Style 06 · One of our core specialties — send a clear, well-lit photo of the existing piece.
Cover
Ups
A cover-up is a design problem before it is a tattoo. The old piece sets the darkest value you have to work with, and everything new is drawn around that constraint. Done properly, nobody looks at it and sees a cover-up — they see a piece that happens to be dense in the right places.
The discipline
What separates good from bad.
We will tell you straight what is possible. Some pieces cover cleanly in one design. Some need a session of laser lightening first to open up the value range. Some are better rebuilt as a larger piece that absorbs the old one. What we will not do is promise a light, delicate design over solid black.
Photographed
On skin.
No photographed example on file
No cover-ups piece has been photographed for the archive yet, so none is shown — a neighbouring style's plate is never borrowed. Ask at consultation.
Fit
Who it suits.
Subject matter
Dense, high-contrast designs — ornamental, botanical, animal and horror subjects that use dark mass as part of the drawing rather than fighting it.Skin tone
Assessed in person against the existing ink. What is coverable depends far more on the old piece's density than on skin tone.Scale
A cover-up is almost always larger than the original — typically one and a half to two times the footprint, because the new design needs somewhere to put its light values.Who it is for
Anyone carrying work they no longer want, who is open about the size the fix actually requires.
Placement
Where it lives.
Wherever the old piece is
Placement is dictated by the existing tattoo. The design adapts, not the location.Forearm and upper arm
The most common cover-up locations and the easiest to expand into.Shoulder and back
Most room to grow the new design outward, which is usually the cleanest solution.Ankle and wrist
Hardest cases. Limited room to expand, so laser lightening first is often the honest recommendation.
What to expect
How it gets built.
01
Send a clear photograph first
A well-lit, straight-on photo of the existing piece in natural light. It is the only way to assess density before you come in.02
The assessment is honest
You get a straight answer on what covers, what needs lightening first, and what the realistic size is — before a deposit is taken.03
Plan for more than one sitting
Cover-ups run denser than fresh work and are usually planned across multiple sessions. The estimate comes at consultation.
Cover-Ups