ruby smytheTattoo artist & painter

Selected workTattoosPaintingsDrawings

4 favourites13 tattoos10 paintings22 drawings

Iris memorial, tattoo, by Ruby Smythe — Iris memorialTattoo

Skull and rose, tattoo, by Ruby Smythe — Skull and roseTattoo

The Waterlilies, painting, 2026, by Ruby Smythe — The WaterliliesPainting, 2026

At the painting table, studio photograph, by Ruby Smythe — At the painting tableStudio photograph

Floral arrangement, tattoo, by Ruby Smythe — Floral arrangementTattoo

Spotted moth, tattoo, by Ruby Smythe — Spotted mothTattoo

Butterfly, tattoo, by Ruby Smythe — ButterflyTattoo

Peacock butterfly, tattoo, by Ruby Smythe — Peacock butterflyTattoo

Inkdependent Studio, studio photograph, by Ruby Smythe — Inkdependent StudioStudio photograph

Inkdependent Studio, studio photograph, by Ruby Smythe — Inkdependent StudioStudio photograph

Bird in flight, tattoo, by Ruby Smythe — Bird in flightTattoo

Sun and moon, tattoo, by Ruby Smythe — Sun and moonTattoo

Floral back piece, tattoo, by Ruby Smythe — Floral back pieceTattoo

Kererū, tattoo, by Ruby Smythe — KererūTattoo

Hibiscus and sunflower, tattoo, by Ruby Smythe — Hibiscus and sunflowerTattoo

Panther and flowers, ballpoint pen, by Ruby Smythe — Panther and flowersBallpoint pen

Swallow and flowers, ballpoint pen, by Ruby Smythe — Swallow and flowersBallpoint pen

Floral and insect studies, ballpoint pen, by Ruby Smythe — Floral and insect studiesBallpoint pen

Rose and dragonfly, ballpoint pen, by Ruby Smythe — Rose and dragonflyBallpoint pen

Birds in flight, ballpoint pen, by Ruby Smythe — Birds in flightBallpoint pen

Floral pair, ballpoint pen, by Ruby Smythe — Floral pairBallpoint pen

Butterfly studies, ballpoint pen, by Ruby Smythe — Butterfly studiesBallpoint pen

Floral wreath, ballpoint pen, by Ruby Smythe — Floral wreathBallpoint pen

Peony, ballpoint pen, by Ruby Smythe — PeonyBallpoint pen

Bramble blossom and bee, ballpoint pen, by Ruby Smythe — Bramble blossom and beeBallpoint pen

Bird and blossom, ballpoint pen, by Ruby Smythe — Bird and blossomBallpoint pen

Flash studies, ballpoint pen, by Ruby Smythe — Flash studiesBallpoint pen

Tiger, ballpoint pen, by Ruby Smythe — TigerBallpoint pen

Butterfly, skull and rose studies, ballpoint pen, by Ruby Smythe — Butterfly, skull and rose studiesBallpoint pen

Floral studies, ballpoint pen, by Ruby Smythe — Floral studiesBallpoint pen

Pair of birds and blossoms, ballpoint pen, by Ruby Smythe — Pair of birds and blossomsBallpoint pen

Bird and flower, ballpoint pen, by Ruby Smythe — Bird and flowerBallpoint pen

Skull and rose, ballpoint pen, by Ruby Smythe — Skull and roseBallpoint pen

Butterfly studies, ballpoint pen, by Ruby Smythe — Butterfly studiesBallpoint pen

Moths and pollinators, ballpoint pen, by Ruby Smythe — Moths and pollinatorsBallpoint pen

Botanical flash studies, ballpoint pen, by Ruby Smythe — Botanical flash studiesBallpoint pen

Figurative flash studies, ballpoint pen, by Ruby Smythe — Figurative flash studiesBallpoint pen

A Gift, painting, 2026, by Ruby Smythe — A GiftPainting, 2026

The Peonies, painting, 2026, by Ruby Smythe — The PeoniesPainting, 2026

Irises and Daffodils revisited, painting, 2026, by Ruby Smythe — Irises and Daffodils revisitedPainting, 2026

The Sisters, painting, 2026, by Ruby Smythe — The SistersPainting, 2026

Morning Glory, painting, 2026, by Ruby Smythe — Morning GloryPainting, 2026

Kererū, painting, 2022, by Ruby Smythe — KererūPainting, 2022

Kākā, painting, 2022, by Ruby Smythe — KākāPainting, 2022

Tūī, painting, 2022, by Ruby Smythe — TūīPainting, 2022

Bird studies, painting, 2022, by Ruby Smythe — Bird studiesPainting, 2022

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.

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.

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