Tickle Artists #1: Interview with Solletickle

1)Thanks for your availability! Do you want to tell us something about yourself and your art?

I won’t give you personal data or anything because I want to remain anonymous and divide the “Solletickle” project from the other things I always do in the creative field. Let’s say that the Solletickle page started as a game when I was very young. Being passionate about drawing and tickling, I started doing tickling-themed illustrations on my own (without yet knowing that this was the name of the tickling practice). Then growing up I discovered I wasn’t the only one with the “hobby” of tickling, I discovered that there was a community and so I slowly began to share my works. Seeing that they were enjoying success, I decided to open a special page on DeviantArt where I could dedicate myself to the theme and indulge myself. It was 2011, 12 years later here I am again.

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

For several years now I have been working totally in digital, from pencil to coloring. This allows me to be faster and also to use some tricks every now and then, such as tracing the faces of the characters from official images to make them as similar as possible to the original product.

As far as influences are concerned, there are so many but I don’t know if they can be seen in my works by Solletickle precisely because I always try to imitate the style of the protagonists of the illustrations as much as possible. For example, since most of the time I am asked to draw characters from anime or manga, I draw by imitating the oriental style which in reality would not be exactly in my comfort zone. However, a name that I can certainly name is that of Franco Saudelli, always a great source of inspiration, especially for the design of the feet of course.

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

They were both born at a very young age. The passion for drawing was born mainly from the comics that circulated in my house when I was little. As for the tickle, I can’t say precisely the age (perhaps around 9/10 years old?) but it was probably due to the famous tickle scene of Laurel and Hardy from “Way Out West”… Yes, this thing is quite funny but I think it all started from there. I would add that in addition to tickling, as is often the case, I am also quite a foot fetishist and this passion has also been present since childhood.

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

Let’s say that drawing the backgrounds is not my favorite part and I think it shows enough, they are the part that I care less and less. For this reason I tend to prefer simple scenarios, for example the scenes set in a bedroom are my favorites, probably again because of Laurel and Hardy. And again because of that scene I prefer the F/m, even if unfortunately it is the scenario that is least appreciated by my followers. Then of course I also have a lot of fun with the M/f and above all with the F/f.

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?

I certainly really like trying to make the most of the squirming of the bodies and the reactions of the characters and I enjoy taking care of the facial expressions. Then of course I love drawing feet, also trying to vary the positions, the shape, the size, etc…

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

Well with drawing you can create anything, from the most improbable scenarios to the most absurd poses that a real human body could not assume. It also gives you the possibility of having at your disposal a series of not indifferent imaginary characters, taken from our favorite cartoons or comics or video games.

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

Ehhhh… This is a question I don’t know how to answer. I myself have always struggled to understand why I like tickling and what I like about tickling. It will remain a mystery to me… and maybe that’s what makes it interesting.

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

I am very self-critical so there is not one drawing of mine that I am proud of. I would rather say that there are some works that, even after many years, I still like, for the realization, for the idea or for both. I wouldn’t make the list but I can say that some of these are among the least appreciated by the public… this is because they are often F/m themed which, as I already said, would be my favorite but which unfortunately is not the most captivating for Tickling enthusiasts.

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

As far as the Solletickle project is concerned, I intend to always continue along the same lines, trying to improve everything that can be improved. And since it is now possible to create premium galleries with more explicit content with DeviantArt, I plan to start adding a more naughty component in some drawings in the near future. The tickling and feet will always be there but there will be more!

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

So far, I’ve seen very little anything done with a tickle-themed AI. Perhaps because the hands and feet, which are quite the protagonists in tickling, are still the Achilles heel of AI… We will see how the technology develops. In general, as a creative, I am not a fan of AI and I have some concerns about the future implications of using these new technologies. But I am still quite confident that the artistic sensibility given by a real person is not replaceable and will continue to be somewhat sought after.

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