I have 10 individual tattoos, but my favorite piece of ink is my Pictish chestpiece, which is actually comprised of 3 smaller tattoos. It is made up of a basic Celtic knot (taken right out of the Book Of Kells) which is flanked by two Pictish wolf heads, all done in thick black outline. The wolf heads were inspired by a silver bracelet I had picked up at a local Celtic festival.
At A Glance Author Fire Contact Fire@bme.anon When Five years ago Artist Sherri Studio Insane Ink Location Leesburg, VA I had the Celtic knot done in 2000 by Tony at Jinx Proof in Georgetown, and it came out very nicely. It was my first tattoo that was easily visible, and I was a little nervous about getting it done right in the middle of my chest. That anxiety quickly faded as I received numerous compliments on the piece, and after a few years I decided I needed to expand the work a little more. I had thought for awhile on what would look best next to the knot, and decided on the two elaborately detailed wolf heads. Very pretty, but with a slightly ferocious feel to them. I decided not to return to Jinx Proof, only because it was about an hour drive and I had seen some good work that had been done by Sherri at Insane Ink (I also like being able to help support female tattoo artists, especially good ones!) Insane Ink is a cool little place, in Old Town Leesburg. Its basically a two-floor old house, decorated with interesting artwork. Everything is very clean and professional, and the people are friendly and helpful. I would recommend it (and Sherri) to anyone searching for a place to get tattooed.
So in March of 2004 (yes, I waited four years) I brought my bracelet to Insane Ink and showed it to Sherri. She was very laid back and friendly, and set me at ease immediately. She took a few minutes to make a quick sketch of one of the wolf heads, and then blew it up on the copier to fine-tune the details. Then we talked about placement. I originally wanted the wolves to be totally horizontal, but she showed me how tilting them slightly up would accentuate my collar bone more. The Celtic knot was in the dead center of my chest, so she placed the wolves looking outwards slightly higher, and at an angle. I could already tell it was going to look wonderful.
Something people always ask me (after they ask if the piece is real... girls always get asked if their tattoos are real!) is how badly did it hurt. To be honest, these were not the worst I've had done. When Sherri got closer to the collar bone it hurt a bit more, and the outline wasn't fun, but I would say that compared to my other tattoos, it was about medium pain. The two wolves took about 1 and 1/2 hours to complete. When it was done, I had the 'tattoo happiness" I always get, but it was extra intense this time, because I was blown away at how well it had come out. The lines were sharp and clear, the ink was pitch black, every minute detail was defined. I thanked Sherri profusely (and tipped her nicely.. she deserved it!) and left, with the tattoo all greased up and bandaged.
I had decided to get the work done in plain black ink, for several reasons. I wanted it to match the knotwork, and Sherri told me that if I added color to the wolf heads, it would look too crowded, and you wouldn't be able to see the detail.
Out of all my tattoos, this one still looks the most new. Part of that has to do with the fact that I took better care of it (sunblock and moisturizer- godsends) but most credit is due to Sherri- she really did an excellent job. I receive compliments almost daily on the piece. I have thought recently about adding more to it, maybe putting some grayscale shading behind it, to make it more dramatic. One of my favorite aspects of the piece is its jewelery-like effect. I never wear necklaces now. I definitely want more Celtic/Pictish style work. It has special meaning for me (I'm of Celtic descent) and its a great looking, dramatic and intricate style.
I think that when you find a good style of tattoo, you should stick by it. A well thought-out piece thats professionally done (and healed properly) looks ten times better than a quick job done in the latest style trend. But then again, if you are happy with your tattoo, who is anyone else to judge? All I know is, my tattoo makes me happy, makes me feel more confident about myself, and (I think) looks great. Isn't that all that matters?