Can You Cover Colored Tattoos With Black?

So, you have got this rad colorful tattoo but after a while, it is not floating in your boat? No need to get depressed about it, as you can get it removed or cover it up with a new tattoo design. If you want a new design in its place, then going for a dark-colored design can give you a totally different vibe. Now, you might wonder if you can cover colored tattoos with black ink.

Imagine, getting a vibrant and colorful tattoo that once felt like a bee’s knees. But time changes right? So does your taste and you may not like the colored tattoo anymore. If you want to cover your colored tattoos with black then you have come to the right place. In this article, I will explain everything you need to know regarding covering colored tattoos with black.

Covering Colored Tattoos With Black: Possible or Not

Covering up a tattoo means you no longer like your existing tattoo and want to get a new design over it. There is nothing wrong with cover-up tattoos. As time changes you may no longer feel the connection with your old tattoo like you used to before. Just like you have created new memories and experienced new things it is completely normal to have the desire to get a new tattoo over the existing one. Black is one of the most prominent and popular colors when it comes to tattoos. And the idea of choosing a black color to cover colored tattoos can be a fascinating idea. So can you cover color tattoos with black?

Yes, you can cover colored tattoos with black. You can use any color to cover your colored tattoo but some colors can be a bit difficult to hide or cover. But black is such a versatile and prominent color that you can use it to cover up any color, shape, or size of the tattoo. Even a dark vibrant colorful tattoo can be covered up with black ink.

Just make sure the existing tattoo is completely healed before you cover it up. Trying to cover up a healing tattoo can cause an increased amount of pain, delayed healing, and other complications.

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Colors To Cover Colored Tattoo Apart From Black

Black is not the only ink you can use to cover your colored tattoo. If the shading of your colored tattoo is light then you can use any color ink to cover it up and create a new design. But if the shading of your existing colored tattoo is a bit dark and vibrant then it can be slightly problematic. Of yours, you can go with black as it can cover up even the darkest-colored tattoos. Other two colors you can use to cover up most colored tattoos are:

Pink and dark blue colors are understandable as they are deep and can easily cover other colors. But you might be thinking why red, green, and white colors are here even though they are a bit light. The thing is a professional tattoo artist can use red, green, and white colors to cover aspects of a colored tattoo as well.

7 Factors To Consider Before Covering Colored Tattoos With Black

There are a few things you should consider before covering your colored tattoos with black ink, such as:

1. Professional tattoo artist

Covering up an existing tattoo is not child’s play. It takes years of experience and vast knowledge regarding tattoo ink, ink color, and how different colors come together and create shading to cover up a tattoo successfully. You must do your research to find out a professional tattoo artist who specializes in cover-up tattoos.

2. Condition of existing tattoo

The condition of your existing colored tattoo can affect the success rate of the cover-up. Faded or light-colored tattoos are easy to cover up compared to saturated ones. After examining your tattoo, your tattoo artist may recommend fading the tattoo first before getting a cover-up. It can increase the success rate of the cover-up and ensure a better outcome.

3. Color contrast

You have to keep in mind the color contrast aspect. Black color can cover up any other color, but there are some red and orange shading that may require an extra black ink layer to cover up successfully.

4. Multiple session

Some cover-ups might be completed in a single session. But generally, tattoo cover-up takes multiple sessions to be completed. So you may need to do follow-up for multiple tattoo sessions to cover up your colored tattoo with black ink. Your artist will cover the colored tattoo using black ink by layer over it gradually. You can not rush the ink layering process or the outcome will not be so great.

5. Cost

The procedure to cover up a tattoo is similar to getting a new tattoo. You will get poked by a tattoo needle a few thousand times and ink will be injected deep into your skin. But the technique of covering up is much more complicated compared to getting a new tattoo. So, the hourly charge for a cover-up tattoo can be much higher than getting a new tattoo. On top of that you may require multiple tattoo sessions to complete the cover-up process, which could increase the cost even more. So, consider the cost of covering your colored tattoo with black ink before you decide to go for it. You talk to your tattoo artist or the tattoo parlor regarding how much it could cost in total to complete the cover-up.

6. Prolonged healing

Consider the prolonged healing you might face when you cover your colored tattoo with black ink. If you need multiple sessions, then you will need to rest and heal up between each session. This session break could be around 2 weeks, which can increase your total healing time till the cover-up is completed by a lot.

7. Expectation

You should consider managing your expectations first. Cover-up sometimes goes great but sometimes not so great. There is always a possibility of the old tattoo to peek through your cover-up design a bit. Not to mention the design and color consideration of your cover-up tattoo can limit design and size options for you. Maintain a realistic expectation if you want to cover your colored tattoos with black.

7 Reasons to Cover Colored Tattoos with Black

If you are looking for a reason to cover your colored tattoos with black, then I have plenty of reasons for you. A few of them are:

1. Change in tattoo style

Life is all about change. Changing hairstyle, clothing style, and lifestyle can make things interesting. Changing your tattoo style can provide an air of freshness in your life. If you want to change your existing color tattoo then go for a cover-up using black ink.

2. Getting rid of dissatisfaction

Sometimes the tattoo outcome fails to meet our expectations. If you got yourself a tattoo that you are not satisfied with then you don’t need to carry this dissatisfaction with you for the rest of your life. Covering that colored tattoo with black ink can help get rid of your dissatisfaction.

3. Color fading or aging

Tattoos lose their vibrant nature over time and fade. It is a natural process. The aging of a tattoo is unavoidable. So if your tattoo faded or aged then you can get a new and improved tattoo over it. Using black color to create a new tattoo design over a faded or old-colored tattoo can be a fine idea.

4. Complex tattoo transformation

Want to make the existing colored tattoo bigger and more intricate? Then consider getting a cover-up using black ink. Using black ink can help you perform complex transformations of your existing colored tattoo.

5. Tattoo modification

Cover-up can be a fine way to modify your tattoo. If you want to add more elements and hide a few existing elements of your colored tattoo then use black ink to get a cover-up.

6. Tattoo enhancement

Enhancing the appearance of your existing tattoo can be done by a cover-up. Enhancing your existing tattoo can give it an improved appearance.

7. Align with new themes

If you got yourself a few new tattoos and the old tattoos theme is not going so well with the new ones then it calls for a cover-up. You may have gotten yourself colored tattoos but now you are into dark themes. If that’s the case then you can easily match the dark theme of your new tattoos by covering the old colored tattoo.

3 Benefits of Covering with Black Ink

You should use black ink instead of any other color to cover up your colored tattoo. There are a few benefits of doing so, such as:

1. Versatility

Black is one of the most versatile colors. You can use it to make any sort of tattoo design. And by thinning the black ink you can create shading that provides depth to your tattoo. So choosing black ink to cover your colored tattoo can provide you with enough versatility to make any new design over the existing one.

2. Color neutralization

Black is known to neutralize any other color. If you want to cover your colored tattoo then black ink should be the way to go. Does not matter what color or how vibrant the color of your existing tattoo is, black ink can neutralize it and help cover it up with ease.

3. Ease of work

Covering an existing tattoo is not easy. It is a complicated process and that is why your tattoo artist will charge more than usual when you ask for a tattoo coverup. However, using a versatile and prominent black color makes the covering-up process much easier for the tattoo artist.

Step By Step Guide on How to Cover Colored Tattoos with Black Ink

Black is the most suitable color to cover any colored tattoo. Make sure to follow the step-by-step guide I have provided below to get the procedure done without any issues.

1. Choose a professional tattoo artist

The first thing you need to do is find a professional tattoo artist who has done plenty of tattoo cover-ups in his career. Check out client reviews on their website and find out if they have a good reputation or not.

After choosing a tattoo artist, book an appointment to consult about the cover-up.

2. Assessment of the existing tattoo

Your tattoo artist will examine the existing tattoo and will provide ideas regarding what sort of design and shapes you can get over it. In some cases, if the existing tattoo is a bit too vibrant, the tattoo artist may ask you to get the tattoo faded. Because it is much easier to work over a faded tattoo.

3. Fading the tattoo

After the assessment, if your tattoo artist has recommended to fade the tattoo then you will have to get laser treatment to fade the tattoo. Laser treatment or laser tattoo removal process can easily fade your tattoo.

4. Design creation

Collaborate with your tattoo artist to create a design that would suit your personality and can cover up the existing tattoo well.

5. Tattoo sessions

It is time to cover that old colored tattoo and create a new tattoo design over it using black ink. Attend tattoo sessions and make sure to prepare yourself as your tattoo artist says.

6. Healing and aftercare

Take proper aftercare after your tattoo cover-up is done. If it requires multiple sessions then take a proper break of at least 2 weeks before going for the next session. This is to ensure proper healing.

7. Final touch up

After healing is completed, visit your tattoo artist one more time so that he can assess the design to see if the cover-up was successful or not. Depending on the condition they may provide a touch-up to cover the old tattoo flawlessly.

Final Thoughts

There is nothing to be ashamed of if you want to cover your colored tattoo. Feelings and meanings for the tattoo design may change for you over time. You may want a cover up your colored tattoo because of dissatisfaction, fading, desire to get a new design, tattoo modification, etc. And black is the most versatile and easy-to-use color to cover up color tattoos.

Just make sure to do your research and choose a tattoo artist who is well-known for covering up tattoos. Because covering up an existing tattoo can be a difficult task, not everyone can handle it. And no matter how much preparation you have taken make sure to keep your expectations realistic. Do not forget tattoo cover-up can be a bit unpredictable.

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