Cross of Intimidation

Today I got a chance to do one of my favorite Celtic crosses in a small and elegant presentation, with just a touch of blue outlining the main cross element. It is a pleasure for me that every client has their own personal aesthetic choices they want to make with a design, so no two tattoos are ever the same.

In times of tribulation the souls of all people are tested, and faith stands the bulwark between temptation and the way it is right to be. This cross is a clear statement of Christian honor, loyalty, and courage.

Pictish KeyMorphic

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Pictish Tattoo Sleeve by Pat Fish

Today I did my very first ever Pictish arm wrap, something I have been wanting to do ever since I started making full-body-part designs. A wonderful client came out from Boston with big ambitions, and a LOT of stamina, and I am delighted with the result. The pattern began with just a slice of a key pattern on the 9th century Maiden Stone in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. My clever employee ColinFraser morphed it in Photoshop to fit the client's arm, then I drew the pattern out to make it smooth and regular. That was many hours of work yesterday. Then today we placed the stencil, and THEN I still had to draw directly on him for another 2 hours, making all the patterns fit the musculature of the arm and making up parts that were lacking in the stencil. That all has to happen BEFORE the actual tattooing. Only when we were all satisfied with the lines could I begin, and the actual tattooing took 10 hours. I am whupped, but really happy. I have been back to work exactly 2 months and this was a huge test of my ability both to create and to have the strength to stick to such a demanding project. Much thanks to the client who was willing to go WAY past the endorphin loss barrier and stick with it until it was finished. 

To read more about how this kind of custom sleeve tattoo is accomplished, visit the Full Knotwork Sleeves page.

Another view of the Pictish Keymorph forearm tattoo by Pat Fish

A unique form of Pictish design found on the carved stones in Scotland is the Key Pattern. This unique sleeve tattoo pattern is designed by taking a small section of the carvings on the Maiden Stone, a 9th century Pictish Standing stone in Aberdeenshire. Then the key pattern was morphed (hence keymorphic) to spiral around the arm. A tribal pattern from an ancient Northern European Tribe, the wild and heavily tattooed Picts.

Dire Wolf

In 1998 I was featured in a TV show on CNN that also interviewed a Scottish man covered in Pictish tattoos. In particular he had the Dire Wolf carving found on a 6th century Pictish Symbol Stone in Ardross in the Highlands, and currently kept in the Inverness Museum. And truth be told, ever since I have yearned to tattoo this magnificent creature on someone. FINALLY today my wish came true, when a stalwart member of my own Clan Campbell (Picts, aye) gave me a perfect canvas spanning his ribs. To make the wolf look similar to the carved stone I rendered him in dots, and then dotted in woad blue a double spiral of the type found in Newgrange, in the Boyne Valley of Ireland. He walks again through the spirals of memory.

Dire Wolf Pictish/Celtic Tattoo by Pat Fish

Here is the Pictish carved stone that inspired this tattoo.

Trinity Celtic Sleeve

This is my last chance to brag on this piece. After three marathon sessions it is done for now, and my client is moving far away and won't be back for more for a long time. We did the triquetra in January, the epaulette above in February, and now today we added the band beneath. It really does capture the "body armor" look I try to achieve, in this case adorning a Warrior of Faith who is off to become a musicianary, a musician missionary.

Trinity Celtic Sleeve Tattoo by Pat Fish

Dramatic upper arm coverage is achieved with this combination of integrated patterns. The central piece is a knot work trinity knot, weaving in and out of an eternal circle. Fitted in above it is a knot work epaulette that makes a sculptural statement, flowing up onto the shoulder. Tying the elements together in this rendering are pointillist dots, giving a textural feel and bringing the knots forward visually. They make the pattern feel united as one. 

Trinity Celtic Sleeve Tattoo by Pat Fish, side views.