We never forget our first love, and dedication tattoos are a timeless tattoo tradition. For this woman her first love was a Teddy Bear, so when she decided to get her first tattoo, the choice was an obvious one. And because she is a mathematician who studied knot theory she came up with an entirely unique idea: a Celtic teddy bear!
Celtic Knotwork Teddy Bear Tattoo by Pat Fish
Today an athletic fellow with Viking heritage came in for a vegvisir on his upper arm. The Huld manuscript, dated to 1860 but copied from earlier material, says: "Carry this sign with you and you won’t get lost in storms or bad weather, even though in unfamiliar surrounds." A permanent compass to keep him on track.
Vegvísir Viking Tattoo by Pat Fish
Tonight I finished up coloring this phoenix dragon on a fireman. It took several sessions to complete, and was a challenge because the Celtic band and flames needed to be planned with the dragon so that it was all one integrated tattoo. It was important for me to mimic the uplifted wings of a phoenix in flames we are familiar with, and to have the dragon's bat-wings fit the musculature of his shoulder to look dimensional. The client had very specific ideas about the coloring, and now it is finally looking alive!
Celtic 'Dragon Phoenix' Tattoo by Pat Fish
The previous session's blog post showing the dragon in black ink only is here:
Today a woman came requesting a tattoo both ethnic and timeless, a symbol that hearkens both to her Scottish ancestry and her love of life. This ancient spiraling pattern incorporates both double and triple spirals, roiling like the waters of the sea, rendered in a sharp black and dotted woad blue.
'Water of Life' Celtic Tattoo by Pat Fish
