Adam Claridge is a London-based tattoo artist and private studio owner best known for his signature super-fine-line tattoos. Over the past few years, Adam has collaborated with well-known brands and faces, from All Saints to The Beckhams, to create custom tattoo pieces. In 2022, Adam’s artwork appeared on the shopfront of the iconic Josh Wood Salon in Holland Park, where he exclusively offered his tattooing services to colour clients as part of a summer-long residency. Tucked away on a quaint street in the heart of London’s Shoreditch—a vibrant creative cultural hub known for its unique street-style fashion, graffiti, and art—you’ll find Adam Claridge’s private tattoo studio where he welcomes clients from all walks of life for an intimate tattooing experience by appointment only. From working as a full-time art director to opening his very own tattoo studio, Adam Claridge’s journey to becoming a business owner is truly inspiring. Here’s his story.
After studying art at college and university, Adam went on to pursue a career in advertising, working as an art director at a top agency in London. Alongside his full-time career, Adam spent hours perfecting his craft as a fine-line tattoo artist, working on bespoke pieces from customer trainers to jackets and then eventually extending his expertise to skin artistry. While Adam enjoyed working as an art director, it was during the pandemic period that he decided to take a leap of faith and establish his very own tattoo studio. His passion for art traces all the way back to his childhood, where he recalls doodling on everything from his schoolbooks to his Timberland boots.
“The first pair of trainers that I tattooed was a custom pair of Nike Air Forces for my girlfriend as a Valentine’s Day gift. I wanted to make it a sentimental gift that featured drawings that symbolised special memories from our first year together. I incorporated things like our favourite song lyrics, a timestamp of the date we first met and drawings of places that we’ve been together, like the Empire State Building in New York. Everything that I drew onto the trainers was very personal to us. After posting a picture of the custom trainers on my Instagram page, people like Harry Kane and The Beckhams started reaching out to place private orders, and my tattoo business just snowballed from there.”
As a fine-line tattoo artist, Adam is dedicated to technical precision, and delivering crisp and clean designs, while capturing his clients’ creative vision at every step. Among Adam’s signature styles, calligraphy stands out as a personal passion, allowing him to showcase his single-needling expertise—a skill that he has honed to perfection. Surprisingly, Adam shares that his single-needling technique is so delicate that most customers don’t feel any pain when he is tattooing their skin. Some customers have been known to fall asleep as he works his magic in his London studio, all thanks to his steady hand and precise skill. Meanwhile for Adam, tattooing is so much more than a job—it’s a mediative artform that makes him feel super connected to his craft & clients.
“The best part of being a tattoo artist is seeing a client happy with the final result. I enjoy the whole process, from the consultation and designing to tattooing the artwork onto the skin. My super-fine-line needling style makes tattoos accessible to everyone. I have people from all backgrounds come into my private studio who you wouldn't normally associate with getting tattoos. Lawyers. Teachers. All sorts of people. Today, it was my client’s 50th birthday and he came in to get his first tattoo which was of his kids’ initials. I like the fact that my technique makes tattoos accessible to everyone. And you don’t have to have it big. A lot of artists will say, “Let’s go bigger” and I am more like: Let’s go smaller.”
For business owners like Adam, Vagaro offers a wide range of features and tools to help streamline their operations, so they can spend more time doing what they love. From diary management to payment processing, marketing and forms, Vagaro is the all-in-one software solution for tattoo studio owners and mobile artists.
“Vagaro takes care of all my business management and admin work, which I must admit, isn’t my favourite part. Having access to a tattoo software system like Vagaro has given me more time to work with clients on their designs, artwork and tattooing. I use Vagaro to manage my diary as a by-appointment-only tattoo studio, which helps me create a clear schedule for my days and weeks. I also use Vagaro to create customer consent forms before each session and take contactless payments after a service. I would 100% recommend Vagaro to other tattoo artists because it gives you more time to focus on what we love—and that’s our creative work.”
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