Goldwork DOTD skull tattoo

So, it's been a while....but I have been very busy: I've upped and moved to Brighton!
(More on this later. I am happy beyond belief and it's going to transform my whole life, not just my work...)

After many days' distraction running around estate agents and spending my savings on deposits, I have managed to get a little bit of stitching done, mainly in the near-completion of my Mexican day-of-the-dead goldwork tattoo:

As it's just a sample, I saved time by only doing half of the face (and I know there's still a few cms left to work) - but you get the gist. As for the waves around the side, I enjoyed playing around with the different tones of blue shading, but I think they would sit better on a nautical or a fish tattoo (this original design wasn't mine, it was simply a copied image to practice my or nue with, and it came intact with waves). After some research I think I should really have done a rose or something - any ideas??

As of the last few days, I'm in the process of setting up my own studio space (!) and it's going to be fabulous having my own dedicated work area to sit and sew in. Add to that a brand new delivery of goldwork threads in the post and a brand new work in progress, I can't wait to see what happens next. Viva la Brighton!