My Trip to Hawaii! Part 1
So as some of you know, I went to Hawaii last week! :DThe last time I'd gone was before my long-term memory started to exist, so suffice to say this was basically my first time really visiting the island. And let me say, it was everything I was expecting. Beautiful, lush, chillaxed, removed from the rest of the world...and filled with amazing things to paint!Somehow, I managed to do a painting every day I was there! If you've been following me on Instagram, you already saw them, but if not, then here's a handy compilation, along with what we had done that day. I'm splitting it in 2 parts since it's getting kind of long. I hope you enjoy!
Day 1 - 05/31 - Ala Moana Beach
This was the first beach I went to, very close to Waikiki. I flew out pretty early, and landed just before noon, so I was able to enjoy the entire day! I was visiting Hawaii mainly to see my friend who'd moved there last year for grad school, so he picked me up from the airport and immediately got the most amazing poke I've had in my life. Seriously. There's only one other place that could possibly compare down in Venice Beach, and I actually think it's closed now. We ate our poke at the beach, and afterwards I painted. Saving the white of the paper when you're doing watercolor is super important, since you can't get it back, and I managed to save just enough for a wave. In front of us were a group of boys heavily invested in burying their friend in the sand.After dropping off my stuff at our airbnb, my friend drove me around all over town, and we ate dinner at the Japanese food court in the Ala Moana mall. A solid first day!
Day 2 - 06/01 - Kailua Beach
Day 2! Another full day of just me and my friend before TJ was set to arrive. This time we drove to a different part of the island, with the original intent of going to Waimanalo Beach. Unfortunately, there was a Man o' War warning (that's right, like the jellyfish) so we went to Kailua instead. The sand was SO fine! ;)But seriously. The sand at Ala Moana was kind of gritty and rocky, but here it was so soft. It rained on and off but not enough to deter us. Unfortunately, while splashing around in the water, I lost my ring!! D: I remembered seeing I had it on as I entered the water, and debating getting out to put it in my backpack like I normally would. I even took it off that morning when I showered! But laziness and poor judgment prevailed, and I swear I felt that ring slip off my finger right up to my fingernail...We spent nearly half an hour looking, but I knew it was gone. I try not to think about it, because it was a family heirloom. I've reached out to a couple divers since then, but nothing has turned up. I guess the ocean just really wanted my ring. Like my mom said after I told her the news, it was "an expensive splash."So, to make myself feel better, I painted the beach, lol. This time you'll notice I inked over the painting. I thought it added some more definition and detail, and I really like the sparkle I had in the ocean. I wish my sky wash had turned out a little darker, as I had put in some purple-gray for the clouds, but they dried right up and all I have is white! I guess the effect still looks good though.And then of course, right when we left I lost my hat T-TAfterwards we drove back and stopped at this mountain view of the island. It was mad windy, but the view was great! We then spent a literal 45 minutes driving around in circles at the airport trying to find the lei stand, and then picked TJ up a couple hours later and went to Zippy's for plate lunch.
Day 3 - 06/02 - Kahala Mall
Saturday! In the morning we went to the Farmer's Market, where there was all sorts of great food (and an acai bowl TJ was a particular fan of.) We got takoyaki, a treat I have not had in far too long, and burned all of our mouths on it. Apparently there's a cheese flavored one, that I'll have to try the next time I visit.We then went to the swap meet and walked around attaining major sun burns and possible skin cancer while I tried to find some sort of replacement for my pinkie ring. At this point I just needed something that would fit on my pinkie finger so that it didn't feel so off. I wore that ring every day for years. Call it a security blanket, but it was a big priority, along with shopping for souvenirs for my family. It took a while since my fingers are tiny and I needed a size 3, but I found one at last (and bought a cute new hat!)I also tried legit coconut. I remember vaguely tasting coconut water as a toddler in my last Hawaii excursion, but of course couldn't remember the taste. I just knew I didn't like the coconut flavor or the manufactured coconut water. Lo and behold, I still didn't like the organic kind, but! I learned that I actually really like coconut meat, and I walked around the swap meet just digging my grubby fingers through the coconut flesh like a savage because I did not have a spork. Good times.I painted this at the mall we stopped at. There were two women singing covers of popular songs with ukuleles, and I knew I wanted to paint them as soon as I heard their singing. The duo is called Shyne, and you can find their website here! They're super talented, so definitely check them out. I still kick myself for not sticking around long enough to show them the painting in person, but I tagged them in my IG post afterwards and they liked the painting so much they re-posted it on theirs!We spent the evening chilling at a way too fancy restaurant at Waikiki, and then getting actual food for cheaper later.
Day 4 - 06/03 - Diamond Head Crater
Finally some hiking! This time at Diamond Head. There were a LOT of people, especially towards the top, but I think it was worth it. It was actually too crowded to paint up on the top, but TJ got some good pics and I was able to paint the crater afterwards. I ended up dropping my phone at the coffee shop we visited, which messed up the camera focus...you can see it's a bit blurry.Speaking of blurry, you can baaarely make out Diamond Head in the background.I actually really like how this painting turned out, especially the wash inside the crater. That good ol' wet on wet technique! I was also really happy with how the rock in the foreground looked, since I wasn't entirely confident I could nail it. Definitely one of my favorite paintings this trip.Some of my friends told me it reminded them of the crater in Your Name. What do you think?? I'm just happy it looks like a crater at all!Later we went out drinking and...let's say I got pretty toasted. And braided 3 rubber bands together for some reason.
Day 5 - 06/04 - Makapu'u
Bad phone camera strikes again...although I remember not being the biggest fan of this painting, so maybe it's for the better? lolThis was another hiking day, and a pretty easy one! I outpaced the guys almost the entire way. The view was very cool, but regarding the painting, I think I didn't punch up the saturation of the cliff in the foreground. I tried to fix it with the inking, but I don't think it was as successful.Towards the bottom of the cliffside you can see some indication of tidepools...remember that, because they'll pop up again next week!We chilled a bit this day since our friend had class, and then we went out for drinks afterwards with a few of his friends.Annnd that's where I'm gonna call it for this post! Tune in next time for more watercolor postcards!