Bingo!

Bingo!

Posted by Janine on 19 Jun 2007 in blog

They new layout is up! Crikey, messing with all the php and css code for the blog gets annoying when you don't know what you're doing. I've tried to check everything, but if you do stumble across a link that doesn't work, or anything else that looks buggy, please let me know.

So. The story of this layout is this. When I mentioned that I was thinking about a new layout, and did anyone have any pictures I could use, Mariya kindly said that I could use any of her batiks (check them out here). I played around with a few of them, but this one of Venice seemed to work the best (I really like the sky in it; it has a lot of character), the colours work well too. And I've noticed that I seem to like red in my graphics at the moment; I can't help it. So, thanks to Mariya for letting me use your art!

In other news, I've been having vivid dreams recently. The night before last I dreamt that I was in Edinburgh. There was a very pleasant, intelligent, well-mannered Scottish gentleman there, who was saying that he enjoyed returning to Edinburgh, but he never had the time to see it, because he spent all his time there searching for papers and warrants. Throughout the dream, and once I woke up, I thought that this gentleman must have been Jonathan Strange (he was a scholar of sorts, and I think he grew up in Scotland), but some things, like being Scottish, just didn't fit. It was only once I'd been awake for a while that I hit upon the truth. The gentleman in my dream was none other than James Boswell! I'm reading The Life of Samuel Johnson by Boswell at the moment, and you really get the feeling that he did a lot of painstaking research for it; also, and importantly, Boswell was Scottish! So, being offered this insight into my subconscious, what I've realised is that I think I've got a bit of a crush on Boswell. It's a shame, that when I finally sought out a picture of him he doesn't quite live up to my expectations. Oh well, I think I'll stick with my imagination on this one. It would never have worked out between us anyway, what with him being deceased for the past 200 years and all.

Other dead people that are hot: Harley Granville Barker (there's a decent sized photo on this page)
I had to try to locate his will at one point for work, and I just thought of him as some old guy. Then I came across some photos of him at work, and I was all HOMG, is this the same person? Man oh man.

8 comments

Comment from: Janine Member

Yeah, I think it’s a contrast thing. Speaking as someone with myopia, red is always the colour that is the hardest to make out when it is far away. But I like the red because it ties in with the picture all nice like. And I think this sort of blue (with a hint of grey/green) is in fashion at the moment; that’s why I chose it.

Comment from: steve Visitor

yo. the new site looks way awesome. very impressed.if I had one comment its when the red text appears in small on the blu background it is slightly difficult to read. couldn’t tell you why, perhaps the tones are similar or the contrast isnt enough. alternatively i might be sitting at a funny angle to my screen :) . the colours look good together though.
looks way classy. very slick.

Comment from: Mariya Visitor

There was in fact a person there but he was wearing modern clothes, so I made it a bit more mysterious (read: capes are easier to draw) Carnivale is in Feb and I was there in April :(

Comment from: Janine Member

Perspective is no-one’s friend! Certainly not mine. I think the problem is that I never try to do it properly, I just wing it, and then wonder why it looks so bad. I’m kind of ok at one-point perspective, but any more and my brain goes ‘Oh no. Too difficult. I’m not thinking about it. You’re on your own.’

Also. Can I ask about the person in the picture? I’m assuming it wasn’t someone that was actually there. I’m reminded of the Venetian carnivals where everyone wears masks. Could I be on the right track?

Comment from: Mariya Visitor

my pimp coats come out in the fall/winder…come to think about it, I actually have 3…I’ll see if I can provide pictures. I do hope that Joe won’t disappoint us!
As for the bubble, um..yes, it was because of the image, but that’s what I get for insiting you use my works ;) I made this piece several month later after I came back. I usually take lots of photos at the site (it was freezing and raining that day) and then work at home. I did 10+ sketches before I got to the final result in this one. Perspective is not my friend!

Comment from: Janine Member

I did try it with light blue at the sides while I was messing about with it, but it just didn’t look right somehow, not as striking as blue on white. And I quite like the links bubble where it is because it kind of ties the image into the rest of the page a bit more. Sorry, I’ve covered up a lot of the picture haven’t I?

Read: Can’t. Look. At. Any. More. html. for a while. I might get cabin fever, or whatever the coding equivalent is.

Haha. I’m glad you love the image. I love it too. How did you do it? Did you make a sketch while you were ‘in-situ‘ in Venice? Or did you take a photo for reference?

Also: PICTURES! :D
I hope I won’t be disappointed with like I was with Boswell. Because right now I’m thinking that Soubi in the flesh can’t actually exist; there would be some space-time paradox or something.
On a related note: I want to see your pimp coats!

Comment from: Mariya Visitor

Yay for new layout! I just love that image ;)
if I may be so bold as to make a suggestion, I would move the “about*comic*…” bubble down to the blue part, to the right corner, opposite “blog” and make the sides a very light shade of blue rather than white. Please feel free to ignore my comments if you don’t agree with them.
btw Joe promised to send picures ^______^


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