"What do I do now?.."
I went through many design processes when Drexel was in his first stages of developing as a real character. I knew I wanted him to have a tattoo to represent the tribe he lives in. When first designing his tattoo, I was not aware of the real-world connection that it has with the Celtic culture. That design is extremely, if not an exact replica of the Celtic Spiral Knot. The meaning of this Celtic Knot is commonly considered to signify the three forces of nature: water, fire, and earth, and the single line is said to signify the oneness of the spirit and the spirals represent growth. The gaps in the spirals symbolize the stages of life: life, death, and rebirth. When redesigning his tattoo, I wanted to keep the theme of the oneness of life, death, and rebirth. In my story, this is the main theme and driving force of the characters. In Drexel’s tribe, this concept is extremely important as they are a people that have decided to live one with nature. They have connected so much with it that they are able to transform their physical human bodies into the bodies of the animal that most resonates in their soul. This is the design I came up with (see the second image for a better look). It depicts a tree and a deer antler intertwined together, spiraling in a circle. The tree symbolizes plant life, and the deer antler symbolizes animal life. The roots of the tree growing into the antler represent their relation together in upholding the cycle of life and death. Creation and Destruction. I drew this drawing to better showcase how the tattoo looks with Drexel's design, and I think it works way better. I feel way more comfortable knowing it is unique.
