BLASTOVERS

AN UNDERGROUND CONVERSATION ON MODERN TATTOOING

Eagle blastover backpiece by @straydogstattoo - Gothenburg, Sweden

BLASTOVERS

As thick black lines are embraced by contemporary tattoo customers, we’re seeing more people request blastovers (tattoos that lay a new subject atop an existing design). I personally love the aesthetic of a nice blastover, which rarely attempts to totally cover the original piece, but instead embraces it as a textured background for the new composition.

I also love the mentality of a client who accepts their regrettable or imperfect past choices, allowing them to stay visible despite alterations.

Black fluid blastover to add new structure to existing backpiece, by @gus_blk - Brussels

ADDING STRUCTURE

A common reason for pursuing a blastover is a lack of cohesion or compositional balance in the original tattoo. Laying a new framing device atop it can pull various elements together, and make everything feel harmonious.

Many also seek to add structure to their chaotic sleeves or torsos, which may have been cobbled together over time without a lot of forethought about the bigger picture. Placing patterns and lines with heavy weights on top can achieve a sense of cohesion that otherwise might not have been possible.

Peony blastover by @maxvorax - Curitiba, Brasil

Leaf pattern blastover by @andrecastcovil - São Paulo

Black lines blasted over a chestpiece to add cohesion, by @sven_von_kratz - Berlin

Lunar sigil blastover roses, by @susannmarleen - Berlin

ADDING NEW LIFE TO AGING DESIGNS

Another impulse to add layers to the body may stem from boredom or disinterest in the previous piece, a dissatisfaction with how the original design(s) aged, or just frankly running out of space on the body.

In these cases, new layers can feel more like a “yes and” to the former concept, rather than a rework or camouflage. They can add meaning to a piece, change the originally intended meaning (if there was one), or just generally evolve the broader story of the body.

Transforming binary code into a portrait, by @valmirjrrr - Belo Horizonte, Brasil

Ichthys blastover by @sh.d.tattoo - St Petersburg, Russia

“A contre courant” blastover by @ugly_kid_gumo - Paris

Leaf pattern blastover by @boonenaka - Vancouver

CAN BLASTOVERS ALSO BE COVER-UPS?

Sometimes, the line between cover-up and blastover gets a bit blurry. If 80-90% of the original tattoo is covered, and the former subject is unintelligible, is it effectively a cover-up?

I don’t see much discussion about these distinctions online, probably because it’s not a hugely consequential question. The semantics around adding layers to the body will probably only really matter to historians and art nerds, not as much to the tattooers or clients involved in the trade.

Still, being an art nerd myself, I do find myself asking this question, especially as veterans like Tomas Tomas use the terms interchangeably (see below).

Self-described “Blastover / Cover-up” by @tomastomas108 - Japan

Full sleeve of black dotwork by @barnseytattoo - Burlington, Vermont

Before / After transforming an ice cream cone into a crocodile, by @mikekyrtatas - Athens, Greece

That's a wrap!

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This is an unpaid labor of love, as it's always been. I welcome your feedback, corrections and contributions.

With love,
Morgan

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