Tickle artists #125: Interview with Fharalys

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

Hello, I am a digital artist known as Fharalys on the web. I started out as an erotic genre artist (NSFW) using digital tools about a year ago, but I have been a traditional artist for many years before that. I am mostly self-taught.

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

I usually use a combination of cell shading and shading techniques with an airbrush, although I tend to use the latter more often. I like to experiment and try new things, which usually allows me to find methods and solutions to reproduce certain styles when needed. In terms of equipment, I currently use a simple graphics tablet, although I plan to upgrade soon. I use Clipstudio as my main program.

I have several reference artists in the genre, such as Sleepygimp, Footcroft and Empiricalsmut, to name a few. I also take inspiration from the more traditional genre and great masters, both in comics and on canvas. However, I would like to mention one immense Argentine master: Carlos Gómez, particularly for his work on the comic series Dago.

Finally, I have had the privilege of getting to know artists who I discovered while delving into the foot fetish world. They are masters of the genre and have become my friends: SinfullySoles and DivinitySoles. They have supported me greatly.

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

I have been drawing for as long as I can remember, with only the occasional short break. I have my family to thank for this, as their personal artistic inclination has inspired me to continue over the years.

As for the foot fetish genre, I would say that I started quite late in becoming a creative part of it. One day, I woke up and told myself, ‘Why not? Let’s do this.’

The subgenre of foot tickling came later, but it was added almost naturally. I have my friend and colleague JennyGirlArt to thank for this. She is a talented 3D artist and a pillar of the foot fetish community. She suggested and inspired my first drawing of foot tickling.

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

For the most part, I prefer foot tickling to be part of a bondage scene, but there must be a story behind it — a reason and a method. Foot tickling for its own sake doesn’t usually appeal to me. There can be different intriguing scenarios, such as rivalry between characters, pride to defend or simple corruption, as well as softer things like jokes between characters or voluntary humiliation.

As mentioned previously, there must be a story behind it for the piece to be effective. People like to indulge in fantasy, but these genres attract and stimulate them more by offering them a well-packaged story. This applies to me as a creative too.

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?

Of the three mentioned, I would definitely say the relationship between the tickler and the ticklee. As I mentioned earlier, the story behind the design is important to me. Sometimes, when the character shown is interacting with automated machinery or magical objects, it is a suggestive challenge to do so. In that case, the challenge lies in describing the tickler and explaining how and why they are doing all that to the ticklee (without appearing in the frame themselves), and the background scenery helps a lot with this.

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

Personally, I would say it’s because illustrations offer more scope for imagination and stimulation. The reality depicted in photos and videos has a different, more primal appeal. Drawings, on the other hand, have virtually unlimited potential.

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

This is a very difficult question because everyone is different and has their own personal tastes. The intention underlying this is certainly to see the ticklee in a vulnerable state, as if to remove their usual social mask. It’s no coincidence that many people prefer the ticklee to be a serious or confident character. But perhaps I am wrong; people have various personal fantasies, which are often mixed with other kinks.

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

Without a doubt, I would say that all of my current work on Guilty Gear Strive characters. Of course, there are other pieces here and there, including from my time as a traditional artist.

I also have to mention my numerous collaborations and art trades with various artists(some of them mentioned before), particularly my series of works with WickedViky, which have found their own space and a kind of continuity that I value greatly, both artistically and sentimentally.

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

I would like to learn digital painting techniques and work without line art. I would also like to be able to draw as many characters as possible from my favourite media (movies, video games, comics, anime, etc.), as well as create new ones.

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

In the arts, I think it can be a useful and enriching tool. However, as history has taught us, tools can be used as shortcuts by lazy people who are eager to enrich themselves, thereby destroying all kinds of good intentions. This is especially true in recent years, when everything is pushed to extremes.

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