It’s happened to the best of us: you have a few drinks and decide that it would be a great idea to let your friend handpoke a tattoo that reads “BEER” on your leg. Or maybe your ex-boyfriend’s name is taking up valuable space on your arm. Whatever – you have a tattoo you want to cover up.

Tattoo cover-ups can come out very well, as long as you follow a few simple rules:

1. Black is the only color that is truly opaque in tattoing. All other colors have a certain amount of transparency. This means you need to forget any ideas about covering your tattoo with white. Any tattoo you get will have to be bigger, darker, and bolder than the original. You will not be able to cover your black tribal with a yellow sun!
2. Fur, feathers, scales, waves, complex organic flowers… pick a subject matter that could incorporate a lot of pattern and texture. This will allow for a lot of black shading and shadowy areas. But don’t bother asking to cover a tattoo with lettering or black graphic elements – any black against the skin that uses positive space will probably not work.
3. Think about what you would want if you could get any tattoo. If you hate what you have, but really like tattoos, then put some thought into it. You need to find somebody really good and let go – let them do what needs to be done. Refer to earlier articles here. Obviously the decisions that you made before were terrible, so open your mind a little to what the tattoo artist has to say.
4. You probably won’t be able to pick a design off the wall, or online. Your tattoo artist will need to draw you a custom design or at least modify an existing one.
5. Don’t try to go small. Go big! The smaller the tattoo, the less effective it will be as a cover-up.
6. Be patient – a good cover-up may take a few sessions. It will often work better with layered colors and tones, and this takes time. Sometimes if you go over the color in a tattoo after it is healed it can make a big difference.

Perhaps the ideal solution would be to completely remove the tattoo. Laser tattoo removal is an option, albeit an expensive, painful and imperfect one, for removing a tattoo. Although we have never seen a tattoo be completely removed, a skilled technician can get very close. Using laser to lighten a tattoo, on the other hand, is great idea before you get a cover-up. It will give you exponentially more cover-up options.

Also, do you hate the concept or the tattoo? Maybe you don’t need to get your tattoo covered-up, just reworked. If you let somebody good in on it, you might be able to turn a lame dolphin your got on the jersey shore into something kinda awesome.

Have a good cover-up story? Share!

Part Three: What To Expect

OK, so you’ve found an accomplished tattoo artist and you have a great idea for a tattoo. Congratulations! You’re probably super excited, but also maybe a little nervous. Will it hurt? Of course it will. Someone will be poking you with a needle. There will be blood! But everyone has a different tolerance level for pain. What feels like a little scratch to you may cause your friend to fall out of the chair. So be prepared: get a good night’s sleep and don’t show up on an empty stomach. Also, do not drink alcohol or ingest any substances that will interfere with your body’s ability to adapt to the pain. (Not to mention, if you show up drunk they probably won’t tattoo you.)

Don’t stress about the pain though. It really isn’t that bad and it doesn’t last – your tattoo should not hurt afterward. Keep it clean and moisturized, and it will heal itself in about two weeks. Speaking of cleanliness… this is probably obvious to our readers (god I hope!), but for the sake of common courtesy please take a shower the day of your appointment. Someone will be sitting very close to you and touching you…. think about it. You’d be surprised how many people do not. Gross.

If you are happy with your tattoo, give the artist a tip. I am often asked about this – YES, tipping is appreciated. Most tattoo artists, unless they own their own shop, are paying a percentage of their earnings to the owner, so it can make a big difference. Like a hairdresser, tips are a part of their income. It’s not necessary to tip 20% every time; an extra $10 or $20 is sufficient.

That’s it! Have any questions or need any advice? Send me an email at diana@omfgstyle.com. Oh yeah… a gift certificate to your favorite tattoo shop is a great gift idea. Happy Holidays!

Part Two: Style and Substance

In my first post, I discussed the importance of finding a good tattoo artist before you get your first tattoo. That’s obvious. But on to a more difficult discussion—what are you getting? You probably already have a very specific idea of what you want, but it might be a good idea to understand the limitations of tattooing before The Little Prince becomes a permanent fixture on your body.

First, think about size. Many people want their first tattoo to be small, understandably. But keep in mind that the smaller the tattoo, the simpler the design should be. A tattoo the size of a quarter should only have a few lines. This is because your skin is not a perfect canvas – as you age your skin looses its elasticity and becomes more porous. Even on the most perfect skin that has never seen the light of day, the ink will spread slightly and fade, causing the lines to get thicker and more blurry. That’s why the bigger the tattoo, the more likely it will remain “readable” over time. Rihanna’s gun tattoos, for example, are way too small. These will eventually become vague silhouettes without any crispness. If you want a tiny tattoo, stick to basic shapes like stars, circles, moons and crosses.

If you’re willing to get a larger tattoo, say the size of your fist, you will have a lot more options in terms of subject matter. Anything is possible, although not always advisable. I used to have plenty of personal rules about what was off-limits: no text, no brands or logos, no band names and no cartoon characters. Of course all these rules have since been broken (with no regrets!), but I still advise that you be cautious. Don’t rush into a tattoo; take the time to really think about what you want. Avoid drinking while doing so. And look at quality reference material: Tattoo Collector Magazine is one of the best in the US.

Regardless of subject matter, you’re only going to see a few different styles of tattoing in a typical shop: Western Traditional, Japanese, Tribal and Black and Grey, in one combination or another. These have been popular for decades because if done well, they are stylistically timeless and age favorably. And you will definitely age.

If you’re looking for a photorealistic image or portrait, which might look “softer” and have more fine lines, make sure you find a really experienced artist. These tattoos are tricky to pull off well and there is a lot of debate about how well they hold up over time. Take a look at Bob Tyrell’s work to see how it’s done well.

Here are a few more resources for ideas and inspiration:
Tattoo Life
Tattoodles

Part One: How To Find A Tattoo Artist
Go for it! Tattoos are awesome. Of course we’ve all seen how it can go terribly, terribly wrong, so here’s some advice from Adam Paterson, distinguished tattoo artist and not incidentally, my husband.

First things first: take the time to find a professional, experienced tattoo artist. Don’t go to the neighborhood scratcher who’s going to tattoo you on his kitchen table. There are so many amazing artists our there! Not only will a professional make sure your Patrick Swayze memorial portrait looks just like Johnny Castle, a good one will prevent you from getting a tribal armband next… but subject matter is whole other issue I will discuss in the next installment.

How to choose an artist:
1. You probably got some recommendations from your friends. Need some more? Send Adam an email at jerseycitytattoo@gmail.com. He probably knows which shops in your area have a good reputation.
2. Visit a couple shops in person. Are they clean, organized? Any sense of style? Here are some nice ones: ThreeKingsTattoo.com; IronAgeTattoo.com.
3. Tattoos should be the main source of income for the establishment. Avoid any place that sells bongs!
4. Talk to the staff and artists. If they’re not friendly don’t even bother; it probably won’t be a good experience for you. But be aware this isn’t Jiffy Lube. You might not be catered to the second you walk in.
5. Ask to see their portfolio. Look for a lot of large tattoos, such as full sleeves and backpieces. There should be black and grey as well as color work. Be wary of anyone who tries to use work on themselves as evidence of their skills.
6. If you find someone you like you might have to schedule an appointment weeks in advance. That means they’re in demand. This is a good thing!
7. Find out how long they’ve been working. This is a craft that takes years to master and a lifetime to perfect.
8. When it comes to pricing, don’t try to bargain. Tattoos should be expensive – it’s permanent!

I also recommend checking out The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Getting a Tattoo by John Reardon. Most people don’t usually expect much from this series but this is surprisingly funny and well written.