Not many people can say their mum bought them a tattoo machine for their 16th birthday.
But for Simon Smith, the clunky metal machine that he received from his ‘cool’ mum Adelle changed his life forever.
As from that moment on, Simon’s natural gift for drawing was permanently brought to life on people’s skin.
Signature Skinart
Fourteen years on and Simon has gone from tattooing his own arm using the machine off eBay to opening Signature Skinart, his very own tattoo studio in John Street where he creates ink masterpieces on the bodies of top footballers.
“Customer satisfaction for me is where it’s at,” said Simon, who lives in Oldmeldrum.
“It’s just so rewarding when I finish a tattoo to know that the customer is happy, that’s the buzz I get from it, it’s all about the customers.”
Raw talent
Forever one to hide his light under a bushel, Simon’s raw talent for drawing was first spotted by his mum who immediately saw her son’s potential to become a tattoo artist.
“My mum was a massive support to me,” said Simon.
“I think she could see that the style I was drawing in would lend itself to being a tattoo artist.
“I remember when she asked me if I would be interested in a career as a tattooist and I thought it was great idea as I’d get to draw on people.”
Tattooing himself
Using his machine, Simon started teaching himself his tattoo craft.
“I pretty much taught myself with my machine,” said Simon.
“The first tattoo I did was on myself.
“I drew a tribal design on myself and then I tattooed it on but doing something like that at 16 years old probably isn’t the best idea.”
Tattoo apprenticeship
After leaving Forres Academy, Simon and his family moved to Newcastle where he took up his first tattoo apprenticeship.
“I did my apprenticeship in a place called Think Ink, a tiny back street studio in Newcastle,” said Simon.
“That was a difficult time because as an apprentice I was only on £50 a week so that was pretty difficult.”
Lifechanging moment
Just over a year later, Simon moved back up to Aberdeen to work for the renowned Sailor Max tattoo studio which turned out to be a game changer.
“That’s where I really started to grow as a tattooist,” said Simon.
“It was full of aspiring artists and realism artists especially Bogdan Paul who owns the studio.
“He taught me a lot of different styles and techniques.
“He was almost like a father figure, he was awesome, just a brilliant guy.”
Family business
And with encouragement from his ‘amazing’ partner Brooklyn Sheehan with whom he shares a two and a half-year-old son called Grayson, Simon took a leap of faith and opened up his very first tattoo studio, Signature Skinart in August 2019.
Since then Simon hasn’t looked back, building up a strong reputation in the city as a tattoo artist who can turn people’s skin into works of ink art.
He now counts top footballer including Aberdeen Footballer Jonny Hayes as a customer and has also inked Miles Storey, the former Aberdeen footballer who now plays for Hereford.
“I’ve done Jonny’s his full back piece and I’ve started a sleeve (a tattoo that covers most or all of a person’s arm).
“It’s sort of like an angel with a pocket watch dropping down on his arm, that’s still ongoing.”
Modest
Not one for self-adulation, Simon is very modest when talking about his work although he does have some favourite tattoos.
“One is a piece I did on someone’s back which is a big tiger,” said Simon.
“Usually pieces like that are spread out over two sessions per month so it can take up to a year to finish.
“He’s one of my favourite customers as he’s gave me so much freedom in creating artwork for him which is awesome.
“My other favourite is the full tattoo body suit I did on a guy called Neilly Cameron.
“He has been in the papers before for his tattoos as he’s got a Man United leg sleeve and an Aberdeen Football leg sleeve.
“He’s pretty much got his full body covered in tattoos by me.”
Another tattoo that Simon is proud of is the Mrs Doubtfire tattoo from 1993 comedy film starring the late Robin Williams.
“Mrs Doubtfire was a brilliant one,” said Simon.
“That was on one of my ongoing customers who is a big fan of the film.”
And although Simon has long since got the “scribbles” he gave himself during his experimental teenage tattoo days lasered off his arm, his proud mum Adelle has proudly kept hers.
“I’ve done a few, in the tattoo industry we call it bangers, which personally I’m not proud of because it was in my early stages but she loves them,” said Simon.
Advice for tattoo first timers?
For those who have never had a tattoo, Simon says it’s not as painful as people think.
“I would say it’s like scratching bad sunburn, it’s more a heat feeling than anything else,” said Simon.
Heavily into rap music, Simon’s dream customer would be any famous rapper.
And with an “incredible” five-strong team at his studio plus his plans to train up two new recruits, watch this space.
For more information about Signature Skinart on their website, Facebook or Instagram.