Though it may not always be such an obvious concept about tattooing, a great tattooist needs heaps of patience. This can manifest itself in a variety of ways through a tattooist’s art, but sometimes it can simply be a part of just getting to the point where becoming a tattooist is an option.
For fifteen years, David Corden didn’t have anything to do with being a tattooist. He worked exclusively as a ventilation engineer. One day, Corden took one of his own designs to tattooist Jim Campbell at Ritual Art Tattoo in Gillingham, England. Campbell did the tattoo for Corden, then promptly asked him to bring his portfolio in. Corden complied, but days passed without hearing anything more from Campbell. After four years, Campbell happened to be tattooing Corden’s cousin who mentioned Corden. This reignited Jim Campbell’s interest in Corden’s work and he asked once again to see the man’s portfolio. This time, Campbell got back to Corden, offering him an apprenticeship. After fifteen years of engineering and at the age of 34, Corden plunged headlong into the magical world of tatttos.
Today David Corden has a permanent spot as a tattooist at Ritual Art Tattoo. He does custom made realism work that has to be seen to be believed. In addition to being a gifted artist, Corden also inputs a bit of his engineering knowledge into his work, perhaps strengthening his awareness of positioning and flow and making the overall presentation and fit of the tattoo just as vital as the artwork itself. In short, Corden knows what he’s doing, values what he’s doing and as a result, does it extremely well.
