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Channel: Pat Fish's Tattoo Blog - LuckyFish, Inc. and Tattoo Santa Barbara
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Sutton Hoo Saxon Buckle Tattoo

June 14, 2017, 5:40 pm
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Today a man with ambition to create a sleeve of Saxon art added this intricate buckle from the Sutton Hoo Horde. The ship burial is giving us many sources for inspiration, and replicating the complexity of the metalsmith's art is a challenge to my tattooing skill.

Sutton Hoo Saxon Buckle Tattoo by Pat FIsh

Sutton Hoo Saxon Buckle Tattoo by Pat FIsh

"The ship-burial, probably dating from the early 7th century and excavated in 1939, is one of the most magnificent archaeological finds in England for its size and completeness, far-reaching connections, the quality and beauty of its contents, and the profound interest of the burial ritual itself." -Wikipedia

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Dara Tree of Life Celtic Oak Tattoo Design

June 20, 2017, 7:59 pm
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A single woven line creates this tiny tree, in this version only 2" high on a lady's wrist. It is a most delicate rendering of the tree of life. The name Dara comes from the word "doire," which is the Irish word for the oak tree, one of the most important of the sacred trees of Ireland.

Dara Tree tattoo by Pat Fish

Dara Tree tattoo by Pat Fish

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Solution Knot Half-Sleeve Celtic Tattoo design

June 22, 2017, 12:37 pm
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Twenty years ago I met this man and told him he needed to cover up his tattoo. It took him that long to come around to doing it, but this week we finally finished a multiple-session entirely new tattoo that he can wear proudly.

Solution Knot tattoo by Pat Fish

Solution Knot tattoo by Pat Fish

A bold knot pattern half-sleeve, designed to cover up a tribal band that covered a large area with very dark shapes. Using the foreground front knot as the major weave, then another linked knot to span the area under the arm, the pattern fits the body and transforms the space.

Solution knot before and after

Solution knot before and after

Video of this pattern being installed maybe viewed at:     

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Heart Hounds Memorial Dog Tattoo Design

June 27, 2017, 7:35 pm
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Two gentle dogs, greyhounds or whippets, curl together and make a heart with their sleeping forms. A way the memory of beloved dogs can be with this owner forever.

Heart Hounds tattoo by Pat Fish

Heart Hounds tattoo by Pat Fish

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Traveler's Knot Celtic Tattoo Design

July 14, 2017, 8:37 pm
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Today a woman who leaves soon to begin the life of a scholar in England came for this shield of courage, a nod to her Scottish heritage and a reminder to square her shoulders and succeed. A bespoke embellishment for an intrepid traveler, this knot is balanced and intricate and readies the wearer to walk the ways of the wide world.

Celtic Traveler's Knot tattoo by Pat Fish

Celtic Traveler's Knot tattoo by Pat Fish

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Celtic Om Symbol Tattoo

July 23, 2017, 6:08 pm
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Today I created and installed a most unusual custom request, a Sanscrit Om symbol filled with Celtic knotwork. An unexpected melding of cultures, adding the spiritualism of the East to the cultural heritage of this freckled medical professional who crossed the country for this representation of her personal affinities.

Celtic Om Symbol Tattoo by Pat Fish

Celtic Om Symbol Tattoo by Pat Fish

"Om (ॐ) is a sacred sound and a spiritual icon in Hindu religion . . . Om is part of the iconography found in ancient and medieval era manuscripts, temples, monasteries and spiritual retreats in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The symbol has a spiritual meaning in all Indian dharmas, but the meaning and connotations of Om vary between the diverse schools within and across the various traditions." - Wikipedia

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Celtic Queen Bee Tattoo

July 24, 2017, 11:27 am
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In the hive there can be only one Queen. I was so pleased to have the opportunity this week to make a new version of my Celtic bee design, this time changing it a bit to make it represent a Queen bee, for an academic from the South who traveled here for this mark of royalty.

Celtic Queen Bee Tattoo by Pat Fish

Celtic Queen Bee Tattoo by Pat Fish

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Celtic Sun and Moon Ring Tattoo Designs

July 26, 2017, 3:22 pm
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Today a man requested a matched set of tattoos, a balance of the celestial symbols of the sun and the moon, representing his son and daughter. Now he wears them proudly on his upper arms. Shown in black ink here, the mixture of soft wicker shading in the rings and dot stippling in the backgrounds adds depth to the rendering.

Celtic sun and moon tattoos by Pat Fish

Celtic sun and moon tattoos by Pat Fish

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Viking Neo-Nordic Celtic Dragon Forearm Gauntlet Tattoo Design

July 28, 2017, 9:23 pm
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Today I finished this forearm gauntlet built of two dragons entwined to form the focus of energy. On the inner arm they meet to face off underneath a triquetra Celtic knot, and their bodies fill the rest of the arm with a matrix of knotwork. The best of both the Neo-Nordic and Celtic styles: representational imagery blended with knotwork that covers the arm with a web of interlocking weaves.

Viking Neo-Nordic Celtic Dragon Forearm Gauntlet Tattoo by Pat Fish

Viking Neo-Nordic Celtic Dragon Forearm Gauntlet Tattoo by Pat Fish

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'The Morrigan' Celtic Tattoo

July 30, 2017, 4:16 pm
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Today I installed this custom knotwork raven on a man who decided to devote his forearm to a representation of the bird form of the Celtic battle Goddess. She is shown calling out to the honored dead. 

'The Morrígan' Celtic Tattoo by Pat Fish

'The Morrígan' Celtic Tattoo by Pat Fish

"The Morrígan ("phantom queen") or Mórrígan ("great queen"), also known as Morrígu, is a figure from Irish mythology. The name is spelled Morríghan or Mór-ríoghain in Modern Irish.

The Morrígan is primarily associated with fate, especially with foretelling doom and death in battle. In this role she appears as a raven or crow, flying above the battlefield." -Wikipedia

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Tribal Spiral Lotus Tattoo Design

August 3, 2017, 5:56 pm
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Today a woman asked for a tribal design to complement other tattoos, and wanted a large pattern but not too heavy. So we did this simple graphic of a lotus with a tribal spiral element supporting it, done just in lines.

Tribal lotus tattoo by Pat Fish

Tribal lotus tattoo by Pat Fish

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Skeletal Gadsden Flag Tattoo Design

August 4, 2017, 4:00 am
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One of my favorite political symbols is the Gadsden Flag, established in 1775 and bearing the motto "Don't Tread on Me." It was taken up by the Tea Party activists, but I had been putting stickers of it on my vehicles for many years before. In conversations with an excellent patriotic client I came up with the idea of rendering it in a skeletal form, and this tattoo is the result. We chose to encircle it with both the original text and "Nemo me impune lacessit" which is on the royal coat of arms of the Kingdom of Scotland and translates in the Scots language to: "Wha daur meddle wi me?" Many years later I have had a chance to do it again, this time encircling it with a ring of Celtic knotwork.

Skeletal Gadsden flag tattoo by Pat Fish

Skeletal Gadsden flag tattoo by Pat Fish

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Wolf Pack Celtic Circle Tattoo Design

August 5, 2017, 10:38 pm
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A trio of mighty wolves circling together form a Celtic ring. In Celtic Mythology the wolf was revered as the companion of Cerridwen, goddess of the Moon and fertility. The three wolves represent death, change, and rebirth.

Wolf Pack tattoo by Pat Fish

Wolf Pack tattoo by Pat Fish

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Honorable Hounds Irish Wolfhound Celtic Knot Tattoo Design

August 11, 2017, 12:57 am
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Today I was pleased to install this piece on a man who has a great appreciation for canines. A brace of mighty Irish Wolfhounds anchor this knotwork sleeve-front, woven seamlessly into the pattern of intricate traditional Celtic interlace.

Irish Wolfhound tattoo by Pat Fish

Irish Wolfhound tattoo by Pat Fish

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Heraldic Stag and Boar Tattoo Rings

August 16, 2017, 7:59 pm
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Today I finished the second of two upper arm pieces for a man of the Irish O'Sullivan Clan. The two heraldic animals emblazoned on the Clan crest are the King Stag, monarch of the forest, and the Wild Boar, most fierce of prey. They are rendered in pointillist dots in the style of the ancient 9th century Pictish stone carvings, and surrounded by a ring of Celtic knotwork.

Stag and boar heraldic tattoos by Pat Fish

Stag and boar heraldic tattoos by Pat Fish

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Dominator Shield Pictish Celtic Tattoo Design

August 18, 2017, 10:45 pm
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Today I installed a ring of Pictish key patterning surrounding an internal Celtic knot. Together they make a bold black graphic statement for a man whose work regularly puts him in dangerous situations. Uniting both Scottish and Irish design styles, they form a shield of bravery.

Dominator Knot tattoo by Pat Fish

Dominator Knot tattoo by Pat Fish

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Celtic Warrior Full Arm Knotwork Tattoo Design

August 20, 2017, 12:27 pm
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A modern day Scottish-Viking Warrior with many tattoos came in with a special request. He wanted to have the effect of large-scale chain mail on his arm, reaching from the wrist up to the bottom of a portrait, and flowing under a pre-existing Celtic cross and other tattoos. We morphed a pattern previously designed for a leg and made it fit this new adaptation.

Full Arm Chain Mail Tattoo by Pat Fish

Full Arm Chain Mail Tattoo by Pat Fish

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Celtic Crescent Moon Tattoo Design

August 21, 2017, 1:42 pm
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Today a young woman turned 18 and began her career as a Tattooed Woman by placing this Celtic crescent moon on her upper back. She has plans for more, and this is only the beginning. On the day of the eclipse, the moon passes over the sun.

Celtic moon tattoo by Pat Fish

Celtic moon tattoo by Pat Fish

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Loving Cranes Celtic Zoomorphic Tattoo Design

August 23, 2017, 4:39 pm
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The illuminated manuscripts are filled with fanciful animals, bending and twisting to form letters and shapes to surround the sacred texts. These two cranes are entwined to represent a loving marriage.

Celtic cranes tattoo by Pat Fish

Celtic cranes tattoo by Pat Fish

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Augmentation Knot Celtic Tattoo Design

August 24, 2017, 9:17 pm
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Many people start their tattoo career with something small on the upper arm, and later their enthusiasm for tattoos grows and so does their ambition. This man came with the colored knot on his arm already, asking that I create something new to enlarge and enhance it and that they fit together as a whole. This pattern is meant to encircle and enhance any other central element.

Celtic knot tattoo by Pat Fish

Celtic knot tattoo by Pat Fish

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