Tickling Artists #79: Interview with Firefox-USA

1) Do you want to tell us something about yourself and your art?

I’m Firefox-USA. I’ve gone through a few moniker variations in 15 years, but the name’s FireFox-USA! I’m a civil servant moonlighting as a tickle enthusiast. Hopefully I’ve got readers here who’ve been able to find something enjoyable in my galleries. I’m a lifelong fan of comics, shonen manga/anime and recreational athletes, and I try to bring that love for dynamic movement and energetic body language into my work. I believe it fortifies my sense of anatomy, movement and expression, all of which can beautifully highlight the titillation that we work to capture in tickling artwork!

2) What techniques do you use to draw? Do you have a favorite artist that inspires you?

I’m a self-taught pen n’ pencil guy. Over time I’ve been trying to hone my command of stylus and rely upon the crisp appearance of digital inking. My usual MO these days is a digital blue “pencil” draft, followed by a traditional penciling, and then finishing with a digital inking. My method is to carefully arrange the scenarios and meticulously troubleshoot the “physics” within the image, such as perspective, geometry, weight, form, line thickness, light and shadow, etc. The bulk of my inspiration comes from beloved influences in the comic and manga industries, such as Jim Lee, Todd MacFarland, Akira Toriyama and a slew of other legends. There’s also a wealth of local artists from whom I draw heavy inspiration. FTKL was arguably the first artist who helped me realize dynamic damsels and foot tickling perils could meet in rich harmony.

3) How much was the passion for drawing born in you? And the one for the tickle?

From birth! Artistry runs in the family on my mom’s side. My late grandfather, a WW2 vet, secured a position after a brief POW stint creating the political cartoons for a Swiss newspaper. After he immigrated, he kept it up as a hobby and took me through a little tutelage as a boy, seeing as I showed an early fascination for drawing the many heroes and cartoon characters I loved. Tickling joined my skill set circa 2003, when the ancient entity known as AOL helped me discover the tickle artist community. My first draft (lost to history) was a harem-esque catgirl tickled for ransom. The rest is history!

4) What are the tickling scenarios that you prefer to draw?

I prefer to be eclectic, but my bread and butter is anything where a beautiful woman – typically of a heroic or at least voluptuously athletic stature – is forcibly restrained and tickled in a thrilling manner that… you could say parodies the idea of interrogation or torture, yet still delivers the intoxicating thrill of seeing it. There is nothing more satisfying than watching the bare or at least hose-clad soles of such a woman effortlessly harassed by a gentle feather or some woman’s exquisitely manicured fingers!

5) What are the aspects of tickling that you intend to represent with your art? Example: the laughing, the wriggling, the relationship between tickler and ticklee?

Several come to mind, and this could honestly be a small book if I thought long and hard enough. That said, I try to prioritize, chiefly, an outcome that will actually help my viewers almost feel their own feet tickled. To achieve that, I think it’s crucial to draw an authentic, even embellished facial reaction, such as a losing struggle not to laugh or a symphonic roar of laughter. The body must appear effected, the tickling implement must seem graceful in its sense of motion, the bondage firm of grasp and the relationship between ticklee and tickler must carry some antagonism, regardless of it being malicious or playful. In short, it should follow the same rules as any strong visual storytelling.

6) Online there are countless photos and videos of tickling sessions. In your opinion, what do illustrations offer more than images of real scenes?

Exaggeration, mainly. Much in the way that a comic story is a love letter to the very real sense of adventure, the fictional aspect of artwork can live outside of reality and become an appealing caricature of a real activity. The fictional character you’re most attracted to can become the object of this fantasy, and the stakes can be whatever level of excitement you crave. Will Wonder Woman betray the League’s secrets if Harley Quinn tickles her Demi-goddess feet long enough? Would those Amazonian soles be a level of perfect you’ve never dreamed of??? Well… pick up a pencil and tell me 😉

7) In your opinion, what makes tickling so interesting for fans of this phenomenon?

I realized early on in understanding my fetish that tickling, particularly feet, is essentially the perfect “cheat code” of sexuality and eroticism. The symphony of dom/sub dichotomy, bondage and its ability to complement an attractive ticklee, a playful “perilous” atmosphere that means no harm and respects consent, yet somehow carries the same intensity, all because of the fact that this incredibly silly vulnerability – gently touching a bare foot – can somehow ignite a wildly overpowering sensation that overwhelms yet delights all at once. It may be compared, depending on who you are, to sex itself. I occasionally like to sweep a finger across my own wife’s stunning soles in public settings, and I love the fact that this is something that would draw no real public attention yet stilleffect the both of us in an exciting way!

8) What are your works of which you are most proud?

Different criteria for different pieces. However, my “Gun-Dames” piece is probably still the most unique and unplanned success of my whole gallery. I’d also have to say that my rendition of industry legend Mikayla Miles was incredibly cathartic for me. A beloved fellow artist did me the major solid of putting me in contact with her, and I can’t put into words what it is to have such an iconic foot model like Mikayla lavish praise upon you and take such flattery from a drawn tribute.

9) Do you have any particular artistic goals for the future?

My first concise answer of this interview, but no less poignant: I do this shit for the love of the game!

10) Do you think AIs will end up enriching or impoverishing the art of tickling representations?

I’ve been dreading this topic… it’s hard to really forecast what’s on the horizon for AI and its role in this genre, or any traditional illustration for that matter. First, the elephant in the room: I don’t mind offending anyone by saying that several “contributors” have oversaturated the cache with lazy, repetitive prompt-based images that are all of the same thing but with bizarre character swaps, devoid of any thematic element or soul. However… that said, I could name a few traditionalists who have shirked their duty to improve whatsoever in intervals of 5, 10 or more years. What I’ve concluded – and this comes from me acknowledging the blessing of photoshop and other digital tools – is that AI is ultimately the hammer and not the craftsman. The decision sits in our laps to either let the software do your job, or to use the software as component of YOUR intention and design. I have seen at least one professional from our community use AI to generate starting templates that he uses as a sort of reference point for hand-illustrating improved depictions of his already esteemed magic. So it serves us best to consider our relationship with the tool, not the tool itself. And if you’re a fan who’s just starting out, my advice is to please, PLEASE… do the hard work first. Build the foundations and technical skills. When that’s done, feel free to learn how to make supplemental improvements from resources like AI or whatever else the future may bring.

Th-th-th-th-That’s all, folks!

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