It's important that you create a design that reflects the content and image of your blog - from your font to your color choices, make sure each element of your blog's overall design is consistent with your blog's image. For example, cartoony art and balloon fonts might be fun choices for a parenting blog, but would be seriously confusing on a professional marketing blog. Consider hiring a professional designer, at least for your header and logo. You only get one chance to make a first impression. Most blog hosts, including Blogger and WordPress, have "themes" that you can install. These can sometimes be customized and give your blog a fun "feel." Most blogs have common elements, such as "About Me" and "Archives" that allow readers to learn more about you and read past posts. Common features include: About Me Categories Posts Portfolio Contact Don't clutter your blog! Make it easy for readers to find the content they're looking for. Offer helpful elements such as a search bar and "popular posts" sidebar. A "splash header" can be a good way to quickly orient new visitors. It is a large banner area at the top of the page that mentions the most important content and offers a quick introduction to the areas of the blog readers will be most interested in. Add a "next and previous posts" feature. One way to build your readership is to keep your visitors hanging around! Adding "next" and "previous" buttons at the bottom of each post will drive your visitors to read more content.

Summary: Create a blog design that reflects your blog's image. Choose elements to include in your blog. Make your blog easy to navigate.

Use either the eraser on your pencil or a block eraser to lift up any guide lines that aren't a part of the character's face or head. Carefully work around any of the facial features you've drawn so you don't erase their lines too much. Continue erasing the rest of the guides on your drawing until all that's left is the face. If you drew your guide lines too dark, then they may not fully erase off of the paper. Use a thin eraser to get in detailed areas, like the eyes or ears. Anime and manga characters can have a variety of hairstyles, so choose one that you think will look best on your character. Avoid drawing every single strand of hair and instead sketch the basic shape of the style onto your character. Work lightly in pencil so you can erase and make changes if you need to. Once you have a roughed-in shape for the hairstyle, erase any parts of the head that the hair covers so it's not visible. Anime or manga hair is usually broken up into clumps that end in a point. Look at hairstyles of various characters to get ideas of how to style your character's hair. After you've finalized the hair and erased the guide lines, work on adding any details to make your character unique. Give them freckles on their cheeks, moles, or wrinkles so they look more interesting. Sketch in any jewelry or accessories you want in pencil so you can erase them if you don't like how they look. You don't have to add any additional details to your character if you don't want to. Use the side of your pencil to lightly apply a shadow underneath the chin, bottom lip, and hair on your character. Make sure to move your pencil in the same direction for each shadow you draw so it looks consistent. Apply more pressure to the pencil if you want to make your shadows darker. Be careful not to make your shadows too dark or else they will look too harsh and be difficult to erase.

Summary: Erase the guidelines to clean up your drawing. Give your character a fun hairstyle. Add small details like freckles or wrinkles to your characters face. Shade the face with your pencil to give it more depth.

Look under your plants for armyworms and/or signs of their frass (droppings). You may also find larvae hiding under plant debris. If you are growing barley or wheat, you may find worms inside of the heads. Newly hatched armyworms may have no distinguishing marks, but older armyworms will be either brown with yellow stripes or green with light stripes. Armyworm droppings resemble black pepper. If armyworms have infested your hay field, mowing the field is the first course of action. As the hay dries, the armyworms lose interest in it as a food source and move on. You can apply insecticides to the field using either ground or aerial equipment. The following insecticides have been proven effective on controlling armyworms: Asana XL should be used only on corn crops and should not be applied within 21 days of harvest. Permethrin is also only for use on corn and should not be used within 30 days of harvest. Carbaryl (Sevin) may be applied either to corn or wheat. Do not do more than two applications and do not it apply within 21 days of harvest. Ethyl is useful for corn, sorghum and all small grains but can only be applied with an aerial application. Do not apply ethyl within 12 days of harvesting corn or sorghum, and within 15 days of harvesting small grains. After you apply the ethyl, post notices that the field is being treated, and stay out of it for three days. Lorsban can be applied to corn and sorghum. Do not allow livestock to graze in the field for at least 15 days after you apply lorsban. Do not feed meat or dairy animals grains treated with Lorsban until at least 35 days have passed. Lannate or Malathion can be used on all crops. Do not spray these insecticides within seven days of harvest and stay out of the field for two days after treatment. Methyl is used for aerial application on corn and small grains only. Do not apply it within 12 days of a corn harvest, or 15 days of a small grain harvest. Post notices in the fields, and stay out of them for two days. Warrior can be used in corn, sorghum or wheat fields. Do not apply it within 20 days of corn harvest or 30 days of sorghum or wheat harvest.
Summary: Look for armyworms and/or droppings. Mow your hay fields. Use insecticide.