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Change is the ONLY constant.
If you were asked this at 16 years of age it would hopefully be a very different answer to if you were asked at 36 years of age. Neither one is right or wrong, neither one being better or worse. Just different, just as the person being asked is a different person. We do not have a fixed, genetically coded identity but rather a much more fluid one which is shaped by our experiences and environment. We are a product of both our nature and our nurture. As people age and mature their beliefs, desires, tastes and identity evolve, which can sometimes mean that previous ink in their skin no longer resonate with who they are, causing some internal conflict.
I was drawn to tattooing from the human element, to facilitate people in creating a vision they had for themselves. It’s never been about just putting pictures on the skin or forcing my vision on people, because of this I have always been willing to work with people on a “Blackout tattoo”, “Blastover” or “Cover-up”. Helping them bring balance to their body and harmony to their mind. This approach is a really important aspect of tattooing for me, as it ensures that the work I create has longevity for my clients and also provides motivation for me, to keep me giving all that I have to this craft.
It has been great in recent years to see the appreciation blackwork tattooing has received and how people are pushing the creative envelope. I guess this is in part due to Instagram and the fact that blackwork tattoos provide good visual content. Unfortunately, what this also brings with it is people looking to cash in on the back of its success. I have seen a huge increase in the number of people reaching out to me and also getting tattooed by me that have had a botched blackout attempt, or blastovers where the design is unsuitable and often undesirable.
It’s frustrating to see and hear these stories where people who were not happy with their old tattoo end up with something they’re even less satisfied with after trying to get it rectified. It doesn’t matter if a tattooer can black your entire arm out in 2 sessions but the end result looks rushed and of poor quality, is that what you want your tattoo to say about you? Whenever somebody shows me a tattoo and says it was done in a short space of time it almost always looks exactly like it was done that way. The black is patchy, the design poor, the fit on the body clumsy.
The advice from any decent tattooer to a person thinking of getting tattooed should be along the lines of “do your homework, choose the right person for the job and then trust them and your decision.” The aim of a tattoo should not be to get the quickest or the cheapest result but rather the highest quality possible. When you pay for a tattoo with your money, blood, sweat and flesh anything less than this and you’re only selling yourself short. Choose the tattooer who will leave some of their soul in your tattoo and not the one who will just take your money.
The options available for dealing with unwanted tattoos are becoming more publicised and more accessible. If you’re not happy with what you currently have and it no longer represents who you are, below you can see options.
I was approached by well-established tattooist Delphine to schedule an appointment for her partner Adam to create a backpiece for him which would include a cover-up of an existing tattoo down his spine. It’s important when approaching a cover-up that the tattoo is eventually well balanced and not an obvious cover-up. You can read more about my approach to covering tattoos here. Since the completion of Adams back we have started a full torso cover up with the view to a complete bodysuit.
A couple of other cover-up examples
This tattoo was started last year on Henry, who wanted to be able to keep his existing tattoos showing through the negative spaces between a new blackwork design. A more measured approach is required for a project like this as areas of lighter tones in the existing ink should be considered and where possible implemented into the new tattoo. Not however at the expense of maintaining good form for the new design. Looking at the finished result of Henrys tattoo you can see that it maintains good readability from a distance despite the old tattoos showing through.
Another example of a traditional blastover.
I’ve been working on Piers for several years now and during a recent sitting mentioned how I was going in the background of some of the blastovers I had done to distort the old tattoos and then enhance the contrast of my blackwork designs on top. He was instantly interested and during our next session together decided to take the plunge and start covering up the old tattoos. I have only been offering this type of thing to clients for the past 3 years or so as prior to this I was refining the technical application and concept for it. However for people who either really dislike their old tattoos but do not want a plain blackout tattoo or just really like the look of this, it provides a great solution.
Remember getting any type of tattoo (including a Blackout) is an experience, not just an end product. Plenty of people will take your money for doing a blackout tattoo but whether they will put the required effort and discipline is questionable. You’ll be wearing it a long time so choose wisely. Below are some pictures of Blackout work that I have done over the past years.
To find out more about my philosophy with tattooing you can read the blog “Armour for the Soul”
Further reading: “Tribes of the Future”
