"Tartan /'ta:t(a)n/ n. a pattern of colored stripes crossing at right angles, especially a distinctive pattern worn by Scottish Highlanders to denote their Clan; cloth woven in such a pattern, [perh. f. OF tertaine, tiretaine]" - The Oxford English Popular English Dictionary 1990
A tartan is a cloth which was generally woven and worn by Celtic Clan members. It is a heavy, thick cloth typically made of wool which gets colored with the dyes made of local plants. It is very warm which makes it very suitable for the northern climates from Wales to Ireland and Scotland. Because of the plant dyes used, tartans from different areas tend to have a particular color range distinctive to that area and as Clans are generally geographically based, these colors can be used to identify the Clan.
Originally, the Scottish Tartan was a distinction of rank or position. It was not identified by weave but by the number of colors in the weave. If only one color was used it depicted a servant, two, a farmer rank, three, an officer rank, five, a chieftain, six for a poet, and seven for a Chief. Eventually, clans or families adopted their own tartan, using a range of animal and earth colours which were frequently secret, only known to the weavers of the region. They included yellows, blues, whites, greens, browns, reds, black and purple. Some say that a keen eye can identify the color with a particular island, almost like a wine taster can identify the year and the vineyard.
By contrast, the Irish Plaids were developed to represent the county from which a person came from, or was born in, or where their family line is traced to. That tradition is carried on today in Ireland with each county having its own tartan.
According to the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs (www.clanchiefs.org)...
There are no strict rules on who has the right to wear a particular tartan. People normally wear only the tartan (if any) of their surname, or a "district tartan" connected with where they live or where their family comes from. Wearing a particular clan tartan indicates that the wearer bears an allegiance to the chief of that clan. A tartan which uses the name of a clan may only do so if the chief of that clan has given his approval to the particular design.
There is no official register of tartan. Records of designs are maintained by the Scottish Tartans Authority, (www.tartansauthroity.com).
It is from these two sites that I gather information for recreating the requested tartans. I only make tartan wear by request for individuals who are clearly interested in their heritage. I may do additional research at specific clan sites, however if a tartan is not already registered, I will NOT make a totally new one. I haven't the patience or the time to do such a thing.
There are literally thousands of tartans in existence, with new tartans being created all the time; such as the Flower of Scotland, or the Braveheart tartan from Hollywood. It is even possible for an individual to design their own tartan for their own purposes, although it may be frowned upon by those who strictly adhere to the historical value of tartans.
Many clans have several variations of tartan associated to them. The most common types are the Ancient Tartans, which tend to be the traditional colors of a clan; the Modern Tartans which lean toward more vibrant shades of the traditional colors; and the Hunting Tartans, which are muted or even have color changes for camouflage in the woods. Weathered Tartans are similar to Hunting Tartans in that the colors are muted, and most times even faded (using weaker or thinner dyes). It is said that the Scottish Tartan is the first form of camouflage that is fully man made.
It is because of the multitude of variations any given Clan Tartan may have that I spend much time in studying the historic value of the tartans I've been asked to recreate and derive into the outfits I make for IMVU users. The tartans I use for my products are digitally recreated, thus they tend to be of the more modern flavor of the coloring. I do not just copy a swatch and paste it onto a mesh! The tartans I duplicate are based on my research, color swatches, and ultimately dictated by the person who requests the tartan.
Some people have commented on the coloring for specific clans, saying it is "too bright" or "too contrasting". I will note here that it is near impossible to recreate the multitude of shades and variations of some tartans, for the art of dying and fading is never uniform. I will be the first to admit that some of the colors are "off" a bit - that is due to monitor settings, gama calibration, and lighting. I can wax philosophical or even scientific in my explanation of Color Theory, however this is not the venue for that type of discussion. Rest assured, I'm not just picking colors from the spectrum for these Tartans.
I will add that my colors may not match exactly the coloring used by the fore mentioned Scottish Tartan Authority. The designs and artwork on their website are very much copyrighted, and I cannot just rip their work from their website. The images I use in my products are made by me, using Adobe Photoshop. Most of my base files are 1200x1200dpi so that I can get down to the minute detail of a pattern and yes, I do pixel paint many of the tartans you see here.
The colors and patterns of the thousands of tartans (plaids) used by celtic clans, families & individuals to represent their lineage and heritage do not fall under trademark or copyright by virtue of age and standing. Tracing a pattern to find the creator(s) of any given plaid is a daunting task for anyone, and as historians have agreed for hundreds of years, there are no "true" owners of any given "territorial" plaid.
I take great pains to ensure my tartans are as "real" as can be and that they do not infringe on any copyright. There are a few distinctive tartans that are reserved and trademarked, and at this time (December 27, 2007) I am acutely aware of 3 such tartans, and these are not used in any of my products. If a tartan or plaid that is used in my products does not quite match an interpretation of what a Clan's Tartan should look like, then do let me know - for that interpretation may be a variation recognized by that clan.
Lastly, I will not allow any of my Celtic products to be derivable simply because of the amount of time I invest in the recreation of the tartan. Although I am not copyrighting the pattern itself, the file(s) I use for the product are indeed very much my own.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Hopefully this will help clarify any questions you may have about the integrity of the Tartan you are looking at. When available, I will include photographic swatches naming a Tartan.