ruby smythetattoo, drawing & painting
About
About

Originally trained in Auckland, New Zealand, I have been tattooing since 2022 and now work out of Inkdependent Studio near Edinburgh’s Haymarket station.

Fully licensed, I do custom and my own original designs with a focus on fine-line black-and-grey.


Tattoo 01
Tattoo 02
Tattoo 03
Tattoo 04
Tattoo 05
Tattoo 06
Tattoo 07
Tattoo 08
Tattoo 09
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Tattoo 13

A series of hand-sized flash designs rendered in ballpoint pen, available for tattooing.

These pieces explore core themes in my work—from delicate flora and pollinators to skulls and wildlife—all balanced with soft shading and natural placement in mind.


Drawing 01
Drawing 02
Drawing 03
Drawing 04
Drawing 05
Drawing 06
Drawing 07
Drawing 08
Drawing 09
Drawing 10
Drawing 11
Drawing 12
Drawing 13
Drawing 14
Drawing 15
Drawing 16
Drawing 17
Drawing 18
Drawing 19
Drawing 20
Drawing 21
Drawing 22
Drawing 23
Drawing 24
Drawing 25
Drawing 26
Drawing 27
Drawing 28

“It's all there, the strangeness, colour, exhilaration.” Rita Angus


2026

A Gift
The Waterlilies
The Peonies
Irises and Daffodils revisited
The Sisters
Morning Glory

2022

Kererū
Kākā
Tūī
Bird studies

Ruby Smythe is a New Zealand-born painter and tattoo artist based in Edinburgh.

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