Home / Art

Creative Before and After Tattoos Transform Bad Body Art into Incredible Ink

Tattoos offer a high risk with a high reward—if you love a design, you’ll be delighted to wear it for the rest of your life. Bad body art, however, feels like the opposite—it makes you continually lament that it’s on your skin forever. Luckily, there’s no need to keep a tattoo that you hate. As seen in television shows like Tattoo Nightmares, it’s possible to cover up an old design and transform it into something that you’re proud to sport.

Some tattoo artists specialize in concealing old, bad, and embarrassing ink. Each has a unique story behind it, but they all have the same ending—the wearer wants the tattoo gone. But instead of costly removal, the offending image is inked over and absorbed into a brand new design. A great cover up hides any signs of the past tattoo.

Depending on the original ink, the new image has to be strategically placed on the body—it takes into account the old design as well as what will look good on the client. Often, the new tattoo is darker and much larger than its predecessor in order to completely hide it, but the resulting transformations are incredible. Check out “before” and “after” photos to see the difference that’s been made.

via [Buzzfeed]

All images via Tattoo Nightmares (495 Productions).

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
Become a
My Modern Met Member
As a member, you'll join us in our effort to support the arts.
Become a Member
Explore member benefits

Sponsored Content