02 / COVER-UPS
Not every change starts from scratch.
Perhaps you want a different subject, or perhaps there's a part of your tattoo you'd like to keep. Laura has worked with both ideas. These projects show how a composition changes when the starting point is a large dark tattoo, unclear birds, or balloons with a paper boat.
A NEW TATTOO OVER AN OLD ONE
Can you cover an old tattoo with a new one?
In some cases, yes. A cover-up is a new tattoo designed over an existing one to change what you see in that area. It isn't the same as touching up the design you already have, or removing the ink.
Not every design will work over every tattoo. The existing subject, colours and size, and the space available for a new composition, all need to be considered. Seeing a similar starting point can help you explain your idea, but it doesn't confirm what will work on your skin.
Compare a few different starting points: lettering transformed into Chihiro and Haku, Chusi’s dark ankle tattoo reimagined as Hecate in watercolour, a small design that became an anchor with flowers, or a large, dark tattoo turned into a horse and a portrait in colour. Each story shows Laura's work on that particular project.
BEFORE AND AFTER
From black ink to flowers.
See how purple flowers change this area of the arm, while other elements remain part of the tattoo.
Slide the circle to compare. You can also use the arrow keys.
Before and after photographs of the same project.
Open the before photo · Open the after photo · See Laura's post
COVERING A LARGE TATTOO
A different composition for the same space.
Laura transformed a large, dark upper-arm tattoo into a composition featuring a horse and a portrait in colour. The stencil shows how the two drawings relate: the new design isn't going onto bare skin, but over shapes and colours already taking up space.
See the before, stencil and result ↗Cover
When you want the old subject to stop being the focus of the tattoo.
Redesign
When you want to change how your tattoo reads and make room for another composition.
Keep
When there's still something you love and want to carry into the new piece.
A PROJECT THAT KEPT PART OF THE ORIGINAL
The boat stays.
The scene changes.
In Balloons, Laura kept the paper boat and expanded the scene with a hot-air balloon, moon, wave and watercolour washes. The little boat gained colour and became part of the new composition. Changing the tattoo didn't mean replacing every element.
This transformation shows what stays, what changes and how much more space the composition uses.
See the before, design and result ↗Before you look for a design
Do I have to cover everything?
That isn't always the aim. In Balloons, Laura kept the boat; in the feather project, she changed the subject. Explain what you want to leave behind and whether there's a part you still like. That distinction gives the conversation a clearer starting point.
Can black ink be covered with colour?
The horse and portrait project shows a colour cover-up over a dark tattoo. It's an example, not confirmation of what will work over yours. The existing drawing and its size are part of the assessment.
See the dark tattoo and its transformation ↗Can I keep it the same size?
Mention that limit from the start. In Balloons, the composition extends to the sides and below the boat; the stencil shows the difference. That's what happened in this project, not a fixed enlargement ratio for every cover-up.
Compare the original space and the new design ↗What if I want the tattoo removed and no drawing left?
A cover-up doesn't achieve that: it replaces the image you wear with another composition. If your aim is to remove pigment without adding a new tattoo, speak to a qualified tattoo-removal professional. This website shows tattoo work, not removal results.
What if I've already had laser treatment?
Mention that history when discussing your idea. Assessing a design doesn't replace medical follow-up or amount to advice to stop a treatment.
Is a tattoo cover-up the same as hiding it with makeup?
No. This page is about tattooing a new design over an existing tattoo, not hiding it temporarily with makeup, clothing or a cosmetic product. Those are different goals. If you mean protecting a fresh tattoo, that's an aftercare question, not a cover-up.
Read Laura's aftercare instructions (in Spanish) ↗If you want removal rather than a new tattoo, read the FDA's information on tattoo-removal options and results and speak to a qualified healthcare professional.
CHANGING THE SUBJECT
What should have been birds becomes a feather.
The original drawing was meant to show three birds, but read as three dark shapes. Laura transformed it into a large colourful feather. Follow the change from stencil to result: she didn't restore the birds here, but built a different subject over that part of the forearm.
Read the feather transformation ↗MORE STORIES FROM LAURA
From an old tattoo to a new story.
Cover-ups · Flowers · Watercolour
From a small design to an anchor full of colour.
A small tattoo on the abdomen becomes a larger design with an anchor, pink flowers and watercolour.
See the transformation
Cover-ups · Stitch · Watercolour
A dark tattoo. A Stitch full of colour.
Before, stencil and result: a small design near the ankle becomes a larger composition.
See the transformation
Cover-ups · Jellyfish · Watercolour
What if you no longer want those stars?
From dark stars to an underwater scene: the before photo, colour work and result on the same forearm.
See the transformation
Cover-ups · Watercolour
Cover a character with the same character?
From a small Totoro to a much larger composition with other characters, flowers and colour.
Read the story ↗FROM DARK INK TO COLOUR
The subject can stay. The look can change.
Do I want to keep the drawing, the subject or just one part?
Loving a character but wanting to change its tattoo isn't a contradiction. Ariel, Totoro, the owl and the balloons show different choices. The guide compares them to help you explain what you'd like to keep and how much you'd be happy to change.
Compare reworking, covering and removing ↗ANOTHER STARTING POINT
When the tattoo is still visible after laser.
When you want to leave some lettering behind
YOUR IDEA, YOUR STARTING POINT
What would you leave behind—and what would you keep?
Start with your current tattoo: a photo of the full drawing, the space it occupies and what you'd like to change. It also helps to know whether you want to keep any element and whether you're open to a larger composition.
Ask about my cover-up ↗