Oh dolls, that marker of childhood innocence. That wonderful toy that many a wee child had as a favorite plaything, that oddly horrifying object that has turned so many into a quivering thing in the corner.

So, the below isn’t the ‘typical’, nor are they safe for your sanity. They are however incredible takes on such an innocent toy. Any of these would be more at home in a horror movie than in a toy chest, but they do show a lot of talent (horrifying, horrifying talent).

Click an image to start the gallery, attribution in under all images (the other works my these artists are as incredible):

Desktop wallpaper in high definition can take advantage of the amazing high-def goodness that so many computers have. The examples below are simply amazing, and could easily be at home in any gallery. They are all available through Desktopography, the below being just a tiny example of the amazing works they have available for free.

It is really amazing work that these artists can do with the resources they have, and their work stands apart from much of the typical things one can find on many wallpaper websites.  Enjoy the gallery below, and be sure to check out the rest of the amazing images that Desktopography has available.

As usual, click an image to start the slideshow:

Working online with a primary focus on blogging, more specifically, for the last few years has taught me a bit about the business end of it.  Considering I’m also a freelancer, finding and securing those jobs that help me pay all my bills is obviously an important factor.

I can wholly admit, I never intended to be a blogger, let alone a freelancer.  It had never occurred to me that I could even make money online, especially a livable income.  I did enjoy writing even though most of my earlier bits were considerably shorter than my present standard of about 300 words (or more).  While I did enjoy it, I wasn’t in need of a job until some of life’s little things came my way at once and I had mounting bills and other financial problems that needed to be taken care of.  At the time, I did turn to the internet and found a few editing and writing gigs that I had thought would be only temporary.

Of course that was also about 4 years ago, and I’m still working in writing.  I wound up falling in love with the hours, and the ability to work wherever I wanted, with no real ‘set-times’.  Getting started is harder now it seems that it was when I started, but once you get the ball rolling jobs will come easier.

Setting up your own website for writing, and potentially impressing a prospective client isn’t easy and you will need to work on a few basics before getting into the full swing of things.  Once you do however, all that work will be more than worth it.

Read:

Read other blogs in your intended niche.  While you do not want to copy them at all, it can help to see what voices are already out there are see what you can add to the discussion.  If you have an inspiring thought that you think should be said, write down the general idea for the next step.

Write:

Consider first your topics and intended audience, and think up a few entries to get you started.  Write out at least 10 or so full posts before your launch, and write and polish them until they are the best they can be.  While you don’t have to use them all immediately, it really helps to have that cushion in case you won’t be able to post on a few days or so.

Design:

Having a special design for your blog can help create a more memorable feel for it.  While it doesn’t have to be too fancy, it does help.  Make sure it is what you are looking for as switching constantly typically can make you look unprofessional and chaotic.  Your design can set the tone for the rest of your website, so think long and hard about it.  It should fit nicely into the theme of your website, and while it doesn’t need to be overblown or outrageous, a nicely designed website can really help out and work wonders.  At times, the perfect design will be unique and mesh well to the point of not really being noticed.

Research:

A fair portion of the typical blogger’s time is spent on research.  From chasing stories to looking up relevant links to add to those stories.  It’s not the easiest thing for a good portion of the time, but the more consistent research you put into your writing, the more knowledgeable you will be.  Being knowledgeable is a good chuck of where your readership will grow from.

Learn:

It’s the same with anything that can payoff, it really is a continuous learning process.  If someone offers you advice, it may be wise to take it under consideration.  Be it through contacts, or comments- constructive criticism will help you grow not only as a writer, but as a blogger as well.

Choosing the way you display your art and photography can be as important as your work itself.  Finding a simple and stunning choice with so many options out there can be difficult and time consuming.   Below are 12 stunning options that are as simple as they are elegant.

GalleryView

Demo/Download

GalleryView is a very simple but wonderful option.  If you are looking for something lightening fast and simple, it could suit your needs perfectly.  The overlay title and description is a wonderful part of the GalleryView script (plus, it really looks amazing with the simplicity). It definately success in it’s mission to provide jQuery users with a flexible, attractive content gallery that is both easy to implement and a snap to customize.

Supersized: Fullscreen background/ sideshow jQuery plugin

Demo/Download

Supersized really lives up to it’s name.  It’s a fullscreen gallery that is great for high definition photos, and anything with a lot of color would really pop out.

* Resizes images to fill browser while maintaining image dimension ratio
* Cycles Images/backgrounds via slideshow with transitions and preloading
* Navigation controls allow for pause/play and forward/back

Moving Boxes – jQuery Image Gallery

Demo/Download

MovingBoxes is  a very fun little gallery.  It’s incredibly simple to use, and the look is fantastic. The script uses there are buttons to change panels and the panels zoom in and out.

PiroBox

Demo/Download
Here are just some of the features:

* The script now weights only 12.5KB, (9KB Minified)
* There is a choice between five different styles
* Slideshow option More…
* Multiple image set option More…
* PngFix for Internet Explorer 6
* Keyboard navigation: Right arrow [next], Left arrow [prev], ESC [close]
* Broken Link Check
* Automatic repositioning of the image in the browser window
* Browser compatibility = FireFox 2+, Opera9.5+, Chrome, Safari (Mac/Windows), IE 6+

You can even check out some of the fantastic themes that the plugin uses.

PiroBox is similar to lightbox (and the many other versions) and is great for a simple and effective option.

Image Rotator with Preview

Demo/Download

You can use the Image Rotator for images, blog posts, and a few other things as well. It’s a great way to display portfolio pieces, eCommerce product images, or even as an image gallery. With both a simple and effective design, it’s also easy to implement and customize.

Spacegallery – jQuery plugin

Demo/Download

SpaceRotator has a fun and elegant animation when switching views.

AD Gallery

Demo/Download

AD Gallery is another simple, but visually pleasing option.

Zoomer Gallery

Demo/Download

Zoomer Gallery is really fun and it would be a great choice for someone that has a lot of images to display (much like PiroGallery) it adds in a simple ‘zoom’ effect, and could easily be customized to fit other needs as well. It has flash-like effects but is written in javascript.

ImageFlow

Demo/Download

ImageFlow is a very graceful and elegant gallery/ slider.  It has a gorgeous reflection and while it’s simple visually- it is still very user friendly and beautiful. It has quite a few features for such a considerably small plugin.

jQuery jsGallscroll Plugin

Demo/Download

Another simple and effective option. jsGallscroll takes list of images and creates a smooth scrolling photo gallery scrolling vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. The plugin will also create pagination to allow you to flow through your photos.

Galleriffic

Demo/Download

Gallerific allows you to have a full featured and easy to navigate (and set up) gallery. It comes with a ton of options including pagination, graceful degradation if a user doesn’t use javascript, and a ton of others including many different user-options as well. If you want something that has more features and can allow you to customize more than Gallerific can definitely be for you.

Dynamic Image Gallery and Slideshow

Demo/Download
The Dynamic Image Gallery and Slideshow is incredibly lightweight, at only 3kb. It’s elegant in addition, and it’s a user-friendly and easy choice for someone who may want the simplicity without too many other things cluttering things up. The developer has released a new version however if you want a few more options.

When looking for inspiration or a full logo don’t discount stock websites.  There are many very talented designers who use them and you may be able to find a perfect logo for your business.  Below is a gallery of a very small sampling from the very talented individuals at Stock Logo. `

It is just a very small sampling, all using the simple theme ‘Green’ just to give you an idea of the many amazing logos that can be found there.

Do you have a favorite? Admittedly, I’m personally partial to the bike to the left.

Simply click an image to start the slideshow:

For those who enjoy amazing artwork with the otherworldly feel to it, Steam punk designs are unbeatable. Below is a small collection of simply fantastic Steam Punk inspired designs.

steampunk

SteamOctopus

Steamworld — Ahrin Forest Passage

Steam Punk

Steampunk Poster

No matter if you are a writer, traditional artist, coder, or what have you- you need to make sure that your portfolio really is working for you and not against you.  While the different areas need different things to be there, all in all- it’s to showcase your work and talent. 

While there may be a few unique issues faced depending on what you are trying to accomplish, you need to figure out a way to present this in your portfolio, maybe you do more than just writing and art- maybe you code as well.  Maybe it’s another mixture of skills that you want to showcase together, or separate.  

Speaking of:

Together, Or Separate?

If your disciplines and styles work well together, you could simply have one single showcase for them all, or you could have a separate web presence for all of them.  While together may serve some well, others it just won’t work. 

High Quality is the Only Option

If your work is painting, sketching, or another ‘real world’ thing- get a scanner.  Scan the images into your computer at a decent quality (600dpi) and really- make sure it looks good before posting it.

Don’t Think Like the Artist

Of course you put a lot of work into your artwork, and you want your website to have something to show for it.  That’s natural.  But- depending on the reasons for your portfolio (get hired, get jobs, show off) that same urge could work against you.  Showcasing your best work with your intended audience in mind, if you want a corporate gig- show your corporate work (as an aside: be sure to detail the problems faced by the client, and the solutions you implemented).

Think of the Purpose

Depending on your intended purpose (see above) you have to take certain elements into consideration.  If your work is just to showcase you and your work your design and work would be different than someone who is looking for work.

Are you thinking about selling your artwork?  Many website developers and designers need high quality artwork, and while there are some free places to get them, sometimes the ‘free’ part of the quality abounds in those, making the process harder.  That’s where you come in, many people are willing to purchase your artwork in order to help design websites, programs, clothing, and more.

The problems are where to go.

There are a few graphics websites that I adore, from both the artist and the designer’s perspective.  They don’t cost much (or, in these cases anything) for those looking to sell their artwork and a lot of the harder parts are things they will take care of (pricing, marketing, etc).  While the go it alone route is great, at times it may payoff to have someone else to worry about the selling, so you can focus on the creating.

Depending on the types of designs you make, different markets may prove better than others.

For Images (Digital, Photography, ETC):

iStockPhoto: iStock is the primary graphics marketplace.  It seems that everyone and their uncle have heard of them.

GraphicsRiver: Graphics River is a part of the Envato market, they have a rather nice collection of websites directed at artists and coders selling their work.  Depending on how exclusive you decide to sell your work, you can earn more.

Threadless:  Your designs can win some prizes and earn you some money.

Spreadshirt: You don’t have to make apparel only, you can also sell your designs (for a fee you choose).

 Red Bubble:  You can sell your design on a few products (tshirts, cards, prints, and I *think* a couple of others).

If you have another place that you can sell your digital art online, post it up in the comments and I’ll add it in.  I plan on updating this post as I find more websites that focus on designs.

I’ve had Willard Wigan’s artwork here before (his piece is #2 on that list), and honestly- I just can’t get enough of it. He uses an enviably steady hand to create such tiny pieces that when he has a showing, viewers look through microscopes to see them.

His work is no stranger to the internet, sure- but it’s hard to see* these amazing pieces and not be stunned.  Even his tools are incredible, from microscopes to single hairs- there’s little to not be impressed by.

But, enough of my talk, below are some of his older pieces, and seriously- visit his website for more.

Willard Wigan’s miniature art:

*Pun not intended, unless you laughed- then it was.

Almost anyone can draw a heart and throw it on a card, and really it’s a cliché (which isn’t bad, necessarily).  However, some artists have a gift for taking some tired theme and turning it into something completely awesome.

These are simply fantastic:

I originally has quite witty captions under these, however I decided to to let the art speak for itself. (‘nother words I accidentally didn’t save it in time…).  Below are some Valentine’s Day Cards from the amazing artists at zazzle:

Shoot Down Love by brev87

Nietzsche Anti-Valentine‘s Day Card #3 by Orderofstnick

No Matter… by DoodleWorks

T-Rex Valentine by chiodobros

Penguin and Seal Valentine’s Day Card by adrianropp

For you… by HahpiStuff

Porky Valentine and Love Tree greeting card by Lioness_Graphics

Attack of the Valentines Zombies by OfficeGangsta

Will you be my Valentine by kmcgraw