My first chair...  

That's a splendid first...
That's a splendid first effort--bravo!

I actually like the design....
I actually like the design. Simple and straightforward.
I agree with you on the wood frame. I'm not digging the finish/grain. What kind of wood is it and did you stain it?
It looks blotchy in some areas.

That's a nice strong
central joint, Mike.
Is the chair comfortable ? Was that a goal ? The proportions of the seat and back are unusual. Did you do some sort of full-size mockup to test for comfort ?

Nice!
I like the shape and proportions, though it looks like it'd be hard to get up out of. But then, I'm old.
I love, love, love amber shellac but you're gonna find that it cracks on that paper. It's very brittle once it fully cures. The color is beautiful but it has zero flexibility.
Oh, also it'll get sticky and cloudy if it comes into contact with damp (i.e., sweaty) surfaces. Just sayin'.

Thank you for the kind...
Thank you for the kind words!
The frame is made of a standard pine 2x4 which I coated with amber shellac. The splotchiness is due to my shotty attempt at concealing my not so pretty joints with a sawdust-glue mixture...
The back is a little too low, but I literally used every inch of the 2x4... compromises had to be made and the backrest seemed (at the time) to have the most wiggle room. Comfort was not a requirement, although I wanted it to be. It just had to support 170lbs. We only had a few weeks to complete this project and I had projects in other classes due as well, so a full scale mockup wasn't feasible. I will, however, do that in the future.

Oh, and I hear you on the...
Oh, and I hear you on the shellac. I coat the cork bartape on my bicycle with it and I have to re-coat it every 2 months or so, but it's way cheaper than leather bartape and looks almost identical. I used it on the paper for the same purpose... i wanted it to look like leather. The longevity of this particular chair wasn't a main concern. Thank you for the knowledge!

Effin- A
Effinmike.