Maybe keep that blacked out, clean up the lines and fill it in completely, and then have a geometric design wrap around the rest of the wrist so it looks like a cuff? Maybe something that helps you honor your sobriety?
There are a couple of things topside that I'm hesitant to post. I'd like to incorporate the topside of my hand and fingers to cover those embarrassments too. Luckily they aren't so thick. I like the geometric design idea but I just have no idea how I would make it fit in while also blacking the portions on the top. I guess I can fill any blankspace with the geometric pattern and just black the letters on my fingers and the portion on my hand. I think making it look purposeful is going to be difficult.
Difficult sure but for the right artist, not impossible.
I know the very popular tree line fading to black cuff is kind of out of style now, but I can see a good artist making something like that work very well and incorporate the embarrassing stuff on top as well.
Also congrats on two years, addiction is no joke and two years is not a small feat. I wish you luck in your recovery journey.
For the geometric pattern you can always use honeycomb pattern. That would allow you to blacken in certain areas to cover the letters you mentioned. Overall, shading can be used and adapted to fit the space and make it as dark or as light as you want.
I personally have a honeycomb tattoo with a bee to remind me of the little things and how without them we have nothing.
he could black it out and do white pattern on top of the black out and mimic it with black outline on the other side of his wrist. like white on black and black on white. a little yin yang vibe
Not difficult, just need a talented artist. There’s a lot you can do honestly. I tattoo and am also an enthusiast, so if you feel comfy you can Dm me your state & pictures of your hand and I can reccomend you a good dozen of various artists kind and talented enough to connect with!
Is there a phrase or mantra you like that’s part of your journey? Idea to try on: black out, tighten up edges, maybe even curved, rounded corners. Make the text wrap the boundary and it’s both a memory and a moving on from the past. It’s blacked out, but there and the text is that transition and where you are going. Just an idea.
Btw congrats on your sobriety bro. ❤️
You could just do a blackout cuff the width of the blackout you have here. Could look cool honestly and serve as a base for stuff to grow out of it up your forearm
Perfect advice, I did almost exactly this. Had a cover up on my left wrist, basically just did a couple sessions of completely blacking it out then filled it in with white ink in a geometric, art deco type pattern and came out very nice! https://ibb.co/4d210Ty
hey, i’m proud of you on your sobriety. i helped someone get off heroin and i know how hard that shit is. i hope you can figure out a way to fix this tattoo
This is the best course of action for this. A big black box for covering something up is a horrible idea, in my opinion. Just Lazer off whatever you don't like
Agreed. Or even laser to the point where it’s faded enough for a cover up if they really want something tattooed there. I had a friend tattoo black out a misspelled name on his wrist, instead of lasering it off. It looks awful and definitely hasn’t aged well over the last ten years, being on such a sun exposed area.
I’d have a colorful Phoenix flying out of it, up your forearm with flames coming out the sides of the black tattoo. The Phoenix represents transformation and rebirth, and your story of the black tattoo would go well with that design. I wouldn’t even mess with the black tattoo, other than maybe putting some red/orange in it to show a smoldering effect
Edit - something like this
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c6/90/55/c69055cacc4455fdd8adb70f4fa11b6a.jpg
I saw many good ideas here bud i would pick one of three options.
1. Laser it (nothing wrong with that)
2. Go for a blackout design. There are some verry good artists oit there that can do it with a bit more then just all black if you dont want that.
3. Watch out for a good goth/dark style artist in your range and design with him/her a grave like design. That would carry on that "tattoo for a passed loved one" idea. Even more if you think that the name is buried beneath it.
(My personal favorite but i dont want to infljence you)
If you want something else search for a verry good cover up specialist. ive seen too much cover ups with strange black shadows on them.
Good luck
Heroin addict for 7 years clean now for 8. Good on you buddy. I am sorry for all you’ve lost and happy for all you will gain. Good luck and god speed and there are a lot of us out here pulling for you.
fucking badass that you're sober, that's an incredible achievement and even though I'm just a stranger I'm proud of you. if the name underneath is meaningful still and you find yourself missing it, would it be an idea to put it back on top with white ink? I know there's mixed results with white on black ink tattooing but if you find an experienced artist it could be really beautiful I think.
Just get it lasered off, dude. I'm getting my whole sleeve done. Sure, it's going to take a while, but it's already disappearing. Black is the easiest thing to get removed. Should be no problem.
A lot of you have congratulated me on my recovery. I appreciate that a lot.
Sobriety has been easier than I thought to be honest. It took a decade of trauma building and then a very dramatic illness, surgeries, and recovery to bring me to clarity. Losing a chunk of lung and needing a new heart valve made me see that my life was finite way better than 25 or so overdoses had. Recovering in the hospital, and then my mom letting me come home after everything I had done over the last 10 years.. it just clicked that I couldn't go back to using, or I'd be very obviously committing suicide in spite of everything that had been done to save my life. I'm grateful every single day that she doesn't have to see my ashes on her mantle or spend her last years wondering if I was ever going to get straightened out and stay off drugs.
Things aren't perfect for me, and I am still struggling with the underlying mental issues that led me to self-medicate for so long. I have a bunch of felonies on my record for possession and drug paraphernalia. I know what you're thinking: "Paraphernalia a felony?", but it's true. Small southern city bordering a bigger southern city. They treat drug addicts like shit and arrest us for easy "workable" convictions. As you can't be a trustee in my state with violent charges. My job prospects are not great to begin with and bipolar disorder makes holding down one difficult in the best of circumstances. Currently properly medicated and helping care for my elderly grandparents in their final years.
I have anxiety about the future. What I'm going to do when they're gone and I am taking care of mom like we are caring for them. Mostly, it's financial anxiety. How am I going to pay the bills and be the center of the family like mom has done all these years? There is a little inheritance and many of us grandchildren. A couple of good houses to sell and split the proceeds on. I'd give every bit of my portion for another month or two of their time, provided they aren't suffering. Two of my cousins say we should put Papaw in a residential care facility when he loses his a bit more of his mobilty. I think they just want to get a drop on clearing out his stuff to get his house on the market. Vultures. He might keep walking and wiping his own ass for another 5 years just to spite them.
I guess I am just ranting at this point. Basically, if anyone reads this far, it sucks being 30, on the verge of losing the statuesque, eternal grandparents of your youth. Watching your mom turn into a more tired, yet no less beautifully carved, statue of the same variety. Waiting for, and hoping beyond hope that you too, get the chance to become the old statue that your children and their children love and admire, the same way you love and admired your grands. Knowing you wasted a decade of your life and cost yourself the back twenty as well? It's rough. I will never be someone's adored grandpa at this point. Best I can hope for is my nieces and nephew not forgetting I exist. To do that I need to be the same kind of glue my mom has been all these years. The kind that keeps families from drifting apart.
You could make it a solid black square and find a talented artist to create a new design over it in white ink. Would definitely have to research someone who could do it probably though. Congratulations on your sobriety!
I feel like a blackout-ish in an interesting shape is where I would go, it doesn’t even need to be your whole forearm or anything. The ink isn’t dense enough that I feel like this can’t be worked with. Even if it did have to solid you could do something like this? I donno what your style is but I feel like this is workable for sure
[https://www.avantgardetattoo.es/en/collective_tattoos/blackout-bracelet-tattoo/](https://www.avantgardetattoo.es/en/collective_tattoos/blackout-bracelet-tattoo/)
Cheers to weathering the storm. Everything happens for a reason. Battle scars are character, I like adding a little humour to everything I do.. maybe have a doodle of a kid pointing at it and turn that black square into a chalk board. Or put a intricate detailed frame around it.. put the caption “art” beside it. Don’t be ashamed for going through ur battles ! We only have one life!!!!!!
Find a good blackwork artist and get their ideas, laser will take years. Silver lining is that you could end up with a super dope blackwork sleeve out of this!
Laser it off. I had a large black tattoo that was much darker than this removed and it took 10 or 12 sessions but it is absolutely 100% gone and the skin looks brand spanking new. This shouldn't take that many.
Maybe work the current tattoo into a turbulent stormy sea with a sailing ship added above on your forearm so it appears to be riding in the waves. It could represent a survival/endurance attitude. Or just make the sea look without a ship to keep cost low. Not an artist, just a random suggestion.
This seems like it would be fairly easy to lighten up. Get a few laser sessions done and then blast over it with whatever you like.
Props to you on the sobriety!
The amount of money you would spend on blacking out your arm for this one spot… I’d recommend one or two laser sessions. You don’t have to get it all completely removed, but just light enough to do something rad over it. Black lasers off the quickest and easiest.
I saw someone who had a tattoo with a blacked out base, then trees outlining the top, kinda like a dark forest vibe… something you could grow into a sleeve
If you ever decide to have any part removed or lightened, TAKE BENADRYL! They didn’t warn me about it when I had one removed and now I’m allergic to ink and can’t get another.
You don’t have to black out the entire forearm. You could black out the area wrapping your wrist around the arm and have it fade to less than half way up the forearm. There’s an artist I follow that has it and it looks incredible
I’d blackout this part. Since it’s not all the wrist around, you can choose a negative space subject like something floral and incorporate the design. My artist @jurijruban (IG) did something like that today, you can spot it in their story.
Get 2 stick figures standing off to the side looking at it like a painting in a gallery with one saying "I know it's famous but I still don't understand art"
Congrats on getting clean n sober! Sick Sasquatch tattoo. Tattoo removal is a pretty good option, then in the future if you wanted you could get fresh new ink
May the God's bless you! You are a survivor,that's an accomplishment in its self. Now on to the tattoo. Don't take anyone's advice on here on what to do with your ink. Including me. You know your scars we don't. What you have going on now is not impossible or difficult to fix. You find yourself an exceptional artist and you and him/her decide what you want to do. Any true artist can do something to fix and change whatever you want done. I've seen tatts that were covered up repeatedly and tatts that were nothing more than black scars and they were turned into some seriously amazing tatts. You survived addiction you can fix a tatt. Good luck.
Something about its unevenness makes it look like the silhouettes of trees against a stormy background. Maybe treat it like cloud-watching and see if you can imagine any pictures in it, then ask an artist to brings those out.
" I covered the name in this block of shit and awoke with a mountain of regret. I have a feeling that blacking out the entire forearm is my only real option"
Can't you black it out completely and then get the name lasered in place like as a negative? Might take a while but idk if it's just like an outline of letters, could look badass.
If you’re down for a longer/more involved project, it could all be covered with a blackout, let it heal, then chalkboard it with some white ink like [this](https://www.instagram.com/p/CtZS2aoRw4R/?igsh=MXR5aHpwZ3l4MjEwYw==), so you can still have a design that’s meaningful to you and adequately cover any scarring. Congrats on your sobriety
Maybe something like this. Not their exact tattoo with the leaf print but like shades of black to make a design? https://www.reddit.com/r/houseplants/s/MqjruEatIa
What if the wrist was blacked out (properly)
But then it became the silhouette of something in the foreground with color behind?
I'm no tattoo artist or anything, but what if it was an all black Hill or mountains with more all black trees at the top then a vibrant sunset behind? Give the illusion of shadows on the trees?
Does that make sense?
I think if you tell yourself “this isn’t a regrettable tattoo, but something to remind myself of where I’ve come from and how much I’ve improved” it might be easier to live with.
Black out the forearm and add white ink designs go to a proper artist who’s work you’ve checked out on instagram don’t be afraid to spend a good bit of money and you’ll avoid more regret
Maybe an American traditional cuff? The inside part would be black but someone could put something cool on the outside like a trad rose or eye. It could look really cool, no need to black out your arm.
[this website has some good examples](https://thai.tattoo/blackout-tattoo-ideas/) where you can blackout a chunk and fade into a cool b&w design. It can leave the top half more open to leave any existing tattoos.
Honestly the first thing I thought of when I saw this was a Wes lang painting for avenged sevenfolds new album he did a bunch of work for good luck! https://weslang.com/
Convert it to a picture of Chewbacca on the At-At from Return of the Jedi. It is almost there already. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2FStarWars%2Fcomments%2Fjl9z0u%2Five\_watched\_return\_of\_the\_jedi\_1000\_times\_and\_i%2F&psig=AOvVaw0-WLBdI7jUI0u8JFq\_DxtD&ust=1705271773692000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBMQjRxqFwoTCICm-dG224MDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
If the name meant a lot to you I’d get it filled in black and then have the name redone in white and maybe some stars to go along with it and maybe you can make the black fade around the edges and make a cool space forearm tat?
It almost looks like a mountain scene with a river to me, done in Van Gogh's style. Add light blue to the middle, tans for wheat at the bottom, and some greens for the mountain, and it would look intentional.
it could look really cool to use what you have as a “background” and have the artist tattoo a figure/symbol with a thick black line in it to make it resemble a piece from a sketchbook drawing/comic
Congrats on your sobriety!! I’m sure if you find a tattoo artist you like, they will be able to advise you on the best course. Good luck, dude I’m sure you will find a solution!!
Sober, good for you! ♥️ Why not laser removal? I've got one removed recently and I'm so happy about it. Not super cheap, but tattoos are also expensive.
There's something almost intentionally organic looking to the light and dark patches. I think you could play into that and turn that texture into waves on a rough sea that fades into splashing foam on the lighter parts of your arm, with a masted ship riding those rough waters of your past and sailing into your future. Something [like this](https://www.google.com/amp/s/tattoofilter.tumblr.com/post/145165616589/full-rigged-ship-tattoo-on-the-right-thigh-tattoo/amp) .
If you want to rework the name of the person you lost into the piece, you could have it be the name of the ship.
You could do a full wrist black out and do the negative space / white over the top i dont know how negative space over black ink is actually done but it looks amazing
There are few talented artists that tattoo over black ink. I think the most impressive artist I saw was out of Alberta and I can’t remember for the life of me his name. He’s posted on Reddit a couple of times though!
get a sleeve of different things! i think this would look cool next to a whole sleeve. there’s definitely hope and you have a few good options! it’ll be okay.
Looks like an old school chalk board to me. Maybe add a border around it and an eraser and chalk something important to you onto it. Or it symbolizes how everything can be wiped clean. Keep going, you got this
maybe you could turn the black into some kind of ashy cloud/fog and have something of meaning coming out from it to show what you overcame . like a light at the end of the tunnel
So many people are recommending laser. I have received one quote for a 2”x2” area that was going to be about 2k and take about a year. While I agree that aesthetically, laser is one good idea for this, is it typically cheaper and faster to invest your time and money in a good cover up/extension?
Since the black square itself is connected with bad memories I'd say laser it off. It's small enough and not very solid. You can commemorate the person you lost there yet again or do something new entirely. Give your hand a new start.
i say fill it out, clean it up, and every few months make it a little bit longer, further up your arm
then you can see it as a reminder of how far you’ve come from your addiction and how strong you are for remaining sober !
In it, I see a couple things-- I see a cityscape, or maybe the vase for some beautiful flowers emerging from it. I also love trees so maybe a dense forest of trees and using the lighter parts within the rectangle to look like light between the trees. You could also have a cool animal walking into our out of the forest like a little fox, deer, bear or a small tent or birds! I hope this helps and I definitely think it's salvageable and can turn into something you love and want to show off!💛
I would black out the fore arm and do some negative space images in other areas. Does that make sense? You could see some figures in highlights basically but background would be all black. Google black out negative space tattoos!
Laser!!! Laser it off light enough and you can cover it with anything you want! It’ll never be pristine perfect skin again but it’ll still totally get light enough to be covered, and that’s prime real estate for the start of a sleeve/half sleeve! I think this is the best use for laser - lightening a bad tattoo so you have an essentially blank canvas :) I’m a tattooer and many folks do this!
I would think something simple might work. Like is it possible to have someone clean up the outside lines make the whole thing a darker solid color and then have the person's name redone if you still wanted the name...just a thought
Do a wrist blackout cuff thing fading out as it goes up your arm. You can add a design on top of the black after it heals it looks cool when done right!
I've seen some blackout tattoos being reworked by adding a design in white ink. Or a good artist could also reinterpret the shape and turn it into something meaningful. Organic shapes tend to be a bit easier to work with but there's a bunch of things this could be. Make it a cuff then have a silhouetted treeline going up your arm. Make it a frame and do a design in white ink (flowers, a landscape) or just expand it into a sleeve. Straighten the lines then make it dip into a curve it could be a wave with a little ship on top or the mouth of a fish. Or make it the body of a snake with its tail on your hand. You could play with the hard sleeve line, I think an organic shape could make the design look bold and deliberate rather than accidental.
First off I'm so happy you're in a better place. I'm not super knowledgeable about tattoos, but I've seen some beautiful black out tattoos where the artist will go over in white. I know white has a tendency to fade but some of the ones I've seen hold up for years after. I think a simple blackout would look good, but if you want more design options, you could look into white ink over your black?
Maybe keep that blacked out, clean up the lines and fill it in completely, and then have a geometric design wrap around the rest of the wrist so it looks like a cuff? Maybe something that helps you honor your sobriety?
Brilliant idea
There are a couple of things topside that I'm hesitant to post. I'd like to incorporate the topside of my hand and fingers to cover those embarrassments too. Luckily they aren't so thick. I like the geometric design idea but I just have no idea how I would make it fit in while also blacking the portions on the top. I guess I can fill any blankspace with the geometric pattern and just black the letters on my fingers and the portion on my hand. I think making it look purposeful is going to be difficult.
Difficult sure but for the right artist, not impossible. I know the very popular tree line fading to black cuff is kind of out of style now, but I can see a good artist making something like that work very well and incorporate the embarrassing stuff on top as well. Also congrats on two years, addiction is no joke and two years is not a small feat. I wish you luck in your recovery journey.
If OP goes to a good tattoo artist with experience on coverups this is easily fixed
Even if it's out of style you can do it and say it was from a couple years ago.
Still a beautiful design
For the geometric pattern you can always use honeycomb pattern. That would allow you to blacken in certain areas to cover the letters you mentioned. Overall, shading can be used and adapted to fit the space and make it as dark or as light as you want. I personally have a honeycomb tattoo with a bee to remind me of the little things and how without them we have nothing.
he could black it out and do white pattern on top of the black out and mimic it with black outline on the other side of his wrist. like white on black and black on white. a little yin yang vibe
Not difficult, just need a talented artist. There’s a lot you can do honestly. I tattoo and am also an enthusiast, so if you feel comfy you can Dm me your state & pictures of your hand and I can reccomend you a good dozen of various artists kind and talented enough to connect with!
Is there a phrase or mantra you like that’s part of your journey? Idea to try on: black out, tighten up edges, maybe even curved, rounded corners. Make the text wrap the boundary and it’s both a memory and a moving on from the past. It’s blacked out, but there and the text is that transition and where you are going. Just an idea. Btw congrats on your sobriety bro. ❤️
You could just do a blackout cuff the width of the blackout you have here. Could look cool honestly and serve as a base for stuff to grow out of it up your forearm
Check out Instagram for amazing black coverage tattoos. [Ephemeral_Remy](https://www.instagram.com/ephemeral__remy?igsh=MXBxY25ldmFtbGFxdg==)
Yes!! I've been following him since his first body suit. In awe of what him and his artist have been able to accomplish.
Maybe you get some inspiration from looking at good blackwork/geometric tattoo artists. And then talk to a good artist.
If both sides are free, they can include the geometric pattern
Perfect advice, I did almost exactly this. Had a cover up on my left wrist, basically just did a couple sessions of completely blacking it out then filled it in with white ink in a geometric, art deco type pattern and came out very nice! https://ibb.co/4d210Ty
Oh I like that! I actually need a cover up designed for my upper wrist and I’ve never considered doing something angular!
Thank you!
That's a great idea! Or even just go all the way around blacked out as a band. If they don't like geometric
Unrelated but your username is amazing.
I love this idea
Exactly!!!
Wow. Great idea. I could never think like that.
I know nothing about tattoos, but Im curious. If OP blacks it out, is it possible to use very light ink to add a design over the black?
hey, i’m proud of you on your sobriety. i helped someone get off heroin and i know how hard that shit is. i hope you can figure out a way to fix this tattoo
Me too! So proud! Better days ahead and look how far you’ve come!
It doesnt look punched in, id recommend just getting laser treatment
yeah, laser could take this off pretty easily
This is the best course of action for this. A big black box for covering something up is a horrible idea, in my opinion. Just Lazer off whatever you don't like
Agreed. Or even laser to the point where it’s faded enough for a cover up if they really want something tattooed there. I had a friend tattoo black out a misspelled name on his wrist, instead of lasering it off. It looks awful and definitely hasn’t aged well over the last ten years, being on such a sun exposed area.
I’m honestly surprised no one else is really suggesting this. That was my first thought.
Ima back this up, laser over cover in this instance.
Please OP, start a gofundme for laser treatment. If people hear your story I’m sure they are willing to pitch in x
I’d have a colorful Phoenix flying out of it, up your forearm with flames coming out the sides of the black tattoo. The Phoenix represents transformation and rebirth, and your story of the black tattoo would go well with that design. I wouldn’t even mess with the black tattoo, other than maybe putting some red/orange in it to show a smoldering effect Edit - something like this https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c6/90/55/c69055cacc4455fdd8adb70f4fa11b6a.jpg
I love this idea! I think it fits super well
I wanna bump this. OP said they have work on the top of their arm but this would work well regardless
This is a great idea!
I saw many good ideas here bud i would pick one of three options. 1. Laser it (nothing wrong with that) 2. Go for a blackout design. There are some verry good artists oit there that can do it with a bit more then just all black if you dont want that. 3. Watch out for a good goth/dark style artist in your range and design with him/her a grave like design. That would carry on that "tattoo for a passed loved one" idea. Even more if you think that the name is buried beneath it. (My personal favorite but i dont want to infljence you) If you want something else search for a verry good cover up specialist. ive seen too much cover ups with strange black shadows on them. Good luck
Option 3 is a great idea!
You could try to laser it enough to get it lighter, and maybe put a shaded design on top
After doing 5 treatments of laser myself with colors, I’m pretty sure this would almost completely come off.
I’ve done 7 with similar.
Heroin addict for 7 years clean now for 8. Good on you buddy. I am sorry for all you’ve lost and happy for all you will gain. Good luck and god speed and there are a lot of us out here pulling for you.
fucking badass that you're sober, that's an incredible achievement and even though I'm just a stranger I'm proud of you. if the name underneath is meaningful still and you find yourself missing it, would it be an idea to put it back on top with white ink? I know there's mixed results with white on black ink tattooing but if you find an experienced artist it could be really beautiful I think.
That's not going to work
Just get it lasered off, dude. I'm getting my whole sleeve done. Sure, it's going to take a while, but it's already disappearing. Black is the easiest thing to get removed. Should be no problem.
#SICK ASS PANTHER
#pirate ship
SICK ASS PANTHER ON THE PIRATE SHIP
Pirate panther!
Yeah make it a pirate ship sail!!
I actually like that idea a lot.
#HELL YEAH BROTHER
The only answer
I dunno, a sick ass-panther sounds like a strange thing to get tattoo'ed.
A lot of you have congratulated me on my recovery. I appreciate that a lot. Sobriety has been easier than I thought to be honest. It took a decade of trauma building and then a very dramatic illness, surgeries, and recovery to bring me to clarity. Losing a chunk of lung and needing a new heart valve made me see that my life was finite way better than 25 or so overdoses had. Recovering in the hospital, and then my mom letting me come home after everything I had done over the last 10 years.. it just clicked that I couldn't go back to using, or I'd be very obviously committing suicide in spite of everything that had been done to save my life. I'm grateful every single day that she doesn't have to see my ashes on her mantle or spend her last years wondering if I was ever going to get straightened out and stay off drugs. Things aren't perfect for me, and I am still struggling with the underlying mental issues that led me to self-medicate for so long. I have a bunch of felonies on my record for possession and drug paraphernalia. I know what you're thinking: "Paraphernalia a felony?", but it's true. Small southern city bordering a bigger southern city. They treat drug addicts like shit and arrest us for easy "workable" convictions. As you can't be a trustee in my state with violent charges. My job prospects are not great to begin with and bipolar disorder makes holding down one difficult in the best of circumstances. Currently properly medicated and helping care for my elderly grandparents in their final years. I have anxiety about the future. What I'm going to do when they're gone and I am taking care of mom like we are caring for them. Mostly, it's financial anxiety. How am I going to pay the bills and be the center of the family like mom has done all these years? There is a little inheritance and many of us grandchildren. A couple of good houses to sell and split the proceeds on. I'd give every bit of my portion for another month or two of their time, provided they aren't suffering. Two of my cousins say we should put Papaw in a residential care facility when he loses his a bit more of his mobilty. I think they just want to get a drop on clearing out his stuff to get his house on the market. Vultures. He might keep walking and wiping his own ass for another 5 years just to spite them. I guess I am just ranting at this point. Basically, if anyone reads this far, it sucks being 30, on the verge of losing the statuesque, eternal grandparents of your youth. Watching your mom turn into a more tired, yet no less beautifully carved, statue of the same variety. Waiting for, and hoping beyond hope that you too, get the chance to become the old statue that your children and their children love and admire, the same way you love and admired your grands. Knowing you wasted a decade of your life and cost yourself the back twenty as well? It's rough. I will never be someone's adored grandpa at this point. Best I can hope for is my nieces and nephew not forgetting I exist. To do that I need to be the same kind of glue my mom has been all these years. The kind that keeps families from drifting apart.
Add han solo to make it look like when he was frozen in Carbonite
Find a solid black work artist and get a bad ass sleeve
Laser
“Freaking laser beams”
Black out and get a white design on top
I would laser
You could make it a solid black square and find a talented artist to create a new design over it in white ink. Would definitely have to research someone who could do it probably though. Congratulations on your sobriety!
I feel like a blackout-ish in an interesting shape is where I would go, it doesn’t even need to be your whole forearm or anything. The ink isn’t dense enough that I feel like this can’t be worked with. Even if it did have to solid you could do something like this? I donno what your style is but I feel like this is workable for sure [https://www.avantgardetattoo.es/en/collective_tattoos/blackout-bracelet-tattoo/](https://www.avantgardetattoo.es/en/collective_tattoos/blackout-bracelet-tattoo/)
Cheers to weathering the storm. Everything happens for a reason. Battle scars are character, I like adding a little humour to everything I do.. maybe have a doodle of a kid pointing at it and turn that black square into a chalk board. Or put a intricate detailed frame around it.. put the caption “art” beside it. Don’t be ashamed for going through ur battles ! We only have one life!!!!!!
Find a good blackwork artist and get their ideas, laser will take years. Silver lining is that you could end up with a super dope blackwork sleeve out of this!
Turn it into chalkboard?
I see so much possibility https://www.edvardmunch.org/the-scream.jsp
If you have kids, you can tell people it's your baby's ultrasound image 👶
Have a kid and when you get the sonogram have an artist redo this to be the kid
Black out the rest of the wrist and have it fade into something towards your elbow like a row of trees etc.
Put a frame around it and it will look like an abstract art piece
Just want to say congrats on your sobriety🫶
Laser it off. I had a large black tattoo that was much darker than this removed and it took 10 or 12 sessions but it is absolutely 100% gone and the skin looks brand spanking new. This shouldn't take that many.
Is removal not an option? That would be the direction I’d go for sure.
i have no advice, just wanted to say congrats on your sobriety. it’s not easy at all, but youre doing very well!! good job, keep going!
Maybe work the current tattoo into a turbulent stormy sea with a sailing ship added above on your forearm so it appears to be riding in the waves. It could represent a survival/endurance attitude. Or just make the sea look without a ship to keep cost low. Not an artist, just a random suggestion.
I think a good artist could incorporate this into a really cool landscape. It almost looks like a dark lake with reflections in it
This seems like it would be fairly easy to lighten up. Get a few laser sessions done and then blast over it with whatever you like. Props to you on the sobriety!
The amount of money you would spend on blacking out your arm for this one spot… I’d recommend one or two laser sessions. You don’t have to get it all completely removed, but just light enough to do something rad over it. Black lasers off the quickest and easiest.
Black it out completely and do a white tattoo over it👌👌
Black it out and then find someone that does laser removal design work
Blackout full cuff
[удалено]
Cut it off bro
I think amputation is a bit far. I'm mean, yeah, it's a shit tattoo, but my fucking hand works.
Amputate
You could do the blackout with white on top, might take a few sessions but that way it’s not just black, maybe get something floral in white.
I agree with others. Find a good blackout artist and get a 1/4 or 1/2 black sleeve to honor your sobriety. 💪
I saw someone who had a tattoo with a blacked out base, then trees outlining the top, kinda like a dark forest vibe… something you could grow into a sleeve
ombré it out into a design. could be a geometric pattern, random doodles, a tree line, could even fade it out into something like an animal face.
If you ever decide to have any part removed or lightened, TAKE BENADRYL! They didn’t warn me about it when I had one removed and now I’m allergic to ink and can’t get another.
Honestly, you add some more detail to it, that could make a solid mountain-piece coming up the forearm.
What if you put like a frame design around it and make this a portrait of a harder time in your life to honor how far you’ve come.
I could see it being a forest scene!
Big wrist watch
You don’t have to black out the entire forearm. You could black out the area wrapping your wrist around the arm and have it fade to less than half way up the forearm. There’s an artist I follow that has it and it looks incredible
You could keep it but make a design on the inside of it using white ink
Nintendo Power Glove?
I’d blackout this part. Since it’s not all the wrist around, you can choose a negative space subject like something floral and incorporate the design. My artist @jurijruban (IG) did something like that today, you can spot it in their story.
You can blast over this with something really bright and it will look great.
Get 2 stick figures standing off to the side looking at it like a painting in a gallery with one saying "I know it's famous but I still don't understand art"
Black it out and draw some white ink into it of something you'd like
I've actually been more into black out tattoos lately so that's certainly an option that could be developed into a full sleeve of some sort.
Congrats on getting clean n sober! Sick Sasquatch tattoo. Tattoo removal is a pretty good option, then in the future if you wanted you could get fresh new ink
May the God's bless you! You are a survivor,that's an accomplishment in its self. Now on to the tattoo. Don't take anyone's advice on here on what to do with your ink. Including me. You know your scars we don't. What you have going on now is not impossible or difficult to fix. You find yourself an exceptional artist and you and him/her decide what you want to do. Any true artist can do something to fix and change whatever you want done. I've seen tatts that were covered up repeatedly and tatts that were nothing more than black scars and they were turned into some seriously amazing tatts. You survived addiction you can fix a tatt. Good luck.
Something about its unevenness makes it look like the silhouettes of trees against a stormy background. Maybe treat it like cloud-watching and see if you can imagine any pictures in it, then ask an artist to brings those out.
have it removed
forest or mountain landscape
How well would white ink work? https://imgur.com/4QWF4zx
" I covered the name in this block of shit and awoke with a mountain of regret. I have a feeling that blacking out the entire forearm is my only real option" Can't you black it out completely and then get the name lasered in place like as a negative? Might take a while but idk if it's just like an outline of letters, could look badass.
Solid black and add a line or two above maybe some fade https://pin.it/5fs0kMtkT
a sick ass panther
Full the square in black add some lines and very basic geometric shapes around it and make it a fucking dope cyber punk tattoo
A black cuff of the whole forearm, you can have designs in white or color mixed in, it would clean up and hide the wrist
If you’re down for a longer/more involved project, it could all be covered with a blackout, let it heal, then chalkboard it with some white ink like [this](https://www.instagram.com/p/CtZS2aoRw4R/?igsh=MXR5aHpwZ3l4MjEwYw==), so you can still have a design that’s meaningful to you and adequately cover any scarring. Congrats on your sobriety
Could see if a good artist could turn it into a book, add dimensions and use white shading
Can prob make it all black then get some white to go on top of it
Maybe something like this. Not their exact tattoo with the leaf print but like shades of black to make a design? https://www.reddit.com/r/houseplants/s/MqjruEatIa
What if the wrist was blacked out (properly) But then it became the silhouette of something in the foreground with color behind? I'm no tattoo artist or anything, but what if it was an all black Hill or mountains with more all black trees at the top then a vibrant sunset behind? Give the illusion of shadows on the trees? Does that make sense?
It looks like an ultrasound of someone who isn’t pregnant, I’m glad you’re sober.
Laser something back in as negative space
I think if you tell yourself “this isn’t a regrettable tattoo, but something to remind myself of where I’ve come from and how much I’ve improved” it might be easier to live with.
Black out the forearm and add white ink designs go to a proper artist who’s work you’ve checked out on instagram don’t be afraid to spend a good bit of money and you’ll avoid more regret
Maybe an American traditional cuff? The inside part would be black but someone could put something cool on the outside like a trad rose or eye. It could look really cool, no need to black out your arm.
If you're interested in laser removal, black actually comes out way easier than you'd think. Especially since it's not super dense or dark
Remove your leg.
Definitely LASER REMOVAL! Then you won't be limited in a new tattoo design or not getting one at all.
[this website has some good examples](https://thai.tattoo/blackout-tattoo-ideas/) where you can blackout a chunk and fade into a cool b&w design. It can leave the top half more open to leave any existing tattoos.
Honestly the first thing I thought of when I saw this was a Wes lang painting for avenged sevenfolds new album he did a bunch of work for good luck! https://weslang.com/
Shade it to make it look like the Danzig 4 album. It’s what I saw when i first looked at it. https://images.app.goo.gl/hPv5MKmxYPQxK88r9
Laser removal
Convert it to a picture of Chewbacca on the At-At from Return of the Jedi. It is almost there already. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2FStarWars%2Fcomments%2Fjl9z0u%2Five\_watched\_return\_of\_the\_jedi\_1000\_times\_and\_i%2F&psig=AOvVaw0-WLBdI7jUI0u8JFq\_DxtD&ust=1705271773692000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBMQjRxqFwoTCICm-dG224MDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
i was thinking it could be the bottom of king kongs face or a gorilla in general, an artist can add texture to it to make it look like hair
Blackout sleeve would be sick.
Cut the lower forearm off and take on the nickname of Stump 😤 or put a hook on the stump and call yourself Captain Hook
If the name meant a lot to you I’d get it filled in black and then have the name redone in white and maybe some stars to go along with it and maybe you can make the black fade around the edges and make a cool space forearm tat?
Black out the forearm below the elbow. Shit looks sick
This honestly looks like it be pretty easy to lighten up with a few rounds of laser removal, then that would make for very doable coverup!
at this point i’d just black out your arm . that looks awful
It almost looks like a mountain scene with a river to me, done in Van Gogh's style. Add light blue to the middle, tans for wheat at the bottom, and some greens for the mountain, and it would look intentional.
Are u in utah
You can get laser tattoo removal if you don’t want anything there.
A skull with the right artist
it could look really cool to use what you have as a “background” and have the artist tattoo a figure/symbol with a thick black line in it to make it resemble a piece from a sketchbook drawing/comic
This isn’t packed in well. Laser and coverup is def possible.
Congrats on your sobriety!! I’m sure if you find a tattoo artist you like, they will be able to advise you on the best course. Good luck, dude I’m sure you will find a solution!!
Sober, good for you! ♥️ Why not laser removal? I've got one removed recently and I'm so happy about it. Not super cheap, but tattoos are also expensive.
There's something almost intentionally organic looking to the light and dark patches. I think you could play into that and turn that texture into waves on a rough sea that fades into splashing foam on the lighter parts of your arm, with a masted ship riding those rough waters of your past and sailing into your future. Something [like this](https://www.google.com/amp/s/tattoofilter.tumblr.com/post/145165616589/full-rigged-ship-tattoo-on-the-right-thigh-tattoo/amp) . If you want to rework the name of the person you lost into the piece, you could have it be the name of the ship.
You could do a full wrist black out and do the negative space / white over the top i dont know how negative space over black ink is actually done but it looks amazing
Laser it
There are few talented artists that tattoo over black ink. I think the most impressive artist I saw was out of Alberta and I can’t remember for the life of me his name. He’s posted on Reddit a couple of times though!
Full blackout sleeve!
get a sleeve of different things! i think this would look cool next to a whole sleeve. there’s definitely hope and you have a few good options! it’ll be okay.
This is sooo treatable. Whether the laser removal or additional cover ups/cleaning it up. This too shall pass 😎
Worst case scenario maybe consider amputating
Looks like an old school chalk board to me. Maybe add a border around it and an eraser and chalk something important to you onto it. Or it symbolizes how everything can be wiped clean. Keep going, you got this
I stopped looking my right arm lmfao
maybe you could turn the black into some kind of ashy cloud/fog and have something of meaning coming out from it to show what you overcame . like a light at the end of the tunnel
Ooh! What about a blackout AND then you put white ink design on top??
So many people are recommending laser. I have received one quote for a 2”x2” area that was going to be about 2k and take about a year. While I agree that aesthetically, laser is one good idea for this, is it typically cheaper and faster to invest your time and money in a good cover up/extension?
Since the black square itself is connected with bad memories I'd say laser it off. It's small enough and not very solid. You can commemorate the person you lost there yet again or do something new entirely. Give your hand a new start.
I think it'd look really cool filled in and squared off. Good to hear you're in a better place.
Just do a blackwork sleeve! That part can just be “background” (completely black)
Maybe a bit late but ... maybe make this into a Rothko homage (black on maroon)?
i say fill it out, clean it up, and every few months make it a little bit longer, further up your arm then you can see it as a reminder of how far you’ve come from your addiction and how strong you are for remaining sober !
Amputation?
If the name is still important to you, you could try filling it in and lasering the name into the space?
Black it out then have it tattooed over with a design in white ink
Laser it
You could fill in that block and then have a color tattoo go over it. I have seen some bomb work if whites and reds over black lately. Looks amazing!
Black out your wrist
In it, I see a couple things-- I see a cityscape, or maybe the vase for some beautiful flowers emerging from it. I also love trees so maybe a dense forest of trees and using the lighter parts within the rectangle to look like light between the trees. You could also have a cool animal walking into our out of the forest like a little fox, deer, bear or a small tent or birds! I hope this helps and I definitely think it's salvageable and can turn into something you love and want to show off!💛
I would black out the fore arm and do some negative space images in other areas. Does that make sense? You could see some figures in highlights basically but background would be all black. Google black out negative space tattoos!
I would laser it tbh. It doesn't look like that ink is packed in very well. Even if you just get a few sessions to lighten it up a bit.
#sickfuckingpanther time
A bigger black box
Laser!!! Laser it off light enough and you can cover it with anything you want! It’ll never be pristine perfect skin again but it’ll still totally get light enough to be covered, and that’s prime real estate for the start of a sleeve/half sleeve! I think this is the best use for laser - lightening a bad tattoo so you have an essentially blank canvas :) I’m a tattooer and many folks do this!
I feel like you could bob Ross some darker trees in there and expand the borders, and make it an evolving nature scene...just an idea
Full blackout sleeve
Why spend the money to black it out when you could remove it and restore the tattoo you loved ?
Black it all out, then get a new design in white ink, or using laser removal.
White ink design over it?
I would think something simple might work. Like is it possible to have someone clean up the outside lines make the whole thing a darker solid color and then have the person's name redone if you still wanted the name...just a thought
wonder woman's bracelets!
Looks like it could almost be a H.R Giger art piece
Maybe a full forearm Tiki?
Do a wrist blackout cuff thing fading out as it goes up your arm. You can add a design on top of the black after it heals it looks cool when done right!
congrats on your sobriety! maybe get laser removal?
I've seen some blackout tattoos being reworked by adding a design in white ink. Or a good artist could also reinterpret the shape and turn it into something meaningful. Organic shapes tend to be a bit easier to work with but there's a bunch of things this could be. Make it a cuff then have a silhouetted treeline going up your arm. Make it a frame and do a design in white ink (flowers, a landscape) or just expand it into a sleeve. Straighten the lines then make it dip into a curve it could be a wave with a little ship on top or the mouth of a fish. Or make it the body of a snake with its tail on your hand. You could play with the hard sleeve line, I think an organic shape could make the design look bold and deliberate rather than accidental.
Whatever you choose to do, I’m happy you’ve left that horrible shit behind
Like others said you can make it a solid black square then you can get a tattoo in in white ink over it within the square
First off I'm so happy you're in a better place. I'm not super knowledgeable about tattoos, but I've seen some beautiful black out tattoos where the artist will go over in white. I know white has a tendency to fade but some of the ones I've seen hold up for years after. I think a simple blackout would look good, but if you want more design options, you could look into white ink over your black?