Adapting an old tattoo with a new one

[thecatsm0ther]

A long time ago I had a very small tattoo done. It was on spur of the moment and cheap and not great.

I don't regret having it done, but would like to have something added to make it look better. Has anyone done that and how did you design the new tattoo, incorporating the old one?

I will speak to the guy at the tattoo parlour, but wondered if anyone had done this. I'm not very artistic, so can't design something myself, as some people do. I've seen lots on Pinterest that I really like, but not sure if they will blend in.

Can i jump in on this too please - i'm going through exactly the same and have a badly done very faded side facing butterfly on my shoulder that i want re-done into something else. I love the water colour lotus flower by Tyago Compiani in El Cuervo ink, anyone know anyone similar in the UK?

Ah, right. I hadn't gathered that you'd not decided on a style yet, sorry!

I'd strongly advise against 'tribal' as per link #1 unless it's a look you really adore! It was a massive fad in the 90's so looks really quite dated by now. It's not a bad tattoo for what it is, the line-work is neat and the colour saturation looks ok.

Link #2 isn't a tattoo, I'm pretty sure it's photo-shop but it could maybe be a transfer I suppose. If it was a tattoo it wouldn't age well - the finest lines would blur together within a few years because it's the tattoo is too small for all the detail.

Link #3 would be called 'Woodblock style' or maybe 'Scrimshaw style' and is a nicely enough done tattoo.

Link #4 I get what you mean and this sort of style can look nice but this isn't a well done tattoo at all - the linework is really rather tatty, the colour saturation patchy (doesn't look intentional) and the shading, well, yeah, it's not good. There are too many small details for such a small piece so it'll bloberize smartish age horribly. Similar but better executed

I don't mean to sound unkind but I'm really not convinced that you've looked into tattooing enough to be able to spot a technically good tattoo from a technically 'meh' to sub-standard tattoo. That's quite normal in a way but it does lead to a whole lot of tattoo regret when taken over the population as a whole. Are you sure your local tattooer is really damned good? Good enough to mark your skin for life? To my mind, just 'OK' isn't good enough here.

Oh, and by the way, what made you decide to change your mind about having your original tattoo adapted / covered / added to?

Thanks Lettuce, that is a lovely tattoo

I wasn't using the pictures in the links as exactly how I want the tattoos to be, more an idea of what I like. So I'm not worried that the tattoo isn't executed well, is just to cover them an idea of something I like.

I know three people who have recommended the tattoo parlour to me, who are very happy with their tattoos. I have looked at their Facebook page also. No, I'm not an expert, so I have to go by recommendation. They are called Scorpio Tattoos and are in Selby.

I decided I really wasn't sure what I wanted to add to my old tattoo and that I would prefer to have a fresh tattoo.

Mmm, their work isn't awful but it's not the best. In technical terms I mean, not in terms of my personal taste. Honestly you can do so, so much better. Anyway, either of them seem to have any experience much in the sort of style you like

Google tells me it's 26 minutes from Selby to Leeds on the train.

This woman (as a random 3-minutes-of-googling example) would be able to make you something truly lovely in one of the styles you liked.
Here, again as random examples, is an idea of the sort of thing I might give as reference if I were asking her to design the sort of thing you want:
#1
#2
3#
#4
#5
#6

• a few example of stuff I particularly liked from the artists portfolio (whole pieces or specific elements).

Also, I think it's lovely that you've decided to keep your old tattoo as it is When it comes down to it, they're an intimate piece of our personal history and journey, a marker of change. Maybe especially the older, less well though out ones.

Thanks I'll take a look.

Do what pleases you . I'd not buy an 'OK' copy of something from a market stall if I could have the real deal from De Vere Tiffany for 10% extra and a day trip. Meh.