Happy Trails

I’ve just wrapped up a tattoo design for a Appalachian Trail-loving friend. Tattoo designing isn’t something I normally do– I’m not even sure if I’ve ever done it…? This was fun.

He hikes Old Rag Mountain a lot, loves the Shenandoah Valley, and wanted to embrace the season shift of the region. I’m not sure I did a great job on the latter, I still feel like I was restricting myself a little in my use of materials, but I included flora and fauna indicative of different seasons.

Winter, starting left, has a Pitch Pine – I always like to include to evergreens in winter scapes. Pitch Pine grows in mountain settings and I saw it in some photos of Old Rag’s rocky top.

The Cerulean Warbler, at my sister’s suggestion, is a spring migratory bird through the region, one of the signs of the season’s shift.

The Rhododendron may not be a true summer native perennial, but I just can’t think of the VA/PA leg of the Appalachian Trail without Rhodys.

And then Fall has some Hickory and Maple leaves– there are so many deciduous trees, I figured we’d go with a mix.

The red trail switchbacks were my favorite part to paint. The path is nonsensical, it represents the wandering nature of trail lovers.

I really enjoy doing region-specific illustrations. The research is fun, and I love to know there are people who truly love and respect their native ecosystems.

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