Inspired by family folklore, he developed a passion for understanding what tattoos tell us about the world we live in from an early age.

It’s hard to say what life among the Picts was really like. Little Pict writing has survived to this day. The only hints we have come from a scattered handful of relics uncovered in British archaeological digs. Created with a lot more gradual coloring (unlike, for example, traditional tattooing where solid colors are merged together), the subtle gradients help create the characteristics and design of a classic watercolor painting. The other differentiating factor is outlining. Watercolor tattoos pride themselves on often not having a solid outline which is then colored in. The free flowing colors are meant to represent a painting – which they most definitely do. Adventures with the Painted People was my first review of live theatre in Scotland in over a year and I couldn't have asked for a more delightful experience than this charming play in such a beautiful setting. Hadrian's Wall, built by the Romans in A.D. 122 to protect them from the Picts. This is the famous Sycamore Gap, alongside Milecastle 37 and Housesteads Roman Fort in Northumberland, England. (Image credit: Roy JAMES Shakespeare via Getty Images)We are happy to say that with the amazing tattoo artists we have, we can offer any of the following tattoo styles that we describe here. Our tattoo designs are always custom. You are more than welcome to bring your own design or have one of our talented tattoo specialists design a concept for you. Editors of the Encyclopaedia, (2021) "Saint Bede the Venerable" Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Bede-the-Venerable From 1990 until his death in 1994, Leigh Bowery was a regular model for Freud. Bowery was an Australian artist, club promoter and fashion designer, known for his elaborate costumes and controversial performances. Freud had seen Bowery perform in the late 1980s, developing a fascination with his physical presence, commenting that the way Bowery ‘edits his body is amazingly aware and amazingly abandoned.’

In his final in his final years, the painter David Dawson was Freud’s regular model and companion, as well as his assistant from 1990 up until his death. Dawson was often painted alongside his whippet, Eli, showing Freud’s interest in the complicity of humans and animals. Freud has said that ‘I am really interested in people as animals. Part of my liking to work from them naked is for that reason.’ Ashley’s commitment to perfecting her art is inspiring to us. As a very positive, although at first sight generally shy person, her art is quite daring, bold and confident. We instantly made a bond with Ashley due to her general positive aura and are happy to have her as a member of our family. Jacob de Wet II/Wikimedia Commons Kenneth MacAlpin, the first King of Scotland and the last King of the Picts.When deciding on a tattoo for yourself, first figure out what you want and why you want it. For example, ask yourself what you love, what drives you, why you want to get permanent ink on your body. After that, choosing from the various styles of tattoos will come more easily. In the early fifth century A.D., the Romans left the British Isles when the Roman legions were recalled to Italy from afar as Germanic tribes, such as the Visigoths and Franks, threatened the empire's former capital, Rome (Ravenna was then the capital of the Roman Empire). At the same time, other Germanic tribes — the Angles, Jutes, Saxons and Frisians — invaded the southern and eastern parts of England, while the Scots and Gaels, originally tribal peoples from Ireland, invaded western Scotland in the sixth century. Pictish kings versus Anglo-Saxons and Vikings This is our definition of the various tattoo styles out there, and it has developed from talking to various artists who practice these styles.

Mark, J., (2015) "Tacitus' Account of the Battle of Mons Graupius." World History Encyclopedia https://www.worldhistory.org/article/776/tacitus-account-of-the-battle-of-mons-graupius/#google_vignette Before the Romans came to Britain, the northern people were likely fragmented tribes who spent most of their time at war with one another. The Roman threat from the south, however, likely forced them together in an embryonic Pictish state, which allowed the tribes to better resist the invaders and plunder their supplies. Under the threat of Roman rule, the Picts later created two politically and militarily powerful kingdoms which dominated a large part of Scotland. As well as giving tattooing its modern name, it was the British who commercialised it on a large scale for the first time in the Western world, stimulated by the explosion of interest in tourist tattoos in Japan – and by one particular legal case which captivated the world. The Picts occupied the northern and eastern parts of Scotland, and their territory reached as far south as the Firth of Forth, a large North Sea inlet that sits just north of modern-day Edinburgh. They also occupied the Orkney Islands and possibly even the Shetland Islands, Woolf said. It is not clear, however, how far west Pictish territory extended. There was no face tattoo. But his inked arm, shown publicly for the first time during his audience with the Emperor Meiji, gave the royal seal of approval to an increasingly popular trend.

There is little proof even that they really fought naked. Most of what archaeologists have discovered about the Picts comes from the 5th century or later, but by then, at least, the culture had taken to using linen, wool, and silk. They drew themselves dressed in tunics and coats in pictures. Prior to the current scholarly consensus, the Picts were the subject of much speculation and there was limited evidence about their existence — so much so that for a long time the Picts were known as the "lost people of Europe." Past scholars disagreed about where the Picts originated, how their society was organized and the roots of their language, among other topics. Except for largely enigmatic carved symbols that may represent a written language, the Picts left no written records. So most information comes from their adversaries, the Romans, though later sources, such as the Pictish Chronicle and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, also mention them. The former is a Pictish king list supposedly written in the tenth century, though most scholars have dismissed it as pseudo-history. The latter was written in the ninth century during the reign of Alfred the Great and is a year-by-year chronicle of events that historians claim is a mix of both history and fantasy. Picti is a Latin term that literally means 'painted people,"' said Alex Woolf, a medieval historian at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. The term is likely a reference to the prevalent Pictish custom of body painting or tattooing. "At first Picti is a pejorative term used by Romans," Woolf told Live Science. "But when you get to the 'Dark Ages,' perhaps around 600 or 700, it's clear that something has happened, and those tribes have now come to self-identify as Picti." Also, let the artist know if you are uncomfortable with what he is doing. Remember, it’s your RIGHT to SPEAK UP! The Pictish people do not yet know how to write and Eithne wants to record their history. So she makes a deal with Lucius, if he teaches her to write she won't offer him as their sacrifice for Beltane.