Design & Art

Emoji, one of the computer languages, is created to send lots of information in such small data. It has its own character encoding standard. This word was born in Japan, which’s used to be pictograph or emoticons for use in electronic messages and webpages.
作为电脑语言的一种，表情符号有着统一的字符编码，小巧的数据却蕴含着大量的信息。早期称之为绘画文字，源自日本，常以绘文字、表情或情绪的图案运用于电子信息和网页中，Emoji这词便由此而来。

Nowadays, emoji is everywhere. Even input method tools are embedded in emoji. Since the change of the digital era, emoji cannot meet the needs of diverse communication. That’s when sticker comes in. We all know that WeChat Sticker enjoys great popularity in China. Various stickers can be installed from the WeChat app freely. Users can design and upload their own creations as well, including static images or dynamic emoticons.
如今，人们在信息交流中，表情符号早已无处不在，甚至融入了输入法。随着数字化时代的演变，已满足不了多样化的沟通需求，于是乎表情包由此诞生。在国内，耳熟能详的莫过于微信表情包，用户可在手机端微信中下载各式各样的表情，也可自行设计上传静态或者动态表情。

Sticker is a killer for me that I normally afraid to design it. Because I draw digital arts for years, mainly creating realistic computer concept paintings. Cartoons and comics are really not my things. However, I decided to give it a shot when my beloved dog, A’ Wang, was passed away after he tried to save my father. The sticker of my dog’s emotions and expressions will be a memory for me, I think.
表情包对于我来说，一般不会轻易去尝试。因为一直以来，我以概念艺术绘画为主，创作出虚拟写实插画，卡通和漫画则是另一种范畴，是一个很大的挑战。然而，自从我家爱犬“阿旺”救主去世后，我坚定要给它来一套表情包，以此作为永久纪念。

Having glanced over each photo of its one by one, I lost in memories of its companionship with me. Grabbed the pen, I stared at the paper for hours. But the paper was still in the blank. I got nothing for months in the end. The draft drawings were still too realistic. Finally, I got another idea by turning the photo into illustration first. Then, sorted out some most characteristics it had, I simplified what was complicated in its profile. Such as my dog had a “Chuan” Chinese character on its forehead and some white fur landed on its chest. Its body was in golden yellow as the sunshade soft light on it while its tail was up in the air and twisted twice, for example. That’s how I created my first sticker.
指尖划过每一张照片，回忆着它陪伴在我身边的点点滴滴，提笔欲画，却最终还是白纸一张。几个月下来仍是毫无头绪，画出的稿件依旧是写实派。为此，我换了个理念，先将照片转化为插画，随后从插画中整理出最具特征的点，化繁为简。如我家爱犬的额头上有类似一个“川”字，胸口还有一些白毛，阳光下周身呈现金黄色，尾巴向上翻卷两圈等细节。最后创作出了第一个表情。

To make the character cuter and more fun to look at it, I created big eyes, short and slightly round body, and small hands and feet. I use a heart shape instead of the white fur during the design. After that, I got the sense and feeling of the character design. I put its expressions in daily life and what emojis that people usually love to use together, I created these 24 stickers eventually.
为了迎合当下可爱、有趣的形象，在设计过程中，我放大了它的眼睛；身子变矮，呈现微微的圆润状；手和脚也画的比较短小；胸口的白毛，则用爱心来代替。接下来的稿件也慢慢寻觅到了感觉，我将它日常的生活状态与当下人们常用的表情符号相融合，最后孕育了这24个表情。

My artwork is designed via Adobe Illustrator (i.e. Ai). Creating a sticker is similar to the character design in the video game. It requires a vast knowledge of some essential principles including body proportion, perspective representation, the relationship between bones and muscles when there’s a moment. Then, add various elements for the character, such as a change in the facial features, or in the shape of the arms and feet. After that, having a three-dimensional space view in mind for the character, I selected the best profile for my character. Take the profile in ¾ side view, top view, front view, etc. Finally, I enlarged or shortened a certain feature of the character to an appropriate ratio with exaggeration skills from the cartoons and comics. That’s how the sticker of my character was born.
我的作品是用adobe illustrator (Ai)设计的，创作表情包主角就类似于游戏的人物角色设计，不仅得了解人物的比例关系、透视关系，也需要熟知动作与骨骼和肌肉所带来的裙带关系。然后，在一个角色的表情中，添加不同的元素，可以是五官的改变，亦或手臂和脚的形态变化。随后在此基础上，脑海中勾勒角色的三维立体图找到最能体现该角色的角度，可以是¾侧面、顶视图、正面视图等。最后，通过卡通和漫画类的夸张手法，将某一特征或形态放大或放小到合适比例，该角色的表情形象就孕育而出了。

WeChat has a set of detailed designing and uploading regulations. Artist has to design 16 or 24 stickers album, or a single sticker, or special effect emoticons via adobe illustrator, photoshop or other design software. Artist requires to prepare different sizes of image pixel materials, including stickers, sticker thumbnails, sticker icon for chat dashboard on the app, banner for sticker homepage, and sticker cover. Once the design is exported to GIF and PNG files and is uploaded to the platform, it has to be examined and verified within 10 working days. If it goes well, the artist’s stickers were to be displayed on Sticker Gallery in WeChat officially.
表情包的制作，微信有着一套详细的设计和上传规范。运用Ai、PS等其他设计软件进行创作，需设计出16或者24个表情专辑，亦或单品，或特效表情。艺术家需提前准备好一系列多种像素大小的图片素材，包括表情主图、缩略图、聊天面板图标、详情页横幅和表情封面图。最后导出GIF和PNG格式上传到管理平台中，等待10个工作日内的审核结果。审核通过后，自行设计的作品便在表情商店正式上架。

Let me share the meaning of all those image materials. Take stickers. It is the 16 or 24 static sticker images or dynamic expressions you’ve designed. Thumbnails are small images for the stickers, which enables users to view freely at the chatting and to browse the sticker homepage. As for the sticker icon, it will be shown on the chat dashboard when the stickers were downloaded to your WeChat app, which helps users select stickers as they were chatting with each other. For sticker banner, it is an illustration with character in it that be placed on top of the sticker homepage in the gallery. And sticker cover is a representative sticker that appears on the sticker gallery where users and stickers were first met.
在此，我介绍下各图片素材的含义。表情主图，即设计的16或24个静态或者动态表情。缩略图是表情作品的小图，用于微信聊天和表情作品主页中表情包的查看。聊天面板图标指用户下载表情后，表情会呈现在聊天工具框的面板中，以便于用户聊天互动时选择表情。详情页横幅是用户点击表情包进入介绍主页后，整套表情上方的场景插图，通常角色具有故事性。而表情封面图，则是指在表情商店展示的代表图片，便于用户浏览各类表情时，有个直观的第一印象。

Share your work with global users If you are interested in designing stickers as well. My stickers are called “The Daily Life of A’ Wang”, which have been displayed on WeChat Sticker Gallery now, hoping it will spice up your life with cuteness just like the way my dog was used to bring happy laughter and joy for my family. Somehow, I felt my beloved dog was still with me as I used these stickers. Perhaps, we found another way for the reunion, another way to memorize it. Feel free to download and use my stickers, and give me feedback. I will create episode two if inspiration finds me again. Hope you all love my stickers. I appreciate all your supports.
有兴趣的童鞋也期待你们的作品，让全球的用户使用你们的表情。我的这套表情专辑，名为《阿旺的日常》，期望能给大家的生活加点萌料，就像当年我的爱犬陪伴着我们全家一样，带来各种的欢声笑语。对于我来说，阿旺表情包的使用，或许，是与它的又一次重逢，以另一种方式缅怀着它。欢迎大家使用我的表情包，也欢迎给我反馈，有机会我会再出第二弹，期望你们喜欢，感谢支持。

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