Blog

Version 2.00

Version 2.00 was built from scratch looking at version 1.11. I wanted everything to work together correctly, and I had changed a lot of stuff around in version 1.11 so I did this to avoid any issues that could arise from my sub-par coding in version 1.11. In version 2.00 I added content to every page and removed the photography page so I could focus on more important parts of my website.

One such thing that I focused on was the art card layout on the artwork page. I made them look much nicer by nesting a flexbox within the grid items on the main grid instead of trying to use a grid nested within a grid nested within a grid. I also added the downloadable site archive and my first blog post to the programming and blog pages. I also added on-screen navigation to my home and artwork pages because they were beginning to get quite long.

Version 2.22

In version 2.22 I set out to make my site look better. I did this by designing a new logo and using the colors in my new logo as the colors for my site. I also went through my code and added padding and margins to a lot of the content to add more white space. I finished the Home page layout and made the art card layout that you can see on the artwork page now. Once everything looked nice, I resumed adding content to my site. I added a new blog post, an about me, and an interactive site archive. I also started learning JavaScript and created the testing area on the programming page.

Conclusion

Building your site again from scratch doesn't take as long as you would think, and can really help you understand how everything works a little bit better. If you want your colors to look good together, put them all in an image so you can see how they work together. If they all work together in close proximity, then you're set. Also, I would recommend adding padding and margin to everything as you go instead of going back and doing it after the site has already been put together. I will be taking this to heart when I design version 3 which will be started after I feel a little more comfortable with JavaScript. If you want me to go more in depth on anything please send me an email at spearsgoode@protonmail.com.

Site Archive

Pre-version 1

You may have checked out the site archive and wondered if version 1.00 was actually the first version of this website. Well, yes and no. There were changes made before version 1 but I do not have any record of them and there was also 0 content in the website at that time. Pre version 1 the site was basically just a simple layout using CSS grid and basic HTML and CSS

Version 1.00

Version 1.00 was born when I started getting more and more into learning about coding. I had started a free trial at Linkedin Learning and I was eager to test out some of my newly acquired coding skills. The first thing I did was to update the grid layout to be like the one that you can see in version 1.00 today. I also designed a logo and uploaded my first background-image and some artwork. I began messing about with links and menus, and the next thing I knew my page was turning into a website. This was when I decided that I wanted to record everything from that point on so I could keep a record off how far I've come, and wow. I've come a long way in a short time.

Version 1.11

Version 1.11 was created from version 1.00 in about a day or two. The absolute most important thing that I did to speed up the creation of new pages was to condense my several page-specific CSS files into a Main.CSS. This allowed me to copy and paste my HTML template and automatically have it look the same on any page. After creating the Main.CSS I started editing it in an attempt to make my site look less garbage. It kinda worked... I also started adding content and making plans for what I wanted to do next. I had also watched a couple videos on CSS animation and wanted to add a couple to my site to test it out. In the end, Version 1.11 was just a site plan, some artwork, and a description of what I was going to do with the other pages.

Conclusion

Make a main.css to start with. Don't be an idiot like me and waste your time typing the same thing in 5 different files. Also, I am in no way paid by Linkedin but I would highly recommend their videos for anyone that is trying to learn to code. I will probably be making a blog post shortly about version 2 after the version I'm working on right now is uploaded to the archive. If you want me to go more in depth on anything please send me an email at spearsgoode@protonmail.com.

Site Archive

What's This All About

I meant to start the blog off forever ago but never really got around to it because I've been working on various other parts of my site. I've got a lot to write about if I want to get everyone(no one) caught up on what I've been working on and what this site/blog is about.

Two Main Purposes

The first purpose, and most relevant to this blog is to practice and hopefully help others learn HTML, CSS, and soon JavaScript. The second purpose is to show off my artwork, and maybe sell some if anyone shows interest and I can figure out how to. To be 100% honest I am fully expecting no one to ever read this or even visit my site, much less be interested enough to buy my art so that's pretty far down on the list.

Practice HTML/CSS/JavaScript/Python

I am currently still at the beginning of my coding journey, and though I'm decent with HTML and CSS, I'd like to improve and also add more skills like JavaScript and Python to my tool belt. To do this I plan on making this site more advanced as I learn more and also adding links to projects outside of this website for anyone to see.

Teach HTML/CSS

I coded SpearsGoode.com from scratch in HTML and CSS using no website builder, and I have saved a couple versions that will be listed on the archive page after it is built. The purpose of this is to show the progress of the website at various phases so anyone can follow along with my progress or see how it got to where it is. I will also be adding a how I learned what I learned page to the About page so anyone can see what resources I have used to get where I am.

Show Off Artwork

The final but possibly most important reason for this website is to show off my artwork. It's possibly most important because had I not wanted to show off my artwork, I never would have started building this site and discovered that I loved to code. I feel that art should be given to make people happy so feel free to download any of my art. Just don't pretend to be me, and if you don't give me credit and get big because of me, I'll find you.

What About This Blog?

This blog will mostly pertain to my coding progress but may also consist of some stuff about my art if I find a reason to. For now, my blog posts will be serving to catch people up on what I've been up to over the past year or so when I started getting into coding. After I'm all caught up I will give progress updates on how the site is going and what I'm learning. It may also contain tutorials and various other things.