Logo for Kimmy Gayle Tattoos in elegant script on a black background.

Colour realism, designed for the body it lives on.

Kimmi with glasses and tattoos working on tattooing a client's arm, with tattoo equipment and supplies visible.
Tattoo of a woman's face with blue shading and large pink flowers with black outlines on the upper arm.

I’m Kimmi Gayle — a colour realism and surreal tattoo artist working out of Derby, in the East Midlands. My focus is large-scale custom pieces designed around the body itself, where composition and flow shape every decision.

I blend realism with bold linework and surreal elements to create work that moves with the body rather than sitting on top of it. Most of what I take on develops across multiple sessions — panel pieces, sleeves, and longer compositions built to age well.

More about me
Logo with the word "Signature" in cursive script and "STYLE" in uppercase block letters, with a stylized curly line forming part of the design.

My work focuses on sleeves, panel pieces, and multi-session compositions.

Colour realism blended with bold linework and surreal elements to create fluidity, depth, and movement.

Every piece is custom-drawn for the client. Designed around your body’s lines, planned across as many sessions as the composition needs, and built to settle and age beautifully over time.

View the portfolio
A detailed tattoo sleeve featuring a woman's face with closed eyes, surrounded by a snake coiled around her head and a hand holding a snake in front of her. The tattoo uses dark and muted colors with realistic shading.
Colour Tattoo of an owl with a rose flower on a forearm.
Colour Tattoo of a realistic fox's face on a person's arm, surrounded by black and white abstract leaf and cloud designs.
Stylized text reading 'The Experience' in silver and blue with a black background.
A person getting a tattoo on their arm from a tattoo artist in a tattoo studio.
A woman in a yellow and black checkered shirt holding a camera with lighting equipment attached, talking to a person pointing at something.
A person with tattoos on their arm, wearing glasses and a black cap, smiling and talking with another person in the foreground. The background is dark and blurred.

My studio at The Grey Heron in Derby is a private space, designed for focus. The day belongs to your piece — time to settle in, talk through the design, and make sure everything feels right before the work begins.

Full-day sessions run unhurried. Refreshments throughout, lunch provided, noise-cancelling headphones available if quiet focus is what you need. Music, conversation, or stillness — the day shapes itself around how you feel.

Aftercare guidance is included at the end of every session, so your tattoo heals with the same care it was made with.

Begin a project