New site up and running

I just uploaded a completely new website for The Rots (http://www.the-rots.com). I spent a long time getting these pages together and working. The original site was built completely in Flash (http://www.the-rots.com/old), but that was years before Steve Jobs decided the iPads he wanted to sell in the future wouldn't include the ability to view Flash. And I, like so many others, really need to listen to Steve.

I also had to build separate style sheets for tablets and other mobile devices, because those also weren't much of a factor when I built the original site. But it's finished, and I'll tweak if necessary, and hopefully (hopefully) the site will work for whoever wants to take a look.

So, if you're so inclined, I would really appreciate some extra eyeballs looking over the site. I need to know if it's working on everything it was designed for. I've already hit a snag with my smart phone, which doesn't want to recognize the style sheet I built for smaller devices, and I'm not sure how to make that work.

What I need is a web guru that will sit under my desk like a troll and look over my coding when I run in to problems. I just don't know any gurus, so I guess I'll be trolling the help forums online.

Sketchbook Project Special Edition 2012—Snowflake #sketchbookproject

Here's the next page from my Sketchbook Project Special Edition. I was having so much trouble with the markers that I went the safe route: no browns to speak of and not a lot of colors to mess up.

 

I also went safe with the drawing. I had originally drawn Snowflake for Christmas cards that I sent out last year, and I thought he would be a good confidence booster considering how much markers are hating me right now.

Stuft Rots idea

I pulled out my sewing machine yesterday to do some repair work and got an itch while it was out. Here's what happened when I decided to scratch:

I had some old fabric that I wasn't using for anything because it was stained. I think I was keeping it to use as a possible drop cloth.

I created a pattern months ago based on the size of a dryer sheet (I want to use them to recycle them), so I used that on this fabric to make my Stuft Rots Square Kat prototype.

I did a little embroidering before I sewed it. Buttons for eyes and embroidery floss for the nose and heart.



As I was embroidering, I saw this stray thread on the floor that had missed the garbage can when I was doing my sewing repair work earlier. I think it was a sign.

At this point in the contruction of "Ralphie" I started getting a little excited and totally forgot to keep taking photos as I went. I didn't remember again until he was finished, so you'll have to just do a little imagining as to what the interim steps looked like. (Sorry.)

That little bit of blue fabric sticking out from the right side of him under his arm is just a placeholder for a label. He measures 6¾" tall from ear to toe.

I have some fur that I found at JoAnn's that was made from plastic bottles. It came in a bunch of different colors: brown, tan, white, black and cream. I've been thinking of all kinds of ways to customize each one with different eye buttons, sew-on button shapes, collars, collar tags, clothes and even knitted sweaters, to name a few. I also would like to make a line using recycled things like those dryer sheets and leftover printed fabric that I've collected through the years. I'm also thinking they could be customized for special occasions and holidays, and people could even give them with maybe a ring on an arm or a necklace or earrings. School colors are also a possibility. I could make smaller versions with something attached to the tops of their heads so they could hang (maybe like illegally from your rearview mirror).

So many ideas, I hope I've written everything down.

Right now I'm just wondering if I would be able to sell these little guys and send them out with their adoption papers. They would probably need about a $35 price tag for me to make any money doing the work.

Please let me know what you think. This would be a big (huge) time consumer, and I need to make a decision whether to put a lot of it into them.

Thanks in advance.

Sketchbook Project Special Edition 2012—Just Turn the Page #sketchbookproject

 

Maybe this isn't the best Square Kat I've ever drawn. O.K. It isn't. But he's in the Sketchbook now, and markers are more permanent than plastic so there isn't anything I can do about it.