This is the first in a possible series of Emote based news articles. Dependant on how this first article is received I will consider producing them on a regular basis with the time period between each yet to be decided.

So what is this news article about? It’s about promoting the artwork of some of deviantART’s emoticonists. I hope to include a variety of emoticons that have been submitted to the emoticon gallery recently. I don’t wish to focus just on the already well know emoticonists, but also help bring some exposure to new emoticonists joining the community.

In each article I will find 5-10 good quality emotes that I feel should be featured to gain more exposure, as well as a range of other emotes posted into the gallery over the past week. I will also highlight a few of the great emoticon tutorials available on dA made by emoticonists to help out any deviants that wish to try their hand at an emoticon now or sometime in the future. I will also aim to include a few frequently asked questions about emotes and the emoticon gallery and answer them the best I can.

If you have an questions or any suggestions for any future copies of this news article then please note me on my account ^Synfull

So without further ado, So I heard u liek emotes Vol 1

Featured Emoticons:

1.
Shapeshifter blue ninja by =magistycal shows a great transition between 4 different shapes. This isn’t always the easiest skill to master but it has been created well so it flows from one to the next. The animation of the star spinning is also nicely done, creating a well animated emoticon overall

2.
Foo Was ‘Ere by ~trezoid is a rather simple but extremely cute emote. It displays great shading and very smooth animation. The facial expression is also excellent and created in such a way it brings a smile to your face every time the emoticon appears

3.
Boomerang by ~Jarno-A shows great potential for a new emoticonist. This is a very original idea and well executed so that the viewer can’t help but giggle when the poor little emote gets hit by the boomerang

4.
:joker: by ~NerdXV is one of series of batman themed emotes recently submitted to dA. Along with many others it shows great animation and shading within the emote and shares a great likeness with the joker. The gunshot effect is also well designed and creates a simple but effect emoticon

5.
Project animal emotes entry by `Droneguard is another cute emoticon posted within the past week. It again shows excellent shading and animation and is a fine example of thinking outside the box when it comes to emoticons, by transforming an averaged size emote into an excellent looking frog.

6.
:pumpkin: by `sml-e is a highly useful themed emote to fit in with Halloween that is approaching at the end of this month. It displays great shading and smooth animation and offers a unique twist on the average pumpkin themed emoticon


Other great emoticons posted recently



Featured tutorials

Basic shading tutorial - by `LeoLeonardo

Animation tutorial - by `brokenboulevard

Featured project

The animal emote project by `krissi001 is a very simple but brilliant project. The general idea is to create a range of animals using the average emoticon 15x15 pixel body. For more details and an up to date list on entries check out this journal: [link]

Emoticon based questions

Q: What is an emoticon?
A: Not to be confused with the word ‘emotion’ an emoticon, or emote, is a small round character made from pixels. The average size for an emoticons body is 15x15 pixels, however variation on this can occur.

Q: How can I browse the emoticon gallery?
A: The emoticon gallery is situated under Customisations -> Icons -> Emoticons
The gallery is then split into 3 categories: Static (non moving), Animated (moving) and Packs & Large format (multiple emotes available for download and emotes of a body size larger than the average)

Q: who is the emoticon GD (Gallery Director)?
A: The current GD for emoticons is `Chimpantalones

Notes

Thank you for reading the first volume of this news article. If you would like to suggest an emoticon, tutorial, project or question for any future volumes then don’t be afraid to note my ^Synfull account with the details. Thanks