Summer is finally over with school starting everywhere. The past 2 weeks, harassed parents braved the rush to buy notebooks, pencils, books, papers, etc for their kids. Meanwhile, in the spirit of learning, I've decided to brush up on what little I know about Photoshop and learn some more. Note the photo header? That was entirely done in Photoshop!! Pat on the back and applause please. In the past I've relied heavily on Mac application Preview for all my "design" needs. If things got complicated there was always the ever reliable PowerPoint. But I couldnt rely on both forever. Especially when Ive been getting requests for Wedding Suites. I decided it was time for me swallow my fear (and confusion) and finally learn Photoshop. Luckily, a blog I follow offered "beginner" classes online. If you're like me head on over to Lindsey Bugbee's site to enroll yourself in her class. It really is for the beginner -- such as myself-- and even has homework and quizzes you must pass in order to move forward. Don't worry, it isnt super difficult. Plus there's a 70 page e-book you can download to help you along the way. Im currently only on the 3rd lesson (of five) and feel that I've learned so much! In fact, I was able to finish my first wedding invite, and after 2 tries they liked the finished product! Additionally, before bidding Summer farewell, Hubby and I went on our own small vacation to neighboring countries. It was all really for a reunion, H's SSEAYP class was celebrating it's 10th anniversary. So 30 (or so) Participating Youths from ASEAN countries plus family trooped to Bali for a weekend of reconnecting, fun, sun and sea. I've never been to Bali but have read on the beauty of the Island. It didnt disappoint of course! The group had team building activities in the rice paddies --- really getting down and dirty! We also took in the culture by watching the Kechak Dance in Uluwatu. And on our free day, we both visited the waterpark where the world's longest waterslide is located. (Can you imagine the adrenaline??) Soo much fun I tell you! As a side trip we visited Singapore as well where I hoarded on craft stuff. I was able to join in the #emboss trend by buying embossing powder and pen. Here is a piece I made last night from the craft haul. Theres a really satisfaction watching the powder melt from the heat gun. Some chemical reaction is definitely happening there! Yesterday, was officially the last day of summer for many people and Independence Day for the Philippines. We decided to spend it doing outdoor stuff. So H & I mountain biked up Mayon Volcano. It's been a while since I last sat on the saddle so going uphill, there were times I just pushed my bike instead of pedaling. But, the highlight was the view and the downhill experience. A bit hair-raising in some parts where I almost slipped but all-in-all very enjoyable. In the late afternoon, along with the in-laws, we trooped to the Beach to beat off the heat. The waters were quite clear so we decided to free dive. I'm happy to announce Im back to free-dive form. No nasal congestion to get in the way of equalizing. Surprised myself when I was able to go down over 30 Feet in one single breath and check out the artificial reef in Bacacay Gulf. Makes me want to dive again -- SOON. hahaha
So these are the updates for now. As the quote above says "Always be Creating". :)
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An afternoon of art, craft, good food and learning something new Attending this seminar by Havaianas was touch and go because of our schedule. Of course I begged, cajoled and blackmailed the hubby just so I could attend. And after some reluctance, we moved our business commitments around so that I could be in Manila for the December 6 workshop. Truth be told Havaianas and I have a love-hate relationship. Whenever I buy a pair then dont last very long -- only because my dogs seem to think of them as really excellent chew toys. So when the opportunity to present itself to attend an art workshop by this brand I was a bit hesitant. It also didnt help that the registration fee was quite steep. But I reasoned that paying the Php 6,500 price tag it was actually a steal considering the seminar kit had a lot of the brands I use and yet dont have and also it was for THREE workshops discussing different topics each. All three were held in the Hillside Cafe situated along Mo. Ignacia Avenue in Quezon City. This isnt a place I frequent, even when I was living in Manila so it was an urban adventure for hubby and I that sunday. What a great opportunity that the cafe was right beside a gardening center that had everything you could possibly need when starting your own green house (something I've been wanting to get my hands on) such as seeds, roofing material, growth supplements and the like. So while waiting for the workshop to start, Hubby and I went crazy over all the gardening things we could get our hands on -- we bought a lot of seed packets!! By 1PM students began piling in the cafe to get ready for the first of three workshops which was LETTERING BY ABBEY SY (IG @abbeysy). Although not my first seminar by her this time around felt like I was able to grasp the concepts better since I've been practicing on my own lettering style. The class was a more condensed version of the one I first attended, nonetheless it was also a learning experience especially since #FaberCastellPhilippines gave a free set of PITT pens that we readily used in our foray into lettering. I didnt know time could go by so fast, after 1 hour the Lettering class was finished! In conclusion, I have a deeper appreciation now for all the posters and advertising materials I see around -- there was a lot of thought placed into what font, position or color to use in order to catch your attention! Someday I hope to make my own Lettering pieces of art. The second class was a Watercolor Seminar by Alessa Lanot (IG @lifeafterbreakfast) who incidentally is also the owner of Hillside Cafe. In all honesty, watercolor is not my forte. The only reason I dabbled in it is because of Imma and seeing all the Pinterest Craft pins on my feed. I have had no formal training in this medium (something I will say over and over again) but I love how it works. So I was pleasantly surprised and very excited when Alessa mentioned that this was her area of expertise and something she has been doing for more than a decade! If there is anything I will not forget form this afternoon of art is the concept of TEA, MILK & CREAM -- various mixes of water and pigment to create a difference in your painting. TEA is a mix of mostly water and very little pigment-- exactly how tea looks. MILK is 50% water and 50% pigment. Meanwhile CREAM is primarily pigment. Learning how to utilize these three mixes in order to sketch and finally color your end project was an eye opener. The class output was a family crest and this is what I made: The shape of the shield resembles the JCI shield -- an organization we are both very much active in. The letters M & I represent our names. The mountain at the bottom is supposed to be Mayon Volcano -- the premier tourist attraction where we live. Finally the banner at the bottom spells out our family name - Reynoso. The final seminar was FLOURISHING By Patrick Cabral (IG @DarkGravity) and was the one I was most excited to attend. You see flourishing has always intrigued me -- how can some calligraphers create such intricate designs with swirls and circles? Although I was not able to finish the entire seminar -- I had to leave earlier to go to another engagement -- I was able to pick up some tips in creating my own flourished beauties. 1. SYMMETRY - if you flourish on the left you must do so on the right, same goes with the top and bottom to create some symmetry in your design. 2. PICK WHAT LETTER YOU WANT TO EMPHASIZE - not all letters are made to be flourished. Some are easier to add flourished to than others such as L, N, S, & T. Remember to not go overboard though! 3. EXPERIMENT- there are no set rules on how to flourish so dont be afraid to experiment with the swirls and circles In conclusion, I had an awesome afternoon! Leaving the seminar, I had an entire canvass bag filled to the brim with freebies such as artist-grade watercolor paper, book by Summit Media and the materials included in the seminar kit that had items such as Zig Real Brush, Dr. Ph Martins Hydrus Watercolor ( 3 Bottles), Dong-A Hexaplus Pen Set, CraftDoodle Water Brush, Stabilo pens and more! And finally the best surprise, all participants got to take home a pair of the Limited Edition Filipinas Slipper designed by the 3 Workshop Facilitators!! Yes guys a free pair of Havaianas Slippers!!!!!!! I was such a giddy teenager that I couldnt wait to wear my pair right away. And I did -- during the car ride home. So yes, I was quite the happy camper bringing home not just the workshop goodies but also a free pair of LIMITED EDITION Havaianas Slippers. What more can you ask for?
Now that I have more time on my hands time to experiment with Mr. Holbein I decided to play around with my holbein watercolor and spare watercolor paper. You have to understand I am no expert in using paint and find the medium very finicky. But lately it seems like the two of us are agreeing more. For my first try, I decided to decorate my name. Just a simple art attack project since there are only 6 letters. So this is where I had my Macgyver moment. I didn't want to waste paper printing "isabel" in a serif font just so i could trace it out on the watercolor paper. Instead I busted out my iPad and using Pages wrote down my name in the biggest size available. After which I screen captured the page and placed the screen contrast on the brightest setting. Tadah a very resourceful lightbox and totally environmentally friendly. Here is the finished product: Since I needed to practice my "flower" technique that was what I used as decoration for this piece. I also went ombre with the blue slowly graduating from my royal to navy blue. As a final touch I busted out my Pilot Petite brush pen and calligraphed my last name. What do you think? :) Of course I didn't stop there since I was on a roll. Coupled to this was the overwhelming comments, likes and support I was getting on FB and IG. So I decided to do a few more pieces based on request. These are what I ended up with. Maybe, with the huge success these are getting on IG and FB I can begin taking on commissioned work. haha Maybe, just maybe.
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Who is sab_adventures?I have always wanted to write. This will now be a creative outlet-- home to all my arts and crafts. So feel free to browse around my everyday adventures. Interests
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November 2016
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