A quick Google search turned up just the tutorial I needed from the design blog Hongkiat.com:

How to Separate Comments and Trackbacks [Wordpress Tips].

Portfolio AD is a one-column theme with a two-column sidebar. Both columns in the sidebar can display widgets. The header is a modification of the well-worn Hemingway theme, and the rest is my take-off of a site built via this tutorial from WPDesigner.com. It works fine with WordPress 3.0.

What you see here is the result of constant tinkering. I coded up a theme of my own to learn more about what WordPress can do, and in the process I have learned tons about CSS, HTML, web hosting and content management systems in general. If you have the time, it’s well worth the investment.

Use the theme as a starting point for your own tinkering and have fun!

So, I’d like to return the favor. Anyone who’d like my WordPress theme can have it. I have no illusions about being a designer, but if you’re looking to craft your own theme it’s a good start.

Download Portfolio_AD here.

Everything worked, but it had no style.

Of course, the reason I set out to build a theme from scratch was to make something unique. I’ve been impressed, for example, at what the author of FlowingData has achieved using WordPress. And I like a good challenge.

So, I’ve spent the last few days digging into my CSS. I’ve used style sheets at work for internal projects I code in Visual Studio, so I have a head start. A reference CSS tutorial is handy for defining various elements, but I probably am learning the most by studying (and borrowing from) a couple of themes I’ve admired: Hemingway and Monochrome Lite.

If you know the Hemingway theme well, you’ll recognize shades of it in my  current header, which closely resembles the Hemingway header. I added a horizontal navigation bar that separates the top from the content to come. I’ve yet to style the content well, but I did decide to create left, middle and right divs for blocks of content. More to come — and I definitely will have to ask for help with colors. It’s what I know the least about.

What you see now (or, what you would have seen if you were here now), is the result of studiously following this detailed tutorial. I’m glad I slogged through it, because it largely demystified WordPress. The process gave me the same feeling I had when, as a geeky 12-year-old, I took apart my family’s lawnmower engine. Seeing the parts moving on the inside really helps.