March 16th, 2010
Yes, it’s the week of Shamrock Shakes, green beer, kilt lifting and (for the rest of us) a nice pint of Guinness and music that is off the hook! Pre-dating St. Pat is the indigenous tradition of Celtic tattooing, so what better time than now to peruse some Celtic art and history?
The ancient pre-Celtic people are referred to as Picts, whose name was a derogatory reference meaning “Painted” used by the Romans for their tattooed enemies. The Gaelic Celts used the term “Curithnii”, meaning “the People of the Designs”… and hey now – I’d say that’s more like it. The Picts were not simply painted but indeed tattooed, using sharp iron tools and a natural plant-based blue ink called Woad.
While not much is definitively known about the Picts (who began to merge with the Gaelic people by the 10th Century), there are Roman accounts of fierce warriors with “wild hair” (apparently lime paste was used to stand hair straight on end) who were “painted blue”. So, for some of us not much has changed I guess.
Here are a few images of how the Picts may have appeared, and a piece of Pictish stone art that I recently had the opportunity to render!
March 13th, 2010
Joe’s cover up is complete!
I posted this two weeks ago. From concept to outline… and then…
The completion of the piece! Here it is:
March 10th, 2010
Where’s Waldo?
March 9th, 2010
Today at the studio…
March 5th, 2010
Well, I began the week with Silly Monday and I’m back to say HAPPY FRIDAY, PEOPLE!
Yup, that’s the kind of week it’s been…
… and you?
February 26th, 2010
From Awen’s archives… check out the watercolor gray work. It’s an unusual effect you don’t see everyday, providing depth and texture to a tattoo. Ka Chow!
February 25th, 2010
Hey Hey Hey… this is going to be one sweet cover up! Joe wanted to keep his moon design while covering the existing bicep band. The plan was an extensive tribal piece. I sketched a basic concept on paper, and then we spent the first hour of his appointment customizing the design to tailor fit his arm. What you see here is phase one… the outline of the new piece. Stay tuned for phase two: super sweet solid tribal fill… coming up in a couple of weeks!
February 24th, 2010
February 23rd, 2010
Contemporary spin on Old School… from concept to complete.
