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.

The Cover-up

The interesting thing about tattoo cover-ups is how the artist chooses to use the space that is being covered.  It also depends on what the client wants as well.  Ideally the end result will be that the original tattoo is no longer visible, and for the most part that happens.  But what about that transition period?  The time when the cover-up starts, to when it is finished.  For large pieces with multiple sessions, this period could last weeks, if not months.  While this is going on something unique is formed, a blending of the two tattoos, where the old and new combine to make something uniquely beautiful.

An perfect example of this beauty is Siren’s chest piece.  With just the black outline and some shading done on the new skull tattoo, the bright colors of the old can be seen through the lines, resulting in a stunning image of a piece of art in transition.

Comments

24 responses to “The Cover-up”

  1. chokehold Avatar

    love her <3 and even though it’s not finished, i think it looks incredible like that.

  2. chokehold Avatar

    love her <3 and even though it’s not finished, i think it looks incredible like that.

  3. Nano Avatar

    I agree completely with Ru 🙂

  4. Nano Avatar

    I agree completely with Ru 🙂

  5. Adhara Avatar
    Adhara

    I had to look twice to make sure the coloring wasn’t intentionally like that. really pretty, even unfinished as it is…

  6. Adhara Avatar
    Adhara

    I had to look twice to make sure the coloring wasn’t intentionally like that. really pretty, even unfinished as it is…

  7. Alice Avatar
    Alice

    Gorgeous!

  8. Alice Avatar
    Alice

    Gorgeous!

  9. Ashley Ketchum Avatar
    Ashley Ketchum

    i didnt even realize it was a cover up before i read the stuff about it, i just scrolled over it and thought it was intentionally colored like that, thought it was beautiful. even now that i see it was a tattoo before, it still looks pretty cool.

  10. Ashley Ketchum Avatar
    Ashley Ketchum

    i didnt even realize it was a cover up before i read the stuff about it, i just scrolled over it and thought it was intentionally colored like that, thought it was beautiful. even now that i see it was a tattoo before, it still looks pretty cool.

  11. Steve Avatar
    Steve

    I get worried by things like this. If the person has already had a large and quite often visible piece of artwork in the past that they’ve regretted or changed their mind about, then what happens if they change their mind again in the future? I don’t have any tattoos at the moment because I just can’t commit to something so permanent. This isn’t a criticism of the girl in the picture, just a personal pondering.

  12. Steve Avatar
    Steve

    I get worried by things like this. If the person has already had a large and quite often visible piece of artwork in the past that they’ve regretted or changed their mind about, then what happens if they change their mind again in the future? I don’t have any tattoos at the moment because I just can’t commit to something so permanent. This isn’t a criticism of the girl in the picture, just a personal pondering.

  13. Beryl Avatar

    Honestly, I would keep it like that! The effect of the coloured tattoo underneath is quite amazing!

  14. Beryl Avatar

    Honestly, I would keep it like that! The effect of the coloured tattoo underneath is quite amazing!

  15. Siren Avatar

    Steve-
    the original tattoo was done horribly, as you can tell by the photo. That was my mistake by letting the artist in question, who had a good portfolio but no healed photos, do the piece. It was all good until it healed, then it was blotchy and the lines suddenly decided to squiggle and ‘blow out’-which I’ve since discovered is the case with a lot of the pieces that particular artist has done. The original chest piece was a memorial for a cat that I had for 19 years, from the day I was born. The coloring faded quickly, it was off-center, I was not pleased with it at all, especially considering it meant so much to me to have the piece to begin with.
    I had the original tattoo for roughly a year and a half to two years before I decided I just couldn’t stand it any longer. I decided that if I were to have a memorial tattoo, it had to be done right and not look like complete shit, so I will be having a new memorial tattoo done somewhere else on my body at a future date.
    Lance Norris at I-Drive Tattoo here in Orlando is the artist doing the new piece, and he is absolutely amazing as both an artist and a friend. I am incredibly honored to finally have a piece by him, and I will not be changing my mind in the future, the cover up is more than I could have ever hoped for.

    I was not pleased with the original piece and decided to cover it for both personal (since it was a memorial piece) and aesthetic reasons.

  16. Siren Avatar

    Steve-
    the original tattoo was done horribly, as you can tell by the photo. That was my mistake by letting the artist in question, who had a good portfolio but no healed photos, do the piece. It was all good until it healed, then it was blotchy and the lines suddenly decided to squiggle and ‘blow out’-which I’ve since discovered is the case with a lot of the pieces that particular artist has done. The original chest piece was a memorial for a cat that I had for 19 years, from the day I was born. The coloring faded quickly, it was off-center, I was not pleased with it at all, especially considering it meant so much to me to have the piece to begin with.
    I had the original tattoo for roughly a year and a half to two years before I decided I just couldn’t stand it any longer. I decided that if I were to have a memorial tattoo, it had to be done right and not look like complete shit, so I will be having a new memorial tattoo done somewhere else on my body at a future date.
    Lance Norris at I-Drive Tattoo here in Orlando is the artist doing the new piece, and he is absolutely amazing as both an artist and a friend. I am incredibly honored to finally have a piece by him, and I will not be changing my mind in the future, the cover up is more than I could have ever hoped for.

    I was not pleased with the original piece and decided to cover it for both personal (since it was a memorial piece) and aesthetic reasons.

  17. Siren Avatar

    There is also going to be a background to this piece that hasn’t been started yet on the sides of the piece, and further onto my collar bones/neck. Since as you can see on the left of the tattoo (left in the photo, at least)-the new tattoo does not completely cover the old on that side, since the old was off-center on my chest…and on the right top, the new tattoo doesn’t completely cover the tip of the original bird’s tail on my collar bone.
    It was a very bad tattoo and needed to be gone. Forever. Kill it with fire.

  18. Siren Avatar

    There is also going to be a background to this piece that hasn’t been started yet on the sides of the piece, and further onto my collar bones/neck. Since as you can see on the left of the tattoo (left in the photo, at least)-the new tattoo does not completely cover the old on that side, since the old was off-center on my chest…and on the right top, the new tattoo doesn’t completely cover the tip of the original bird’s tail on my collar bone.
    It was a very bad tattoo and needed to be gone. Forever. Kill it with fire.

  19. Mook Avatar
    Mook

    I completely understand the need to get a cover-up of a badly done tattoo as soon as possible. I had a massive black mess on my abdomen (which I do not miss one bit, mind you) covered by an awesome array of flowers. It’s pretty amazing how a tattoo artist can turn something you can’t stand into something you love.

  20. Mook Avatar
    Mook

    I completely understand the need to get a cover-up of a badly done tattoo as soon as possible. I had a massive black mess on my abdomen (which I do not miss one bit, mind you) covered by an awesome array of flowers. It’s pretty amazing how a tattoo artist can turn something you can’t stand into something you love.

  21. Kristen Avatar
    Kristen

    I think I actually prefer it the way it is now (she says tentatively, having not seen the finished piece). It’s really neat as is.

  22. Kristen Avatar
    Kristen

    I think I actually prefer it the way it is now (she says tentatively, having not seen the finished piece). It’s really neat as is.

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