Okay, so today I wanted to mess around with creating some custom designs, and the phrase “Tierney Celtic” kept popping into my head. I’m not even a huge football fan, but I’ve seen that Kieran Tierney, the Arsenal player, has some cool Celtic-inspired tattoos. So, I thought, let’s see what I can come up with.
First, I opened up my go-to design software. It’s nothing fancy, just something I’m comfortable with. I started with a blank canvas, because, well, that’s where you start, right?
Brainstorming and Sketching
I spent a good while just brainstorming. What comes to mind when I think “Celtic”? I jotted down some ideas:
- Knots (obviously)
- Spirals
- Green (duh)
- Maybe some kind of animal… a wolf? A stag?
- Something that felt strong, a bit fierce.
Then I started sketching. Seriously, just rough stuff. I wasn’t aiming for perfection, just trying to get some shapes down. I doodled a few knotwork patterns, some really basic spiral designs, and even a terrible-looking wolf head (it looked more like a confused chihuahua, to be honest).
Refining the Design
After a while, I picked the elements I liked best. I decided to focus on a knotwork design, because that felt the most authentically “Celtic.” I found some reference images online – just to make sure I wasn’t totally messing up the traditional patterns.
Then it was all about refining. I spent ages tweaking the lines, making sure the knots flowed properly, and that the overall shape was balanced. This part took the longest, for sure. It’s amazing how much time you can spend just adjusting curves and making tiny changes.
Adding Color and Finishing Touches
Once I was happy with the basic knotwork, I added some color. Of course, I went with green – a few different shades, to give it some depth. I also played around with adding a subtle gradient, to make it look a little less flat.
Finally, I added a few finishing touches – a bit of texture, just to make it look a little less “digital.” And that was it! I ended up with a pretty cool Celtic-inspired design. It’s not exactly a masterpiece, but I’m happy with it. And hey, it’s all practice, right?
It was a fun little project, and it definitely got my creative juices flowing. Maybe I’ll try incorporating that confused chihuahua wolf into something else later…
