How much do tattoo artists earn in the UK?

Here's what I want you to know. Most of those averages are based on salaries, and almost nobody in fine line tattooing is on a salary. So in this post, I'll share what I earned when I was fully booked three days a week, explain where the published figures come from, and show you how to work out what you could realistically earn.

The short answer

Salary websites put UK tattoo artists at roughly £18,700 to £42,900 a year, but those are employee figures and most tattoo artists are self-employed. What you earn comes down to your prices, how many days you're booked and your costs. When my diary was full three days a week, I was taking £7,000 to £8,000 a month before costs.

What I earned when my diary was full

I'll be open with you, because I think it's more useful than another average.

When I was fully booked three days a week, I was taking £7,000 to £8,000 a month. That's money coming in, before costs.

Three days. The rest of the week was mine, for my family. And it's what allowed me to retire my husband.

I want to be honest about why it happened quickly for me. I already had a busy PMU business, so I had clients who knew and trusted me, and I was fully booked within a few months. That isn't where most beginners start, so please don't take my timeline as yours.

What I can share is what I see from my students. Some have completed over 100 tattoos in less than four months. And the ones who set their sights on a fully booked diary have often got there in less than a year.

It's a very different picture from the £18k–£43k you'll see on salary websites, and that's because those figures are built for employees. Fine line tattooing doesn't really work like that.

You set your prices. You choose your days. And what you earn comes down to how full your diary is.

How a fine line diary adds up

Fine line pieces are usually small and delicate, so you can often fit several clients into a day. Some artists price by time and some by the piece. I use both, because it depends on the artist and the design. Either way, say you work three days a week and average £600 a day. That's 12 days a month, which comes to £7,200.

• Days booked3 a week, so about 12 a month
• Average per booked day£600
• Coming in each month, before costs£7,200

That's what an established, full diary can look like. It isn't a beginner's first few months. For that, have a look at my students' messages further down.

From that, you'll take out your consumables, studio rent or commission if you're not working from home, and put aside money for tax and National Insurance.

The number you control most is your prices. The number that takes the most work is how many of those days are actually booked. That's why I teach the business side alongside the tattooing.

What decides how much you take home?

Five things, roughly in order of how much they move the number. Try them with your own figures.

1. Your prices. I price by both time and the piece, because it depends on the artist and the design. Fine line work is usually small, so several clients can fit into one day. This is the number you control most, and the one most new artists set too low.
2. Where you work. Most of my students tattoo from a spare room, a garden cabin or a rented room in a salon. Working from home keeps your costs down. If you rent a room or a chair, you pay a fixed rent and keep the rest. If you work on commission in someone else's studio, they keep a share of each booking.
3. Consumables. Needles, cartridges, ink, gloves, barrier film, stencils and aftercare all come out of what you take.
4. Booked days. Being available three days a week and being booked three days a week are very different incomes. Filling the diary is the part I spend the most time on with my students.
5. Tax and National Insurance. You'll almost certainly be self-employed, so nothing is taken off for you. Put a share of every payment aside as it comes in.

What my students have shared

These are real messages from my students. Everyone's journey is different, and results depend on your pricing, location and the time you put in.

I love these because they show what's possible in the early months. First £600 weeks, first £1,000 weeks, and some of it fitted around another job or the kids being off school.

What do UK salary websites say tattoo artists earn?

For context, here's what the main published sources say.

They vary so much because they're built from employee salaries, and most tattoo artists are self-employed. Indeed's figure also comes from just 70 salaries across the whole UK, so a handful of high earners can pull it up.

Does the route in change what you earn?

It changes how long you go without earning.

A studio apprenticeship

The traditional route is an apprenticeship in a registered studio under an experienced artist. It commonly takes one to three years, and the early stages are often unpaid or very low paid. You learn a lot in a working studio, but you need one willing to take you on, and something to live on while you do it.

My Beginners Training

My Beginners Training is four days, in person, in small groups of no more than three. You tattoo real skin with me beside you, and you go home with a Business Launch Plan and a 30-Day Content Plan so you're set up and taking bookings, plus support from me for life. No course makes you fully qualified on its own, and the National Careers Service says the same. You'll still need practice afterwards, and that's what the ongoing support is there for.

Before you earn anything: registration

Before you tattoo anyone for money, you need to be registered or licensed with your local council, and the rules depend on where in the UK you are. Wales has had its own special procedure licence since November 2024, so it no longer follows the England process.

Is fine line tattooing a growing market?

From where I sit, yes. Most of the enquiries I get are for fine line, and it's what most of the women who come to me want to learn.

It also suits a flexible, part-time business. The pieces are small, the sessions are shorter, and you can see several clients in a day. That's what made a three-day week possible for me.

If you're already tattooing and the money isn't there yet

Maybe you're already tattooing, you're good at it, and the income still isn't where you want it. Usually that comes down to pricing and a diary with gaps in it. Studio Success is my mentorship for working tattoo and PMU artists who want to sort out the business side.