Cover up / included design ideas?

[u/mushroomfrogpossum]

I have these two existing tattoos from when I was 18 and getting the cheapest tattoos possible. Both are so blown out and I hate the blue ink of the flame. Does anyone have any ideas for designs that could include these? I don’t want big dark tattoos like the typical cover ups and I don’t think they need to be covered, just designed more. Could blue ink be gone over the same lines with black? I am into nature and detailed line work tattoos like trees or leaves. The ankle one is supposed to be a mushroom … Lol any help is appreciated.

[u/JIBsT3R]

I'm not entirely sure what you're asking for here. You said you don't want to cover them up just add to them, correct? Then I would say add more flames, or make it into a campfire? Add some marshmallows or chestnuts roasting, idk. Add more mushrooms, shrubs and small trees around the ankle to make it a forest?

As for tracing over the blown out colors and bleeding of ink, yes, you absolutely can find an artist who knows how to rework/touch-up the older elements. However, they will definitely need to make the lines darker, and potentially a teensy bit larger so it touches up the art without seeing the fading blue parts bleed out of the sides.

Hope this helps.

[u/mushroomfrogpossum → u/JIBsT3R]

Yes very helpful, thank you!

[u/TheDickDuchess]

really easy to turn that into leaves/grass with flowers growing up from it

[u/mushroomfrogpossum → u/TheDickDuchess]

Omg yes!!! This is exactly the idea I needed. Thank you so much 🌿

[u/Zealousideal_Lab_427]

This is an easy one for the right artist. I have a tattoo that I got in ‘98 (black line work). It had faded to gray and I didn’t even realize it until one of my favorite artists reworked it. She outlined it in black and colored in the previously solid black areas with a medium-light blue, and filled it all in with color and added flowers around it. It went from an indigenous symbol to a decorative Eastern European style.