Not every tattoo represents an unchanging idea.

Often mistakes can be made, the name of an ex-girlfriend, a provocative image not suitable in the workplace, or just a tattoo you outgrew are all reasons to cover up and hide your old ink.

When looking to get some new cover-up ink it is important to bear in mind that for a cover-up to truly work it usually has to be much darker than what is currently residing beneath your skin.

A small tattoo of old lovers name can easily be hidden below the countenance of a rose or lotus blossom that is fully shaded in though the larger and darker the piece, the more difficult it can be to cover.

Fading the unwanted tattoo into the background of a larger piece works rather well on dark tattoos on the arms, what was once an embarrassing reminder becomes the backdrop to a new half or full sleeve.

The use of fully shaded tattoos is especially effective at hiding old ink and allows for the artist to go darker without sacrificing any aesthetic appeal. Though sometimes several sessions may be necessary to completely conceal old ink below a shaded tree-line or blacked our feather.

Sometimes the best course is just directly completely inking over the old tattoo and using negative space to create a new piece.

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1. Blackout Cover Up Tattoos

From the looks of things this was either an old barbed wire tattoo or Celtic band of some description. To cover it up, the artist used a sing needle and painstaking solid black work. After the healing and aftercare is finished this tattoo may need some touch up work to ensure no trace of the old tattoo can be found underneath.

Quality cover ups take real skill and commitment from both the artist and subject getting funky trying to find the right fix. This tattoo now looks like a fantastic mix of realism and abstract new wave to show off a beautiful raven. Traces of the old work are gone bar for a couple of sweeps from previous shading that have been folded seamlessly into the new work.