cover ups

In the art of covering up existing tattoos, if the tattoo to be covered is in color, does it basically need to be covered with black ink? Say for example you have a red rose and want it covered and worked over, would there need to be a large amount of black fill to do the job or can you effectively do something bigger and over it in color..just don't understand really how it works from an artist's standpoint

There are lots of variables...too many to give you a blanket answer...speaking in general most tattoos, with the exception of solid black tribal, can be effectively covered ( camouflaged actually) with a combination of dark and light shades utilizing the principals of positive vs negative values...and to bust the common misconception the cover only rarely needs to be much bigger...yes that is the easy way to cover and old tattoo but certainly only necessary in rare cases or where the choice of the new design is inherently larger and demands a larger space Hope I have helped!...thanks for your post....Taz of Painted Angel

Can you send me a pic of your tattoo?,...TAz

cover-ups, keep in mind that most anything can be covered or fixed, however, it really does require a skilled professional, if the artist is experianced in this area then there should be no problem covering nearly any design. the process and techniques used to cover a piece can be quite tedious as color, detail and size play important roles. and I agree with Taz, there really isnt a way to say that there is one way to do a cover up as every piece is different. cover-up work in my opinion is the best form of modern tattoo work, as it truly shows the Artists talent. not to mention the good cash involved for fixing some scratchers horrid mistake.