Remembering the Past

  It has been a long time since I have posted here but I could not think of a better place to put it. All my old stomping grounds are gone and my goodness, one website brought all those memories back. So I wanted to share here how it all started. All the places that used to have my digital footprints are sadly gone. Back then, I did not screenshot much or document. Now I know how important that is.

APOLOGIZE AHEAD OF TIME AS THESE ARE OLD AND I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CREDIT RECOURSES CORRECTLY!

The beginning. 

I credit my brother for letting me first use his computer and Adobe Photoshop 7.0 to make this wallpaper below. I made it using images of a cosplayer and pre-made brushes. Super simple but my brother complimented me and that started everything. 

 

What was next? Obviously I searched the internet for places to teach me how to edit photos using photoshop. I wanted to make avatars, icons, banners, and any graphics I could. I was much more active online when I was younger as I was unfiltered and did not know much about the world. 

But first, I needed an online handle. I started with vangrl or vangrl92 but that right there has a lot of information about me personally so eventually I changed it to penguinKAB with letting my new online friends call my Vicky. Eventually we get to today where I am wtoria with my real name of Victoria.

Below are a selection of 100x100 icons I made back then featuring people I liked and were a fan of. I did use stock images from places like Soompi. I think that stuff can be found in their forum nowadays. Otherwise, Google helped a lot and collections people made available to download such as Boys Paper made finding your bias easier. I made a lot of these using techniques I learned from a lot of tutorials and then I went off and tried my own. I spent a lot of time on deviantart and livejournal downloading free textures, brushes, and other goodies.

*I started out not making sets but slowly started doing so as I collected images or challenged myself to use only one photo. I did make a poster of my collection of 100x100 icons that take up two and a half tabloid size sheets.

In this community, I saw people create and feature their graphics in the form of website layouts. That started my path in web coding. I learned tables, div, and was obsessed with figuring out iframes and coloring the scroll bar (which sadly don't matter anymore). Those were the days, HTML/CSS crept its way into my heart. I don't utilize the skill as websites have been made easier for people to make but websites like Celestial-Star.net (IT IS STILL ALIVE!) that I literally rediscovered yesterday reminding me how I started. I tried to look for others but I did use a Windows PC back then and did not bookmark anything.

*Some banners I made to be used as forum signatures.

So with that, there is a place online called asianavenue and asiantown that allowed people to create their own profile and CODE their own page and I took advantage of that. I let my friends ask me for what they wanted. Edited images. Layouts. Coding. I was busy making and learning and it was here that I learned the hard way that other people steal your designs that you worked so hard on. It was a small community where people asked for help and there were places for copy&paste codes like Elmo and HTML-Expert (not linking because the site is dead). I tried to be a request layout place and that lasted a while. 

*I'll look around and try to edit in some more if I can find any. I swear I am organized but back then I backed up my stuff on CDs and the computer I used to use is password locked.

Okay, so with my skills in Photoshop and HTML/CSS, I used them to have my own websites. I used places like freewebs to host and then eventually asked others kindly to subhost me on their websites. I didn't do it own my own but as a duo with my online buddy and real life relative, Katherina Vang (who goes on to become a photographer). 

 

*I DID NOT TAKE THESE PHOTOS - but- I used to simply color edit my photos but nowadays there are apps for that! I asked my friends if they would let me edit and they were all really kind and let me such as this friend, MaiKa.

All that above was end of elementary and all throughout middle school. In high school, I decided to take business classes and opted for digital art courses instead of traditional art. I learned the proper way of things and can I say, copyrights scared me but later in college, I had an amazing mixed media art teacher who taught me to overcome that fear because mixed media is all about borrowing and making it into your own work. 

*A self portrait showing the different mediums I use from digital, traditional, sharpies, watercolor, and photography base. Made in college for digital mixed media course.

While I freaked about that when learning about it in high school, I decided to use my own photos or ask permission from my friends to use theirs (and luckily they let me). I also took up photography. I did not continue it but Kat did! I learned that I am more of a candid photographer so learning the professional stuff to photography was not for me. I do use my selfies for references in drawing for when I can't find the right poses online.

When I was active in the online communities, I was active on challenge sites (all the ones I used are dead). Here is a selection of ones I won, one from each tier.

*This one won diamond below :)

So what now? I graduated with a BA in Graphic Design and miss how I used to be so curious and willing to learn. I need to get back to that so hopefully you'll see something new soon. I learned in college that I like the brainstorming and planning which differs so much how before I loved getting right to it and making it. I know that I have the skills as a self starter and willing to learn on my as I have always done. 

My professional portfolio site cane be found here.

I know that 100x100 aren't a thing anymore but I want to practice my skills and make some sets again. We'll see what else might pop up :)

Thanks for reading and checking out my old work. If you knew me back then, let me know! 

- Vicky/Victoria