Post awesome things you have been doing recently

[keepcalm]

Maybe not that spectacular, but I've booked my first 'all-alone' trip. I've always been fascinated by people who travel the world alone but was always afraid that I couldn't handle it.

It's just a 5 day trip (to Krakau, Poland, hooray), but it's a big step.

You're gonna love it! You can do whatever you want and don't have to agree or compromise with a travel partner. You are also much more likely to meet locals along the way, in my opinion. When traveling with another, it's so easy to just keep to yourselves, since you already have companionship. But when you travel alone, you are much more likely to meet and interact with people along the way -- and I have found some of the best detours by talking with people like this... either other travelers staying at my hostel, or locals in the bar/restaurant while I'm having dinner or a drink, etc. It can be really great.

I hope you enjoy it! :)

[Mark Bee]

I'll be leaving for Chicago with my wife in a few days. Then back to town for a week before heading the the Montreal Tattoo convention.

[Graeme]

painting in oil...well superhard and annoying! but sooo fun!

It's so fun. And yeah, really hard too and something that rewards patience, which is also hard for me (but probably good) but I'm really enjoying messing around and trying things out. Thank you as well to @cltattooing for giving me some advice and tips about oil painting.

[Delicious]

going to jury duty for the first time today... will report back later to see if I am still alive. Everyone's told me it's a terrible, terrible thing. Not excited

[Pleadco]

going to jury duty for the first time today... will report back later to see if I am still alive. Everyone's told me it's a terrible, terrible thing. Not excited

Homer has taught me so much.

"

[cltattooing]

Cheers @Graeme, hope they're serving you well! Looking forward to more progress shots :)

I hung out with my dad yesterday. We took the train into the city and visited the Asian Art Museum for my first time. It was pretty insane, I must have taken a hundred pictures. Gold inlaid jade, hand carved armoirs, giant painted scrolls with dragons, tigers, roosters, hawks, bears. Samurai armor, wakizashi, Shinto statutes, netsuke, and many, many Buddha statutes. The collection is insane, I highly recommend that any tattoo enthusiast visiting SF should see the Asian Art Museum.

Also, I got to hang out with a very cool, VERY intense Fudo Myo-o statue that is almost 1000 years old. The energy coming from it was a lot to take in. It was a combined sense of undisturbed peacefulness and impending annihilation. Which makes sense for a guardian diety, eh.

I'll post this for your drooling pleasure and consolidate the rest of the photos to a blog as soon as I can.

[Pleadco]

@cltattoing, so jealous!

[hogg]

I love that statue, @cltattooing. As an aside, I once got tattooed in that museum. ;)

[cltattooing]

I love that statue, @cltattooing. As an aside, I once got tattooed in that museum. ;)

WHAT?????!?!?!???!!!???????

story time :)

[Omar]

You're gonna love it! You can do whatever you want and don't have to agree or compromise with a travel partner. You are also much more likely to meet locals along the way, in my opinion. When traveling with another, it's so easy to just keep to yourselves, since you already have companionship. But when you travel alone, you are much more likely to meet and interact with people along the way -- and I have found some of the best detours by talking with people like this... either other travelers staying at my hostel, or locals in the bar/restaurant while I'm having dinner or a drink, etc. It can be really great.

I hope you enjoy it! :)

Thanks! I'm really looking forward to it. It feel kind of relieved to finally have taken action :)

I see you're goin' to India. Now that's an adventure!

[hogg]

WHAT?????!?!?!???!!!???????

story time :)

http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/general-tattoo-discussion/2007-video-asian-art-museum-shige-horitomo-horiyuki-horitaka-horiyoshi-3-related.html?

[cltattooing]

@hogg whoa, what a trip. I bet that was a really cool experience despite all of the questions. I wish I'd known about it at the time. Also... Mr. Naga-fuckin-shima has my utmost respect, that guy is a warrior. I am smitten with his Fudo stomach piece.

Also an interesting observation... I think it speaks as a testament to how powerful that particular statue is, given how often it shows up in photos and video taken at the Asian Art Museum. I'd like to go back and spend maybe an hour sitting next to it. Good for the soul.

[exume]

My only familiarity with that museum comes from the San Fran Gypsy Gentleman episode, I really would like to get back to the west coast one of these days.

[Graeme]

Cheers @Graeme, hope they're serving you well! Looking forward to more progress shots :)

Here's where I'm at so far. It's still super rough, I need to actually figure out where the light source is and put the highlights and shadows in the correct places, and a million other things, but I'm still working things out and just enjoying it:

[Pleadco]

@Graeme , awesome dude!

[wee black dug]

I doubt it's all that awesome in the big scheme of things, but Molly (the Big Dug!) was looking pretty pleased with herself last week on the top of Cairn Gorm. Scotland's 6th biggest mountain, no less!

I was with her, for the avoidance of doubt. ;)

[cltattooing]

Here's where I'm at so far. It's still super rough, I need to actually figure out where the light source is and put the highlights and shadows in the correct places, and a million other things, but I'm still working things out and just enjoying it:

Ahhh man, the book is looking great! Love how you textured the pages. Super excited to see how the candle comes out as well.

Just based on the shading in the book, it looks like you've painted it with a light source behind the viewer and with another out of sight behind/above the skull (which is totally fine by the way, paintings often look more dynamic with multiple light sources).

I'll PM you a constructive critique if you're interested.

[Graeme]

@cltattooing Please do send a critique!

[Dan]

I doubt it's all that awesome in the big scheme of things, but Molly (the Big Dug!) was looking pretty pleased with herself last week on the top of Cairn Gorm. Scotland's 6th biggest mountain, no less!

I was with her, for the avoidance of doubt. ;)

way nice picture & dog ! love it

that's "Post awesome things you have been doing recently" worthy for sure !

[Delicious]

@hogg whoa, what a trip. I bet that was a really cool experience despite all of the questions. I wish I'd known about it at the time. Also... Mr. Naga-fuckin-shima has my utmost respect, that guy is a warrior. I am smitten with his Fudo stomach piece.

Also an interesting observation... I think it speaks as a testament to how powerful that particular statue is, given how often it shows up in photos and video taken at the Asian Art Museum. I'd like to go back and spend maybe an hour sitting next to it. Good for the soul.

idk if you noticed, but your statue you liked is also in the video

[ChrisvK]

Here's where I'm at so far. It's still super rough, I need to actually figure out where the light source is and put the highlights and shadows in the correct places, and a million other things, but I'm still working things out and just enjoying it:

That Vanitas is looking awesome man, keep posting progress!

[Delicious]

That Vanitas is looking awesome man, keep posting progress!

I thought vanitas paintings were of fruits, flowers, luxury items, that teach a moral. At least thats what I learned in art history.

[ChrisvK]

I thought vanitas paintings were of fruits, flowers, luxury items, that teach a moral. At least thats what I learned in art history.

I learned at art history that it's paintings with objects about life and death. Mostly with a skull (death) a candle or other lightsource (life) and then objects that mean something to the painters life (books or other items)

Not 100% sure on that though, my art teacher was a really weird smelly guy who sniffed some terpentine every now and then ;)

[Delicious]

haha I will solve this right now with wikipedia.

- - - Updated - - -

and we are both right, it just so happens when I learned about it, my teacher only focused on the meanings of the flowers and other stuff. We never discussed skulls or death, only certain flowers and instruments meant certain types of sin and bad behavior

[HaydenRose]

Usually the vanitas paintings with flowers were a commentary on the fleeting nature of life, same as a skull being a memento mori. Flowers die, food spoils, etc. and usually the flower paintings included flowers in the bouquet that were toxic to each other or if you look closely some flowers are halfway wilted.

(Art History major in college)