Teach you step by step how to make emoticons

Do you have such feeling?

When I was chatting with my friends, I looked through the emoticons for a long time but couldn't find what I wanted. I felt very distressed.

I saw a lot of fun, interesting, and funny expressions on the Internet, and I was curious about how they made them.

I also want to make a set of emoticons, but I don’t know how to start.

If you encounter any of the above three situations, please continue reading this article~

Today, I will teach you how to make emoticons.

1. Image design

First, determine whether the image you want to draw is a person or an animal.

This depends on your preference.

Take Winnie, the cartoon character I designed myself.

Winnie is a collection of my own daily life stories, hot topics, workplace and other topics

Some comic series adapted and created

1. Cartoon character positioning

• The target audience is mainly female, and the image is cute cartoon Q version style

2. Personality positioning

• I have an easygoing personality, I like to daydream, I am a little silly sometimes, and I don't have a good memory.
• He is simple, doesn't like to deceive, has his own ideas, and is a bit silly.
• (Actually, it’s just some of my own personality, with a smirk on my face)

3. Modeling creation

• The bun hairstyle makes the image more lively, cute, vivid and interesting.
• The overall image looks playful and energetic

2. Concept Design

Expressions are mainly used to express feelings, convey emotions, and show one's inner thoughts at the moment.

It can also ease the awkward atmosphere of chatting

1. Decide on a theme

• For example, I designed a set of gif expressions before
• I want to show Winnie's daily life expressions.
• Then brainstorm various words you want to express.
• Finally, filter
• Because WeChat requires a set of emoticons to be 16 or 24

2. List the words you want to express

• The theme of Winnie's daily flirting is flirting
• For example, I want to hug, kiss, wall-bang, and even ask to wait for me in the bed and be teased.
• The main idea conveyed by the image is cheap and lewd.

Winnie's daily life is about daily life

For example, they praise you for being great, they like you like crazy, they throw shit at you when they are angry, they cross their legs and apply a facial mask.

It mainly conveys some daily behaviors, which gives people a stupid feeling.

Tips

1. When chatting, record the expressions you particularly want to send
2. Pay attention to the expressions that your friends around you really want to send but can't find, and record them down
3. Record the hot words in Internet slang

Note on the meaning of words

One emoticon can convey multiple meanings. Adding text will limit the usage scenarios.

So the meaning of expressions and words should also be carefully considered.

3. Software used

AI, FL, and PS can all design emoticons. The size and specifications of emoticon images refer to the design rules of the WeChat emoticon platform.

(Search for WeChat emoticon platform on Baidu, register an account and log in to see the emoticon production requirements https://sticker.weixin.qq.com)

Emoticon main picture

• 16/24, emoticon thumbnails: 16/24, detail page banner: 1
• Emoticon cover image: 1, chat panel icon: 1
• Appreciation picture: 1, Thanks picture: 1

AI Design Methodology:

• Take a photo or scan the sketch and import it into AI, then use a pen to outline and color it.
• If you want to make a gif animation, you need to draw each picture frame by frame, one layer at a time, and then export the png sequence frame.
• Import it into PS again, adjust the time in the timeline, and select forever for loop mode
• After finishing, save it in the format used for the Web and export it as a gif file

PS Design Method

• Take a photo of the sketch or scan it into PS, trace and color it with a pen
• Each layer corresponds to a painting, that is, an action.
• Adjust the time animation through the PS timeline, and select forever for the loop mode
• Save it in the format used for the Web and export it as a gif file

FL Design Method

• Take a photo of the sketch or scan it into FL, use a pen or straight line tool to draw and color it
• You can make animations directly in fl and export png sequence frames
• Import it into PS again, adjust the time in the timeline, and select forever for loop mode
• After finishing, save it in the format used for the Web and export it as a gif file

After a lot of rambling, the focus of this article is finally here

5. Production Process

1. Draft design

• Based on the words you listed (refer to point 2 of step 2)
• Draw a sketch accordingly, and try to make the draft as accurate as possible
• This will make it easier to color the lines later.

2. Clean up the lines, color and outline, and finalize the draft

3. Make the action and export the png sequence frame

Example 1: Expression-appearance

(How to make animation is not explained in detail here. You can learn the laws of animation movement and daily observation to design actions)

(The sequence is actually exported as shown above)

Example 2: Expression - Throwing Flowers

4. Import the exported sequence frames into PS

And open the timeline to do frame-by-frame animation

Each timeline layer corresponds to a layer

Remember it is one-to-one correspondence

Tips for inserting a png sequence frame and importing it into ps with one click:

1) File-Script-Load the file into the stack

2) Browse - Select the png sequence frames to be imported (and select all) - Click OK

At this point, you will see a PS interface like this

5. Follow step 1 to make the animation, adjust the frame time, and set the loop mode to forever

Save as web format, export gif file

6. This simple gif expression is completed

The article tutorial is shared here

I don't know if you get it, let's try it now