04 / TATTOO REWORKS
You love the idea. You want to see it shine again.
Not every change means covering one tattoo with another. In this rework, Laura kept Ariel and worked again on the drawing and the colour around her. If you still like your tattoo, start by explaining what you'd like to keep and what you'd like to change.
THE SAME LITTLE MERMAID, A NEW APPROACH TO COLOUR
Ariel, before and after.
The character stays. The drawing, colour and surroundings change.
Keeping what you recognise.
With Ariel, Laura kept the pose, arms and direction of the tail. Red hair and greens and blues still help identify the character; around her, Laura worked with pinks, purples and turquoise. Compare those three features—hair, arms and tail—instead of looking only at how bright the colours are overall.
The little mermaid is still there. What changes is the drawing, colour and relationship with her surroundings. That's what this page means by a rework: returning to an idea you still want to wear, without necessarily turning it into another subject.
The subject can stay. Its space can change.
In this rework, Laura extended the watercolour above the hair, beside the body and around the tail. She kept the character, but the full piece took up more space. It's important to separate those choices: keeping the subject doesn't always mean working only inside its outline.
Those are two different decisions: which drawing you want to keep recognising, and how far you want the whole piece to reach. If you'd prefer a very contained change, mention that limit when you enquire.
See the before and after in the original video ↗ANOTHER REWORK, THE SAME SUBJECT
A small cupcake with a clearer shape.
For this cupcake by the wrist, Laura kept the idea and reworked its drawing and colour. She didn't switch to an unrelated subject: the base, bow and little details still come together as a cupcake.
If you still like your tattoo's original idea, this project may help you explain what you want to bring back and what you'd change about its appearance.
See the cupcake before and after ↗What would you keep, and what would you change?
Is a rework the same as a cover-up?
Here, reworking means returning to the drawing or colour while keeping the subject recognisable, as Laura did with Ariel. A cover-up starts with covering the old drawing with another composition, although an element may still be kept, like the boat in Balloons.
Is adding colour enough?
First, explain what you'd like to change. You might be thinking about the palette, the definition of part of the drawing or how its elements work together. Use a current photo of the whole tattoo, so the conversation starts with your composition—not simply with adding more colour.
Do I have to change the design?
That doesn't have to be your aim. Laura kept the little mermaid in this project. If you'd like to keep your subject too, start by explaining which features matter to you.
Does it have to get bigger?
In Ariel, the watercolour extends around the character. That doesn't mean every rework has to grow. Explain whether you want to keep its current size or are open to a different composition.
The before and after of Ariel's rework, from the same video Laura shared on TikTok.
Prefer a different subject? Explore cover-ups ↗Start with what you'd like to keep.
Prepare a current photo of the whole tattoo and another showing its position on your body. Add what you still like, what you'd change and whether you want to keep the same space. If you have an older photo, it may help explain the difference you see.
These references help Laura understand the change you're looking for and assess the design and scope of the work on your tattoo.
More help preparing your enquiry ↗A rework and a healed photo tell different stories.
Here, you can see a tattoo that has been reworked. To explore watercolour over the years, Healed tattoos brings together other examples: in that post, Laura showed Alice at eight years old and the tiger at two, both without touch-ups. A rework and a tattoo photographed years later are two different journeys.
See the healed examples and their ages ↗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 ↗YOUR IDEA, YOUR STARTING POINT
What would you like to see in your tattoo again?
Explain what you still like, what you'd change and whether you want to keep the current size. A photo from now and, if you have one, an older photo help show the difference you see.
Ask about reworking my tattoo ↗