For many years the most frequent tattoos I did were Celtic bands and crosses. Each has their own unique challenge. For a band, it is to make the pattern retain symmetry and to have the point where the pattern repeat meets up invisible. That requires measuring and tweaking, made easy with Photoshop but also with the use of such simple tools as a rubber band around the arm to mark the level edge.
Kings' Brain Celtic tattoo by Pat Fish
A wildland firefighter called to California to suppress major fires took a break to come get a second tattoo, this one a tribute to the strength of his heritage and the courage of his profession. A Celtic cross fills the center, surrounded by weaves of knotwork that fill the arm and continue with the tail wrapping to the inside of the arm.
Fireman's Dragon Half-Sleeve
A sweet heart centers a flowing feather. Lightness of spirit, flight and freedom, in a delicate tattoo. For this woman it was a way to always remember how the feathers tied in her horse's mane float in the air when they ride out on the trails.
This band was worked on a metal nose protector strip on an ancient Saxon war helmet found in a burial mound in England.
Very much a traditional Celtic knot-work band, it shows how the medieval cultures clashing for dominance in the island we now know as the United Kingdom shared their art styles and love of intricate ornamentation.
