"My book from E-bay arrived safely today. It is everything I had hoped for and more.- It always brings a smile to my face as I exclaim, "Wow, look at that!"

Celtic Tattoo One

For many years celtic inspired design work has been one of the most popular in the tattoo world. Whether someone has true Celtic roots or not, the urge to wear flowing, intricate and historic Celtic imagery has been irresistible to many people. If you have a Celtic tattoo, there is a great chance that the design owes something to Courtney Davis. Over the past 25 years, Davis has studied and kept alive Celtic history and culture and has published over 35 books. After seeing and hearing about the many people who have used his art books as inspiration for Celtic tattoos, Davis has now decided to produce work books of designs specifically with tattooing in mind. The first, the Celtic Tattoo Work Book is now in print. The book is packed with hundreds of Celtic style designs, some familiar but many you won’t have seen before, all clearly reproduced in crisp black and white, ready to be tattooed. The designs are divided into sections, ranging from knotwork, crosses and spirals to animals, new age imagery and human figures. The book spiral bound and doesn’t come with liner sheets so it is not flash in the true sense of the word but the designs are bold and free of any unnecessary shading and detail so they are ideal for use as a basis for tattoo stencils.

The book includes an introduction by Lal Hardy, tracing the growth of Celtic tattoo work over the last 25 years or so. Each copy of the book is signed and numbered by Courtney Davis. As well as producing these work books specifically for the tattoo trade, Davis also does reasonably priced individual tattoo design work. The Celtic Tattoo Work Book is only available via the Awen Press website, for $50. Check out the site at www.celtic-art.com.

Some people say that Celtic style tattooing is not as popular as it once was and it is true that tattoo trends come and go through the years, but browsing through this book, seeing such beautiful, intricate and satisfying designs I’m sure Celtic art will stay one of the most popular tattoo forms. Look out for Courtney Davis’ next work book, on Viking tattoo imagery, out soon.

REVIEWED BY SALLY
Skin Deep October 2002