Introduction: Adept Emoticon Creation
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About: Unsatisfied discovery. I will always take pride in what I've discovered, but never let that pride hinder me from discovering better, further, deeper. I am a student, a maker, and a future biomedical engineer.
***Disclosure: Neither I, nor anyone in relation with the publishment of this tutorial shall be held accountable for the deceitful conveyance, or misinterpretation, of information brought about by emoticons expressed, or inspired by this tutorial.***
In full accordance with the title, the following will be a progressive tutorial regarding adept emoticon creation. As implied by the solemn tone, and advanced vocabulary with which this article is written, each might assume that emoticons are not a joking matter; nor do they invoke smiles :|
In full accordance with the title, the following will be a progressive tutorial regarding adept emoticon creation. As implied by the solemn tone, and advanced vocabulary with which this article is written, each might assume that emoticons are not a joking matter; nor do they invoke smiles :|
Step 1: Throw That Assumption Out the Window
Of course you can be happy about emoticons, and they’ll do the smiling for you! Amazingly, it doesn’t end at happiness.
With a few clicks on a keyboard, you can convey emotions from happiness :) to sadness :(, from disappointed :/ to excitement :/).
Emoticons can completely change what your words mean to those who read them, making a perfect addiction to your Harvard application essays (Joke. Please. Do. Not.).
With a few clicks on a keyboard, you can convey emotions from happiness :) to sadness :(, from disappointed :/ to excitement :/).
Emoticons can completely change what your words mean to those who read them, making a perfect addiction to your Harvard application essays (Joke. Please. Do. Not.).
Step 2: The Choice
In a world being driven, and even OVERRIDEN by emojis, a decision has to be made between those yellow balls of sentiment, and the classic mixing of basic characters about which this tutorial is written. If you’re reading this now, it’s not too late. It’s never too late to make the right choice. To have the power of emotion at a single click of the finger is tempting, I understand, but what amount of truth can a single click of the finger behold? Three clicks on the other hand, now that’s genuine. So you have to decide. You can choose the lazy way, and stare at those surface level, mustard circles, leaving this tutorial now, or you can choose emoticonial (don’t mean to brag but...I made that word) beauty <:~}, knowing the faces will mean so much more when you work hard to bring them into existence.
Step 3: Facial Features
I know what your thinking,
“We’re three steps in and this dummy still hasn’t helped me expand my emoticon fluency, AND he just used the wrong YOUR/YOU’RE!”
First of all, how dare you /:-{]. Secondly, there’s three main features of most faces, with which I’m sure you’re familiar: the eyes, the nose, and the mouth, these will be the most crucial features to properly chose in order to make the best possible emoticons.
•Eyes: When considering eyes, often the simplest options are the best. : or ; tend to be all one needs for the eyes of his creation, unless going for an upright face, in which case one might use dots or dashes (•___•, or -___-). If I wanna get a little risky, I might even use a percentage sign to make a crazy face %/)
•Nose: This is where we can get a tad more creative. Noses are recognized simply by their location between the eyes and mouth :@/), so nearly anything will be understood ;^|}! Whether it be the squiggle :~(|, or whatever that thing is called (no seriously, what is that thing called??? ;:~[]) or a carrot nose :>), your options go on. These ;•{], :+(, , :-/ or even •_,_•, are all fair choices.
•Mouth: With mouths, things like brackets, curly brackets, parentheses, vertical bars, and slashes are our best friends. Brackets seem to be the best for goofy, strange smiles, or frightened faces :-[. Curly brackets for silly, tentative expressions :~{. Parentheses for your basic happy and sad :^) :^(. Vertical bars for your best straight face :-|. Slashes for the classic, “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.” :•\
“We’re three steps in and this dummy still hasn’t helped me expand my emoticon fluency, AND he just used the wrong YOUR/YOU’RE!”
First of all, how dare you /:-{]. Secondly, there’s three main features of most faces, with which I’m sure you’re familiar: the eyes, the nose, and the mouth, these will be the most crucial features to properly chose in order to make the best possible emoticons.
•Eyes: When considering eyes, often the simplest options are the best. : or ; tend to be all one needs for the eyes of his creation, unless going for an upright face, in which case one might use dots or dashes (•___•, or -___-). If I wanna get a little risky, I might even use a percentage sign to make a crazy face %/)
•Nose: This is where we can get a tad more creative. Noses are recognized simply by their location between the eyes and mouth :@/), so nearly anything will be understood ;^|}! Whether it be the squiggle :~(|, or whatever that thing is called (no seriously, what is that thing called??? ;:~[]) or a carrot nose :>), your options go on. These ;•{], :+(, , :-/ or even •_,_•, are all fair choices.
•Mouth: With mouths, things like brackets, curly brackets, parentheses, vertical bars, and slashes are our best friends. Brackets seem to be the best for goofy, strange smiles, or frightened faces :-[. Curly brackets for silly, tentative expressions :~{. Parentheses for your basic happy and sad :^) :^(. Vertical bars for your best straight face :-|. Slashes for the classic, “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.” :•\
Step 4: Expanding Your Emoticon Fluency
Whether amateur or meister, most have seen what we spoke about in the last step. Now that we’ve laid that foundation, let’s talk about methods of advancing our emoticon construction!
•Hair: Hair on your emoticons {|:~) is definitely not essential, but just might help you explain that old angry balding guy €/:~{
•Eyebrows: If the eyes are the window to the soul }:-[), the eyebrows are the window shades, determining just how much lights goes in, and out ]:^{]. Even outside of an emoticonial context, eyebrows are essential to expression ;:-/ and completely change what an otherwise identical face would mean >:-/. When it comes to picking our eyebrows, for the most part we’re stuck with unibrows |:~[], but I promise they look better on an emoticon than they do on you.
•Facial Hair: Sometimes a stache :^{| can give you just the push you were looking for, and a goatee never hurt anybody :^(>... unless you count eyesores.
•Extras: Never forget that your limits are not set by the limits of those who came before you. Do not be satisfied until you not only have gained understanding, but even furthered the understanding itself for those who come after you. There are things like braces /:^|#|, and so much more, yet to be discovered. Even consider foreign keyboards to find just the shape you need need to perfectly convey an emotion!
•Hair: Hair on your emoticons {|:~) is definitely not essential, but just might help you explain that old angry balding guy €/:~{
•Eyebrows: If the eyes are the window to the soul }:-[), the eyebrows are the window shades, determining just how much lights goes in, and out ]:^{]. Even outside of an emoticonial context, eyebrows are essential to expression ;:-/ and completely change what an otherwise identical face would mean >:-/. When it comes to picking our eyebrows, for the most part we’re stuck with unibrows |:~[], but I promise they look better on an emoticon than they do on you.
•Facial Hair: Sometimes a stache :^{| can give you just the push you were looking for, and a goatee never hurt anybody :^(>... unless you count eyesores.
•Extras: Never forget that your limits are not set by the limits of those who came before you. Do not be satisfied until you not only have gained understanding, but even furthered the understanding itself for those who come after you. There are things like braces /:^|#|, and so much more, yet to be discovered. Even consider foreign keyboards to find just the shape you need need to perfectly convey an emotion!
Step 5: Animals and Everything Else
This is where we progress from the confines of 4 or 5 characters to beyond the imagination of those considering emoticons; this is our chance to open our minds to what we’ve learned. For our example we will use a giraffe!
• Typically, beginning with the outline of the animal is easiest, giving us a template for the rest of the details we want to add. We’ll shape the body using simple slashes, to help direct the contour of the body, along with simple vertical lines. (See fig. 1)
• Next we’ll add the external details on our becoming-beautiful creation. These will be the mane and tail of our long-necked lover. (See fig. 2)
• Lastly, we’ll add the internal details, AKA fill er’ up! No one really knows what shape a giraffe’s spots will be, so have some fun. Whatever you do, it’ll all make sense when it all comes together.
This process will be about the same for anything you want to make in such a manner, so don’t let yourself be deceived that you ‘don’t know how’. (See fig. 3)
• Looking Onward, I hope this instructable has shown you that a limited amount of characters have a limitless amount of potential. Whether it be the feeling you can’t put into words, your favorite zoo animal, or anything else you can think of, emoticons are the way to go! (See that I’m tired of saying fig.#)
• Typically, beginning with the outline of the animal is easiest, giving us a template for the rest of the details we want to add. We’ll shape the body using simple slashes, to help direct the contour of the body, along with simple vertical lines. (See fig. 1)
• Next we’ll add the external details on our becoming-beautiful creation. These will be the mane and tail of our long-necked lover. (See fig. 2)
• Lastly, we’ll add the internal details, AKA fill er’ up! No one really knows what shape a giraffe’s spots will be, so have some fun. Whatever you do, it’ll all make sense when it all comes together.
This process will be about the same for anything you want to make in such a manner, so don’t let yourself be deceived that you ‘don’t know how’. (See fig. 3)
• Looking Onward, I hope this instructable has shown you that a limited amount of characters have a limitless amount of potential. Whether it be the feeling you can’t put into words, your favorite zoo animal, or anything else you can think of, emoticons are the way to go! (See that I’m tired of saying fig.#)
Step 6: Our Parting
I hope I am safe to believe that emoticons are not all you learned about in this tutorial. Of course that is what was on the surface, but it means so much more. It means that creativity is the understanding that the most basic of options create the most diverse results. Discovery is not stopping at what you are given, but rather changing what those who come after you will be given to do the same.
Thank you so much for reading my tutorial, I hope you enjoyed! Please leave behind any comments, concerns, or recommendations before heading off in your own direction, and hey maybe even a like ;-[). I hope to see you here another day!
Thank you so much for reading my tutorial, I hope you enjoyed! Please leave behind any comments, concerns, or recommendations before heading off in your own direction, and hey maybe even a like ;-[). I hope to see you here another day!
Participated in the
Epilog Challenge 9
