I Can Get Behind That

July 20, 2009

[ Abby ] ... whoops. Guess who forgot to update the news page for a couple weeks?

If you've been visiting the site lately, you'll notice that a lot has changed. I've added more links to my sketchblog, have finally relented and signed up for Twitter, and have uploaded a lot more art (with even more to come soon!). I've also fixed all the broken links, although not all of the pages on the site have content yet. The Links page is now populated, so you should check it out when you get the chance!

As promised, I've also been working on getting more blog-like features for the front page. This is probably going to take a while, but with the guidance of my friend Pauline, I think it'll turn out just fine. If everything works out, there will be archives, tags, and comment features added to the site.

All the King's Men

July 9, 2009

[ Abby ] It's been a bit of a ride, but the site is slowly coming together - although not without a fight.

For example, the HTML for some reason isn't acknowledging directory links to javascripts. This absolutely baffled me when I was first setting up the site - I couldn't figure out why the animated tabs and the flash galleries weren't working. It was only when I spelled the entire URL out that they worked again, and while that's not optimal, it at least works, so I'm just going to leave the mystery as it is and be content in the fact that the site isn't completely broken.

Over the next couple days I'm going to be focusing pretty heavily on getting the basic outline for all the pages of the site up and working. So far the main page (obviously), art, and about are active, but the rest of the links on the site are presently down. Rest assured that I'm on this and will be fixing it as soon as possible. I'm also going to be separating the site's CSS from its html to keep things more organized. For now, toodles, and keep an eye out for changes!

Remodeling

July 8, 2009

[ Abby ] Well, after much ado (about nothing), the website is finally being redone!

Not only is it getting remodeled, however; it's also getting a facelift in terms of naming and branding. When I made Creative Fruit, I made the unfortunate mistake of not reserving the domain "creativefruit.com" - which now, as you can see, belongs to a health food company! I was stumped as to what to name the site after that, so for a while it turned into just Abigail M. H. This was working decently, but it was also rather boring... So I started to brainstorm. I went through a few alternative names, finding each one taken, until I had a chat with my friend Ed, who came up with the idea of combining the sunshine logo on this site with the old name Creative Fruit. Erego, Sunfruit Studios.

The entire goal of the website has changed with its name. With the onset of Web 2.0, users are expecting more and more interactive websites with flashy and fun features. Given that my old site designs were rather static, I decided this time around to include some javascript and add a few interactive qualities to the site. I'm still working on the code for a few things, but expect to see additions like comments, a shoutbox, and the like by the time I'm done. In the meantime, I've got a few special details up already, such as slideshow presentation of my art and a fun animated navigational tab. Go ahead, move your mouse over the links - the underline will chase you!

Overall, there's a lot to be done over the next few weeks, and I'm sure there'll be plenty of blood, sweat, and tears before this site is finished. I'm being pretty ambitious about the content I want on the site, and it's definitely going to take a lot of work for me to get everything done properly. The reward will outweigh the cost, however, and I'm positive that the new site is going to be bigger and better than the ones before it. Keep checking back frequently for updates! Feedback is of course always welcome - shoot me an email if you see a problem on the site or have a suggestion.

Thanks for visiting, and have a great day!