If you're considering recoloring your tattoo, here are a few things you should know. Can you recolor a tattoo? The short answer is yes; there are several ways to change the color of a tattoo. The most common method is laser surgery to remove the tattoo and have it re-inked in the desired color.
This is an expensive and painful option, however. Another option is to use tattoo cover-up products which can provide a new base color for the tattoo. These products are available at most tattoo shops and are less expensive than laser surgery. Read on for more information!
Can you go over a tattoo with a different color ink?
Yes, it is possible to go over a tattoo with a different color ink. However, the results can vary depending on several factors, including the original tattoo color, the new ink color, and the skill of the tattoo artist.
If you want to change the color of your tattoo, it's important to work with an experienced tattoo artist who can assess your existing tattoo and recommend the best approach. In some cases, it may be necessary to remove the existing ink using laser treatment before applying the new color. In other cases, the artist may be able to work with the existing ink and layer the new color on top.
It's important to note that going over a tattoo with a different color ink can be a complex process that requires skill and experience. It's always a good idea to do your research and choose a reputable tattoo artist who has experience with color tattooing and can provide examples of their work. Additionally, it's important to follow proper aftercare instructions to ensure that your tattoo heals properly and retains its color over time.
What Should I Think About Before Changing The Color Of My Current Tattoo?
Consider the following suggestions if you want to revitalize an old tattoo that appears a little faded:
Use a single color:
Use the same color used in your original pre-existing tattoo to touch up an old tattoo to bring it back to life. You'll notice that it gives your tattoo a lot of vitality, so you won't have to worry about the colors blending well.
However, if you want to change the appearance of your tattoo thoroughly, consider carefully whether the new color will work well with the old one. For instance, orange and yellow mix effectively, but red and blue do not.
Use a darker shade of the same color:
Keep the colors of your previous tattoo—for example, a tree with light green foliage and a light brown trunk—but add a deeper hue.
The foliage might be a lovely dark green, and the trunk could be a lovely chocolate tone of brown. The fact that the new colors won't mix well won't matter; they will still be brand-new hues.
Can Skin Color Ink Be Used To Cover A Tattoo?
When you receive a tattoo for the first time, the ink is injected into the dermis, the layer underneath the epidermis, at a depth of approximately one millimeter. This indicates that the tattoos are genuinely embedded into the skin. Because of this, not even a tattoo that matches the color of the skin can hide them.
Tattoos are often darker than the skin tone and are still visible on the skin. Therefore, getting a lighter tattoo over a dark one won't cover up the older, darker one and won't look all that well either.
Even though some people may get better outcomes when using flesh-toned ink, the majority cannot be happy with the final product. You should first undergo a laser tattoo removal procedure to get rid of the older tattoo.
Configuring your Tattoo Machine for Needles and Coloring
Before tattooing someone, it's critical for you as the artist to comprehend the fundamentals of the craft. In order to guarantee that the tattoo is applied in the most hygienic manner possible, always use a fresh needle each time.
Make sure you are positioning for the proper tattoo as you replace your needle. For the greatest color in your tattoos, it's essential to use the proper needle.
Round needles for tattoos
Said, round tattoo needles are needles that are soldered in circular patterns around a core location. Lines or shaders are typically used to describe them (RL = round liner, RS = round shader).
Use spherical shaders when coloring or shading a tattoo since they are an excellent choice for color filling and the necessary fundamental shading. You must select the appropriate configuration based on the thickness you like and the degree of color packing you wish to achieve.
For instance, a needle marked 9RS will have nine needles arranged in a circle.
Large Needles
These are the needles that are most frequently used for shading. Compared to spherical shader needles, they often have a longer taper. Magnum needles are a wonderful option for covering huge color areas since they can deposit a lot of ink on the skin.
They result in less skin harm since they need fewer passes over an area. Magnum Needles come in a few distinct varieties.
A woven Magnum
These are soldered in the same way as a flat needle, except on the needle's alternating sides in a pyramidal design. They can cover a lot more ground thanks to this.
There are two rows of needles on either side of the bar on these needles. Compared to Weaved Magnum needles, they are substantially more closely spaced. This enables more tightly packed color mixing.
Magnum Round/Curved
Round Magnums are assembled with the needle points arcing together in the middle. The rationale is that the rounded edge will better adapt to the skin, allowing for greater ink dispersion and less skin injury.
Tattoo Ink Blending And Mixing For Color Application
There are instances when the selection of ink you have won't give you the exact color you require. To have access to every hue that has ever been being not practical. To acquire the right hue, tattoo ink may be blended and combined to make it darker and lighter.
The sole significant need for combining tattoo ink is that all mixing instruments be completely sanitary.
Darkening the Ink
Any ink color can be darkened with a small amount of black ink. To avoid going overboard, try gently adding only one drop of black ink at a time. Before adding more drops, thoroughly combine the black with the color to evaluate it.
Lightening the Ink
Making ink lighter is essentially the polar opposite of this idea. For lighter ink, add white one drop at a time. If the technique works with your ink, adding a little distilled water is another way to lighten the ink. Once you get the desired shade, use the same one-drop-at-a-time technique that you did with the black.
Creating a New Color
You can combine two colors to make the desired color if you do not already have one. The ink should be lightened using the same procedures until the desired hue is achieved.
How To Do Color Tattoos
A few very simple actions need to be taken while coloring a tattoo.
Getting Ready to Add Color
You must get your machine ready to tattoo after choosing your needles and setting up your colors. There are a few changes when setting up your machine for color/shading vs. lining.
To pack in solid colors and get the required whipping, you should set up your machine to strike the skin more forcefully. You should set up your machine to create shallow strokes if you plan to overlay black and grey.
Depending on where on the body you plan to put the tattoo, the machine's speed will change. Running colors on a tattoo typically necessitates moving more slowly than the liner. Finding out what you enjoy best primarily involves emotion.
The area should have been washed with soap and water because you've previously completed the outline. Doing this removes any extra ink and stencil traces that could have been there. Additionally, it aids in clearing the skin of any lingering debris that can affect how the color appears.
Color vs. Black
Black and color will be applied mostly in the same manner. You should run the ink in with confidence and regularity when packing black. To create seamless blending and a good edge for the next layer of color to be applied, you must run your machine at a lower setting while adding color layers.
Technique
It is preferable to make a little circular motion with the machine and add color to the tattoo a little at a time. You can cover a lot of ground rapidly if you go at a steady pace. Until the area is covered, ensure each little circle slightly overlaps the previous one. If feasible, try to do this in no more than two sweeps.
Avoid putting too much pressure on the skin or being in one spot for too long. This will result in significant skin harm and may leave scars or scabs. While the needles are in touch with the skin, the machine should always be moving.
Get the color perfect on the first try for greater aesthetics and fewer skin-piercing holes. As you may know, packing it too deeply into the skin won't make the color vibrant.
Edit and clean up as you go
As you add to a tattoo, ink puddles appear all over the skin; as a result, take the time to clean away any extra ink or blood gently. You don't want to color over the outline and destroy the tattoo unintentionally.
If the skin is visible through an area that should be a solid color, fix it immediately. You should likely work in smaller circles and cover fewer regions at once. Take your time, and carefully review your work.
Make sure you clean your machine's tube and needles every time you move to a new shade or color. Inaction will result in sloppy and muddy mixtures.
What Color of a Tattoo Is Difficult To Change?
When it comes to altering the color of a tattoo, certain hues are far more challenging to deal with than others.
Other than painting over it with a darker shade of the same hue, these colors might not be able to be altered or worked with. These hues consist of:
- Red: Because of its intense pigmentation, red does not mix well with other colors. If your current tattoo is red, it probably won't blend well with any other colors, but if it is yellow or orange in hue, you might be able to include red.
- Blue: is one of the most difficult colors to combine with other hues, especially in deeper tones.
- Purple: is theoretically already a combination of different hues, making it extremely difficult to add more colors to it without it becoming an unattractive shade.
These are some of the most difficult colors to alter in a tattoo. If one of these colors previously existed in your tattoo as the current color you wish to enhance, you may need to stay with the deeper shade of those colors; otherwise, the results may not be very pleasing.
FAQs
Can A Tattoo Have Color Removed?
Since tattoos are permanent body art, it is difficult to remove or remove the color from them. Let's say that trying to modify the color of your tattoo by removing it is impossible.
You may always use laser tattoo removal when the tattoo's color pages. The only way to remove the tattoo's color and the entire tattoo is in this way. It can also be challenging to erase lighter ink colors, such as yellow, white, light blue, green, or red, because the laser only identifies darker ink.
Lighter colors can be removed, of course, but doing so will require more laser removal sessions, dramatically raising the procedure's cost.
Can A Tattoo Artist Change A Colored Tattoo To One That Is Black And Gray?
Generally speaking, skilled tattoo artists may attempt to make your tattoo's lighter ink hues into white or grey ink. There is no way to color black ink; it is not conceivable. Most tattoo artists will not even attempt to convert a color tattoo into a black-and-grey one.
If a tattoo is tiny and not too colorful, the only real thing a tattoo artist can do is to cover specific areas with black ink. The tattoo cannot just have its color removed; thus, that is all there is to it.
Some tattoo artists could attempt to hide the color with white ink, but that approach might not be successful since, especially if the color is intense, the color below might still be visible.
The tattoo artist would have to repeatedly insert the needle into the same spot to make white ink visible, which would be excruciatingly painful.
When Is My Tattoo Recolorable?
You'll need to be patient if you don't like how your colored tattoo is healing and believe a different color scheme would look better.
A tattoo cannot be touched up or altered until it has completely healed. Up to six months may pass throughout this procedure. To be safe, you should wait a few weeks after your tattoo has healed.
Can You Cover A Black Tattoo With Skin Colored Ink?
Let's say that skin-colored ink cannot be used to conceal a tattoo. That is due to the ink applied to the dermis, the skin's inner layer.
Additionally, because the skin is lighter than the ink, the flesh-colored ink will never be able to cover up the original ink, which will always remain visible. Therefore, laser removal is the only option if you don't want your tattoo to exist.
How Can My Tattoo Be Made Lighter At Home?
You can use lemons since they are a powerful all-natural skin lightening agent. You must rub your tattoo with freshly squeezed lemon juice three times a day, minimum. And after a few weeks, you'll notice that your tattoo's ink will start to fade, especially the darker hues.
Is Tattoo Color Ink Harmful?
Yes, colorful tattoos may occasionally be hazardous. Lead, chromium, cadmium, titanium, and nickel are metals that may be present in colored inks that may induce allergic responses or even illness. Learn how to produce homemade colored tattoo ink by reading our post.
Why Are Tattoos With White Ink Harmful To You?
Because they are less pigmented, white ink tattoos are less obvious. Additionally, white ink tattoos are more likely to fade rapidly after healing and turn a pale shade of grey or yellow. It will be difficult to recreate the original white ink appearance if it does.
What Colors Of Tattoos Cannot Be Removed?
One laser cannot eliminate every tattoo ink. For instance, dark green and black are simple to remove. On the other hand, turquoise, yellow, purple, and neon hues are the hardest to fade.
Is It Difficult To Conceal A Black Tattoo?
Darker tattoo colors like black or dark blue will show through the new tattoo much more than lighter tattoo colors like yellow or white. Additionally, an old tattoo is far simpler to cover up than a fresh one, and old tattoos also bleed considerably less than new ones.
Conclusion
That's all there is to tattoo recoloring, then. It isn't much you can do to entirely modify the tattoo's color unless you're prepared to darken it or have some fading and blending slightly. When choosing a tattoo touch-up or any color alteration, constantly deal with experts and pros.
Make sure to ask your tattoo artist for further details or even visit a doctor to get your skin examined. See our other articles for more information about tattoo fading, ink colors, and tattooing in general. Restorbio hope you found this article beneficial, did we miss anything in this post?
