FINALLY~!

My very own WordPress theme. It’s not the first one I’ve ever created, but the first for my own use.

I wouldn’t be myself if making such design took me less than two months. I started it right before Christmas and after finishing the graphics part, neglected it for few weeks. But now it’s ready and I love it <3, even though it’s not perfect. Tag Cloud is getting on my nerves, seriously. Normally, the widgets work with <h2><ul>, but not the Tag Cloud. It doesn’t give a damn about <ul> or any other HTML tag which might have added a padding into it x_x”. Or at least I haven’t found any… But other than that, I love this theme <3.

As you probably noticed, the idea was to create a neon-like style of design. It was inspired by a Photoshop tutorial I found on Abduzeedo and the design I created for MaxStudio’s blog.
This theme is so much more my style than the previous one. I guess people will always associate me with grungy designs. Besides, I’m just sick of winter. Oh snow, how I hate you~!
Anyway, I never really created a design with such high contrasts. My colour schemes usually were more monochromatic. Well, maybe excluding RT’s theme, the black/red one. This reminds me… I really should move my butt and put Radioactive Toy back up. It’s been almost a year since I opened it and almost a year since my last update of the site XD. And so the award for the worst webmistress goes to… Oh, never mind. It’s not really my fault that I didn’t create anything showable until just recently x_x”. When you work for someone whose vision is like 180° away from your own, it’s not easy. My boss likes my projects, my co-workers like my project and I… not really.

On the other hand, I did few designs I like. First of all, my boss’ portfolio. It was the very first design ever which I could create simply according to my own vision. My boss only approved of it. Of course, it’s dark. Have I ever created a good lightly-coloured design? Hardly. Well, maybe Nothing ’til the Weekend, but it’s just one among many. Exception makes a rule?
The second work-oriented design I like would probably be our style blog. I like it, but I didn’t think of it as a design accurate for a company. But my boss and co-workers love it, so let it be. It was the second WordPress theme I ever created, so I’m quite proud of it.
The third one is connected with the style blog, but it’s the latest design of our main page. It’s exactly the same style, but horizontal. I must say that I like it much more than the blog. Everything looks clean and organized.

Ok, that’s pretty much it for today. I have few entries started so you can expect Vi.net to be updated more frequently. I guess it’s my way to avoid learning. I’m not slacking, I’m keepeing myself busy with other things ;D. On the other hand, it would be really nice to pass goddamn econometrics x_x”.

Well, well, well, finally something more optimistic ;D.

If you remember, three weeks ago I was writing about my studies. My best opinion was about Multimedia Devices. Now it’s even better ;).

Like I said before, we already had classes with tablets. People had such a great time playing with them that our tutor decided to repeat the classes. This time Wacom lent us some tablets.

On Monday, the tutor asked if I’d like to make a short presentation on how to use tablets, meaning: I was supposed to sit and draw something in more or less an hour. With a use of Cintiq 12WX, not my regular Intuos3. As you probably guessed, I agreed.

On Wednesday, I had a meeting with my tutor and a representant of Wacom. I was told that my presetation will be open to public. It was the first time when I started panicing. Just a bit ;). It was kind of too late to withdraw, anyway. Second good news: presentation shall be in Painter X, not Photoshop. Yeah. All I knew about Painter was the fact that it actually existed.

Thursday: me and Cintiq, together for one whole day. I must say that it’s really great and I enjoyed working with it, though I had 12 inches version and it was a bit small. Working with it, looks just as if you were using paper. A big advantage of the device is also a fact that after 12h of working my eyes weren’t tired. And I guess it’s just more comfortable and natural than regular tablet. Though I am really happy with my Intuos3 A3 ;) and I deffinitely do not regtret buying it. As Wacom’s representant said: “Cintiq is just Intuos3 with LCD display.” When it comes to pen pressure and pen tilt sensitivity, they are exactly the same.

If you’re thinking of buying a tablet, Wacom is the only option ;). All you have to think of is what you want to use it for. If drawing than what? Vectors? Digital paintings? Photomanipulations? Or maybe you just want to write on it and make your computer navigaion easier? Whatever your choice is, Wacom has a tablet which will satisfy your needs :).

Ok, end of this shameless advertising. No, Wacom didn’t pay me for it ;D. It’s just my honest opinion, since I had a chance to work on other tablets as well.

Back on presentation. Thursday + Cintiq + Painter = Panic! (not really at the disco). I had no idea on how to use Painter and I couldn’t find any good tutorials. I was messing around, trying new things and writing down the tools which might have been useful.

Friday: day of presentaition and my great failure. A word “panic” doesn’t really explain what I felt.

I sat in front of Cintiq, started working and were supposed to comment what I was doing. Unfourtunately, all I could have thought of was “OMG, why isn’t this piece of crap [meaning: Painter] working?! It did just yesterday! How shall I fix it?”. I was like this for almost an hour, or at least up ’til I moved to Photoshop and my picture actually got a little better.

After an hour I was done. Applause. I truly believe that most of the people clapped just because they were happy that it’s finally over. I didn’t even bother to stand up and take a bow. I just wished the ground would have swallowd me up.

Here’s what I did:

I’m not happy with the picture, I really am not. I know that it will be coloured again (because the lineart is the only thing I like here). Just imagine how bad it would be without blood splats and those dark/dirty stains all over his… clothes.

The first time I opened it at home, was late Sunday evening.

Now as I think of it, I know that I simply was too ambitious. With my knowledge of Painter X, I should have chosen a more simple theme than Pyramid Head. But I just couldn’t resist ;). I didn’t even manage to actually finish the whole picture. He is done, but where’s the background? Vision of another hour spent on this image simply made me sick ;).

When RT will be up (hopefully in few days) there will be a section with Illustrations. Pyramid Head will be my first or second piece in there ;).

Now, I said that this post will be optimistinc. Yes, I am happy that I took part in it. I might not be happy with the outcome, but at least I got to know mr. Wacom’s representant ;), which I wish to shamelessly use in near future (and I mean the acquaintance here ;)).

It really was a great fun after all, not to mention the fact that from my whole group the tutor have chosen me for the presentation. And I’m glad I did it. Seriously. Oh, and I got a leash ;D.

As a side note. Remember my project on CG&M? The game whatsoever? Well, in the end we did a short Flash animation and you can watch it here. It doesn’t really end, so when you see the “The end” screen you can turn it off. When we tried to make it stop it didn’t even start >_>. And if anyone wondered: the music is Franz Ferdinand’s Do You Want To. Enjoy! :D