If you’ve been getting tattoos for a while, you’ve probably run into the problem of having to go after an incompetent tattoo artist and put in the effort to fix that awful tattoo.
In today’s episode, Jake talks about what he sees as the biggest challenge in dealing with this issue, and it’s probably not what you think. Enjoy!
Topics: bad tattoo correction, tattoo cover up, tattoo techniques
What to do first when you see a bad tattoo
“In my experience, the technical ability of the tattoo artist you’re following is usually not the biggest issue to solve…”
When we think about redoing or covering up a bad tattoo, we usually focus on the technical ability (or lack thereof) of the previous tattoo artist — we talk about popped lines, patchy colors, scarring, etc. But in my experience, these aren’t the biggest obstacles to overcome.
What Tattoo Artists Can’t Control
“What this tattoo artist failed to realize is how important body shape is. It’s the one thing we can’t control.”
The most common issue (and the first one to address) is your body shape and how your existing tattoos relate to your body.
In this example, the previous tattoo artist ignored the flowing shape of the client’s thigh and designed a series of obstructive shapes that disrupted the natural flow of the client’s hip and thigh.
Covering up a bad tattoo
Attempts to solve the problem
“The first thing I did was to introduce these spreading leaf shapes to lift and move the viewer’s eye across the composition…”
My first goal with this piece was to introduce a secondary element that would break up the rigid horizontal shapes that the previous tattoo artist had implemented. To solve this problem, I decided to use some very simple leaf shapes. I wanted the leaves to look as if they were part of the original design, so I had some of the leaves hang behind the snake and others hang in front of it. This required me to tattoo over the harsh lines of the snake, which wasn’t ideal, but sometimes you have to sacrifice perfection for progress.
By introducing a strong light source and turning outlines into edges/transitions I was able to make most of the bad linework less noticeable. Most of the issues were resolved (as much as possible) before introducing color. Here’s a picture of the finished piece.
Although I still have issues with the tattoo (I was never able to fully resolve the issue with the rose), overall I feel I have been successful in distracting the viewer’s attention from the shortcomings of the piece by establishing a hierarchy within the composition. The use of strong light and dark contrasts and a deliberate light source on the snake’s body draws attention away from the weakest parts of the tattoo and focuses it on its strongest parts.
Thank you for reading!
For more information on Jake Meeks and the Fireside Tattoo Network,
https://www.firesidetattoo.com/
