She who Would Be Art

A decade ago this woman travelled from Fresno and got this "Protectorant" design on her back. It was one of the first times I had used colored dots in a pattern, and it did not age well. So this week when she returned the first order of business was to do a rebuild on it, achieving what I had intended. I'll be the first to admit tattooing is not easy, it is a challenge to learn new styles and methods. And I happily persevere. I'm grateful when clients let me experiment, and never too proud to admit when a tune-up is necessary!

'Protectorant' spiral tattoo in purple by Pat Fish

Original tattoo done elsewhere, and improvement by Pat Fish

A thistle tattoo in honor of her Scottish husband seemed a bit weak, so we changed it a little.

Pictish Spiral Arm Tattoo by Pat Fish

And finally, she who insisted on making the most of her trip to Santa Barbara, had me wrap a series of Pictish spirals across her shoulder. Now finally she has a tattoo she can look down and enjoy instead of having so much work just on her back.

Huzzah for clients with stamina!

Pictish Boar Foot Tattoo

There is an ancient nautical tattoo tradition that says if you have your feet tattooed with a pig and a rooster you will never drown. I convinced this young fellow to go it one better and get this Pictish boar.

Pictish Boar Foot Tattoo by Pat FIsh

The original Pictish stone carving on which this boar tattoo is based is housed in the antiquities museum in Edinburgh, Scotland. Rendering it with dots, as shown, brings out the sense of it having been pecked into the stone.

Dark Knight Celtic Half Sleeve Tattoo

Today  I completed a knotwork piece that was custom designed to frame and enhance the Knight's Cross, and be integrated with it into a full half sleeve.  Using a black background in the cross draws the eye to that central focus, and a dotted texture behind the weaves is a way to add the feel of a stone carving. Bringing part of the knots into and through the ring around the cross makes it clear that the central element was not there first, that it was all one idea, now made manifest in skin.

Dark Knight Celtic Half Sleeve Tattoo by Pat Fish

And here is a view of the inside of the arm, showing how the piece connects completely around and has a secret. The initials of his two beloved daughters are enclosed within the band. 

inside view of Dark Knight Celtic Half Sleeve Tattoo by Pat Fish

Celtic Battle Armor Tattoo

Today's client wanted the effect of battle armor, so we started with a double-wide band around the bottom and joined it to a circle above to fit into the musculature of his upper arm. The photo is taken from the front here to show how I fitted it as high as I could without being too far into the armpit, and made an arc at the top that scribed the shape of the shoulder. The overall effect is fitted chain mail, a complex and intricate new skin.

Celtic Battle Armor Tattoo by Pat Fish