Just a quick little post. I did this project for my Photoshop class. I'm having a lot of fun learning CS6, and can't wait to do more. This took me about 3-4 hours to do. Happy Halloween!

Pretty much a project of Dan's silly face. Turned out pretty cool. I used acrylic paints. :)

Mine and Dan's newest obsession is spray painting. I have found a new love for creating stencils and using spray paint on canvases. It takes hard work and dedication (like all art) that leaves you with a creative reward in the end. I'm loving it, and hoping to create a side business in the future of my own T-Shirt company. I'm thinking way ahead too quickly as I have a lot I still need to learn, but it's always fun to dream and take action. :)

PS. That tree and skyline stencil took 9 hours to cut with an xacto knife. Left my fingers feeling bruised. TOTALLY worth it!

I got to paint my first pair of shoes. I grabbed a cheapo $5 pair of white canvas shoes from Walmart and didn't know what to do with them for about two weeks. Finally, I just went for it. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out, but I need to tape them up better so I don't get paint on the edges, and also not leave the tape on like Dan said because otherwise it leaves a sticky residue over time. Looks like I'll be needing to buy Goof Off. Oh, and add to the list: black laces. I used the black laces on my running shoes because I was too impatient and wanted to see how they'd look RIGHT away, but they're way too big. ;)

I got to try out some spray paint yesterday for the first time, and it was a lot of fun. I must add that I was trying to make the spray paint drip on the top, but it didn't go as well (at all) and I felt I was just wasting the paint. End results in my opinion: looks like the painting has hair. Haha. Oh well, it was fun! :) I want to start designing and cutting out my own stencils, then just put whatever on there. Need to buy my own colors as well since Dan only had those three.

This weekend has been wonderful going out to different beaches in San Diego and hiking around. It felt great to take my Canon out since it had been a while since I used it.

These first two photos are from Torrey Pines State Beach where you can hike the trails before heading to the bottom where you end up at the actual beach. The second to last photo was hard because I had to level my camera on the cliff and set a timer. I seemed to be the only one who didn't jump in time. :( Still a great photo, though. ;)

























Here are some photos taken the next day at La Jolla Cove. Beautiful beaches, just smells like fish and seals. I don't care, I LOVE it there! The second picture looks like it could be half the earth.


















After the cove, we headed down to check out the Ocean Beach Tide Pools and the pier. It was gorgeous, the beaches were richly blue, and I almost felt like I was in Hawaii. Dan and I want to get our friends together and spend half a day at this beach. There's a little secret area where you have to go through a cave to get to the other side where it's a more private beach with cliff diving. Photograph of me on the other side of the cave was taken by Dan.





Later, we ended up walking the pier. Beautiful views, great tans. ;)

The past year has been very hard on me artistically because nothing seems to come out on paper creatively on my end. So, here is something random that I decided to do called "Life's a beach". The ocean is one of my favorite places. I used to think I'd be a mountain girl living in a cabin, but something tells me that I'll never live far away from the beach.

My mom's dear friend/colleague is retiring soon, so my mom asked if I could draw a portrait of her friend as my mom's gift to her. Dan, who's a certified framer, was able to frame it very nicely.

I hope to get my artistic light bulb turned back on very soon. There's a lot I am focusing on job and school wise to help better my career choice for the near future. Photography looks to be my gateway towards my goal and dreams. :)

PS. Wow... this is my first post for 2012? I better get on it this year!!!

On the 7th of December, I was very fortunate to take a trip with my boyfriend, Danny, and my best friend Shane to Dan's hometown in Cliffwood Beach, New Jersey for his brother's wedding. It felt so refreshing and wonderful to be on the opposite side of the country. Everything in his hometown seemed old fashioned, the air was crisp, and the trees made the atmosphere almost like I was up in the mountains... just without the mountains itself and altitude sickness. ;) I felt right at home there.




On the 11th, we took the train to New York Penn Station where I got to not only see the city for my very first time, but also met up with my cousin, Heather, whom I hadn't seen since 2002. It was a full day of walking, the whole entire time, and everywhere I looked I was in "awe". My time there was very short since I only had a day to be there, but it was a wonderful and breathtaking experience. My fish eye lens was the SHIZ in the city!







On the 13th, we had to come back to the whale's vagina, and I all ready want to go back. I'm so glad I got to finally meet my boyfriend's family and friends, see where he grew up, and take a trip to New York and see my cousin and her fiancee. This last week was the greatest moments of 2011 for me.

Today, I got to do my first photo shoot with my dearest friends, Rod, Stephanie and their soon to be baby Keiran. For some reason, I was pretty nervous about this because I've never done a photo shoot before. It was a lot of fun, and taught me on what I should and shouldn't do for the next time. I'm pretty happy with the turnout, but I also see a lot of flaws with some of the photos. I didn't have a tripod, and I sometimes went a bit too fast to the point where some photos aren't centered, the lighting is off, or the colors might be a bit blah... but it is what it is. These are some of my favorites that I posted below, and here's the link to the rest. Hope you enjoy them, Rod and Stephanie! And many congratulations to the two of you and your soon to be baby Keiran. :)