of tattooers in the UK who will at least listen to what he wants/has to say rather than making him feel like a d**k!

Cheers all

[marley mission]

"friend" ;)

[hallious]

Haha.

Yeah. I only have two tattoos and I love both far too much to cover them up.

[marley mission]

wish we could see said tattoo

its probably awesome and should be left be

[ian]

Send your friend to Stewart Robson @ Modern Classic Tattoo, I've seen him do some amazing cover ups. At the least he might be able to give your friend some real advise ssuch as lightening the tattoo with a couple laser sessions before he goes in for the cover up, that way the tattooer has a little more freedom...

[tatB]

Is the tattoo funny or is he asking for an impossible cover-up?

I have no personal experience with shops in London. But the key is to go to a reputable and professional shop. Has he visited any of the shops (Black Garden and Family Business) you've been tattooed at? or places like Frith Street, Seven Doors, or Modern Classic?

[hallious]

Cheers for the replies.

I sent him the way of Family Business but they weren't very helpful.

He's been in touch with Matt Black at Good Times and he seems to be on board so maybe the problem is sorted!

Thanks again for any advice - I've sent him the way of Stewart @ Modern Classic as well so he has another option.

[SStu]

maybe his expectations are just laughable . . . ??

Matt or Stewart are both excellent choices.

[SeeSea]

I also vote to see the tattoo. Pretty rude to be laughed out of several places if it's a serious request.

[hallious]

I don't have a photo of it to hand, hence why I didn't include it on the original post.

Suffice to say it's a 3/4 finished, half sleeve, tribal piece done by one of his mates when drunk. It didn't come out so well, as you might imagine.

The guy has been wanted it sorted for years but didn't have the money to get it done properly until now.

[marley mission]

Suffice to say it's a 3/4 finished, half sleeve, tribal piece done by one of his mates when drunk. It didn't come out so well, as you might imagine.

i like it already - i vote keep it

[Ks706]

i like it already - i vote keep it

As they say now days: this made me lol

[Colored Guy]

3/4 of a 1/2 sleeve.. the math alone is fucking with my head... coverups are a big source of revenue for most tattoo shops.

[marley mission]

3/4 of a 1/2 sleeve.. the math alone is fucking with my head... coverups are a big source of revenue for most tattoo shops.

thats a 3/8 sleeve c'mon now

[truckfighters]

Would it be wrong for me to highjack this thread with my own coverup question due to the fact I cannot create threads yet? The main reason I signed up is to ask about it. But I would eventually like some ideas on new art when I get some money. I'm going to go ahead and post my pic.... It's not that I don't feel the same way anymore about the massage my simple little tattoo is conveying, I just need something less controversial on my arm for "water related activities." I've had it for 7 or 8 years now and if my parents ever saw this they would disown me. I've considered just filling in the top portion but then I'd just have a skull on my arm which is even more stupid than what I have. Here it is:

I was going through a super anti-religious, blasphemous phase when I got this. I also got a Darwin fish on my other arm. I'm open to any ideas how to cover this with something artsy/metal music related/ even more skull related. I've thought doing something Dark Tower related since that's such a bad ass series.

[DJDeepFried]

That's rad. I say keep it. In another 7-8 years you might love it.

[purplelace]

Is it the upside down cross? Any one who is religious will know that Peter asked to be crucified upside down because he deemed himself unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as Jesus. Which is why the upside down cross is often referred to as St. Peter's cross. I know of a few Christians who have this cross tattooed, in honour of Simon Peter.

Spot the girl who had forced sunday school religious teachings until mid teens lol some stuff stays with you.

Edit: Just thought you'd like some positive info about the upside down cross.

[Kimmie]

I don't have a photo of it to hand, hence why I didn't include it on the original post.

Suffice to say it's a 3/4 finished, half sleeve, tribal piece done by one of his mates when drunk. It didn't come out so well, as you might imagine.

The guy has been wanted it sorted for years but didn't have the money to get it done properly until now.

When you say covered do you mean changed to something else or fixed so it looks like a proper tribal? If he's trying to turn a big, bold, black tattoo with no definitive shape into something else, it's no wonder he's being laughed at. But if he just wants to finish it and have the lines cleaned up, unless it's super jacked up it should be doable. Tell him to research artists that either specialize in tribal, blackwork, or cover ups.

I'm open to any ideas how to cover this with something artsy/metal music related/ even more skull related.

How big is it? Maybe you could have it turned into a sugar skull/day of the dead type deal?

[truckfighters]

How big is it? Maybe you could have it turned into a sugar skull/day of the dead type deal?

Hey Kimmie, it's about 3.5" long x 3" wide. And yes that's something I could look into as far as the main portion of it. I'd like to "expand" it as well with some interesting/trippy designs.

- - - Updated - - -

Is it the upside down cross? Any one who is religious will know that Peter asked to be crucified upside down because he deemed himself unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as Jesus. Which is why the upside down cross is often referred to as St. Peter's cross. I know of a few Christians who have this cross tattooed, in honour of Simon Peter.

Spot the girl who had forced sunday school religious teachings until mid teens lol some stuff stays with you.

Edit: Just thought you'd like some positive info about the upside down cross.

Yes it is the upside down cross. And I did not know that! Unfortunately, I got it for the opposite reasons. As in, not a positive reason. I got it to show my negative opinion of Christianity. But I know don't want that aggressive message on me. It isn't right, and don't want the controversy in public.

I really like skulls, I just don't want just a generic skull tattoo. I'd really like to incorporate some really weird artwork around it. I'm obsessed with space, aliens, and music. I just need to go into a shop and tell someone this. Will artists come up with designs based on your interests?

I've had a lot of trouble getting back on this website for some reason. Kept getting a "404 Not found" message.

[OutOfIdeas]

I just need to go into a shop and tell someone this. Will artists come up with designs based on your interests?

I've had a lot of trouble getting back on this website for some reason. Kept getting a "404 Not found" message.

That's the best way to do it! The more control you give the artist, the better.

Also, the site was down for maintenance.

[MarvelAvengers]

That looks faded enough that it can be covered, but expect to do it with something at least twice its size and some detail to break up the pattern. Color is your friend. I just had this done, I have 1 more session but almost done

[Perfect favors]

I would say to get some laser removal done so that there is more freedom for the tattoo artist.

It would be hard to cover up some thick black lines without lightening it a bit first.

But definitely talk to an artist before doing anything!

[mactattoo]

Plenty of artists with booths at the convention in NYC earlier this month were advertising cover-ups and wouldn't have laughed at anyone asking.  Great people. 

[truckfighters]

Being laughed out of a place is something that concerns me. I still haven't gotten any work done but now I really need to since my gf's family is super bible thumper. Re-posting my images as I see they are gone. Seeing if any new ideas can pop up. Thinking something space related like a nebula or planet in front of a nebula, etc. for skull. And could the Darwin fish be turned into a cool UFO??

 

 

[omeletta]

If you like skulls, check out the tattoo of the month contest from December: