{"id":643776,"date":"2025-12-20T07:07:27","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T07:07:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/643776\/"},"modified":"2025-12-20T07:07:27","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T07:07:27","slug":"meet-the-superstars-of-the-edinburgh-tattoo-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/643776\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the superstars of the Edinburgh tattoo world"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>David Corden in his studio. Pic: Cat Thomson<\/p>\n

David Corden is sitting in his Grassmarket studio.<\/p>\n

The work space is neat, the walls cluttered with an eclectic mix of art. With his Imperial moustache. dapper style and jeans, he exudes punk and Victorian gentleman in equal measure. <\/p>\n

Step outside into the heart of the Old Town and you find yourself gazing up at the Castle Esplanade, home in the summer months to the world\u2019s most famous display of pipe bands and military pageantry. Corden is concerned with tattoos of an altogether different kind.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no tattoo I\u2019ve ever done that I don\u2019t look at and think \u2018I could have done that bit better\u2019,\u201d he muses. \u201cThat\u2019s what makes you keep trying. If you think you\u2019re great, your work will suffer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 53-year-old is, objectively, great.<\/p>\n

His ultra-realistic portraits have earned him not just national, but international, recognition. He is a former winner of the UK Tattoo Artist of the Year and was a guest judge on the E4 series of the same name. \u201cWhenever the show gets repeated, I get an influx of customers,\u201d he remarks. <\/p>\n

Corden is one of the tattoo world\u2019s elite who attract customers not just from across Scotland but further afield. Other leading Edinburgh artists include Beth Rose and Michelle Maddison of Thistle & The Fable.<\/p>\n

Their skills are in high demand and come with a hefty price tag. At the top end of the UK market, day rates can reach as much as \u00a32000, while the city\u2019s top tattoo artists can charge up to \u00a3800, the day-rate equivalent of a \u00a3180,000 salary.<\/p>\n

Originally from Sittingbourne in Kent, Corden relocated his life and studio to Edinburgh in 2013. He had never visited before holidaying here, but fell in love with the city and the buzz of the festivals. \u201cIf you\u2019re a creative type, everything about the place gets your juices flowing,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Corden tells me he also entered the profession by accident; he loved realistic drawing as a child, but received a U for his A-level Art. The examiners said he might as well have submitted a photograph. Despite the setback, he went on to study Graphic Design at Canterbury College of Art and Design.<\/p>\n

Afterwards, he ended up working on building sites as a ventilation engineer for 18 years. At the age of 30, he got his first tattoo – a dragon on his shoulder. He carefully drew the image himself, and it clearly made an impression on the tattoo artist, who didn\u2019t have to alter the design.<\/p>\n

When his cousin went back for a tattoo, the tattooist recalled Corden and asked him to show him his portfolio before offering him an apprenticeship. There\u2019s no set time frame with an apprenticeship, Corden explains. \u201cIt takes as long as it takes until you\u2019re competent and you can be trusted to tattoo on your own.\u201d<\/p>\n

After working in the studio for eight years, he decided to set up on his own, before making the move to Edinburgh in 2013. His Semper studio celebrated its 10th anniversary this year.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Semper in the Grassmarket. Pic: Cat Thomson<\/p>\n

He shares the studio space with eight other freelance tattoo artists, surrounding himself with other talents in a community who spur each other on creatively. \u201cI like to surround myself with people that can kick my ass,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Every studio has its own system for paying freelance artists; people either rent a chair at a set price, a weekly price, or a percentage taken from what they charge their customers.<\/p>\n

Corden tells me about his diverse clientele. \u201cIt\u2019s anything from a high court judge, a priest to everything in between. People you would never think have tattoos, have got tattoos.\u201d<\/p>\n

Corden\u2019s skills are in demand in America, Australia, Canada, and Europe, recently returning from a stint at Calgary tattoo and arts festival, which is North America\u2019s largest tattoo show. \u201cThere are some really good studios in Edinburgh,\u201d he explains. \u201cWe don\u2019t all hang out together; but we do keep a close eye on what the competition is doing.\u201d <\/p>\n

When he was in Calgary, he met another Edinburgh artist, Beth Rose, who is making waves on the scene. \u201cWe were tattooing opposite each other. We both work in Edinburgh, but this was the first time we had spoken to each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beth Rose works with her fianc\u00e9, Jamie Allan (@calamitytattoo), another talented tattoo artist. Rose grew up in Clermiston and tells me: \u201cI was always an arty kid and then a little goth teen.\u201d Her parents were pharmacists, so she didn\u2019t know anybody with tattoos, but she loved the art of them. <\/p>\n

\u201cI thought that tattooing was for cool kids. I\u2019ve always been really shy. I don\u2019t drink, I don\u2019t smoke, I don\u2019t do anything crazy. Tattooers, for the most part, are the awkward, nerdy, shy, introverted kids from your school.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Beth Rose with fiance Jamie Allan of Calamity Tattoo. Pic: Calamity Tattoo<\/p>\n

She dropped out of an animation course at college but continued to draw before starting an apprenticeship. Rose charges \u00a3600 for a full session and is known for her neo-traditional tattoo style featuring lady faces. \u201cThere are a lot of days that you finish early. Sometimes people struggle with the pain, and they tap out early, so I only charge for a couple of hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like with any freelancers, \u201cif you\u2019re sick or you go on holiday, you don\u2019t make any money. I certainly don\u2019t know any tattooers making 180K,\u201d she says, suggesting a realistic figure for the city\u2019s top body artists might be \u00a340-70K. Corden is coy about his exact charges, but, although being much sought after, prefers to charge less to keep busy.<\/p>\n

Rose adds: \u201cIf you are busy, the temptation is to just keep putting your prices up. I make a wonderful wage. I\u2019m never going to complain about how much money I make. I make more now in a day than I used to make in a week working in retail. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut there are people that I still tattoo when I started out as an apprentice, who I charged \u00a350 a tattoo. I don\u2019t want them to get to a point that they can\u2019t come to me anymore. So, I think you just need to really look at yourself and say, you\u2019re making plenty of money, you don\u2019t need more than this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>One of Beth Rose\u2019s neo-classic style lady face tattoos. Pic: Beth Rose<\/p>\n

By working internationally, tattoo artists can increase their charges by several hundred dollars. The increased rates still works for overseas clients as it is cheaper than travelling to Scotland. Many though travel from across the globe to be tattooed in Edinburgh by their favourite artist.<\/p>\n

Another leading city tattooist is Michelle Maddison, 41, who leads the team @Thistle & The Fable in the Edinburgh Printmakers building in Fountainbridge, alongside Claire Hamill (@clairehamilltattoo) and Keira Rose (@keirarosetattoo).<\/p>\n

Her Instagram account is a riot of colourful botanicals, animals, birds and cartoon characters. Originally from Peterlee in County Durham, she says: \u201cI always knew I was going to do something creative, but the idea that I could be a tattoo artist definitely came much later.\u201d<\/p>\n

Social media is vital for showcasing their prodigious talents and all three have huge followings on Instagram. Beth Rose has 169K followers, Corden 180K<\/a><\/strong> followers<\/a> and Maddison 66K <\/a><\/strong>followers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Corden\u2019s work mainly involves portraits of private individuals, but he normally posts his tattoos of celebrities online. \u201cEverybody knows what they look like.\u201d Throughout his career, he has often been asked for images of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis. Star Wars characters are another popular theme. Corden has had his work approved by Disney and Lucasfilm in order to attend and tattoo fans at the Star Wars Celebration convention in the US.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>David Corden\u2019s portrait of Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen. Pic: David Corden<\/p>\n

Scrolling through Corden\u2019s account is to come face to face with a diverse cast of celebrities as diverse as Liam Gallagher, Sir David Attenborough, Stephen Hawkin, Judy Garland, Frida Kahlo and even a self-portrait painting of Rembrandt. While his ultra-realistic portrait of rock star Prince went viral, his personal favourite is one of horror icon, Elvira, which was shared by the Mistress of the Darkness herself.<\/p>\n

Although she loves her chosen profession, becoming a tattooist has not been straightforward for Maddison. Her parents always told her \u2018you\u2019ll regret getting a tattoo when you\u2019re older.\u2019 Fortunately, they are both now supportive, and she has even given both of them tattoos.<\/p>\n

After school, she studied set, prop and costume making at Cleveland College of Art and Design, but remained fascinated with everything tattoo-related. She sought out an apprenticeship, commuting between York and the north-east of England to learn her trade. \u201cIt was a year before I started doing any tattooing, but I spent a few months tattooing pig skin to get a feel for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

All her practice paid off. She received the Best Newcomer at both the Liverpool Tattoo Convention and the Tattoo Jam in Doncaster, before moving north to Edinburgh. \u201cI just jumped on the opportunity to work with David Corden he is an amazing artist, and Edinburgh is a beautiful city.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>International tattoo artist Michelle Maddison. Pic: Michelle Maddison<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting a tattoo is more mainstream than it has ever been,\u201d she muses. \u201cIt can be a significant life event, a family member passing, the loss of a child, or to celebrate the family they have. They want to get a specific flower to signify a certain family member, or just because they like it. Some people get tattooed because they\u2019ve overcome cancer and they want to celebrate that stage of their life being over and have a new lease of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Corden notes that sensitively dealing with people\u2019s grief is a huge part of the job. \u201cMost people find that the tattooing process helps them reconnect to their loved ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

The clients that come through the door are a mix of ages and sexes, but it is the women in Corden\u2019s experience who have the higher threshold for pain. <\/p>\n

There is also, he finds, a confessional element to the process. \u201cPeople will tell you everything. There is something about the intimacy of the tattooing process and breaking of skin, which means there is a level of trust you won\u2019t find anywhere else. People admit affairs within minutes of being in the chair, tell you about health issues, and things their family don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>One of Michelle Maddison\u2019s botanical designs. Pic: Michelle Maddison<\/p>\n

Corden recalls the 9-month closure during the pandemic was rough. <\/p>\n

Lockdown saw Beth Rose at home. \u201cDrawing out my feelings, drawing loads of pictures of sad women. And that seemed to really resonate with people.\u201d Her work resonated, and her profile grew massively.<\/p>\n

When work resumed, business exploded for all the artists I spoke to, but now the impact of the cost-of-living crisis is biting hard. Like many sectors which rely on discretionary spending they are finding their customers are putting off spending their hard-earned cash.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now we\u2019re kind of living in the worst tattoo recession that there\u2019s ever been,\u201d says Rose. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing more and more tattooers being forced to drop out and get another job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maddison has worked across Europe, in Milan and Venice, Brussels, and in the USA and New Zealand. There is a downside to this remote way of working, however. \u201cAlways taking all your gear everywhere, can be quite stressful, so I don\u2019t really travel to tattoo as much anymore.\u201d <\/p>\n

She is looking forward to a major industry gathering on home turf, Scotland\u2019s only Tattoo Convention, at Corn Exchange, March 2026. \u201cGetting to make tattoos as a job every day is amazing. It\u2019s such a weird and wonderful job,\u201d she says. \u201cThe best part is when you finish a piece, and someone looks in the mirror and they love it. You\u2019ve made their day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Corden is also happy with his chosen vocation despite being affected by the current downturn as much as everyone else. \u201cI love it. It\u2019s not work; it\u2019s just drawing pictures and talking to people.\u201d<\/p>\n