Monday 8 February 2016

A Bit Of Everything

Ok, so while we have a break in between chapters of how I got to where and who I am today, another breather I think .... This time, I want to focus on a lot of the positives in my life now, the stuff I love, in the hope that anyone going through complete and utter shit and who reads this will do the same as I did and hold on tight with both hands, I never saw any hope of ever getting out of the bad situation and state I was in, I still don't really know how I made it this far, but I know it can be done, so even if you are sat there feeling completely hopeless, please don't give up .... I can't offer any magical cures, only advice based on my own experiences.  I hope it helps, I hope you do hold on and make it to the point I'm at now.

I feel very lucky to be sat here, able to talk about my happiness and the stuff I love,  my life isn't perfect but it's a far cry from what it was .... I have so much to be thankful for, my kids, my dog, family, the fact I am still breathing.  So, what makes Gina tick? ... What does she love? .... Ok well, here's a few things about me you may or may not already know, all depends if you're a friend reading this or a passer by :) ... Wind chimes ... I am a real nature nut and wind chimes, to me, are one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard.  Candles .... I love having my candles burning, it helps me relax and unwind ... I love crystals as well, I have quite a few around the place as well as an oil burner .... I'm heavily into self protection now, protection of those you love and a lot of what I have around the house is with that in mind and also relaxation.  

My number one passion and hobby is tag/graphic making.  Give me Photoshop, animation software and lots of tea and peace and quiet and I'm a happy, contented little bunny.  It's something I took up when the bad stuff kicked off, around 2005 when I first became interested in how to make those glitter words and dolls ... Any long time enthusiast will know what I mean :) ... I remember websites like Piczo and Bigoo and I would literally spend hours lost in the cyber world trying so hard to figure it all out and downloading this and that .... I remember the first time I opened paint shop pro, I looked at it, thought f**k this and closed it!! I always got confused with tutorials but I didn't give up .... Then in 2007 I signed up for a Bebo account.  That really kicked off my interest even more so .... I started making friends with a group of people (some who still are friends now) and the art work they were sharing was just phenomenal ... All beautiful, eye catching females who I later on found out were the creation of Keith Garvey ... You can find his website garvgraphx by clicking here I've also placed the link to his website in the bar at the top of the page .... These images were the likes of nothing I had ever seen before and that was that ... I was constantly checking out his website after that ... I really wanted to know how these tags and graphics were made, so I kept trying to learn a little more at a time, finally the penny seemed to be dropping (not before time may I add lol) But then, I took a break from learning how to tag, the reason being that my life took even more of a nose dive downwards ... My time was taken (wasted) depending on your view point and I wasn't in a good place at all .... Little did I know that this was something that was going to last for years, this isn't really the blog in which I want to go into it in depth, but for now, things were shit pretty much .... Then, a few years ago, when things were improving, I got back into it, I got myself a license to use Keith Garvey's psp tubes and away I went! .... Then I started to try my hand at Photoshop, I felt like I was at a stale mate with paint shop pro, not that it hadn't been good to me, because it had and I learned a lot through it ... But I was ready to play with the big boys and wanted to learn a lot more .... I don't know how to use every aspect within Photoshop, but I feel like I'm getting a little more knowledgeable as time passes ... If you are interested in learning how to make tags and graphics, my advice, if you are just starting out, is to learn the basics, don't try to run before you can walk .... I started on paint shop pro, you also need to keep in mind that if you use the work of an artist, chances are, you do need to purchase a license ... Do not infringe any copyright for the sake of saving a few £'s or $'s ... Also scrap kits are fab in helping create a beautiful tag .... There are lots of amazing artists out there, I feel spoiled for choice, but my heart lies with the beautiful work of Keith Garvey, for a lot of reasons .... His work is just outstanding, he was the first artist I found via my friends on Bebo, I've been a fan since 2007 and in all that time, I still keep going back because he continues to amaze and I'd say that probably over 90% of the graphics and tags I make will have a Garv Girl in them :) ... So .... Are you sat there thinking, hmmm sounds expensive? ... If so, then please try and put this into perspective .... $2.00 for a psp tube, a beautiful piece of art that will last forever, something you can use over and over, plus for arguments sake $1.50 for a scrap kit, all depending where you purchase it, Keith Garvey's are $1.00 .... Again, once downloaded it's yours to use forever .... I get a lot of enjoyment out of creating, I'm no artist by any means but I love doing what I can do and I hope to learn a lot more ... So, all in all $3.50 .... In England, where I'm from, that's roughly £2.75 .... I could go out on a Friday night here and that wouldn't even buy me the sniff of some beer froth.... It wouldn't get me anywhere, but instead, I'm in the comfort of my own home, totally relaxed and Photoshopping .... So no, it's not expensive and it's very rewarding especially when you someday find yourself on the receiving end of compliments from friends and from the artists whose work you have used .... That is the most incredible, euphoric feeling ever!! 

You never know, you might even get to do something like this as time goes by :) 




Thursday 4 February 2016

A Graphic I made

Hey all, I haven't forgotten about the continuation from where we left off, I've just had such a busy week this week and I like to be able to devote much time and thought when I am posting such content, so we will have a breather and instead I wanted to share a graphic with you all .... It's a sarcoidosis awareness one I made sometime ago ... Oh and a photo of me rocking the purple hair LOL .... Had to be done :) 



I hope you're all doing great and having an amazing week .... Thank you for calling by and I hope to have the next installment for you very soon.



Massive hugs, goodnight and sweet dreams.
Love Gina xx

Search