45 Creative Ways People Covered Up Tattoos of Their Exes

Let’s face it — falling in love can be intense. We’ve all had that moment in the early stages of romance when we want to tell the world about our newfound boo. Instead of simply changing their relationship status on Facebook, these folks decided to declare their love with tattoos. Unfortunately, not all relationships survive, calling for another trip to the tattoo shop to get their tributes covered up.

I Suspect Fowl Play

It’s been said that getting inked is a great way to kiss goodbye to the break-up blues. A creative solution, this woman covered her ex’s name with a watercolor-inspired feather. Cover-ups usually have to be large enough to disguise the original design, and the artist of this piece decided to take it one step further, getting creative with color.

I Suspect Fowl Play

Nature-themed cover-ups are a popular choice, and feathers can event represent freedom from a toxic or troubled relationship. Goodbye forever, Darwin!

Marge Makes the Best Muse

Cover-ups don’t have to consist of the typical images of flowers, birds, roses, skulls, or feathers. If you want to erase bad memories of your ex, why not replace your ink with a fun tribute to your favorite cartoon character?

Marge Makes the Best Muse

Altering the text on a tattoo is a convenient way of changing its meaning without having to cover the design entirely. This tattoo artist cleverly altered ‘Mary’ to say ‘Marge’, complete with a portrait of the blue-haired mother of three.

Portrait Gone Wrong

Getting a portrait of your significant other can be risky, and when the relationship breaks down, a trip to the tattoo shop is inevitable. Thankfully, some tattoos are more easily covered than others.

Portrait Gone Wrong

Sometimes, the artist may suggest a few sessions of laser removal, but this is not always necessary. When a design has faded over time, the artist can conveniently cover the original piece of work using bold colors, as seen in this ‘Day of the Dead’-inspired piece.

Birds of a Feather

When a tattoo consists of a long line of script like this one, it can be difficult to cover it up. This tattoo artist decided to experiment with vivid shades of blue and purple, creating a colorful and fun feather. This bright design leaves no trace of the original, transforming the client’s arm into a canvas.

Birds of a Feather

Sometimes the old tattoo can peek through, but not in this case. Even the small flower has been covered with a splatter of ink!

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

Natural landscapes can be a popular choice of tattoo — reminding the client of peace, tranquillity, and rest. If a relationship falls apart, it can be a good idea to cover the tattoo with a tribute to your happy place.

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

The artist of this piece decided to cover the original text with a cluster of trees. The mountain range and rising sun add another layer of beauty to this stunning tattoo. You wouldn’t even know that this was a cover-up piece.

Mother of Dragons

Sometimes a tattoo can be difficult to cover entirely, due to the placement or size of the original text. In some cases, names can be completely covered by circular designs like this one. This Game of Thrones-inspired piece transforms the old tattoo into a powerful dragon symbol.

Mother of Dragons

Dragon tattoos can represent freedom — and in many cultures, they connote strength, good luck, and knowledge. If only the client had the wisdom to avoid getting a tattoo dedicated to their partner.

Til Death Do Us Part

On their big day, some couples decide to get matching tattoos instead of exchanging rings. However, not all marriages stand the test of time.

Till Death Do Us Part

Ring finger tattoos are subtle, but they can be tough to cover up when relationships go up in flames. However, if you decided to celebrate your marriage with ink, a lotus design like this one can be a beautiful solution, symbolizing beauty and spiritual awakening. Next time, maybe you should just put a ring on it!

King Kong Cover-Up

What do you do when you have a huge tattoo of your ex adorning your leg? Cover it with a gorilla, of course! When a portrait is this big, covering it up can be a mammoth task. Sometimes, the only solution involves exploring the animal kingdom.

King Kong Cover-Up

This gorilla tattoo is a fun way to disguise a detailed portrait, and the dark coloring helps remove any trace of the original. If your favorite movie is King Kong, then that’s a bonus!

Gotham Before Girlfriends

Getting a massive tattoo of your girlfriend’s name across your back seems like a good idea until you split up. This Batman fan came up with the ingenious idea of dedicating his back piece to the caped crusader. The large script may have posed a challenge for the tattoo artist, but the classic shape of the Batman logo worked perfectly to disguise his homage to Kayleigh.

Gotham Before Girlfriends

Never mind Bruce Wayne — in this story, the tattooist really saved the day.

Growing a Forest Apart

If your true love has left you, don’t despair. Cover up that tattoo with an image of a place that brings you joy! This piece follows the natural curve of the lettering, disguising the fateful ex’s name with a tall, powerful tree.

Growing a Forest Apart

Forests are places of peace and relaxation, and simply looking at this forearm piece would be enough to dispel any bad memories of a failed relationship. Simply inhale, exhale, and focus on the future. A new life awaits!

Wings of Freedom

Getting your loved one’s name tattooed on you is a big commitment. In the throes of love, sometimes this decision seems like a perfectly natural thing to do. This client desired his girlfriend’s name inked over his chest, just above his heart. How sweet!

Wings of Freedom

However, when things went sour, he had to go big to cover up the huge original artwork. This new piece uses intricate shading to complete the bold design. Sometimes birds of a feather don’t stay together.

Devil in Disguise

Ouch. Let’s hope this guy’s ex never sees his new tattoo, as he decided to transform her portrait into a creepy, cartoon devil! The tattoo artist of this piece had to get creative to cover up the original design, as detailed portraits can sometimes prove difficult to erase.

Devil in Disguise

The brilliant use of coloring really allows this piece to stand out, whilst still incorporating elements of the former tattoo, such as the hair. Check out those devil horns and sharp fangs!

Touchdown Cover-Up

People can decide to cover their tattoos for a host of reasons. Sometimes this is triggered by a relationship break down, but often the original tattoos were also terribly done! In this client’s case, both of those factors played a part in their decision.

Touchdown Cover-Up

The original tattoo is shoddy, amateurish, and lacks detail. The new design uses vibrant shades of green and yellow, showing off this guy’s love for sports, whilst covering the name of his ex-boyfriend. It’s a win-win situation!

Mythical Medusa Transformation

Oh, dear! Poor Kim. Not only has her ex entirely removed any trace of her original tribute tattoo, but they’ve also replaced her portrait with a colorful, detailed portrayal of an evil creature from Greek mythology! The artist of this piece cleverly covered the text and the image with a host of slithering snakes.

Mythical Medusa Transformation

This cover-up is bright, bold, and leaves no trace of the original black and white design. Hopefully, Kim won’t be offended by her ex’s new ink!

Dead Man’s Bones

Some relationships just aren’t built to last. Thankfully, this client was able to say goodbye to their old relationship with this dramatic skull tattoo. The intense shading ensures that the original name is completely gone, while the skull design represents the death of an old life. Also, this tattoo can hold symbolic meaning for the wearer, showing that change and growth lie just around the corner.

Dead Man’s Bones

Aside from all that soppy stuff, skull tattoos also make you look pretty tough.

Rainbow Feather Fever

When the piece incorporates many bright colors, it can be a challenge for the tattoo artist to come up with a new design. This artist decided to craft a tribute to all things nature-inspired, sketching a watercolor feather surrounded by flying birds.

Rainbow Feather Fever

It was a stroke of genius, as the stunning shades of purple, pink, blue, and green really help to conceal the former script. Feathers may be a popular choice, but this is for a reason. They look great!

Diamonds Are Forever

This fun design brings the bling. Unfortunately, the client’s relationship with Isaac didn’t work out, but this didn’t mean they had to kiss goodbye to their beloved diamond tattoo. Instead, the tattoo artist masterfully concealed the text with a luxurious purple ribbon.

Diamonds Are Forever

They even went to the effort of brightening the blue colorwork and adding some sparkle with the lines at the top of the piece. This goes to show that completely covering a design isn’t always the answer.

Out of This World

Being in love can make a person do crazy things and getting a neck tattoo is a brave way of declaring your romance to the universe. Unfortunately, not all relationships are meant to be. This time, the artist decided to go galactic, covering the dark, Gothic script with a colorful outer space design!

Out of This World

Break-ups are always tough but getting a quirky and unusual tattoo like this one certainly makes the best out of a bad situation. To infinity and beyond!

Guard Your Heart

Sometimes it’s necessary to book a few sessions of laser tattoo removal to erase the original design. However, a talented artist will be able to avoid this by coming up with a design large enough to conceal the old piece. As long as you have a high pain tolerance, getting a huge tattoo is a good way of transforming unwanted ink.

Guard Your Heart

This design is cartoonish and cute, but it reveals a deeper layer of emotional meaning for the client.

Dagger Through the Heart

Relationships can crumble for a number of reasons. Tension, a mismatch of priorities, or different values are just a few potential triggers for a break-up. Sometimes, instead of simply covering up an old tattoo with a pretty picture, people want to get a tattoo that symbolizes the end of a turbulent time in their life.

Dagger Through the Heart

This client chose to get a dagger plunging through a heart, surrounded by a crown of roses, showing a newfound sense of strength and bravery.

Paint it Black

Sometimes, a piece is so detailed and large in size that there is no point in trying to cover it completely. This client definitely has a sense of humor, and the artist took advantage of this! In this design, the ex’s name is concealed by a smudge of black ink, which is being painted on by a hardworking stick-man.

Paint it Black

Taking a comedic approach like this one can be a fun and light-hearted way of covering up a tattoo. We like!

Bye, Bye Billy

A mandala design can be an excellent way of covering up an old flame’s name. In many spiritual traditions, mandalas are used to aid meditation — representing divine guidance, sacred spaces, and dreams.

Bye, Bye Billy

Whilst this person may have made a big mistake getting their partner’s name tattooed, perhaps the mandala will remind them to consider their actions and avoid getting into similar situations in the future. Detailed and usually large in size, they can cover a multitude of tattoo sins.

Lotus Move On

According to an ancient proverb, the lotus flower blooms most beautifully from the deepest and thickest mud. It can be hard to move on from a break-up, especially if you carry a reminder of your ex’s existence on your skin.

Lotus Move On

This lotus design is a great way of covering up an old tattoo, as it creates a beautiful image that can hold brand new significance for you as you continue with your life. Life is tough, and so are you!

Star Crossed Lovers

If you’ve said goodbye to your significant other, it’s time to say goodbye to your old tattoo as well. It’s true that lower back tattoos can be tough to cover tastefully, due to their length and position. This artist chose to simply block out Edwin’s name using thick, bold lines.

Star Crossed Lovers

This cover-up isn’t exactly subtle, but it certainly sends a clear message! Sometimes you just need to cross your ex out of your life. As Beyoncé once said — “Boy, bye!”

Wisdom of Ganesha

This cover-up stands out as a beautiful tattoo in its own right. To your average artist, this bold and dark typeface would be difficult to conceal. The creative tattooist of this piece decided to cover the text with a bold Ganesha design.

Wisdom of Ganesha

The detailed headpiece cleverly covers the writing, allowing the features of the elephant’s face to stand out. With this piece of art on your body, no one will ever remember the original! Look at those piercing blue eyes.

Hayley’s Misery Business

Even celebrities make mistakes! The powerhouse lead singer of pop-punk band Paramore tattooed the initials of her former husband Chad Gilbert on her fingers, only to split a few years after getting hitched. Rather than remove this with laser treatment, Williams opted to cover each letter with a bold, black square.

Hayley’s Misery Business

The design formed the basis of her first solo album cover, as she sported black squared painted along her face to match. I guess he wasn’t the only exception.

Risky Wrist Tattoo

When they think they’ve found the one, some people want to dedicate a piece of art to that special someone. Some write songs for their lovers, whilst others create beautiful paintings and drawings. However, songs can be deleted, and artworks can be destroyed. Getting their name permanently inked on your skin may not be a wise choice.

Risky Wrist Tattoo

This client decided to cover their tattoo with an intricate mandala design. This one was a massive improvement from the wobbly text of the original.

Wise Old Owl

Another wrist tattoo that needed to be covered up with a bold design. If you’re an animal lover, you’ll love this colorful owl piece. The artist left no trace of the original initials, instead creating an entirely new and fresh addition to the client’s body.

Wise Old Owl

When a tattoo is particularly dark and difficult to conceal, tattooists can use bright and vivid colors to disguise the old artwork. This owl comes to life in shades of brown, pink, green, and blue.

Gothic Tattoo Heaven

This tattoo artist had their work cut out for them when trying to cover these bold, heavy, gothic initials. Only a dark design using black ink could disguise this tattoo, and so they came up with this incredible crow piece. White ink has been used in places to brighten up the tattoo and add beautiful highlights, resulting in a traditional yet modern bird tattoo.

Gothic Tattoo Heaven

The crow also makes a change from the usual sparrow tattoo, popularized by the sailor style.

Classic Car Heaven

It’s been said that the love between a man and his car can only be understood by those who have felt it. This guy certainly felt it, because he decided to cover up his ex’s name with a massive portrait of his automobile. The length of the chasse is perfect for concealing the entire script of the original tattoo, while the dark colors and detailed shading complete this striking design.

Classic Car Heaven

If you’re a car enthusiast, you’ll love this creative cover-up.

Feel the Force

If your significant other ever makes fun of you for loving Star Wars, simply cover your tattoo of their name with the perfect Storm Trooper ink! This cover-up takes a creative approach to the classic design of the original character, adding some mandala-style details and a spiderweb effect to completely conceal the original tattoo underneath.

Feel the Force

The result is a fun and alternative tribute to the classic film series that will charm any Star Wars fan. Nerds, unite and take over!

Slam Dunk Cover-Up

Some people decide to cover up their ex’s names with vague designs of animals or hearts. Others decide to get tributes to the other loves of their life — sports teams. This fan wanted to cover up the initials of their ex with a flaming basketball design, paying homage to their favorite team, Miami Heat.

Slam Dunk Cover-Up

This is a fun way to decorate your skin with something that’s sentimental, yet fun! Plus, your favorite team can never break your heart.

Not-So Happily Eva After

Getting inked is a big commitment. When this client realized that they had made a mistake, it was straight to the tattoo shop to get a cover-up. The new artwork shows a definite improvement. How could you not fall in love with this beautiful, nature-inspired design? The intensity of the blue and indigo tones really allows this butterfly to stand out, while the pink coloring of the flower adds a sense of femininity.

Not-So Happily Eva After

Some relationships aren’t made to last ‘4-eva.’

Anchor in Life’s Storm

More often than not, break-ups are intense and exhausting. Being in the middle of a split can make you feel like you are in the eye of a storm. When this client decided to cover their ex’s name, alongside a Celtic heart and sentimental date, they had to trust their artist to come up with something good.

Anchor in Life’s Storm

This tattooist blew them away with a traditional anchor tattoo complete with a detailed, blooming red rose in the middle of the piece.

Pete’s First Mistake

On-again, off-again romances can be very tough. Saturday Night Live alum Pete Davidson learned this the hard way when he began dating Cazzie David in May 2016. On paper, their relationship seemed like a match made in heaven. After all, David is the daughter of Curb Your Enthusiasm star and comedy legend Larry David.

Pete’s First Mistake

However, it was not meant to be. Following their split in 2018, Davidson decided to cover up Cazzie’s cartoonish portrait with a detailed, moody forest design.

A Truly Dangerous Woman

You think he would have learned his after his previous break-up, but no! After a whirlwind romance, comedian Pete Davidson became engaged to pop star Ariana Grande in 2018. However, five months after they first got together, the couple split, causing him to cover-up his tribute to the singer.

A Truly Dangerous Woman

Placed on his neck, the tattoo showed a bunny ears design that featured on the artwork of her 2016 album Dangerous Woman. Davidson decided to cover this with a simple heart.

Tribute to Slash

Another celebrity cover-up! American model and television personality Amber Rose has had her fair share of famous exes, from Kanye West to 21 Savage. In 2011, she began dating hip-hop star Wiz Khalifa, and the pair married in 2013. However, they filed for divorce shortly after, and she decided to remove her tattooed portrait of her former husband.

Tribute to Slash

Showing that she is not only a rap music fan, Rose covered this with an image of Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash.

City of Angels

Before her relationship with Travis Scott, model and make-up mogul Kylie Jenner dated another high profile rapper, Tyga. At the height of their romance in 2016, Jenner got a small tattoo of the letter ‘T’ to represent their love. Following their split, Kylie showed off a re-worked version of the tattoo, which had been changed to a lowercase ‘la.’

City of Angels

Despite hailing from the nearby Calabasas, this ink is thought to be a homage to her current home of Los Angeles.

It Moth Be Love

The Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco married professional tennis player Ryan Sweeting in 2013 after only three months of dating! Their brief romance didn’t last, and following their divorce, Cuoco decided to cover up this tattoo on her back, which showed the date of their wedding in roman numerals. So, why a moth?

It Moth Be Love

In an interview, she remarked that there was no sentimental reason behind the design — it simply had big enough wings to cover up the old ink!

She Loves Me Knot

This is an interesting one! Celtic knots are complete loops that have no start or end. They are said to represent eternity, loyalty, togetherness, faith, love, and unity. This might seem like an unusual choice for a cover-up tattoo, as it signals the end of a relationship. But, in this case, the knot could signify a new beginning — or a commitment to one’s self.

She Loves Me Knot

If you look closely, you can even see the faces of two birds, suggesting inner peace.

Goodbye, Jenny From the Block

American singer-songwriter and actor Marc Anthony is known for two things — his tropical salsa smash hits, and his former marriage to singer Jennifer Lopez. He used to sport a tattoo on his wrist, showing the name of his former wife in delicate cursive. However, after their split, he decided to cover the ink, choosing a detailed design inspired by the Statue of Liberty.

Goodbye, Jenny From the Block

According to reports, this was a tribute to his new girlfriend and represented freedom from his past.

Smell the Roses

Roses are traditional tattoos for a reason. They look beautiful and they never go out of style. This purple rose is a modern and fun version of the timeless design. The leaves are created using a sketchy, hand-drawn technique, adding another unique twist. The size and placement of this tattoo allow the original name to be completely covered.

Smell the Roses

It’s bold, yet feminine and definitely does a good job of disguising the old piece. A great way of updating a classic.

Good Bear Gone Bad

No longer cute and cuddly, this client decided to cover up their original tattoo of a teddy bear with a giant gargoyle! Maybe it reminded them of their ex, whose name was inked underneath. The resulting tattoo is a rather scary piece of ink. Whilst it may not be the most attractive design, the dark shading and bright shades of green and yellow ensure that the original bear is nowhere to be seen.

Good Bear Gone Bad

Check out those ginormous wings! Spooky stuff.

Tribal Tail Piece

Occasionally, tattooists have the tough job of covering up only one aspect of a client’s design. This lower back piece featured the name of the client’s ex-boyfriend. However, they did not want the entire tattoo to be covered. The artist managed to sketch a brand new tribal design, that accentuated the original piece whilst entirely concealing their ex’s name.

Tribal Tail Piece

This style of ink may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but at least the client is no longer associated with their old flame.

Aries Rears Its Horns

This is one creative cover-up. The original design consisted of a cute heart dedicated to the client’s wife. When his relationship ended, he decided to dry his eyes and mark a new chapter with a new tattoo. Covering the original design with some shading and fun colorwork, he decided to get inked with a tribute to his astrological sign.

Aries Rears Its Horns

The first sign of the zodiac — Aries — is known for being fiery, stubborn, and independent. Who needs a significant other?