Screw Photoshop!

Ok. Not really. We all know that is how I make my money. Lol. But sometimes, even though I love PS, and I live it, I need a break. It's like a relationship. A...Relationshop? lol. But, have you seen the price tag? It's expensive  and not everyone can get it. And PS Elements, confuses me. A lot. Maybe it's because it's like, the little, funner little sister of PS, that after a while annoys you so bad, you are thinking about slamming your head against a wall to get her shut up....Ok....maybe not that bad...maybe.
Here is the image I am going to start with. I am going to use the programs and see what I get.

So, I want to talk to you guys about alternatives. There are some out there.
First, I am going to start with online stuff.
Remember Piknik? How we loved it all so much, then Google took it away from us. I found a site I like better. For realzies. It's called PicMonkey. And I have been using it a lot lately to edit my photos really quick for the blog. They will start charging in the future, but no date set yet.

There is also Aviary Advance. You might know Aviary from the iPhone app. But, before that they had/have this site. I think it is hard to use. It's good though if you need to up a Photoshop file and you don't have PS.

And as far as downloads I highly recommend GIMP. It's like 'Photoshop for the rest of us!'. You can seriously edit photos, and you can also draw. It's an open software. If I didn't have photoshop, and wanted to be a little serious about photography, this is what I would use. It's a little intimidating at first, but so can Photoshop. And you can get brushes and actions for Gimp for more variety like PS!

There you have it.
What do you think? What do you use?

Sketches.

I have been drawing a lot again. I used to draw all the time in high school. I stopped for a while. As of the last year or so, I got a new sketchbook, and started doodling.

Here's where the magic happens:

I tried doing a punk Mary Poppins. She didn't make the Hipster Disney  line up. I think maybe because she will be those Alternative Middle aged women, you know the ones that I am talking about. So, this is what I came up with.

Eryn. He's an O.C (Original Character). He's a lot of fun to draw.

Ok- So remember when my life got sucked in by Diablo3? Well, I play a Witch Doctor ( I have a weird obsession with Voodoo). As a WD,  you can summon this guy, called a Gargantuan. I named mine, I called him GuMungah, Mungah for short. He goes around and grunts and goes 'Yum Yum'. He's a riot. Literally.

I also saw this plate on a trip to E. Lasing. Made me giggle! 

Tried to draw  Benedict Cumberbatch. Eh.

Some random girl. Lol.

Finn from Adventure Time! :D

I also scan my stuff in and color it in photoshop. :)

There you have it. My doodles and such.

I like to keep creative. What do you do to keep yourself busy??

Quick iCase tut!

So, as you guys know, I love crafting and I love my iPhone. I love it when I can combine the two!

I saw this tutorial: here.

So, basically you get a clear iPhone case. I use this guy:




I got it for Christmas. It's nice, and I can easily take it on and off.
Since it's clear, you can put stuff between your iPhone and it.

So, this is where the crafty part comes in. Just trace your iPhone, then cut it out. As for the camera and flash, the case should have a hole around it- trace, cut, blah blah.




Then decorate!











(Yes my phone is jailbroke, and yes I love it)

So, you can use fancy paper, or even fabric. Get creative. If you are like me, your phone is an extension of yourself. Stamp it, tape it, whatever. I like to change my things up a bit, so this saves me money on cases. And I can change it when I want!

so! Enjoy!