Fabric butterfly

Hm, not sure about the kind of lace thing. Not much inspiration lately, I promise, I'll try to do better next Sunday ^^'.

fabric butterfly

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Rose heart

I have the feeling I already saw something like this somewhere (probably better, this was done without reference so the shading is a bit weird)

Rose heart

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Temporary Car

For the moment, we are not car-less.  Tracy's father passed away suddenly last month, while he was visiting us.  For now, we're still using his car, a Subaru Forrester.  Having the car has made it a lot easier for Tracy to pop down to visit her mom in Connecticut and help out and check in.

Having a car again reminded me quickly of how much having a car in the city adds complexity to life.  I suddenly had to figure out where we were going to park it, fill it up with gas, get the oil changed, think about insurance, keep track of keys, etc.  Over the past two years of having no car, we'd gotten used to be car-free.  There's a certain simplicity to getting around by foot, bike or T, and I like it.

Since it's summer vacation, we have been trying to make the most of having the car handy, and have taken a few driving trips around Massachusetts.  (We love to visit farms and farmer's markets.) (Though we could have done with Zipcar.)  If we're in a rush, we can use it to get to our garden and run errands on the same day.  Having a car can let you pack more into your day, and I'm certainly one to try to jam in as much activity as possible.  But I now recognize that that's not always a good thing.  I like getting places by walking or bike, because I like the pace of life that comes with that.  It's a good way to set some limits for myself of how much I'm going to try to get done in one day.

We have found a good way to keep from using the car too much.  Friends are letting us use a parking spot on their property, and the spot is a little more than a quarter of a mile away.  This helps cut out car use for close errands.  If you have to walk a quarter mile to the car, you realize you might as well just walk or bike the whole way.  Imagine how much gas we would save if everyone parked their cars at a neighbor's house five blocks away. 

I'm still grocery shopping by bike because I like the exercise, the stores are close to home, and the parking lot at Trader Joe's is always full and a little scary in a car.  I also avoid buying too much if I know that I have to pedal it home.

We'll have the car through the rest of summer, and perhaps a little into the fall.  There's always an excuse to keep it around (Kira will have field hockey practice, and the school doesn't provide sufficient transportation.  I'm attending a farming class in Lowell in the fall), but I also know we can do without it.

Engraved stone

Hmm, a pocket sized Newgrange stone? :)
And in case you wondered, the last doodles on coloured background were actually done on some coloured note paper, the small (9x9cm) kind. It's nice for small designs. 

Engraved stone

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Steamoboros

So, if you mix the steampunk cogwheels and the Ouroboros symbol, you get...

Steampunk ouroboros

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London Bike Super Highways

London's bike traffic is increasing dramatically, and according to this video, they're sinking serious money into infrastructure to encourage even more people to cycle.  Serious money meaning $111 million pounds!  Can you imagine an American city putting $100 million into improving bike access?  (Boston, take note.)

Another practice tattoo, this one on my right upper leg....

I just completed the preliminary line work on this tattoo on my right leg. The image is from a drawing I did many months ago and posted here.







This is a detailed ornate skull design based on a drawing by Leonardo DaVinci, treated with a 'day-of-the-dead' sugar skull style of decorative line work. I completed the line work today in under three hours, and I am extremely pleased with the progress I have made with my tattoo lining work. I will be adding thicker lines to some areas, and then shading as well, and perhaps some colour at some point. Compare this to the skull I tattooed on my left leg some time ago:











Well, there really is no comparison. I hope this will give those of you seeking a tattoo an idea of how far my skill has come in the past few months. Although I am fully aware of how much I have to learn, I am feeling more and more confident, and look forward to doing more and more 'real' tattoos for clients in the coming months and years...









Thanks again and always to Sean Bergstrom of Vancouver Island Tattoos for his patient tutelage the last little while.







Here is the latest version with more shading.....

Mecha-triquetra...

... or whatever you want to call it =p.
Just a quick one, once again (where the heck is my inspiration gone?!)

Mecha triquetra

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