Intro

Welcome to April's edition of So i herd u liek interviews??. This is the 8th volume in a series of interviews aimed at finding out about emoticonists from the deviantART community.

This series links with the weekly volumes of 'so i herd u liek emotes??' which have now been running since October.

The emoticonist

This volumes featured emoticonist is =Droneguard. Another of the long time emoticonists, his gallery is most recognisable for his large emote eye style and mega emotes. With a number of different plz accounts circulating the site, he is well known for creating emoticons such as turbo poke and that weekend feeling. I was lucky enough to interview him.

The interview



How and when did you get into making emoticons?

I found my way to dA through a friend in the summer of 2006 and actually made my first emote on the 28th of April 2007. Those little round characters intrigued me, maybe because they remind us of ourselves.

When you first started making emotes, did you use any tutorials?

Yes, I did some searching around dA and found a tutorial which thought me the basics of shading a emote. Got no clue where it is now but there are plenty around.

Are there any particular tutorials you have found/created that you would like to suggest?

Yes, by =LeoLeonardo is a basic emote shading tutorial and also by =LeoLeonardo to learn basic animation. What I also recommend is by ~darkmoon3636 this is very useful of learning different ways of shading a emote. There are so many tutorials around, just type "emote tutorial" in the search bar and you'll find enough results.

Where do you get inspiration / ideas from?

Mainly from movies, music, Internet and every day events. Sometimes I spot a weird situation on the streets and it inspires me. But I also have sudden ideas out of nowhere, don't ask me where they come from

Do you try to stick to one particular style and technique, or do you prefer to experiment?

A bit of both. I think a artist will always find ways to evolve themselves and try out new stuff. The reactions of other people are always vital to me, because it shows me if I'm improving or not.

Are there any particular qualities that you feel can make an emote stand out from any other?

Emotes stand out when they are unique in their kind. There are so many artists around with standard emotes, but only a few with emotes that really stand out. Shading, animation, ideas and expressions are some of the qualities that can turn a emote into something amazing and unique.
Looking at other artist's emotes and learning from them really helps, but always try to find your own style... this will gain respect from other artists, copying everything does not.

Which programs have you used to create your emoticons? Are there any you can suggest?

I've used several programs such as Jasc Animation Shop, Gimp and programs from Adobe such as Flash, Fireworks, ImageReady and of course Photoshop.
For emotes I recommend Adobe Photoshop CS2 or higher (they also have a animation feature)
But since they are expensive you can try Gimp, it's free

What methods have you used for shading? Do you have a preference?

When I began with emotes I've used the gradient tool. But during time I discovered that pixeling your emote pixel by pixel gave it a more personal feeling, it is more satisfying.

Are there any particular effects you've found difficult, or have been unable to create?

A frontal effect. With that I mean like when you're playing Mario Kart for example. The world in front of you comes closer. That is quite hard to do in my opinion.

Roughly how long does it take you to go from concept to finished emoticon?

It depends on what you want to create. A emote jumping up and down takes about 15 minutes... A emote flying through space while blasting away the earth could take up days

Which are 3 of your favourite emotes from your personal gallery?


A lot of hard work was put into this piece. It was very challenging to create, and also one of my most random emotes around


This was based on good memories that I have of a certain school period. So creating this was nothing but fun


I'm really proud of the water effect. It really shows off the speed and power of the emote. And his wobbling tongue turns it into something silly instead of something very seriously.

Is there a particular emote in your gallery you would you like to see get more attention. If so, why?

Hard decision, I think it would be I just love the expressions and the idea. I mean I think some of us had such a feeling, like you wanted to kiss somebody really bad but that person just kinda wipes it away like a joke?

Are there any particular emoticonists you would like to see get more exposure?

Some of them are =ScreamingGerbil ~hsn2555 and =Kermodog

How did you come up with your emoticon characters?

I love little devils so creating them was obvious, but more for what they can do: Being evil mixed with humor
My first character is a big devil called Droney, he was the first character that I designed. He's a bit bigger then the average emote since I wanted him to stand out more. He's evil and serious. Later on I came up with a counter part of Droney called Butchie. He's smaller then the average emote, isn't really evil and spoils things up for Droney. This creates a nice balance
Here you can see them in action:


Do you feel like the emoticon gallery has progressed during your time as an emoticonist?

Sure thing. The amount of emoticons in the gallery is almost endless now, that wasn't so when I joined. Since there are a lot of detailed tutorials on dA, people can start off with a good basic. I can only hope to see more emoticonists that want to invest time in emotes.

Where would you like to see emotes go in the future?

I would love to see a more 3D feeling, like angle changing backgrounds or such. But really you can't tell, because emotes are always changing.
Pixel art backgrounds are a big plus, I just love watching them.

Are there any trends or styles you'd like to see less of in the gallery?

Old trends like the famous "shake" emotes. Though it was cool, there's just too much now.
And flat emotes... Search for some shading tutorials, play with it and your emotes can look much cooler

Is there any advice you would like to give to new emoticonists?

Zoom in on other people's work. Looking and learning is all good, but always try to develop your own style, other people will appreciate that.
Don't be afraid to ask other artists for advice or help, I'm positive that most would try to help you out, and if they can't they will find someone who can

Is there anything else you would like to say?


tea?

If and were on a train, where would they be going to and what would happen?

They would travel to a far away land, visit a water park and use the water slide like this: [link]

Features


I can’t help but love the flawless animation and unique idea in computer monster. The emoticon flows extremely well, with brilliant expressions and pixelling throughout. Small movements in the hands and eyes really enhance the emoticon and the ending is pure brilliance


Some people may know I’m pretty terrified by spiders and because of this, Get off meh really suits me as a person. The animation is outstanding throughout and the movements are not only well pixelled, but well timed and thought out. The whole emoticon is rather amusing, and great to watch over a number of times.


I always love seeing emotes from different perspectives and it’s the unique concept in Keyboard lulz that really appeals to me. The detail in the keys and animation is amazing to look at and the whole concept is well put together and rather amusing. When all the elements are combined, it creates another fine example of Droneguard’s work.


Previous volumes

So I herd u liek emotes??

Volumes 1-20
Volume 21 - 1st March
Volume 22 - 8th March
Volume 23 - 15th March
Volume 24 - 22nd March
Volume 25 - 29th March
Volume 26 - 5th April
Volume 27 - 12th April
Volume 28 - 19th April
Volume 29 - 26th April


So I herd u liek interviews??

Interview 1- `CookiemagiK - 15th January
Interview 2 - =Caeser1993 - 30th January
Interview 3 - =MenInASuitcase - 12th February
Interview 4 - =Red-Bananas - 27th February
Interview 5 - =LeoLeonardo - 12th March
Interview 6 - =MixedMilkChOcOlate - 28th March
Interview 7 - `brokenboulevard - 14th April