Last year I went to a shop in Portland for a cover up on a bad name tattoo from my 20s. I wanted them to just pack heavy black over the whole thing, but the artist stopped me and said it would look like a blobby mess in five years. They suggested using negative space and some gray wash to break it up, and I was pretty skeptical at first. I ended up letting them do a koi fish with open water around it, and now I actually get compliments instead of people asking what it used to be. Has anyone else had an artist talk them out of their original plan and it worked out better?
Paid $400 for a 3-session laser removal plan that barely faded the ink, then got a $200 dark floral sleeve coverup that actually hides it completely and looks way better.
I was at a consultation with an artist in Portland who told me that zapping the old ink a few times first can lighten it enough to use way more color options. He showed me a photo of a sleeve where they did three laser sessions on a dense black tribal piece before covering it with a koi fish. Has anyone else tried this method or is it just another upsell from the shop?
I tried laser removal on a small anchor tattoo on my wrist and after 3 sessions and $200, it barely faded. I was so frustrated that I almost gave up. Then my artist suggested a dark floral piece over it and it looks amazing now. Has anyone else found laser removal was a waste compared to just planning a good cover up?
Honestly I thought the old butterfly was small enough that a cover up would be simple. My artist used this deep dark purple and black to hide the old lines and now the mandala takes up half my forearm. It's been 2 weeks and I'm still getting used to the size difference. I learned that even a faded tattoo needs way more space than you think to look good. Has anyone else had a cover up come out way bigger than you planned?
The laser tech swore 3 sessions would zap it but after one I just had a red splotch and lighter letters, so I bailed and let some random artist blast a dark floral piece over it in an hour flat, has anyone else found laser to be a total money pit compared to just hiding the thing with ink?
My artist finally convinced me to do a $350 geometric sleeve over my ex's name and now I barely see the letters unless I squint in direct sunlight, has anyone else waited way too long to cover something that was eating at them?
My artist told me to do 3 laser removal sessions before covering up my ex's name, but I thought I could just go dark. Now you can still see the letters poking through my new design and I'm out another $400 fixing it. Anyone else cheap out on prep and regret it?
I had this ugly tribal arm band I got when I was 19, figured I'd just slap a koi over it. Took me three sessions over 6 months cause the old ink was so thick and dark, the artist kept having to pack in color. He ended up using a mix of deep blues and oranges to hide the lines, and we did a dark water background to blend it all together. Anyone else run into old ink that just refuses to budge under a cover up?
I had this big black tribal band from 2006 on my forearm and wanted to cover it with a floral sleeve. My artist at Lucky 13 in Austin said I needed at least 3 laser sessions first and I was honestly pissed, thought he just wanted more money. But after 2 sessions the lines faded like 70% and the peonies he did over it actually look clean instead of muddy. Has anyone else had a coverup that needed multiple sessions to come out right?