EDIT: Thank you ALL for your thoughtful, wonderful critiques! I know it took your valuable time--and it's been INCREDIBLY helpful to me!!! I only made it through responding to about half your comments, last night--but plan on continuing tonight.
Right now, though--the general consensus is that it looks good--but the brownish-moss colored background lacks contrast on too many monitors, and doesn't really support my goals...so I'm going to be rethinking that. Not sure yet how that will go, but I'll let you all know, when I've got a new prototype.
And hopefully I'll make it through the rest of your comments tonight! Thanks again!!!
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After way too many years of talking about it--I'm finally getting off my lazy (overworked!) behind, and working on a new website--as well as a cohesive image for all my marketing materials.
Last night, I started to feel like I'm on the right track with a color/design scheme for the pages of my website, and I'd love your input on it.
Please bear in mind the following caveats:
* ignore the text - it's been taken from my business cards, and is nothing more than a placeholder, at this point
* this has been designed for 800x600 resolutions--so that the only important thing is the small, center box. All information will be there--the rest is just filler, for higher res monitors...and will eventually include a dark fill background, even behind the "filler"--for extremely high rez monitors
* the photo that's showing is in a "window" in the "paper"--and will (I hope!
) feature a slideshow of my images--just as a teaser
* I am about as "out of touch" with contemporary culture as it's possible to be. I don't read modern books, have been tv-free for most of my life; don't go to movies anymore (too loud, too cold, too many commercials!); don't read newspapers or magazines... The small bit of dA, that I interact with, and whatever I run across on the web, is about as close as I get to the modern world--so this idea might be completely passe--and I wouldn't necessarily know it...so your opinion as a member of the general public is really useful to me!
* my goal is to have something that is the following:
* rich
* elegant
* romantic
* slightly informal
* suggests age/antiques/another time
* has weight
* is made up of colors that look good with skin tones, and the colors usually in my images
* has to do with *green*--as that's my trademark color
* is approachable
* is slightly trendy (hence, the cashing in on the "grungey" look
* is distinctly different from the average photographer's website
I'm still undecided about how I want to handle navigation...so there's none on this...and it IS just a draft.
I'd love to hear feedback--good and bad--about how this strikes you. I'm interested in hearing how well it achieves my goals...how well it reads on different monitors...is it too dark, would YOU be interested enough, seeing this, to investigate this person's site further...what's your emotional reaction, etc. I'm NOT interested in hearing it doesn't look finished yet...because it's not. (Unless you have some specific input on that...like, "I think you should add something to the lower right, to add weight".
)
Thanks, as always, for all your support!
AND--here it is:
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Footnotes:
One of my favorite entries, in my all-time favorite blog - Creating Passionate Users. Prepare to be challenged by it!
Looking for Feedback... 
Devious Comments
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My livejournal icons can be found at poisonediconz.
VOTE, DAMMIT.
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I mean by a picture, a beautiful romantic dream of something that never was, never will be, in a light better than
any light that ever shone, in a land no one can define or remember, only desire & the forms divinely beautiful.
--E Burne-Jones
Otherwise I find it very pretty, specially the ghostly floral pattern you have going ^^
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Might I lend a machete to your intellectual thicket?
I really like the "You're unique shouldn't your portrait be?" line and the flowery brushwork is perfect!
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Please spay or neuter your pets!
I love the photography you are making and the variety... from classical, modern to HP !!! Great! Do you do make up too ? Do you provide the customs for the photography? Sorry
Overall, I thing the site satisfies your goals though.
I ask this because I will be much better able to assemble a collection of observations/annotations if I have the page readily available to manipulate.
I have several monitors, one analog, one flat wide screen hi resolution, one flat wide screen, high resolution hi definition suited for very high end games and films and a standard 19 inch flat screen that is suited for 'general use' only.
They are not all connected to the internet. The work I do with game textures requires testing on a variety of screens and resolutions (hence the trusty analog) and having the page in image format will enable me to not only make changes to demonstrate what I am attempting to say, but also means that I can parse the image over to the other systems to see what it looks like 'across the board' so to speak.
A wide spectrum overview will enable me to see if the prospective changes I would suggest, would actually -look- good on more than one system and in more than one environment.
I will filtch a couple of images from your professional gallery here as well as a few from your stock that cover the widest range of color use you are known for to apply against the scheme in all monitor environments along with my changes with said images applied.
Then again.. This -could- all be entirely excessive in your point of view and may well be redundant...I don't know
It's my work flow when creating textures and graphics for use in games and sort of all I have to go on. If you'd rather I leave my OCD out of it, I can simply tell you what my first impression was and be done with it
Anything more than that, and I'll need roughly 3 or 4 days to complete testing.
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Just because perfection is impossible, doesn’t mean I've given up attempting to achieve it.
After looking at it in depth though, the main card looks great (the green card with the white swirly leafy baubles on it) but the background behind it looks rough, almost like burlap or something. But that's only after staring at it a while. As someone else said, maybe something softer in texture, like silk or something.
As it stands, it's really good for what you want it to portray. It suits your style, methinks.
As a whole, it is pretty, and I think it's beginning to show your personality. A little tweaking and it's going to be incredible!
On a side note, I'm so jealous of local people that can come to you for portraits! I'm too damn far away *pouts*
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Evil is as evil does
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My livejournal icons can be found at poisonediconz.
VOTE, DAMMIT.
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