An illustrated lecture about historical sources for Celtic Tattoos by Pat Fish and ColinFraser Purcell. We discuss the historical art styles of the British Isles, drawing from illuminated manuscripts, standing stones, metal artifacts, and more. We also cover translating primary sources into quality tattoo art as well as customizing and combining designs for personalized tattoos.

Click on the thumbnails below to see larger photos of my work.

A tattoo artist's credibility is best represented by their portfolio, and you are invited to peruse the photographs below for a visual sampling of styles. Click any photo to see it larger.  It is my hope that this will encourage you to consider coming to Santa Barbara and having a tattoo installed. If you can't do that, you can get flash to take to your local artist, or you can pick up a wearable souvenir.

Throughout this page, there are links to further pages with more information about Celtic Tattoo Traditions and Styles and about getting a Custom Celtic Tattoo.  Enjoy looking.

Upper Arm Sleeve Celtic Tattoos

To learn more about getting a Celtic tattoo sleeve in stages, visit the Building a Celtic Sleeve page, and visit the Celtic Sleeve Section of the LuckyFish Art Tattoo Flash Store.

Celtic Cross Tattoos

Celtic Crosses are often sourced from standing stone monuments.  To learn more about ancient stone art as tattoo inspiration, visit the Standing Stone Tattoos page, and visit the Celtic Cross Section of the LuckyFish Art Tattoo Flash Store.

Forearm Celtic Sleeve Tattoos

Quite unusual and striking in effect, these arm patterns with Celtic knots wrapped around them in a seamless knot are a huge technical challenge. Using a combination of computer manipulation and hand grid drawing to create the stencil, then adjusting to fit by adapting and drawing directly on the body, it is a slow process but the result is very dynamic.  We have built a separate page exclusively about this kind of Tattoo: Celtic Sleeves, Tattoo Armor, and Full Knotwork Coverage Tattoos.  You can also visit the Forearm Sleeve Section of the LuckyFish Art Tattoo Flash Store to purchase downloadable templates.

Celtic Knot Tattoos

Celtic Knots often began as illustrations in ancient books.  Visit the Illuminated Manuscript Tattoos page for more information about these historically sourced tattoos.  Visit the Celtic Knot Section of the LuckyFish Art Tattoo Flash Store.

Celtic Band Tattoos

Many band tattoo designs were once borders on the sides of illuminated manuscript pages, but they can also be sourced from patterns incised into metal armor or carved on memorial high crosses or Pictish stones. Carefully sized to fit the arm, leg, wrist or ankle, they are permanent art that can never be lost of stolen.  Visit the Celtic Band Section of the LuckyFish Art Tattoo Flash Store.

Animal Celtic Tattoos - 'Zoomorphics'

When using the Celtic Style to portray animals, the goal is expressive stylization, not representationalism. Capturing the essence of the creature, translating it with the intricacy of knotwork, adding a new level of artistic interest while evoking the spirit.  Visit the Animals Section of the LuckyFish Art Tattoo Flash Store.  To read about real-life Celtic Dogs visit Pat's Irish Wolfhounds Page.

Full Leg Celtic Tattoos

Filling the entire body part with the look of chain mail armor, or with creatures wrapping the surface, tattoos on legs can command a challenging and rewarding sculptural form and make a dynamic statement. Visit the Leg Wrap Section of the LuckyFish Art Tattoo Flash Store.

Spiral Celtic Tattoos

The spiral is the single most evocative symbol that is found in Celtic art. The single, double and triple spirals flow through the different expressions of the creative spirit. Bringing to mind the flow of energy and time, the spiral returns to source and is a visual embodiment of the path to wisdom.  Visit the Celtic Spiral Section of the LuckyFish Art Tattoo Flash Store.

Celtic Tattoo Flora - Celtic Tree of Life and More

The Celtic Tree of Life and shamrock are well known symbols for the nature loving spirit of the many Celtic Nations. It is also a pleasure to explore melding elements of knotwork or spirals into other vegetative forms, adding details in the style to personal affinity with a particular representative of the plant realm.  Visit the Flora Section of the LuckyFish Art Tattoo Flash Store.

Ambitious Celtic Tattoos - Large and Unique

Once in a while a client honors me with the challenge of a large and ambitious vision, a request that will take many sessions to accomplish and give us both a marvelous feeling of accomplishment.

More Pictures of Celtic Tattoos:

Click the links below for further portfolio pages with more photos.

Heraldry and Family Crest Tattoos              Breast Cancer Tattoos          Matching Sets and Pair Tattoos     Coverup Tattoos

I hope that looking at this portfolio has helped you decide to come to Santa Barbara for a Tattoo.  If so, click here to make an appointment.

If you require further convincing, visit the Tattoo Testimonials Page to read messages from satisfied clients.

For More information about historical sources of Celtic Tattoo Art, visit these 3 pages:

Illuminated Manuscript Tattoos - Standing Stone Tattoos - Metal Artifact Tattoos

If you are interested in large and/or custom work, you can visit the Getting a Custom Tattoo page and the Building a Celtic Sleeve page  for more information.

Finally, you can see even more of my work by reading my Tattoo Blog, visiting the Pat Fish Publicity page, or browsing my LuckyFish Art Flash Site.