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Due to varying circumstances, Notifications have already gone out that I am finishing projects with my current clients and putting mt schedule temporarily on hold. If you're still waiting to hear back about scheduling a commission, you'll hear from me shortly.

If there are any concerns, please do message or email me promptly.

If all goes well I should be back on track soon with some free skins, new pricing options, and pre-completed packages to choose from.

Thanks, and talk to you guys soon!
-AHiL[/indent]

Hey everyone. We looking forward to the weekend? I am!! Hope you guys have a good one. This looks a little long, but it's specific to things regarding commissions, past, present, and future. If you're not interested, move along. If you are though... please do read on!

As some of you know, I've been doing quite a few commissions lately. Most have been decking out artician pages. It's been awesome working with my fellow artists to design them an GUI full of goodness! Been having a great time. I'd love to leave a little set of links here to show off some of the work I've done thusfar, but alas... this brings me to my next topic of discussion.

Hosting Issues
If any of you have noticed your images have not been showing up on your pages, it's due specifically to site maintenance on the image-hosting site I use. It's not a permanent thing, but is of course one of the reasons why when you pay for this kind of service and are given the image bundles, you should take the time to host them yourself. It's also the reason why I'm not linking to the pages in this particular public announcement. ;P

Honestly, I don't mind hosting the images whatsoever. Still, guarantees can't be made about those maintaining my hosting (as it's definitely not my own server)... so things like this could and probably will happen again in the future. Certainly I'll be looking into better hosting from here on out, but in the long run it's really your responsibility to upkeep the presentation of your CSS once you've tested and confirmed the final product.

It drives me crazy, personally, to see missing or broken images---even when it's a matter I don't have any say over. Lol, it makes me feel like I'm at a pressing engagement and someone's stolen my pants, leaving me running around in not but a towel. Ah, and while we're talking about changing things... like clothes... let's talk about another kind of change.

...Rates!

New Rates Coming Soon
My rates have been uncommonly low for the amount of work I'm doing. In fact, I've really been cheating myself for the benefit of you guys! This is soon to change, because I'd like to have it a little more 50 / 50. Not to worry, I still have every plan to offer a way to undercut any competition... more than likely this will be done by offering packages rather than just a base price. As soon as that's ready, I'll be changing to it permanently and leaving no room for finagling.

This pretty much means that if you're in need of graphical work, get on it now. I'll still be offering a base price while I'm tinkering around with "package" pricing.

Using only paypal ('cause who doesn't have one of those?!), I've been charging a max $25.00 USD for mod'ing out your entire artician user page to your specifications. Unless you don't have any specifications, in which case I go crazy and make you something killer based off of the three or four words you muttered in a note that kind of sound like what you need, lmao.

The $25 may sound a little steep at first, but it includes not only doing the conceptual layouts, design-work, and ear-steaming CSS coding... but I've been including the finished graphics bundles with the final skin, too. Ah... wait, that's not all! I've also been sending the source PSD's in the final .RAR! Yesss, that means you can not only revel in th glory of an AHiL-touched-PSD, but continue to mod your graphics yourself for eons!! Or until you're bored. Whichever comes first.

For right now, paying half to start and half to finish has worked the best---but I've been flexible. Yes, very bendy. Like a leaf in the wind. In fact, if you wanted, I could be your designer-eaf photoshop'ing your CSS-wind right now. Email me, and I'm on it!!

Mhm. And that's the skinny for today.
When the hosting comes back up, I'll be listing a small block of pages that have been commissioned so you can see them live. I hope, too, to get up some screenshots of the original design to preserve for archiving and everyone's viewing pleasure.

Keep your eyes peeled.

-Jesse (AHiL)
ahildesigns@gmail.com

I don't even know what that title means. Moreover, I don't even really think "AHiL" is much of a fascinating word. Sometimes, I even think that it's extended form (AllHopeisLost) is a silly name for design branding. But then, self-mockery does have its pluses. For example, it's so ridiculous that I bear no qualms replacing equally ridiculous words like "Jedi" with it.

That's not to say I don't have immense respect for the meanings behind such words. Only, I impress, they are pretty ridiculous to the ear. As it stands though, I've been very much into ridiculous sounding words for quite some time. Since I started writing the book I'm diligently trying to tie up, ridiculous words have found quite an importance in my life. I have only but one person to thank for such things. One Mr. Jeffrey Kacirk.

This marvelous man took on the daunting and elaborate job of weeding through our global history for the hunt of colloquial phonics that have by now long lost their place in our English. He's published several books on said topics, but my favorite of them all is "The Word Museum". It's a small book, but startlingly fun. Even more, the writer touts to have been inspired for the words in this book by the amazing Dodgson / Carrol poem "The Jabberwocky".

Sadly, neither "AHiL" nor "Jedi" placed in any of the terms. but this only leads me to believe that this is because both terms are still in use today, which only reinforces my suspicions that I'm in the know. Somewhere. By someone. You, I assume, if you're reading this. As for the "Jedi", while it's doubtful i could surpass the realms of this word and it's respective definition, I do believe I can cause a resurgence of another word that is inevitably cooler and more ridiculous sounding.

...I just have to think of it.

But when I do, I shall succeed in my plots to overcome the list of ridiculous word with the "AHiL" branding sitting on the top of the list.

So while this blog serves the purpose of extruding my dry humor and wry interest in ridiculous things upon you, it too is signaling to you that I've returned from my artistic sabbatical (if I'm worthy to use such terms) and am ready to continue to bring you excellent, not at all ridiculous design-art.

That said: Hello, world. Please keep your trousers fastened tightly and let us see just exactly how far we can go without being belted. Yes? Yes!
-AHiL

Where the hell am I? See Rox's blog for the quick details.

VSConcepts, I'll be sending you a note on your comission. Check your inbox.

For the rest of you waiting on your commission work, I'll be back soon and hitting the next person in line. If you need your CSS decked out, send me private message and we'll work out the details as soon as I'm back.

Love you guys and have fun!!

I've been having a ton of fun since I opened my account here. The site is so fresh... it feels like it just came out of the oven yesterday. How can that not be an attractive quality? On the other hand, it does mean some of the ingredients to our new bread might well not be mixed exactly right.

That comes with the territory, though. I'm expecting the few bugs that will definitely come along as the site progresses. However, I'm also looking forward to maintaining a strong bond with the community here. Mostly because I think the look of the site better encompasses what I would like a potential client to see when they follow a link to my portfolio. I want them to see my work here at Artician first... and then go see my work elsewhere.

Touching on that other site for a minute: the chances are high that I'll never truly leave the place, it began too many things for me and bears sentimental value. I expect to be in both places regularly. But it's really pivotal for an artist / writer /designer, I think, to have your work in as many safe places as you possibly can. Your work needs to be seen, and limiting yourself to one particular place is not of benefit to you, or your work.

A couple of helpful things for you guys who are new here, regarding the CSS page structure:

I know coming from just coding a journal to doing a whole page seems just a bit overwhelming. So i've found a few things for you guys to use and/or mod until you get comfy with making your own page as you see fit.

1. artician offers brilliant default skins:
Simply click the "customization" link at the top of your page to quickly apply the divine work.


2. There are a handful of cutomized skins available in the Skin gallery already:
Just click browse, and then Skins / Theme > Artician Skins.

3. A helpful little link to ease the migration of your CSS in .XML format.
It's actually a really easy and quick way to import the custom skins, or to build and apply your own. Check it out: How do I import the skin?
(thanks to chaoskaizer for the link! )

Hope that helps you guys!

I'll be working steadily on getting some templates of my own in the gallery, but it's going to take me a bit to get used to the coding. Please be patient!!!

I'm really glad you guys are all here, and I'm looking forward to getting caught up with those of you I've been missing for so long. ;)
Catch you soon.

-AHiL