Celeb ink artist in village move
A TATTOOIST that has made a name for himself on television and among a host of A-listers has set up shop in a village near Ashbourne – because, he says, it is easier to sneak highprofile clients in.
Kevin Paul, whose previous customers have included Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles and Rihanna, has established a new base for himself in a tattoo shop in Hulland Ward, owned by his friends Bec Lee and Tash Stubbs, who set the shop up April last year.
He says he likes the fact the small studio is “in the middle of nowhere” as, when he was working in Derby, people would be peering in to see if they can spot famous faces.
And, so far, This is England star Michael Socha has been among the latest clients to have called in for a tattoo in Hulland Ward.
Father-of-three Kevin, who lives in Melbourne, said: “I’ve known Bec and her partner for a long time, and I do like the area. It’s a nice little village.
“And when they were setting that studio up, it made sense for me to then work there.
“And because it’s out of the way, a bit more hidden and discreet, it’s better for some of my clients. Especially the high-end ones.
“If you have a busy studio on a high street, in a busy area, people can see them coming in and out. Even when I had a shop in Melbourne if we were filming a TV show or something like that it would draw a lot of attention.
“But in Hulland Ward, it’s quiet. You don’t get any grief.”
Over the pandemic, Kevin was forced to take a step back from tattooing and his focus has since shifted to making films and television shows and the new studio Empire Ink, which is based above Hulland Ward’s petrol station, provides a perfect backdrop for his projects.
The well-established studio already offers laser removal, beauty treatments and body piercings, and now Kevin has been talking to the owners about hosting training sessions for aspiring tattoo artists there.
Bec, a former customer of Kevin’s, says having celebrities coming to meet Kevin at her studio has given her business a boost, especially after such a tumultuous time for her industry.
While Kevin’s new focus on film-making - which includes a mockumentary involving amateur actors from Derbyshire due to launch next month - is occupying a lot of his time, he is still taking on projects from some of his big clients.
And this, he says, is why he loves having a base in Hulland Ward to work from.
He said: “I still love tattooing, I still love creating and developing things, and it’s just now about having that balance between the two things I love.
“But I’ll always be doing tattooing. I’m just being more restrictive.
“The tattooing I’m doing now is very large-scale, big, realistic, great artwork.
“I want to create art that I love doing, that I think it great, not the same thing that 20 people down the road have had.
“And I think people buy into the brand I’ve created. It’s not just about the tattoos with me now, it’s about the art and doing something I love.”