You don't kno what you have until its gone

I did it! I'm back in the game, a "little bird" helped me out and now i finally have Abobe Creavite Suite on my mac. Am i ecstatic? Of coarse, did i jump up and down in excitement the minute it said Loading Complete- well no i guess i have a way of bottling those things up. its not that i contain my feeling i guess I'm jus sooo good at it. I can finally get back into the design world, you have no clue how depressed i got when i saw a logo or a cover on a magazine that i knew i could make a tad bit better, of coarse i never had it on my Laptop.. like the saying goes- "You don't kno what you have until its gone" true story. all thru school while i was obtaining my graphics design degree i took photoshop for granite, that was about 1 year ago... such a long year. Now that i have it i promise ill make the most of it and already  have created a logo for a client! :) yay!


Now for something random. Yesterday i was hanging with my bestie and painting and jamming out as usual. Now i don't consider myself a painter, and earlier at work i was talking about how I'm kinda scared of painting.. basically without getting into specifics i was thinking about what a co worker told me. She said something along the lines of- Don't be scared of painting, were u scared of drawing when you first started? My answer was no.. i just went for it. So i went for it, in painting that is. A few weeks ago i posted about my first painting- the gun. On this same table i then painted my octopus. Not really mine.. seeing that it wasn't my idea to begin with. I do take credit for the painting and creating it, not so much the idea. Right now I'm babbling on, for some reason i always get hyper around this time and have no clue what to do.. any who. here it is, and hey! my favorite song just came on!  THE LAST KISS- J. Frank Wilson & The Cavaliers

forgive me for the bad angles, it was taken on my laptop n it was very dark outside... 

Peacock

Its been 13 days since Valentines day, irrelevant i kno, but thats how long it has taken me to blog about what i created for my Valentine. For all of you who kno me, know that i don't give out the ordinary gift, be it christmas, your birthday or whatever the occasion. I try to go over and beyond of the ordinary and try to create something that will leave an impact. I try this on an everyday basis, try to leave a tiny foot print, honestly because what if tomorrow never comes? I want to at least kno i gave it my all, you follow? Any who thats besides the point, i think I'm going off track and using too many comas.

Back to Valentines day! I asked Peacock (yes thts her name) to be my valentine, i think i asked on the 12th so that only gave me 2 days to come up with something. My brain went on creative overload and tried to think of something amazing... i came up with a simple hand made card. For xmas she gave me a pop up card, so i decided to give her a pop-up peacock card, i thought "this should be simple".. i was wrong. From start to finish it took me approximately 4 hours to create such a card. I was determined to finish it and took photos along the way. Below to the left is an image i came across researching, to the right is my finished product. Keep in mind i didn't have any template nor did i have any instructions on how to achieve this look.

That one image is all i had to work with, so i knew it was was possible, yet the construction was the most difficult part, i had a demo.. that didn't turn out so well. So instead i dove in head first and decided to draw & cut on my card stock i was using for the final piece. Something you're not supposed to do, yes i kno but it gave me the pressure to not mess up & be dead on accurate with that exact knife i was using.

For some reason I've become fascinated with the "design process" that is taken to create anything, wheather  it be a painting a drawing or in this case a difficult card. So i took a bunch of photos and below is the finished product. When it was complete, I loved the card and almost didn't want to give it away. Yet i knew she would appreciate it, one artist to another. Besides thats my favorite part, when giving something away that took so much time to create, to the person it was meant for. She loved it by the way, from what she told me "Omg Jackie i think I'm gonna cry" or something along those lines.. thats how i knew 4 hours is nothing if it brings another person joy. 

Skinny Love- Bon Iver <-- current song thats blasting thru my mac as i write this, very good song, i suggest you take a gander and listen to it. But I'm not gonna be pushy.. only if you want. Sorry for now writing in my blog! there more to come, promise you that.. I have a ton of projects in the works. Until then...

First painting of mine..

I made a promise so im sticking to it. I shall blog every week, or at least try. I love to find out who is reading my blogs and just recently i found out someone- who i thought long forgot about me has read them. That meant a lot... but anywho! Im a graphic designer who has created many designs and logos along wiht giant charcoal drawings. Yet i have never picked up a brush and painted anything. Yes i kno hard to believe. Well i just never thought i could or would untill my friend Doodle and Jenn kinda planted that idea in my head that i should try it out.

All started yesterday, Thursday i believe when me and my best buddy in the whole world-Jen were just hanging out. Well we were up to no good as usuall, and just got bak from visiting a few missions around san antonio and getting lost. It dawned on me as we were hangning out that i should paint, or at least have a go at it. i believe i should at least try anything once. well jen still had all the painting supplies out from the other day, so i picke dup a brush and started painting. First time mind you. i noticed i kept putting myself down and saying that it wasnt good looking, but jenhen kept egging me on to keep at it. Well i set it up in 3 layers, ive finished 2 layers so far.. and here it is.

As usuall i love taking pics as "art works" are created. So i started painting n took pics along the way.. and yes thats a lone star beer! I kinda liked the way my first painting turned out. it seems as if this table i painted on is heading to california with me when the time comes. i have yet to finish this gun of mine, but its my first painting and im kinda amazed that i did that, i didnt even kno i had it in me.

MUSIC:

Oh and big influence was The Killers! I had just bought their cd/dvd "Live at Royal Albert Hall" Pretty good music to listen to as i painted..I believe i am falling in love with the killers all over again. I used to be mesmorized with them in high school. Any who as i write this blog before i go to work i am listening to pandora and "Sex on fire"by kings of leon just finished. Oh and now the killers popped up again "under the gun" oh yay.. okay now im just getting carried away. Hop you enjoyed, Comment!

Jumping Back In

Hey there stranger! its a new year, im kinda scared shitless. Needles to say this year is going to include many changes in my life. This is an art blog, yes? There fore i shall talk about art and leave the personal shtuff out. Well some, after all it is my blog anyways and its all about me. Well having that said im now officially 23, and im planning to move to california to start my career. Yes, you read correctly. Hope it doesn't fall through. Its the swift kick i need to make that career blossom. I have a lot riding on this, ive only told my parents, my brother, and a handful of friends. Now you know, see so dont say i didnt tell you. No worries, i have a plan, a magnificent plan.

Besides the move i have a website under construction, its going good so far, except that i have a virus on this here mac. Plan to get it fixed soon. With this year many events have taken place, people have come and gone, one particularly made such an impact that it threw me off of art for a while. Then i thought to myself, this is not me. New Year New Me! I always am a happy go lucky person there for i took a step back and fixed myself and took life by the horns. Since then ive been happy, well getting there little by little. I guess that explains my absence from this blog.

Yet over this time ive had many projects and plan to give all of them my best effort. Theres too many things i have to do and so little time. I love that im busy, makes the days go by effortlessly. Ill keep you posted, and a giant thankyou to those who have kept reading my blogs even when i didnt blog at all. I think i managed to go about a month of no blogs? Yet the numbers of views kept climbing. There for i shall blog every week at least and post my projects here. Some are very interesting, yet im not telling just yet.

Pandora, such a distraction..

As of right now, this absolute second im listening to KC & the sunshine band- Boogie shoes.. im on pandora! If your wondering who is kc and the sunshine band, then i suggest you get it together and go explore music.. go on! get!

Any who, seeing how thats out of the way, i didnt even blog last week! I haven't even been to the gym, geeze i feel really guilty about all that. As it seems i do remember mentioning a few things in the past, such as the sewing project i was so wrapped up into. It was to be a surprise for a friend of mine who resides in virginia. It was an owl by the way.. i stumbled across the photo one day while on the web and thought "hey! i can make that, well at least ill try" It turned into a success, altho my photos that i took of the owl pillow i made seem to have disappeared. Just my luck.. well at least i have a pic on my phone.

Took me a few hours to start and finish this sucker, but i managed to do it.  The important thing is that the recipient aka Jessica loved it. i thought it could have been so much better. The above pic is the photo i stumbled across and the pic below is the only one i have of it being made. 

I think its not too shabby, if i say so myself. That there was my first actually sewing project n i completed it all on my own. i even showed my mom n she asked what pattern i used, i was proud to say "i didnt use any pattern at all!" Perhaps i shall make another owl, or another random item. Im not sure what will come in the future, right now actually im kinda distracted by the song thats being sung ...its "City" by Sara Bareilles on Pandora. Yes pandora yet again. I guess thats the mini blog for now. Tommorow is christmas eve and i absolutely must wrap a few gifts. Have a merry christmas.

Billboard Time!

So seems that i haven't blogged in quite a while. Here it goes in November 2011 i entered myself into "The Digital Art Show" hosted by Clear Channel Outdoor-San Antonio. Had it not been for the little birdy Diana i would not have entered it or heard about it. Well i kept putting it off, but one night i finally made the time to email my art works of The Elephant aka Homer, The bike aka Eighty-Sixed i wont place in the top 40 but at least the people of Clear Channel will get to view my artworks. Im that young artist just trying to make a name for myself.

To my surprise a week or so after i entered i received an email.. the first line read: " You won,"Elephant" made the top 40!! " I was in awe, yet again. Seems thats been happening a lot lately. Yet i get shocked rarely, its seems that my drawings are better that i think. I received conformation that The art work will run from December 5-18, 2011. Its December 13th today, and i have yet to view this (below) on a billboard. I think just seeing my name up there will amaze me. I shall go billboard hunting tomorrow to find all the locations. Don't get me wrong the publicity is great, yet all that really matters is that my Elephant is viewed, im not looking to make any money or anything. I just want to get my name out there. Already i have a few request and that is amazing. Guess this week im gonna be a busy little bee and drawing my heart out. 

As for the locations they sent me a lovely little map. So get out there San Antonio! I already recieved a few photos of my billboard, but i want a bunch. I have this idea in mind to make a collage. Thats an idea that is likely to turn into a project. Below is a map, so if you spot it, snap a pic!! Thats all for now
Hope u have a lovely day, although its all rainy and foggy here today in San Antonio.

If the photo is too small to view the locations, here are the 5 locations:

281 @ Paso Del Norte

1604 s/o Hanover Cove

1604 @ Braun

IH-10 @ Fredericksburg

IH-35 @ SW Military

Its a step in the right direction...

        Shock, Astonishment, Taken Aback.. This is the way i felt as they said "....Coming in First Place/ Grand Prize Jaclyn Valdez!" In my mind i had no clue of what i would say or even do. I was in complete shock but some how my feet began to walk through the crowd to the microphone. I grabbed the mic and suddenly "Hi! Im Jaclyn Valdez... ". They wanted me to introduce myself as well as depict the inspiration of my art work. My grandmother is partially the reason i chose to have El Mariachi playing a trumpet. She is my inspiration, plain and simple. I was happy enough that my best friend Maria and my Grandmother showed. That right there made me as happy as i could be, what pushed it over the edge was my Dad being there. He never saw my art works displayed, i would tell him about it and he would always say "oh thats good". I was very disappointed when i had an art work in the San Antonio College Art Gallery and he didnt go view it. This i think, made up for it. He told me he was proud of me, Im sure that will forever be in my memories. Going into this Mariachi-Themed Art Exhibit, i never would have imagined that i would be walking away with first place. All i wanted to do was get my name out there and have a few people check out my art work. I had absolutely no idea that it would even sell! Geeze, tonight for sure is the night of surprises. 

Well it just goes to show you that if you believe in yourself and work as hard as you can you can achieve your dreams. I can honestly say that im proud of where i am. Never would have i thought that i would be here in this situation. Its a step in the right direction, a step to achieving my future. I hope to accomplish more. I just hope that next time i dont have to drink 2 glasses of wine in order to have the liquid courage to grab that mic. Although this is nothing compared to the 1,000+ audiance members that i had to talk to once, but thats another story, another blogg actually.

This would be the address of the blog describing this event. 

 http://mariachimusic.com/blog/2011/11/21

And this would be the web address of the Nonprofit Organization, Centro Cultural Aztlan!

http://centroculturalaztlan.50megs.com/