Summer 2014 Wrap-Up
Topics: Site Updates | Programming | Intervention | Future Blogging
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| Angel's Gate |
Site Updates
I decided to completely rework my website over the summer. The primary updates include making my layout liquid instead of static and updating my syntax to be in HTML5. I also changed the look for this blog to better match my actual site. Unfortunately, I cannot at this time upload the updates, as I'm still stuck on changing my gallery, and the reason this was released in October was because of this fact, as well.
Next semester, I have a PHP course scheduled, as well as a re-taking of a portfolio class. I'm hoping to use the two courses together to finally complete the revamp.
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| Atman |
Programming
As part of working on my website, I realized that, given the power of the internet and my free time, I could teach myself programming, at my own pace, without worrying about a GPA for it. After searching around, I found CodeAcademy, a completely free site dedicated to teaching basic programming. Over the course of the summer, I've finished a few of their courses. I'll say that often, their tutorials aren't very comprehensive, but if you can read between the lines and reverse engineer problems from the solution, it's a very good tool.I found that their tutorials are often similar to Adobe's Classroom in a Book series, though more basic. They give you the step-by-step process to do everything, and give fairly basic explanations of the core concepts you're using to do them. The HTML/CSS tutorial was the best I found, but I admit that I went into it with 4 years already behind me of working with HTML and CSS, so I can't say how good it would be on its own. They probably won't get you ready to program on their own, but they are decent at teaching you the syntax and basics, especially if you take notes for later reference.
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| Demon Within |
Intervention
To end off my summer, I decided to head to a convention. Having grown up going to anime conventions, I realized last year that I've become far more focused during recent cons in the educational panels and events than the entertainment panels. In comes Intervention, or the Internet Convention. Run by webcomic artist, blogger, and all-around badass Onezumi Hartstein, the convention seemed like the perfect place to go for creativity and education.For three days, I got to enjoy one panel after another that could help my art, writing, and/or business at large. As someone who knew, going in, that it was almost more of an educational conference for creatives, rather than
a typical anime or fandom-centric convention, probably put me in a very good position to know what I was getting into.
As I'm only one person, who was likely too old for the pretty creative-sounding children programming, who isn't a gamer or LARPer, and went there primarily for education, I couldn't enjoy all the programming. Even with those limitations, there were a great many different segments of time throughout the weekend where I had to decide between multiple appealing panels. The whole convention had a very welcoming atmosphere that even made a slightly misanthropic introvert like myself more sociable.
For the creative purposes that I went to Intervention initially, the convention was phenomenal. Of the 15 panels I went to over the weekend, 5 were for writing, 6 were for art and design in general, 4 were for marketing and business. The panels all complimented each other very well, and I came out of the weekend with a quarter of a notebook full of very valuable information.
Whether you're looking for tips on how to improve your art, no matter what kind of art it is, or streamline your workflow, looking for a dose of reality from frustrated artists, or want some tips for your business, Intervention is probably going to be a good experience. I'm certainly looking forward to going back already.
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| Amanda, Daughter of Asmodeus |
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