Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Less Of The Pink!

Don't be alarmed, you are at the right place. The pink just had to go! I wanted to make my own logo and googled how to put one in the HTML of a template. I used to hate hate HATE the computer because my boys hogged it and were completely lost in whatever game they were playing and wouldn't get off the computer for meals or bedtime without a struggle etc.....well, then in 1998, I went to college and started a course in Interior Design and we were tentatively shown how we could do room design using a computer. I think that this was in 2000 because I did interior design for 3 years. I found it a bit weird and scary but it got me thinking and I started to play a bit on the computer when I could turf my boys off it.

Around this time my Mum bought me my first digital camera and my eldest son helped me to upload my photos and put a programme on my PC called Paintshop Pro. I started to edit my photos a bit using this programme and I got hooked, but didn't really understand what I was doing, there was something addictive about the computer and my boys and I started fighting over its usage! My boys were aged 20 and 16 at this time so you can imagine how difficult it was to get them to move. They soon got their own computers and we were all happily ignoring each other, great fun! How sad though.....

I finished my Interior Design Course in 2002, the next step was University, not for me...I wanted to do something different and my then husband noticed there was a Graphic Design Course starting at our local college. It was to be EEC funded and was for people wanting to get back to work. I went to the interview with some of my artwork from the interior design course and I was in! I couldn't believe my luck.....How exciting!! We were to learn Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Image Ready and InDesign, Quark Express for page layout, Macromedia Flash and Dreamweaver. This was classed as a full time course on Mondays and Tuesdays every week for a year. The days were long, 8.45 to 6pm and there was loads of homework.

I loved every minute of that course, I got 5 distinctions and 1 merit and armed with this wonderful BTEC I got a job with Southampton University almost as soon as I finished. I loved producing all the pamphlets and posters promoting Part-Time courses and a twice-yearly newspaper which was distributed all round Southampton. The college where I worked has now closed down and there are no more part-time courses at Southampton University, that's a bit sad really.

Why am I telling you all this? My memory gets the better of me at times...oh yes, editing html.....well I sort of understand a bit of it but we used to make websites using Photoshop and Image Ready and then Dreamweaver, so all the HTML went on behind the scenes....I have made a website promoting our photography but it really needs a revamp, maybe that's something I'll get my teeth into when my life settles down a bit. Right now, I am so enjoying my knitting, following intricate diagrams has always been a delight to me, something to make me think and give me so much pleasure when it turns out as expected and so frustrated when it doesn't, I don't usually give in and get there in the end and then I feel so pleased with myself.

The photo on the poster is an image of me (and someone else from the college)which was taken when I was attending the Graphic Design Course. This photo was taken in 2006, I had forgotten about the college taking the image which was used at the time on the cover of the next year's brochure. Can you imagine it, driving into the small town where I used to live, my face enormous and smiling on a poster? It makes me chuckle just thinking about it for more reasons that I can share with you on here!
Barry took this photo of me looking at myself on the billboard, its hilarious! What made it even funnier was a cyclist went past as I was pointing to myself on the billboard and he nearly fell off his bike laughing when he saw what we were doing! Also, Barry has just pointed out to me that the photo was taken at night so he did really well to get a decent shot! Well done Barry!

What a lot of chatter...hope I've not bored you, all I wanted to do was tell you why I got rid of the pink....lol

8 comments:

talj said...

Love that shot of you and 'billboard you'!!! LOL What a shocker that may have been! Your blog looks cool :o) And your website even better! Great work :o)

CG said...

Marianne; you're such an incredibly multi-talented person!! To say nothing of being pretty gorgeous too!! I love the new-look blog and your website is great.xx

Marianne said...

Didn't I just get through saying in a very recent post...you just never cease to amaze me! I love the new look, how fabulous! So, I'm reading this post, thinking to myself here and there 'cool', 'oh, very cool' 'wow', and then the billboard with your image so much more huge than life, the smile (yes, you're quite gorgeous) and then reading *where* it is and I nearly fell out of my chair laughing....good one,eh? amazing how the universe does its thing.

Taoknitter said...

Face on a billboard...I'd be freaking out that my double chin was as big as my house! But you look great!

Love the new look, too. Feel like sharing the info for a new header? Mine is boring.

Thanks for all your support on my blog. It means a lot to me.

Ann

picperfic said...

I used this link for the tutorial on adding a header to a blogger page. I made the Logo in Photoshop and saved it then I uploaded it to some webspace so I could use it in the tutorial. I don't know how you add a logo to a different layout, I just used the one they sggested in the tute because it was a bit mind blowing without trying to complicate things. Thanks for the positive comments...oh and thanks for the compliments *blush* you really are a lovely lot out there! I never had a choice about the billboard, it was just there!!

Faerynuff said...

I remember when Jez and I saw that poster, he had to turn the car round so we could see it again. It was a very surreal moment.

You are so clever and wonderful, after all, I wouldn't be if you. weren't!

I love your socks! I hope they are for you xxx

Ali xxx

Anonymous said...

I have just started reading your blog and am enjoying it.
Your photography is lovely.
I like the new look, too.

Anonymous said...

Marianne, I followed your comment on my blog to check out your blog. I love the picture of this billboard! To me it reads:

Discover what your local college offers adults: Beer!

Blog Widget by LinkWithin