Cover-up tattoos

There are many reasons why people choose to cover up an existing tattoo, including:

✔ Faded or Poorly Done Tattoos – Some older tattoos don’t hold up over time, leading to blurred lines or faded ink.

✔ Outdated or Unwanted Designs – Styles change, and a tattoo that once felt perfect may no longer suit you.

✔ Name or Relationship Cover-Ups – If you have a tattoo of an ex-partner’s name, a cover-up can replace it with something fresh and new.

✔ Bad Placement or Size – If your tattoo no longer fits your aesthetic, a well-designed cover-up can help. A lot of people feel like their early tattoos are too small and timid later on.

✔ Upgrade & Improve an Old Tattoo – You don’t have to fully cover an old tattoo—enhancing or reworking it can breathe new life into the design.

Cover-up tattoos offer a second chance at getting the tattoo you truly want, without the need for laser removal.

Covering an existing tattoo requires strategic planning and expert techniques to ensure the old design is completely hidden or blended into the new artwork. Here’s how the process works:

☻ Step 1: Consultation & Design Process – Discuss your ideas and have a custom design created for you by Tyson. Review the design with Tyson.

☻ Step 2: Come Get Tattooed – At our cozy, private studio in downtown Orangeville.

☻ Step 3: Aftercare – Follow a few simple steps to ensure a vibrant and solid finished product.

☻ Step 4: Touch-Up – Though usually not necessary, a quick touch-up a few months later is available where needed.

A well-executed cover-up tattoo transforms your old ink into a stunning, brand-new piece of body art.

Not all tattoos are equally easy to cover up. Certain factors influence how effectively an old tattoo can be concealed:

✔ Size & Placement – A larger cover-up tattoo may be necessary to completely disguise the original ink.

✔ Color of the Existing Tattoo – Darker tattoos may require more layers or darker shading to fully cover.

✔ Age & Fading of the Tattoo – Older, faded tattoos are easier to cover than newer, heavily saturated designs.

✔ Design Flexibility – Some cover-up tattoos blend elements of the old tattoo into the new design for a seamless transition.

During your consultation, Tyson can help determine the best approach to ensure your new tattoo looks flawless.

Cover-up tattoos are highly customizable, but certain aspects are especially effective at concealing old tattoos:

Colours – Shading & Depth

Colour pigments are usually made of larger particles that can help mask unwanted ink while creating a sophisticated new design.

✔ Best for: Most cover-ups.
✔ Why Choose It? Colour pigments are more opaque than grey.


Textures – Busy Patterns Maximize Concealment

Textures like leaves, bird feathers, fish or dragon scales and animal fur or human hair can really help over-power an old design .

✔ Best for: Most cover-ups.
✔ Why Choose It? An interesting texture can cover a lot without having to resort to lots of solid black.


Contrast – Balancing the Composition

Balancing a dark, cover-intensive area of a cover-up design with a lighter high-key area can make the new tattoo look more natural and less obviously like a cover-up

✔ Best for: Concealing something very dark or bold.
✔ Why Choose It? If the new tattoo is big enough, balancing light and dark areas strategically can do wonders.