These pictures of botched tattoos may make you think before you get inked . Luckily for the unfortunate few who have been left with inking mishaps , there are talented artists out there who can work miracles . Lal Hardy , a tattooist at New Wave Studios , London , is tasked with turning disaster pieces into masterpieces . Lal has shared some of the cover-ups he 's most proud of and proves that with a bit of handiwork and a lot of experience , dodgy tattoos can be given a new lease of life . Scroll down for video . Lal Hardy is tasked with turning people 's disaster pieces into masterpieces , such as this Marilyn Monroe , left , he shaded in to create an artsy monster , right . Speaking about why people come to see him to have their inks modified , he said : 'The reasons really vary from some that are just plain bad , some designs are dated , some want bigger work or others are names of ex-lovers . 'Personally , I am brutally honest with people regarding cover-ups . If I think it ca n't be covered I tell the client , the same if I think they have unrealistic expectations as to how a tattoo can be covered . I now only take on cover-ups or reworks that I feel will work . ' Four of Lal 's most prized cover-ups include a lion design that was transformed from some squiggles into a fierce inking . Lal says he transforms 'plain bad ' ones , adds to some - like this seemingly unfinished lion tattoo - or makes dated ones more modern . More straightforward renovations include a robin playing card , left , which Lal re-vamped by changing it into a sparrow and adding a border , right . Speaking about the renovation work , he said : 'The lion was done by an amateur artist and because it was only partially done , it was possible to salvage it and cover it up . ' He also worked his magic on a faded design by transforming it into a bold and colourful rose . Another botched design he fixed was a faded Marilyn Monroe inking . 'The cover up worked because the client researched a design he wanted , his original Monroe was faded and the new design had lots of detail and shading so lent itself well to a cover up , ' said Lal . He also worked his magic on this faded design by transforming it into a bold and colourful rose , right . More straightforward renovations include a robin playing card , which Lal re-vamped by changing it into a sparrow and adding a border to give a splash of colour to the new piece . 'The cover-up process depends on various factors like the size of the tattoo , how faded it is and the density of the dark pigments in it as darker colours are harder to cover , ' he explained . 'The amount of clear skin around it is also a consideration as this can open up the opportunity to incorporate the cover-up in a bigger piece . The placement of the tattoo on the body can also be a major factor in whether or not a cover up can be done . ' Tattoo Nightmares airs at 9pm every Monday on truTV freeview channel 68 and Sky 565 .
Lal Hardy turns disaster pieces into masterpieces . The film is based on the true story of a young man who was born in India and moved to England at age 12 with his family. Shares top tips for how to avoid having a total tattoo mishap .