Artist's site for review

[artistdbs]

:hi: Hello Everyone,

Could you please review my site? DBSullivanStudio.com

This is my first attempt at web design (I'm self-taught) I've been working on the site for several months, and I'm still adding content. (I'm nearly up to 200 pages). Being it's not finished, please excuse the occasional "coming soon".

Comments and criticisms are welcome, but I'm really after the results of different browsers and OS's, screen resolutions, etc. I can only do so much previewing on my 2 pc's.

And dial-up users, be prepared... lot of graphics!!!

Thanks! artistdbs

 

[slipondajimmy]

holy hell dude. you do some great work . That Harley drawing is great. Wanna draw me a Picture of the Delta Queen Steamboat ...lol . Hell I couldnt even afford your work . But at any rate it is all amazing. The victorian mansion is very good as well

 

[artistdbs]

Wow! I appreciate the compliments on my artwork.

But..... ...ummmmm .... what about my site?

 

[alegend]

The site is a little simple but has alot of graphics so would take forever to load. The artwork is great though!

 

[slipondajimmy]

site is simple but that could be a good thing in this case. a graphic intense site with all the images would make a Cable user cringe...lol

 

[GJ]

Too simple!
A total redesign is needed.

 

[.X.]

First attempt! You did an outstanding job! I like the site overall,It has a self Portfolio feel to it IMO.Well done

 

[PoorDoggie]

it looks a bit cheap, and dosen't really look professional. For a portfolio site it should be ok. Just a few tips:

1. Fonts on the navigation bar are awful and need to be changed
2. Background looks too simple and a bit "star trek"
3. A mistake I made - dont patronise people. You don't need to say "click a gallery to view" - people aren't thick really

Good luck though. Your pictures are really good!

 

[Miss Wiggle]

That looks a ton better than my first site (i went off the deep end in photoshop effects and such).

It could use improvement. I would read what others have already posted, because they have good advice. Just stick with it and you will improve.

 

[ewomack]

I think your site looks pretty good. It's intention is clear, the colors blend well. Perusing the art is a breeze, and you even have a logo (presumably of yourself).

The big problem you have is with excessive vertical scrolling. For example, some of the stuff on the bottom of the homepage could be put onto a separate page accessible via links or reformatted to keep the scrolling down. Lots of vertical scrolling reeks of early internet, though it can work at times. On a lot of your pages, users have to scroll to get all the information. After a while the scrolling can become tiresome and monotonous from a usability perspective. Try to break it up a bit at least.

I guess I don't understand why you have the "About my Computer Ability" section on your page. Maybe it's meant to be inspirational for the computer illiterate, but it doesn't really have anything to do with your site or your art. Plus it displays in a white box which doesn't mesh well with the surrounding design. And then there's the scrolling.

Going forward my only piece of advice is to try to keep the scrolling to a minimum.

 

[artistdbs]

Hello everyone,

Sorry I didn't reply back sooner. (I've been under a deadline all week... gotta make the donuts!) Anyway, I want to thank all of you for taking the time to check out my site and give me your comments. I'll definitely keep your suggestions in mind.

I was actually glad to hear the term "simple", as that's what I was going for.

re: ewomack... The scrolling will be reduced as my site gets closer to being done. And the homepage info is temporary and will eventually be much more simplified. The scrolling will be at a minimum. Thanks for pointing it out, though. I'll keep my eye on it.

and Yes, I have the "about my computer ability" to inspire others, but also to compliment my section, "computers 101" (tips and tutorials geared toward the completely computer illiterate). Plus, it's a cool story... and I'm a writer as well... so....

re: poordoggie... you said, "people aren't really thick"... ummmm..... yes they are! I'm not speaking generally, but there are some people out there who surprise me by being able to drink from a cup! I've worked on a lot of pc's over the past year or so, and there are many people who are completely clueless! So I designed my site to allow the "clueless" to have a hand to hold onto... I spelled it out for those who may need it. I figure, if it insults someone, then it wasn't intended for them. And most people won't give it much thought... they'll be too busy looking at my art!

I'll post the site again in the future if I make any drastic changes. Right now, I'm too busy for a "complete re-design" (sorry GJ)

Regards, artistdbs (Dave)

 

[Miyavi]

If I was commenting on only your artwork, I'd have nothing but positive things to say; however, since you asked for constructive criticism on your website...

-There are too many different text colors. You should pick a theme and stick with it.
-The darker background and whatnot makes the site look very unprofessional.
-The way stuff is laid out makes it look messy. It looks like it was put together with Geocities.

So, you should likely do a total redesign one of these days; however, your artwork kind of makes up for the lack of a good site design, so... it's up to you.
...just don't expect people to trust the site for orders from your site store once you get it up and running.

 

[bhyraj]

first so good, background is best but no dark colour use in background. Some text use in blue maching of background is not likely.

 

[She Unlimited]

Illustrious

Your work is so illustrious but the site design hinders your flair. You can purchase a website template that reflects your gift.

I really do fancy the portraits.

 

[nomis135]

Your artwork is great but the site is kind of old game.

 

[artistdbs]

Your artwork is great but the site is kind of old game.

Old game?... how, how is that supposed to help me???

I came to this forum looking for someone to tell me how my site looked in other browsers and on other systems..... and nobody answered that for me! That's probably because a lot of you didn't even take the time to read my entire post.

I watched these posts come in and shook my head.

Everyone either told me how good my art was, or how bad my site was. There were very few good suggestions I'm considering, but most of the comments are simply opinions.

I looked at everyone's web site (for those of you who have even have one posted), and they all look like typical, boring squares with words... the key words being typical.

I was about to completely throw out my site and start over, but these last few comments made me realize that people aren't trying to help me as much as they want their opinion to be heard by others. I designed my site to reflect all of my work, not just my art. (did any of you even notice that I write humorous rhymes?) I wanted a site that doesn't fit the typical "artist mold". I was after something dark and moody, but at the same time.. to be colorful, friendly and fun.

I happen to have a newsletter with over 100 subscribers and when I announced my site to them, I got nothing but great reviews. They loved it. (and they can't wait for my store to open)

I've also posted my site on other forums and I got way better suggestions than "total re-design is needed" or " buy a template from me".

Here's a word of advice to all of you who posted ... be careful what you post to others, because there are some people will get very discouraged. Me? I'm too strong-willed to get discouraged.

I'm not out to piss anyone off, and I do appreciate the time you all spent. And for those of you who gave me some solid advice... thank you!

But for those who gave me a simple opinion... remember that opinions are like a**holes - everyone has one and they usually stink.

 

[Miyavi]

Comments and criticisms are welcome

:hehe:

But, anyhow, I thought I gave you some good input.
-I'm sorry if it wasn't what you wanted to hear.

As for how it looks in different browsers and resolutions...
...I checked it in 1280x1024 resolution in both Firefox and Internet Explorer, and they were identical. That's good.
-I also checked it in 1600x1200 just out of curiousity, and it looked the same as well. The only minor issue I came across was how it looked in 800x600. When viewing it at this resolution, most of the blue on the sides is completely gone, due to the screen being so big, and it being forced off the sides of the page (if that makes any sense).

Hope that's more of what you wanted.

Cheers.

 

[artistdbs]

:hehe:

But, anyhow, I thought I gave you some good input.
-I'm sorry if it wasn't what you wanted to hear.

As for how it looks in different browsers and resolutions...
...I checked it in 1280x1024 resolution in both Firefox and Internet Explorer, and they were identical. That's good.
-I also checked it in 1600x1200 just out of curiousity, and it looked the same as well. The only minor issue I came across was how it looked in 800x600. When viewing it at this resolution, most of the blue on the sides is completely gone, due to the screen being so big, and it being forced off the sides of the page (if that makes any sense).

Hope that's more of what you wanted.

Cheers.

:] NemesisXG... you are not the target of my previous post. You were one of the few who gave me advice I could use... as opposed to "I don't like it... it looks aweful, etc". Thanks to you, I'm definitely going to look at the different text colors on my site and try to maintain more consistency (I did get a bit carried away)

You are one of the few to whom I honestly say "thank you".

And thanks for the follow-up about the screen resolution, etc. I do appreciate it!

 

[She Unlimited]

Your work is so illustrious but the site design hinders your flair. You can purchase a website template that reflects your gift.

This is what I said, and I could clearly only comment on your art work and design, I was un-able to answer you resolution question and did not want to without the expertise, I was at work at the time so my PCs were limited and browsers.

I only have giving you positive feedback and I hope your reply was not directed at me. I am not selling templates but graphic design as you know and website design are different than paintings and such.

But you did ask for opinions in regards to both and I thought I gave a fair opinion which I could comment on. I also made a suggestions not just an opinion. But each person`s reply has their own taste and each taste can differ person to person.

The point of my opinion was that I suggested a website to reflect your gift, I did not comment on the resolution or the results of different browsers and OS's because my OS differs from everyone here and I was on the intranet at the time.

I looked at everyone's web site (for those of you who have even have one posted), and they all look like typical, boring squares with words... the key words being typica

Not mine!

 

[Rowan W]

Sorry if this has already been mentioned but DON'T force full screen with websites.

I have my browser set to a particular size which allows me to move around the desktop and other programs easily, if I want to maximise the window then I'll do it.