Tickle Artists #71: Interview with Ninjaguy84

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

Hi, I’m Ninjaguy484. I’m a self taught/independent study artist. In many ways, my work is meant to transcend the mundane reality and immerse the viewers in a fantasy world. I want to create a feeling that the world in my artwork is real and that we have front row seats to view it. I also like to think my work is a tribute to aesthetic features of the human body, although exaggerated and idealized of course.

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

I used to do traditional in my sketchbook, but I got an iPad to make my access to resources easier. I also have a Wacom tablet that I love using, but the iPad allows mobility while using it. I have a few artists who inspire me. When I started, I was part of a Discord group, where one artist in particular; an amazing painter, sort of took me under her wing. I still refer to her to this day as my mentor. I also have some friends who made it to a professional level who offer great advice. A couple more include REIQ, and none other than Frank Frazetta. Too many to name.😂

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

Well, I’ve always doodled since I was a child. Only as I got older, my passion for art really grew. In school, I had an art teacher who really didn’t like me. She told me I was a waste of potential. Once the lockdown happened with Covid, I decided to pick it up again and not let her win after rage quitting for 10 years. I think the first time I thought there was something to particular kinks and fetishes, mainly an interest in the tickle scene, was when I was young and watching Tarzan. I know for many the April O’Neil scene in TMNT awakened something in them, but for me it was Jane in Tarzan.

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

I think there may be a BDSM element for me as for the appeal. I’ve always found people to be more aesthetic/appealing with the laughing expression, but also the way the body can bend and curve while squirming and struggling in inescapable bondage to be quite pleasing to the eye. Perhaps a power dynamic. I like to draw powerful characters, and strip them of their power, having them helplessly trapped and subject to being reduced to a giggling mess. I personally enjoy women and the female form, and that’s why it’s what I tend to draw. Perhaps some of my work is quite “intense” but these are some aspects that have really drawn me in.

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?

This is a great question, which I guess I kind of answered previously. I love the way the beauty of the female body is on display as they writhe and squirm desperately. An enchanting feminine sounding laugh, coupled with a beautiful laughing expression, are also things I love; along with showing the power dynamic (dom/sub) or bringing out characters’ personality (playfulness, stubbornness, hypocrisy, temper, etc.)

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

Illustrations are really a tribute to real life, but pushed further and exaggerated. It breaks past the more rigid barriers of real life with more dynamic movement and expressions. Also it creates scenarios that wouldn’t really be possible in real life.

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

I believe it has something for everyone. whether it’s the aesthetic and beauty of a smile/laugh, the exchange of power (BDSM related) the intimacy or playfulness between those involved, the admiration for the beautiful curving/bending/movement of the body while struggling against the sensations, perhaps even wiring in the brain that associates the stimulation of the nerves with pleasure.

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

My comfort zone is to draw my OCs. I’m an avid D&D player and all my OCs are D&D characters. I’ve created a story around them that I’m currently working on turning into a comic. I really love the idea that I can put my story out there and get others interested in it as well. Which is another thing. I’ve really been pushing past my boundaries. I’ve been learning animation and finally started making comics, which were things that always scared me away. I’ve finally decided to attack them head on. Also doing studies/sketches, as I believe it’s important to revisit and improve on your fundamentals.

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

I want to be able to do this full time. At one point, I had been in the hospital for mental health related issues. It was there I was introduced to art therapy, and that’s exactly what it became for me. Art is a beautiful thing that’s great for everyone. Currently commissions are paying for my medications that I need, as I’ve lost my benefits at my “day job.”

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

Art is for humans, not computers. I can’t support something that’s entire claim to fame is rooted in theft. Anyone who has followed the news up until now know that AI companies have openly laundered and scraped from over 20,000 non-consenting artists to “train” their AI. There have been several leaked screenshots from within their Discord groups in which they talk about ways to bypass protections and continue scraping (laundering) art without the person’s consent. This need for instant gratification has led to people taking the “road less traveled” which is a truly unfortunate concept, has really brought out some darkness in people. The images are all artificial and soulless on top of that, you can see how inorganic they are once you look close enough, not to mention the terrible proportions, flawed anatomy, complete lack of perspective and dynamism, etc. I don’t understand why humans are so quick to want to replace themselves… Sorry I guess I don’t have anything nice to say about AI. I don’t understand why humans want to take away their own ability to draw/sing/act/perform but will climb 300 ft high structures and risk falling, or injuring themselves for corporations that would replace them in a heartbeat instead of sending the machines there. I say this as someone who has worked dangerous, general/physical labor jobs my whole life.

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