ColinFraser - Employee of the Year(s)

Hey Folks - ColinFraser here!  There is one quick follow up to the 2014 Celtic Tattoo Awards that Pat and I have been posting as a year-end-wrap-up.  Pat had a custom bobble-head made of me as a holiday gift, and presented it as the 'Employee of the Year' Award!  I didn't know you could even get such a thing, so it was a very funny surprise.

I'd like to thank all the little people . . . nevermind.   In all seriousness though, thank you to Pat Fish and all the clients that help make my work at LuckyFish, Inc. so fun and interesting.

ColinFraser and His custom "Employee of the Year" bobble-head statuette

I wish you all a very happy new year and look forward to working with you in 2015!

2014 Celtic Tattoo Awards

As we prepare for a holiday break, ColinFraser and I have been discussing many of the unique, challenging, and interesting projects that have come through the door in the past year.  We thought it would be fun to name award winners in a handful of categories - no prizes, but bragging rights for sure!  We have decided on 7 awards and will be revealing one category winner each day for a week. Check this page again tomorrow to see another one.

If you were a studio client this year and don’t see your tattoo featured here, know that we are deeply grateful for your patronage.  Thanks to all of the clients who helped to make 2014 a success!

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Occupational Tattoo Award

Occupational tattoos expressing the wearer's dedication to their life work and the fulfillment they find through it make a noble personal statement. In this first category we have a tie! The Celtic HazMat Symbol and the Celtic Star of Life both do an excellent job of representing their bearers' heritage and vocation.  Click the images above to see their individual blog posts and learn more.

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Total Coverage Award

For sheer stamina and dedication, the Most Total Coverage award goes to this man who had two half-sleeves done previously and then this year added the back piece of Saint Brendan in the waves and two chest pieces of Celtic animals. Click the images above to see the tattoos in their individual blog posts and learn more.

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Most Improved Award

Here’s appreciation for the loving wife who was so sick of the cruddy spiders and amateur anarchistic tattoos done during her husband’s high school years that she bankrolled his transformation. Now he has two matching highly colored Celtic knotwork forearms, strangers aren’t scared of him, and he gets the Most Improved Award! Click the images above to see the blog post about this project and learn more.

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Unusual Concept Award

Celtic Knotwork Pumpkin Tattoo by Pat FIsh

A Celtic pumpkin was a strange enough request, but when she insisted that it be a BLUE Celtic pumpkin this client was a clear choice for the Most Unusual Concept award. Why blue? You’ll have to ask her! Click the image to see the blog post and learn more. I confess that when I posted it to the blog I used a photo taken when it was just black and grey - I couldn’t explain the blue!

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Interesting BackStory Award

Celtic DNA Family Tree Tattoo by Pat Fish

The Celtic Tree of Life is a popular tattoo image and a frequent request at my studio, but this man came in with a very interesting reason for the custom elements in the design. The trunk is formed of a DNA helix, because DNA testing revealed to him that he had a sister he never knew of! He gets the Most Unusual Backstory award for commemorating this shocking life event with a tattoo! Click the image to see the blog post and learn more.

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Zero-to-Sixty Award

This client came in early this year completely a blank, and picked a nicely sized Celtic spiral in red and black for his first tattoo. A few months later he was back, adding an extension to it. Then, predictably he felt unbalanced, so we did a lion from the Book of Kells on the other arm. Undaunted, he then decided to expand them both into half-sleeves by putting a matching arch of Celtic knots behind them both, making them into a set. From no tattoos to two half sleeves in a year, he earned the Zero-to-Sixty award for tattoo acceleration! Click the images above to see the images’ individual blog posts and learn more.

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Largest Knotwork Award

Before this man came in I had never even considered designing a single piece of knotwork that covered the whole leg up to mid-thigh. Working in the conceptual idea of body armor, this continuous knot was a challenge for both artist and enthusiast, requiring much stamina from both! He completes our award week by earning the Largest Knotwork award. Click the images above to see the blog post and learn more.

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Thanks again to all of the patrons who have helped to make 2014 a great year; see you next year!!

Celtic Bear Tattoo

The Pictish bear from the collection of carved stones in the museum at Meigle, Scotland has always been a favorite of mine, and today I tattooed this custom version. The silhouette is faithful to the wonderful original, then I crafted Celtic knots to emphasize the power of the musculature. The chain of spirals gives him a stream to be wading through, and now he lives in skin!

Celtic Bear Tattoo by Pat Fish

Celtic 'Cross of Righteousness' Tattoo

With this custom cross I challenged myself to make the line of the knot both fill and define the cross, flowing seamlessly through and around the high cross shape. Using the knot that makes up the defender band as the building block, the weaving line makes an internal cross in the center and then integrates those looping knots back in. A new twist on a classic high cross shape.

Celtic 'Cross of Righteousness' Tattoo by Pat Fish