A black-and-white photo of a person mid-air in a Superman-style body suspension pose, supported by multiple hooks in their back and legs, smiling joyfully toward the camera. They are suspended horizontally in a large indoor space with high ceilings and visible rigging. A group of onlookers—some seated, some standing—watch with expressions of admiration, amusement, and support. The atmosphere is lively and communal, capturing a moment of shared experience and transformation.

Are you sure you’ll always love Xmas, Arthur?

Seriously, I love that someone was so caught up in the holiday spirit that they went and got themselves tattooed as a walking Christmas and New Year card! That said, the tattoo is pretty piss-poor, so it’s a good thing they were able to go and get this great cover up by Ben Boston at The Tattoo Studio in Bristol, UK… Definitely a massive improvement!

Xmas Tattoo Coverup

Comments

31 responses to “Are you sure you’ll always love Xmas, Arthur?”

  1. ookumbubbleoo Avatar

    I hope my tattoos coverup as well as this guy’s did :X

  2. joe Avatar

    thank god he had enough sense to cover it up! and i really hope he was seriously pissed when he had it done!

    MERRY XMAS EVERYBODY!

  3. Kna Avatar

    I got this pic off Ben on my Xmas card 😉

  4. gato Avatar
    gato

    good idea on the cover-up bro-seph… the old tats look like they were done by someone who was just beginning to learn how to tattoo… i can’t imagine liking christmas that much… or even christ himself… i’m not religious… soooo i worship the grilled cheese sandwhich… seems about as credible… and oh so edible… hmmm i like to savor my savior… since he is, in fact, quite yummy… haha… feliz navidad

  5. Lydia Avatar
    Lydia

    Wow, what a ridiculously amazing cover up.

  6. ÈMþRê§§ Avatar
    ÈMþRê§§

    Totally amazing cover-up. I hope he gave the second tattooist a great big hug 🙂

  7. L1ZZARD Avatar

    Thank goodness tattoos can be covered up.

    Happy Giftmas!

  8. Chrissie Avatar

    Thank god that could be covered up =D Although it is pretty cool that he got so wrapped up with Christmas that he wanted to say it all year round….. What a fantastic coverup!!

  9. Masticate Avatar

    HAHAHAH i love it! I absolutly love it hahahahhahaah that must be the most original tat ever no matter how baddly done it was… You can also see how much weight the guy gained from tat to cover up! … I like the dragon

  10. curryelvis Avatar
    curryelvis

    You’ve got to be kidding. These look like two different guys. One looks about 3-4 inches taller than the other and has differently shaped deltoids. Did he have his upper torso shortened in height at the same time? But close inspection shows the same tats on the arms. So how did this happen?

    But the dragon tat definitely rocks. Amazing

  11. toast Avatar

    Don’t think he’s gained much – just he’s got his haunches up in the first photo, lifting his ribcage so it’s more stretched out, he looks way more at ease in the second.

    Up to you if you append the credit for that to the way-better tattoo!

    That said, I do now want to see someone with a well-done all-year Christmas tat 🙂

  12. mpatshi Avatar

    I’m so glad he got it covered up in stead of lasered away!

  13. lala Avatar
    lala

    Wow. That’s just…..wow. xD

  14. Dagon Avatar

    Wow. Definately tattoo money well spent for that coverup.

  15. julio Avatar
    julio

    This looks great, but for some reason I have this feeling that all cover-up tattoos should be strictly thick black.

  16. blue Avatar

    hahahhahahahha awesome!

  17. areku Avatar
    areku

    I’m wondering if he got the Merry Christmas one on a dare or a bet or something. Just as likely as the holiday spirit bit. Either way, I’d have to say. Piss-poor job for that first bit of work. Much better cover-up.

  18. Prim8 Avatar
    Prim8

    Gorgeous cover up!

  19. Rosoe Avatar
    Rosoe

    Thank god for cover-ups

  20. Scurvy Avatar
    Scurvy

    Good thing they didn’t fuck up the cover up!

  21. Lily Avatar

    aw i think he should have just redone the christmas theme.
    Where does a dragon come into play during the birth of our lord and savior?
    It doesnt!

  22. the_logic_of_crocodiles Avatar

    toast: the singer of a band called “daughters!” has a christmas tree tattooed on his arm. i guess that counts 🙂

  23. smallsparklyone Avatar

    Someone correct me if I’m wrong but these look kinda like prison tattoos. Mike ‘chopper’ Read has got a lot of these random sentences on him, so maybe that’s why the first lot are so poor? Brilliant cover up work though!

  24. the guy that did the cover-up Avatar

    hey folks. Yup, I did this. Took 42 hours to cover, approx 2 hrs a fornight. Top geezer, apparrently him and 2 of his mates had it done; I don’t know how long the other 2 took to do anything with theirs, if at all…like to find out tho…

  25. lilish Avatar
    lilish

    A coverup this good gives me faith about mine. Black’s a bitch to cover, even with some lazer zapping.

  26. killy Avatar
    killy

    I have to wonder what made him think he’d want to have a christmas card tattooed on his back for the rest of his life…great coverup.

  27. HarleyCol Avatar
    HarleyCol

    Well thanks, all! Yes, I do look as if I’ve gained a lot of weight between start and finish of the cover up, but I haven’t – I guess its more to do with the second pic being taken with Ben’s camera in more of a close up view.

    As for the original tattoo, it was done when I was 17 or 18, back in the 70′s. Like most people that age I didn’t really take the time to think things through properly!

    Took me 30 long, embarrasing, years before I found a tattooist with the skills, patience and imagination to do a cover up I’d like. It also had to be someone I got along with (I guessed I’d be spending a lot of time with whoever it was!!).

    Lucky for me, I eventually found Ben at the Bristol Tattoo Studio. The end result says it all.

  28. miseriacanticle Avatar
    miseriacanticle

    The cover up is amazing, you would have never thought it was covering such a horribly done tattoo.
    Kudos for the fun Christmas idea though, not many other people would consider doing that ^_^

  29. rob and georgina Avatar
    rob and georgina

    fantastic job just what we would expect to find from a great artist like ben.

  30. HarleyCol Avatar
    HarleyCol

    Thanks, Rob and Georgina – Ben is now using his talents in covering up my arms…….. I’ve no idea how he does it so well. As you say, great artist.

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