35 Old Tattoos That Got A New Life By Ink Masters

Tattoos are timeless expressions of personal stories, passions, and memories. However, as time marches on, skin ages, trends evolve, and ink can fade. Fortunately, the art of tattooing has progressed, and a new generation of skilled tattoo artists—dubbed “Ink Masters”—are revitalizing old tattoos with creativity and expertise.

Let’s celebrate some remarkable instances where tattoo artists have breathed new life into aging ink, transforming once-faded designs into vibrant and captivating masterpieces.

#1 The Dragon Was About 20 Years Old And Difficult To Cover-Up, So I Offered To Adapt It To A New Tattoo And He Accepted

Image source: leoruiztattooer

Alro : “Love the idea!”

#2 One Of The Most Challenging Covers I’ve Ever Done, Due To The Choice Of Design! In This Case, The Application Of Ink Was The Big Secret Behind This Coverage

Image source: mazierotattoo

Tabula Rasa : “This turned out amazing.”

#3 Bye Pigeon, Hello Eagle. Awesome Transformation With Part Cover-Up

Image source: salvationtattoostudio

Tabula Rasa : ” The original really looked like a pigeon…lol”

#4 Lion Cover-Up

Image source: tomasdacejtattoo

still tired : “First lion looks like it’s seen too much O_O”

#5 Cover-Up

Image source: saralewistattoo

Brittania Kelli : “It’s just amazing how tattoo art has evolved.”

#6 25-Year-Old Rework. It Doesn’t Need To Be Always Fully Covered-Up

Image source: park_tattooer

Awkward lady : “Excellent work there.”

#7 Cool Cover-Up

Image source: archers_ink

Moos : “THE SHADING!!! :O :O”

#8 Cover-Up Done Today

Image source: edo.sacerdoti.tattoo

Happy Homemaker : “I love how it almost looks like the old tattoo, but a little more modern and more realistic looking.”

#9 Octopus On The Shoulder As A Cover-Up

Image source: d.borkowski.tattoo

SCamp : “That blue!”

#10 Coverage With Portraits Of Masha And Pérola, Companions Of The Client

Image source: dieizonvonfreedom

Bored Retsuko : “Cute but I don’t think the white details will last”

#11 Cover-Up Inspired By Van Gogh

Image source: vismstudio

LokisLilButterknife : “Beautiful and creative cover-up.”

#12 Cover-Up Davy Jones

Image source: deniskoktysh

Petra : “This is incredible! Impressive use of white!! So many black tattoos are too dark, but this one has excellent contrast! The details stand out very nicely.”

#13 That’s How You Cover-Up A Tattoo

Image source: Kami_No_Tanjou

Blue Bunny of Happiness : “Wow, the original was cursed!”

#14 Wonderful Cover-Up

Image source: tomas_daubaras_d

Laura Zaini : “Just wow”

Angeldust McQuade : “Major upgrade!”

#15 Well-Executed Cover-Up Project

Image source: redemptiontattoostudios

Ella Zelhofer : “HOW??? It looks like they have a screen on their arm!”

#16 It Looked Bad Before The Cover

Image source: guppy.flowertattoo

XenoMurph : “It’s not terrible, just looks faded and old. That new one will be impossible to cover once it’s as old.”

CG : “I wouldn’t say the old one is bad. A bit old, and would have benefitted from a touch up. New one is excellent, for sure.”

#17 New One Had To Be A Little Wonky To Cover-Up The Original. Don’t Really Care Though, I Like It

Image source: 16ams17

Moos : “Doesn’t look wonky at all!”

#18 Grampus Cover-Up

Image source: honor_tattooist

Tabula Rasa : “The colors, the shading,…wow.”

#19 I Took Advantage Of The Cat’s Structure To Create A New Drawing And Also Took Into Account The Anatomy Of Her Body, Muscles, Tendons And Bones

Image source: mazierotattoo

Leona : “I like the original one”

C.O. Shea : “Must have hurt like hell, though… on the bone like that?”

#20 Spider Cover-Up

Image source: tamar_skullfield

Blue Bunny of Happiness : “I think I preferred the original, the cover up is too realistic!”

#21 Bull Cover-Up

Image source: bk_tattooer

Fickle_Pickle : “I was advised by a good friend of mine who is a tattoo artist to never ever get hand tattoos. Reason being we wash our hands more often than the rest of our body. The ink will fade faster. Looking at this picture, I can say there’s some truth to what he said.”

#22 Cover-Up By The Amazing Tata At Recycle Tattoo, Ho Chi Minh City

Image source: supermegabot

ifound_acoolfrog : “Buttiful”

LokisLilButterknife : “That is stunning! It looks like an illustration right out of a children’s book.”

#23 Long Journey Of The Tribal Cover-Up Comes To An End

Image source: marko_tattoo

aricely : “HOLY S**T THAT’S BEAUTIFUL”

Jamieson Ashkewe : “Damn that’s insane”

#24 Covered-Up This Old Moon

Image source: yerae_tt

Tabula Rasa : “Very pretty, and hardly larger than the original.”

#25 This Is The Most Detailed Piece I Have Ever Done In Such A Short Span Of Time, Less Than A Month, 8 Sessions. Everything Below The Neck Is Healed

Image source: shaman_ink

𝖊𝖜𝖔𝛋 : “I don’t get why cover ups are often so much larger than the original? Doesn’t that make it almost impossible if the person wanted it reworked or covered up again in future?”

CG : “While a great new tattoo, it’s not covering the entirety of the old tattoo. Just look closer to the shoulder area on both sides. Sections of the old tattoo are still visible, and if I focus in, I can see the old tattoo still visible through the new one at certain places.”