Tattoo artist famous for colour realism portraits ‘can’t believe’ he has a career where people pay him to draw pictures

A tattoo artist who has found fame online after specialising in colour realism portraits of celebrities, people and pets says he “can’t believe” he has a career where people pay him to draw pictures.

David Corden, 53, who lives in Edinburgh, displayed a talent and passion for lifelike drawing from a young age, although he once received a U grade in an art exam as it was thought his work was “so realistic” he may as well have submitted a photo – which he said was “a bad thing apparently”.

After completing a college course in graphic design, David then spent 15 years working as an engineer for a ventilation company, operating in the London area, but he found his way into the tattoo industry on a whim in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis.

Years later while visiting Edinburgh on a trip, David found an affinity with the city and decided to relocate – and he now works from his own tattoo studio named Semper, which he opened in 2015 in the historic Grassmarket area near Edinburgh Castle.

The now award-winning tattoo artist specialises in bringing faces to life, from celebrities and famous movie characters, to family members and pets. Some of his popular celebrity tattoos include Elvis, Marilyn Monroe and Prince, and characters such as Princess Leia, Edward Scissorhands and Freddy Krueger.

Over the years, David, who estimates he has completed “well over 5,000” tattoos, has made a name for himself in the industry and while he does not view himself as “famous”, his Instagram page where he shares his work has more than 180,000 followers, and he receives hundreds of likes and comments on his posts.

“As an artist, my gallery walks around, gets up and leaves – my work is somewhere in the world, living a life and interacting with other people,” David told PA Real Life.

“Tattooing really is that cliche of if you find a job you love, you’ll never work another day in your life.

“I meet other tattoo artists and we all say at some point, ‘Can you believe we do this as a job? People are paying me to draw pictures’.”

David has always had a passion for art and his talents were clear from a young age – although this did not always translate into good grades.

“I had done art in school, I did it at A-Level but I got a U, which means ungraded,” he recalled.

“When we queried it, they said it was because my work was so realistic, I may as well have handed in a photo – so that was a bad thing apparently.”

Undeterred, David went to art college to study graphic design and after completing the course, he started working as an engineer for a ventilation company.

“I had every intention of just working there for a year and then going back to do something in the art world, but 15 years later I was still there,” David said.

In the lead-up to the 2008 financial crisis, David said work for the company became “quieter and quieter”, prompting him to find something else.

A few years earlier, in 2002 when David was 30, he looked to get his first tattoo – a dragon on his arm.

Having created and designed the artwork himself, David took it to a tattoo studio called Ritual Art Tattoo in Rainham, Kent.

“The lead tattoo artist there told me it was the first time in years where he had ever been able to make a stencil from someone’s drawing,” David recalled.

“We just hit it off and he remembered me as the guy whose picture he didn’t have to redraw.”

Later, in 2006, David said he connected with the tattoo artist again, and he was asked if he would be interested in joining the team at Ritual Art Tattoo.

“I just thought I can do ‘mum’ or ‘dad’, or ‘love’ and ‘hate’ on someone’s knuckles – it’s a bit arty, so why not,” David said.

He started by working on the reception desk and shadowing tattoo artists while they worked.

During this time, David said Miami Ink, the popular American reality series based at a tattoo shop in Miami Beach, Florida, came out on TV, which caused the industry to “explode”.

“Everybody wanted to be a tattooist and everybody wanted a tattoo,” David said.

“I walked in at that perfect moment, and I started to think of it as a career rather than a job.”

David produced his first tattoo for his cousin, who requested a portrait of actor Jack Nicholson from The Shining, asking for the famous “Here’s Johnny” look.

“I wasn’t confident, but I wasn’t as nervous as I expected to be,” David said, adding that the tattoo was a success.

Years later, David was on a trip to Edinburgh when he instantly felt an emotional connection to the city – and he took the decision to relocate.

In August 2015, David opened his own tattoo studio, named Semper, Grassmarket area of Edinburgh.

Now David specialises in creating portrait tattoos, which could comprise anything from celebrities and famous characters, to family members and pets.

Some of David’s recent celebrity tattoos include late singer Amy Winehouse, footballer Lionel Messi and fictional horror character Michael Myers.

David estimates he has completed “well over 5,000” tattoos, potentially nearing 10,000 in total.

“Any interesting faces are always interesting to me – monsters in horror movies for example are great because they look so cool nowadays, they’re so detailed and mad,” he said.

To create the realistic nature of his tattoos, David said he “really oversimplifies” the process in his own mind.

“I copy what I see, so if there’s something in the picture, I’m going to put it on the skin,” he said.

“The thing that’s come from years of experience is sometimes understanding the need to boost a particular colour or to boost all the contrast to bring it to life.”

David said one of his favourite pieces to create of late is his Elvira portrait, which depicts American actress Cassandra Peterson in the 1988 film Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark.

“I love the character, I grew up with her on TV and thought she was awesome,” he said.

David shares his intricate work on Instagram, where he has 181,000 followers and receives hundreds of likes and comments on his works.

One post showing a tattoo of the late actor John Candy as Uncle Buck in the hit 1989 comedy film gained more than 14,000 likes.

Along the way, David has made a name for himself within the tattoo industry, but he said he does not think of himself as “famous”.

“Fame to me is movie stars and musicians, but within the tattoo world, I guess that’s the artists like me,” he said.

“My world has not changed, it’s all very down to earth and normal. The fame bit happens online and the internet decides if it’s successful.”

David is attending the Big London Tattoo Show this year, which runs from September 19 to 21 and is set to feature 500 tattoo artists from around the world.

To find out more about David’s work follow @davidcorden on Instagram.