EVE Online Website
05/29/09 02:44 PM
I got a new website to do for an EVE Online Corp called Gristle. They’re a casual team of players that mostly focus
on mercantile matters. I have a free hand in the design and themes so this will be a fun project for me.
The programming maze of a gaming website is no longer a mystery to me so this site should be a lot quicker to build
than the last one.
Here we go... eve-gristle.com is now under construction
on mercantile matters. I have a free hand in the design and themes so this will be a fun project for me.
The programming maze of a gaming website is no longer a mystery to me so this site should be a lot quicker to build
than the last one.
Here we go... eve-gristle.com is now under construction
Some of the Sig backlog...
05/22/09 03:39 PM
Here are some sigs that went out over the past few weeks. It’s a partial backlog of work that I cleared before starting on the
website project.
More from Star Wars Galaxies:
Client, Sol’ Kar wanted something in the form of Russian Propaganda of the WWII era. His Zabrak is Imperial.
Ryuzo liked the redskins.... A LOT!
Dahc was another Zabrak that had and armory theme in mind. 2 Characters on this sig.
Dino wanted a bad ass Bounty Hunter served by two women.
Entered some contests for publicity...
Black and white theme
SoulCalibur theme
X-Men theme. This cracked me up - I’m one of the designers of the original theatrical artwork for X2 (part of my
professional life). So I was out to crush the competition since I had the original artwork in my archives... well, I lost
the competition to a filter. Nooooo! That’s like being Elmo’s puppeteer and having someone say they can do a
better Elmo than you.
I lost all the sig competitions. Most of the other designers just use filters and made everything dark and grungy. That appealed
to them I suppose, but the mark of a good designer is how much you see, not how much you hide. Filters are for noobs!
Fair is fair, votes are votes (all 5 of them) and I didn’t get the most votes so I lost. I never complained (until now I guess).
/shrug
website project.
More from Star Wars Galaxies:
Client, Sol’ Kar wanted something in the form of Russian Propaganda of the WWII era. His Zabrak is Imperial.
Ryuzo liked the redskins.... A LOT!
Dahc was another Zabrak that had and armory theme in mind. 2 Characters on this sig.
Dino wanted a bad ass Bounty Hunter served by two women.
Entered some contests for publicity...
Black and white theme
SoulCalibur theme
X-Men theme. This cracked me up - I’m one of the designers of the original theatrical artwork for X2 (part of my
professional life). So I was out to crush the competition since I had the original artwork in my archives... well, I lost
the competition to a filter. Nooooo! That’s like being Elmo’s puppeteer and having someone say they can do a
better Elmo than you.
I lost all the sig competitions. Most of the other designers just use filters and made everything dark and grungy. That appealed
to them I suppose, but the mark of a good designer is how much you see, not how much you hide. Filters are for noobs!
Fair is fair, votes are votes (all 5 of them) and I didn’t get the most votes so I lost. I never complained (until now I guess).
/shrug
Highcouncil.eu - done!
05/10/09 04:21 PM
It took a few weeks but my biggest project has now complete: http://highcouncil.eu/
This ambitious website has all the bells and whistles -- high definition video, Item Stats, Boss progress tracker, blogs,
recruitment form, phpBB3 forums (seamlessly integrated), DKP tracking and a ton of other features - a complete
website solution for any serious World of Warcraft guild.
This ambitious website has all the bells and whistles -- high definition video, Item Stats, Boss progress tracker, blogs,
recruitment form, phpBB3 forums (seamlessly integrated), DKP tracking and a ton of other features - a complete
website solution for any serious World of Warcraft guild.
Beta, Finally!
04/29/09 05:23 PM
Well there are still a few bugs to work out but the design phase is now complete. I’m not getting tons of content
to put into the site and it’s taking shape nicely. I’ll make a final pass at the artwork to once more content fills the site.
Here’s a sneak preview.
Blog Header
Section Headers
Roster Subheadings
Background
to put into the site and it’s taking shape nicely. I’ll make a final pass at the artwork to once more content fills the site.
Here’s a sneak preview.
Blog Header
Section Headers
Roster Subheadings
Background
My first Tattoo
04/15/09 08:55 PM
Not long ago a request came in for a personal insignia. Kossorihana, from SWG, had a concept she wanted explored.
The mixing her beloved home town New Orleans with Star Wars - specifically a mix a Fleur-de-Lis and the Rebel Insignia.
I came up with this.
She approved, then turned it into a tatt. She wrote me about the experience.
“The tattoo artist, Urban (AAA Tattoo), is one of the best in town. He did end up being a Star Wars fan (as well as the rest
of the shop) and said that it was by far the most original Fleur-de-Lis that ever came through the doors. I imagine that a lot
of Fleurs are tattooed around here. He also said he thoroughly enjoyed doing this piece, and never imagined he'd ever
see a Fleur/Rebel symbol for a tattoo.”
The tattoo artist did an incredible job, preserving lots of detail and texture.
Glad I could help someone find what they were looking for. I’m also flattered that my designing is worth carrying around
forever. What a compliment.
The mixing her beloved home town New Orleans with Star Wars - specifically a mix a Fleur-de-Lis and the Rebel Insignia.
I came up with this.
She approved, then turned it into a tatt. She wrote me about the experience.
“The tattoo artist, Urban (AAA Tattoo), is one of the best in town. He did end up being a Star Wars fan (as well as the rest
of the shop) and said that it was by far the most original Fleur-de-Lis that ever came through the doors. I imagine that a lot
of Fleurs are tattooed around here. He also said he thoroughly enjoyed doing this piece, and never imagined he'd ever
see a Fleur/Rebel symbol for a tattoo.”
The tattoo artist did an incredible job, preserving lots of detail and texture.
Glad I could help someone find what they were looking for. I’m also flattered that my designing is worth carrying around
forever. What a compliment.
All orders on hold :(
04/09/09 04:39 PM
Sorry about that but the programming for Highcouncil.eu is killing my time. Things just don’t work like they are supposed
to and I want to get this all ironed out so I can produce these fast when requested. I’m out for 2 weeks
anyway so I’ll pick up then. I knew a few of you are still waiting for some artwork and I appreciate your patience.
I REALLY REALLY appreciate it.
I managed to sneak out a wallpaper, but it needs to be reworked - it will have to wait until the HC website project is over.
This was a fail because I needed to know my client a little better - what’s important to her. I guessed and I was off.
I’m looking forward to the remake.
to and I want to get this all ironed out so I can produce these fast when requested. I’m out for 2 weeks
anyway so I’ll pick up then. I knew a few of you are still waiting for some artwork and I appreciate your patience.
I REALLY REALLY appreciate it.
I managed to sneak out a wallpaper, but it needs to be reworked - it will have to wait until the HC website project is over.
This was a fail because I needed to know my client a little better - what’s important to her. I guessed and I was off.
I’m looking forward to the remake.
Construction Begins
04/02/09 01:25 PM
Designing art I can do, programming... not so much.
The cleint, High Council, website offers new challenges for me. The site has to meet their various needs and must allow them to independently
manage the content. Since none of them has extensive web experience, it falls on open source products to fill the gap. There are several
Content Management Systems (CMS), but none as time tested as Joomla. Drupal was interesting and Wordpress looks great too but
they were not right for this project.
Challenge 1: Make a site the guild can upgrade and add to on their own
We agreed on Joomla. It has it’s problems, but it’s a good place to start.
Challenge 2: Seamless integration
Every good guild has forums that are semi open to the public. These guys get thousands of hits a week, maybe tens of thousands. All from other
Warcraft players looking for tips on how to defeat high level content. They need to be able to see “how-to” videos and read walkthroughs.
All of it has to be secure so that hackers don’t make a mess. There is also the issue of Dragon Kill Points (DKP). This is a database that tracks
guild member contributions on a point system. It works like guild money, and the loot drops are what is for sale. This ensures that people
earn their keep. Their DKP database needs to be integrated as well - so that when they log into the site, they log into the forums and DKP database.
One log in, one time.
Challenge 3: Make it look good.
This I can do. With the logo set, I’m excited to get to this phase of the site. Sometimes I take a break from programming
and bug fixing to do some artwork - it’s meditative.
Approached by elite WoW guild
03/30/09 04:31 PM
I was contacted by an elite European Warcraft guild in search of an artists that could remake their image online.
They were ranked world wide in WoW, but their website was not reflecting their skills and reputation in the game.
We agreed on a package for a log and a website to follow, provided the logo worked out.
A few days later I delivered their new logo.
The website project will follow.
They were ranked world wide in WoW, but their website was not reflecting their skills and reputation in the game.
We agreed on a package for a log and a website to follow, provided the logo worked out.
A few days later I delivered their new logo.
The website project will follow.
New this week
03/28/09 09:59 AM
Thanks for a great opening week.
Orders exceeded all expectations (by more than 5 times in fact)! Although all the work is not done yet, most of it is in progress.
Finding the right materials for SWG avatars is also underway and collections of free avatars are growing.
More in the weeks to come.
Highlights of this weeks work
Some samples of current work and brief explanations on client requests and psychology behind design.
Some Sig orders
Exploration theme for an elder creature handler (Beastmaster). Almost cinematic, this one shows a ship landing,
possibly to collect DNA from creatures of the forest below. Avatar shows the picture of Aerynne Antares.
A beautiful entertainer and an all-business Jedi share a sig that is both mystical and rooted
in Star Wars. Great composition with nice design arc from large Jedi to small distant star.
Kyana and Sariana are clearly separate but unified through color toning. This sig has great
energy thanks to great client screenshots.
Underworld smuggler has worked for both the Empire and the Rebellion. Now he works
for himself. Noir in tone. Grit and a smoking blaster form the narrative. Dark streets set the tone.
Again, great personality in screenshot set the sig off right.
The Elder Entertainer looks stunning and is shown doing what she does best. Clients favorite colors were
pink and purple. Avatar is stripped down to the essential “I” of Ikuri; as if heralding her eminent performance.
Wallpapers
Wallpaper request to memorialize a great moment in Keysey’s career - PreCU jedi. Challenge was to
keep the viewer’s focus on the duel and implying a sense of conflict between good vs evil.
Result. First task was to intensify the environment from a generally flat look. This is a fight in shallow water so
that had to be communicated through reflections and ripples. The disturbance of water matches the character’s
archetypes; mystical (smooth light) and volcanic (jagged heat). The effects bring a whole host of new powers to the fight.
The background was diminished but kept mysterious and also divided in two; serene, stable planets, and red lightning
ripping through the clouds.
Orders exceeded all expectations (by more than 5 times in fact)! Although all the work is not done yet, most of it is in progress.
Finding the right materials for SWG avatars is also underway and collections of free avatars are growing.
More in the weeks to come.
Highlights of this weeks work
Some samples of current work and brief explanations on client requests and psychology behind design.
Some Sig orders
Exploration theme for an elder creature handler (Beastmaster). Almost cinematic, this one shows a ship landing,
possibly to collect DNA from creatures of the forest below. Avatar shows the picture of Aerynne Antares.
A beautiful entertainer and an all-business Jedi share a sig that is both mystical and rooted
in Star Wars. Great composition with nice design arc from large Jedi to small distant star.
Kyana and Sariana are clearly separate but unified through color toning. This sig has great
energy thanks to great client screenshots.
Underworld smuggler has worked for both the Empire and the Rebellion. Now he works
for himself. Noir in tone. Grit and a smoking blaster form the narrative. Dark streets set the tone.
Again, great personality in screenshot set the sig off right.
The Elder Entertainer looks stunning and is shown doing what she does best. Clients favorite colors were
pink and purple. Avatar is stripped down to the essential “I” of Ikuri; as if heralding her eminent performance.
Wallpapers
Wallpaper request to memorialize a great moment in Keysey’s career - PreCU jedi. Challenge was to
keep the viewer’s focus on the duel and implying a sense of conflict between good vs evil.
Result. First task was to intensify the environment from a generally flat look. This is a fight in shallow water so
that had to be communicated through reflections and ripples. The disturbance of water matches the character’s
archetypes; mystical (smooth light) and volcanic (jagged heat). The effects bring a whole host of new powers to the fight.
The background was diminished but kept mysterious and also divided in two; serene, stable planets, and red lightning
ripping through the clouds.
Launch of Bakkhai.com 2.0
03/20/09 12:00 PM
Welcome!
Announcing the launch of the second edition of Bakkhai.com (That’s here, where you’re standing). I’m very excited to bring
this project to bear - it’s a labor of love for me (and some commerce ;p ). Now that the construction is done I feel the deep
satisfaction of being able to watch it grow into its own.
Bakkhai.com started when I was overrun with requests to make signatures for my fellow gamers in Star Wars Galaxies. My time
was limited iRL so I had to use gaming time to make the sigs but it was worth it; well over 100 sigs were done before I thought
about it - all at no cost. Some debate about my work ensued; if it should be worth real money or game money. I opted not
to take anyone’s money and rarely collected any in-game money. The satisfaction of the fellow player was reward enough
for the work involved. To keep orders down I restricted requests to my server alone and eventually closed because of RL
time constraints.
When SWG had population shifts it seemed like a good time to open my shop up to the all the servers. Bakkhai.com was born.
This time there would be a low fee involved to reduce orders to only the people who really wanted one. I took on some free
stuff too, but only after finishing my commitments to paying clients. The demand was incredible. The money I earned went
into buying software that helped build version 2 of Bakkhai.com. And here it is!
Bakkhai’s Sig Workshop has become The Bakkhai Project
Due to the great successes of the past I have stabilized and professionalized prices and offerings: packages that made
sense for players, and special gifts for premium clients. Since Bakkhai.com started I’ve been hired by players from other
games as well, so now the Project is open to all gamers and hobbyists as well. I’ve also added free artwork to use as you
like, and a barebones but personalized sig for the budget conscience.
Hopefully this takes a life of it’s own so I can hire other designers to get involved. I’m also looking forward to posting
Tutorials on designing, spotlighting Clans from the gaming world and even organizing a mentoring program with
Bakkhai.com designers and players that want to learn or improve their skills.
Thanks for visit
Visit soon it will updated regularly with more and more free stuff.
Celebrating the Launch
Prices have been reduced to celebrate the opening month. Offers good through the end of April 2009.
This months special gift
A copy of the Rough Draft of “Star Wars” this is when the entire saga was all in one script. I hope I don’t go to jail
for copying it! I’ve worked in “Hollywood” for a long time now and I got this off a successful screenplay writer. I have
help onto it for a few years now; it’s enshrined. This is a good opportunity for me to share it with true fans of Star Wars.
Special gifts come with True Fan, Elders, and Clan Founders packs.
Announcing the launch of the second edition of Bakkhai.com (That’s here, where you’re standing). I’m very excited to bring
this project to bear - it’s a labor of love for me (and some commerce ;p ). Now that the construction is done I feel the deep
satisfaction of being able to watch it grow into its own.
Bakkhai.com started when I was overrun with requests to make signatures for my fellow gamers in Star Wars Galaxies. My time
was limited iRL so I had to use gaming time to make the sigs but it was worth it; well over 100 sigs were done before I thought
about it - all at no cost. Some debate about my work ensued; if it should be worth real money or game money. I opted not
to take anyone’s money and rarely collected any in-game money. The satisfaction of the fellow player was reward enough
for the work involved. To keep orders down I restricted requests to my server alone and eventually closed because of RL
time constraints.
When SWG had population shifts it seemed like a good time to open my shop up to the all the servers. Bakkhai.com was born.
This time there would be a low fee involved to reduce orders to only the people who really wanted one. I took on some free
stuff too, but only after finishing my commitments to paying clients. The demand was incredible. The money I earned went
into buying software that helped build version 2 of Bakkhai.com. And here it is!
Bakkhai’s Sig Workshop has become The Bakkhai Project
Due to the great successes of the past I have stabilized and professionalized prices and offerings: packages that made
sense for players, and special gifts for premium clients. Since Bakkhai.com started I’ve been hired by players from other
games as well, so now the Project is open to all gamers and hobbyists as well. I’ve also added free artwork to use as you
like, and a barebones but personalized sig for the budget conscience.
Hopefully this takes a life of it’s own so I can hire other designers to get involved. I’m also looking forward to posting
Tutorials on designing, spotlighting Clans from the gaming world and even organizing a mentoring program with
Bakkhai.com designers and players that want to learn or improve their skills.
Thanks for visit
Visit soon it will updated regularly with more and more free stuff.
Celebrating the Launch
Prices have been reduced to celebrate the opening month. Offers good through the end of April 2009.
This months special gift
A copy of the Rough Draft of “Star Wars” this is when the entire saga was all in one script. I hope I don’t go to jail
for copying it! I’ve worked in “Hollywood” for a long time now and I got this off a successful screenplay writer. I have
help onto it for a few years now; it’s enshrined. This is a good opportunity for me to share it with true fans of Star Wars.
Special gifts come with True Fan, Elders, and Clan Founders packs.
Bakkhai.com 2.0 in Beta
03/15/09 12:45 PM
New Website in development
Site Changes
Services Changes
Many More changes.
Phase 2 in planning
Gallery to include artwork from other games; WoW, EvE, LoTR, AoC and more.
More free artwork
Design Tutorials
Interviews with key players and clans
Site Changes
- Complete overhaul of art presentation; new art selections, more work shown, categories streamlined, uniform in sizes
- Navigation revamped. All new navigation and sections
- Design revamp. Whole new look with various art created for headings. More graphic elements per page.
Services Changes
- Free signatures and avatars added
- Streamlined and improved defined services
- All prices adjusted
- Packs created for saving money
- Special Gift offered to “sweeten” packs
Many More changes.
Phase 2 in planning
Gallery to include artwork from other games; WoW, EvE, LoTR, AoC and more.
More free artwork
Design Tutorials
Interviews with key players and clans
Expanding
03/01/09 09:12 AM
Do to popular demand the Bakkhai’s Signature Workshop, we will stay open and expand to service other games. A new website will be built, and new price structure. will be made.
Open
01/27/09 02:08 PM
I’ve decided to make a website to handle all the orders I get for artwork. I’m happy to make artwork for my SWG players - as I have for a few years now! I will offer design services to SWG fans - signatures, guild logos, event or recruiting artwork. All artwork is unique and done in consultation with the client.
The Pitch
I’m a long time SWG player. I know there are other people out there that have invested a lot of time, effort, energy and money into this game and some of those players are still here. If you are moving to a new server, or seeing a migration into yours, you might want to put on the best face you can in the forums. Signatures are a good way to communicate a lot about you or your guild at a glance.
Fees Apply
Yes, a bummer, but I’ve also decided to charge fees for the work. Since I’m not steadily playing SWG or any game at the moment it makes no sense to ask for ingame wealth. However much I loath to charge fellow players, I find that it’s inherently fair to charge money for the work I produce. Time is money.
The Pitch
I’m a long time SWG player. I know there are other people out there that have invested a lot of time, effort, energy and money into this game and some of those players are still here. If you are moving to a new server, or seeing a migration into yours, you might want to put on the best face you can in the forums. Signatures are a good way to communicate a lot about you or your guild at a glance.
Fees Apply
Yes, a bummer, but I’ve also decided to charge fees for the work. Since I’m not steadily playing SWG or any game at the moment it makes no sense to ask for ingame wealth. However much I loath to charge fellow players, I find that it’s inherently fair to charge money for the work I produce. Time is money.