Cover-up vs. Blastover: What Is the Difference?

You have an old tattoo you no longer like. Before we talk about a design, there is one question to answer: should the old tattoo disappear, or can it become part of something new? That answer decides whether you are looking at a cover-up or a blastover.

Cover-up: the old tattoo should disappear

In a cover-up, the new work is meant to hide the old tattoo so it can no longer be seen. It is the classic route, and the goal is clear: concealment.

My specialty is blastover. I bring up the cover-up here only so you can see the difference, because the two terms are easy to mix up.

Blastover: the old tattoo becomes the background

A blastover is dense, bold graphic work with deep black, laid over one or several old tattoos. It does not hide them completely. Instead of pretending the old piece is not there, I build on it: the old lines and patches work as the background, and the new drawing gives the whole thing direction. The base is deep black and a gothic character.

The new tattoo is usually larger and darker than the old one, because it has to embrace it.

The difference at a glance

• Goal. In a cover-up, the old tattoo should vanish under the new work. In a blastover, the old tattoo stays partly visible as the background.
• Size and darkness. In a blastover, the new piece is usually larger and darker than the old one.
• Honest assessment. In both cases the result depends on what is on your skin, so I adapt the design to the old tattoo, not the other way around.

When a blastover makes sense

A blastover works well over several older tattoos sitting next to each other, over dark, dense pieces that one motif can hardly hide, and wherever you want to unify the surface. It is often the more honest solution when the old tattoo is large or dark and a full cover would need a huge, heavy patch of black.

If it matters to you that the old tattoo is not visible at all, tell me right away. I will tell you what is realistic, even if the answer is not the one you hoped for.

Who a blastover suits

It suits you if you have an old tattoo, or several, and you do not mind that the new work will not cover them completely. It also fits someone who likes a dark aesthetic and dense black, because the whole composition rests on them. Instead of a small, polite design you get a large graphic piece that changes how the whole area of skin reads.

An example from my work

My clearest example is a spine with vertebrae on the neck, throat and chest, placed over older tattoos. The piece does not try to bury them: the new, dark composition ties them into one whole. I have a before-and-after video of it, which you can watch on the before and after page.

How I assess it

It all starts with a photo. You send me a daylight photo of the old tattoo, ideally from several angles, plus an idea for the new motif. I judge whether a blastover makes sense on your tattoo. That depends on the size and darkness of the old piece and on the condition of your skin, and I do it before you pay a deposit.

I do not promise that anything will vanish, or that anything will show. I will show you a sketch and we will talk through what stays.

I draw the sketch by hand on paper, taking into account what is already on your skin. Then I place the composition on your body with a marker (freehand), so the new work follows the old lines and your anatomy. You see how old and new interact, and we can adjust before I tattoo a single line.

Sessions, deposit and the first step

I set the number of sessions and the price individually, after I have seen the photo. The consultation and the sketch are free. The deposit is 10% and secures your date, and you can move the session without losing it if you let me know at least 3 days before it starts.

I work at Good Sign Tattoo in Warsaw. To see this kind of work in more detail, visit the blastover in Warsaw page, or read about me.

Ready to talk? Send a photo of the old tattoo through the contact page. We can write in English, Polish or Russian.