#artoftt

[ticklish-touch]

Decided to post my Backrooms chapter illustrations separately. The links to all the (SFW) chapters can be found here:

Chapter 1 - The Game Begins: https://ticklish-touch.tumblr.com/post/697433375261212672/trapped-in-the-backrooms-chapter-one-the-game Chapte

I really wanted to push myself not just as a writer, but also as a digital artist for this story.

You can read some rambles about my art process for each illustration below the cut.

Ch 1: For this chapter cover, I wanted to do my best to replicate the eerie, sickly vibe of Level Zero. And that resulted me in really playing around with the lighting and shadows in a way that I hadn't before. I also wanted to give it a bit of wonky perspective and feel a bit like an illusion-house.

Ch 2: Lookit this cheeky fucker. Totally isn't a Tower of Terror employee luring you into a false sense of security. 😁 My initial idea for this illustration was to make it look as if the Manager's cuttlefish head was really morphing & bowing out from within the wallpaper. I tried a couple drafts where I attempted to line up his tentacles and facial patterns with the wallpaper patterns. And idk, it just didn't end up looking as cool as it did in my head. (Also hallelujiah for Clip pattern brushes, they helped me make the trim around the elevator.)

Ch 3: Fun fact: This chapter was originally going to be the second half of my hotel chapter. But I'm glad it became its own thing, cause otherwise it would've robbed me of the chance to draw Rags acting like a supervillain in a construction helmet and flannel 👍

also Clip Studio Assets are a godsend, they prevent me from having to draw out an entire freakin warehouse floorplan. I did color it all myself though.

Ch 4: I remember this drawing taking me longer than I would've liked.Then again I've always struggled to draw somewhat realistic-looking water. The shadow off-shooting below the smaller cube pool into the deeper water was actually a complete accident.

And in case anyone was wanting to see a close-up of Lionfish Rags:

And again, Spike and Drake are temporary names for the sake of this AU setting until I think of actual names (for if and when I ever get around to making a Mer-Nautica AU like I've been wanting to). The silhouettes show how big they were when I first saw them in my dreams:

Ch 5: I had visuals in mind for a group of Wanderers/ Survivors since before I wrote this chapter, and grew even more attached to them as I wrote them. I was originally going to just have them depicted here, but I also couldn't get the stupid image of Rags and his megaphone out of my head and decided it needed to be shared 👌

Ch 6: When I tell yall that it was a struggle to get through drawing this. And not because of genuine art struggles; No, because of the pure Lee Panik that gripped my soul when having to zoom in close on Rags' sadistic unhinged Ler face hhhhhhfdhdfjgkfghl-

This was one of the chapters I was most looking forward to writing. It's still one of my favs in terms of pure unbridled ruthless gang-tickling, the culmination of my pred/prey/chasing fantasies revolving around laughter-hungry monsters, along with some good ol Mad Scientist roleplay.

...Oh and the first official introduction of the final antagonist, there's that too 😛

Ch 7: Yall have no idea the absolute childlike glee I felt when discovering that there's a freaking Bouncehouse/McDonalds Playplace level of the Backrooms. But holy hell, drawing the Toon Monsters was more of a challenge than I thought. There's a surprising amount of finesse in depicting that wacky, slightly-unnerving/uncanny toony charm. (Ballpit brush is best brush, change mymind)

Ch 8: Since this chapter was more or less meant to be a sort of mid-series Climax, a hint of what the battle with the Keymaster would be like, I really wanted to push myself with making this chapter cover truly stand out. It was fun to come up with a full-body design for the Court Jester (based on his Wiki interpretation of course), and it was fun to experiment with the ideas I had in mind for his magic visuals.

Once again, Clip Studio assets are a lifesaver, you can catch me actually attempting to draw a rollercoaster or carousel when I'm six feet under 👌

Ch 9: I was both excited about, and dreading, the chance to play around with various different light colors & sources. I wasn't sure how I was going to make neon blues, purples and magentas work in contrast to Rags' color palette, but I'm very happy with what I came up with.

The Dark Sovereign was also a chance for me to play around with chiaroscuro, an art technique that I've always admired (and actually really liked to do with chalk & pastel back in college). As much as I'm a slut for bright colors, I love stark contrasting black & white.

Ch 10: I went through about three iterations of sketches for this chapter cover. I felt like I just couldn't figure out how to angle the perspective of the treeline in comparison to the Giant. I'm still not even sure if I thoroughly pulled off the proper perspective of the greenhouse in the far distance. But once I added all the pretty, spooky fog effects, I became much happier with it.

Unfortunately I do not have a standalone drawing of Naga!Rags. It will definitely happen one of these days.

Ch 11: For this chapter, I wanted to draw a very cramped, stark, foreboding stretch of environment: Basically, a quintessential scene that one would see in the Backrooms if they were wandering through them alone. This is meant to be a much more down-to-earth chapter than the rest, with an air of melancholy and uncertainty. Turns out it actually lined up quite well with some of my own mental and emotional struggles that I was going through at the time.

Ch 12: For the final hurrah, I really wanted to push myself as a digital artist for this piece. (Though that doesn't mean I was about to draw all those goddamn keys from scratch, lmaoo you can thank Clip Assets for that key ring.) I wanted to try and find a way to make the Keymaster the more imposing figure in the piece, despite the fact that Rags is fully powered-up and closest to the viewer. I'm not sure if I entirely succeeded, since my end solution for making him stand out more was "MOAR GLOWY KEYS!!!"

But it was still fun, and very rewarding to get it completed.

Ch 13: I was very happy to finally get the chance to fully render Kenni for this fic. As much as shading his tendrils still drives me up the wall, it felt nice drawing the good soff boi. And I was happy to give an idea of how his Dream realm looks, with all its pastel clouds and close proximity to the Astral plane.

[ticklish-touch]

I decided to make one final redraw of my banner of Kenni and Rags for the epilogue of my Backrooms story.

Trapped in the Backrooms: Epilogue - Laughter Never Dies

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works And here it is. Finally. It already feels like a lifetime

Trapped in the Backrooms - Epilogue: Laughter Never Dies (*N/S/F/W*)

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works I'm ngl, I was looking even more forward to writing the N

I figured it would be fitting for it to be the last illustration I upload to this Tumblr.

These two have meant so much to me over the past ten years. Although I have many, many other stories, ideas and concepts brewing for all of my other OCs, these two - especially Ragaeli - have always been huge go-to comfort characters for me.

And I'm so, so incredibly happy that they've also been able to bring joy to all of my fans & watchers over the years. Seriously, it means so much to me to see how many people have been impacted by my art and writing in some way; it flatters me that so many people have wanted to know more about them or interact with them. It still blows my mind that my blorbos are one of the very first results that show up when looking up Gargalesis or Knismesis.

Going forward, I might not end up drawing them as much anymore. I really want to give Kama, and my other Dream entities, their time to shine. But these two tickle fiends will always be two of my main Muses. They're a reminder of values, kink-related or not, that I hold very near and dear:

Embracing one's love of adrenaline, spooky fun, chaotic intensity, and madness... And learning how to find comfort, serenity, and simple joys in life.

[ticklish-touch]

So I thought I already posted this but then I saw it sitting in my drafts, whoops

I don't actually have a fully cleaned-up profile pic for Laurence yet. The entire reason I drew him with his hands in his pockets to begin with was to have him pull out a bunch of tickle-tools with a shitty grin. It'll happen eventually, lmao.

In the meantime, his full bio is below the cut!

Name: Laurence

Alias: Laurie, Laffy Taffy (or just Taffy). He dislikes Larry and will purposely ignore it.

Race: Human

Age: 28

Pronouns: He/They

Height: 7'0"

Sexuality: Pansexual, gynesexual (a preference for women and/or feminine-leaning) - is very respectful of trans and NB peeps who do not want to be perceived as female.

Personality: Overall he's a gentle giant. Outside of costume, he's quiet, soft-spoken, and keeps to himself. He seems low-energy and a little melancholy. His playful, fun-loving demeanor comes out more when he's having fun at arcades, movies, amusement parks etc. but he's still more energetic in costume, where he allows himself to be goofy and theatrical, and feels like he can be more true to himself. A bit of a cheeky prankster. Very protective & paternal towards his friends.

Likes: Performing, clowns & circuses, making people laugh, partying, amusement parks, arcades, sweets (especially taffy), tickling, making children happy, animated media (mostly adult animated comedies), cute clown ladies & big boobs

Dislikes: Horror (especially 'evil clown' stereotypes), overly-controlling parents, being alone, circuses that still practice animal performing. Very nervous in front of crowds when he's not in costume.

As a Ler: Devilishly playful, will pry someone to reveal their ticklish spots. He's typically gentle, but can be more intense if his partner wishes. He likes to go for unconventional spots (back, palms, ankles, cheeks, etc). He's very good at faking out his partner and keeping them guessing. He always has a good amount of tickle tools packed away in his duffels & suitcases, and in his jumpsuit pockets.

As a lee: He's very shy about being tickled, since he's usually the Ler, but he thinks it feels very nice and he enjoys the attention. But expect him to take revenge~ If you tie him up, chances are he'll find a way to slip free.

Ticklish spots: His feet, knees, ears & jawline are his worst spots. Loves belly tickles even though it's not super ticklish, because he likes positive affirmations about his belly pudge.

Other:

• Very skilled at improv comedy

• He's amazing at slight-of-hand and lock-picking. People sometimes wonder why he's a clown and not a magician.

• Good at playing piano and accordion

• Outside of costume he often wears eyeshadow, nail polish, and minimalistic clowncore clothes.

• He's very charismatic and observant. He likes to learn as much as he can about people and is excellent at networking.

• He occasionally makes & dyes his own jumpsuits. He always uses costume contacts and temporary hair dyes or wigs for his acts.

Some alternate outfits:

• Despite being very dexterous with his hands, he's a klutz that tends to trip over nothing or run into everything because of his height. He's jealous of, and has a lot of respect for, acrobats.

• He has a goofy Seth Rogen-ish laugh that he's self-conscious of unless in costume.

• He has belly pudge from his many years of eating sweets & getting munchies. It's just not noticeable under his baggy jumpsuits.

• He's friends with drag queens & dresses in drag himself from time to time.

• He gets high/drunk frequently, but he doesn't do it alone, and is very conscientious of not going overboard.

• He gets very shy and flustered around cute clown girls.

• He has a wide, toothy smile that is considered unnerving & intimidating by many. Very effective as a Ler smile~

Background:

Laurence always loved theater & performing, especially at circuses. He was in theater classes for the majority of his middle and high school years. He eventually insisted to his mom that he would like to be a circus performer, or at least a party clown to start with, and she more or less laughed him off. She and his teachers all insisted he use his skills in networking and coordinating for something more "useful" or lucrative, like a manager or director. She even partially hoped he would keep performing as a hobby and pursue other careers. This caused a rift to form between them, and made him feel like he had to hide his true passions and personality. But in spite of their discouragement, he got a degree in performing arts and started landing circus gigs.

Over the years, he began to realize he had a tickle kink. He adored peoples' laughter, and got a rush out of tickling & being tickled. In his early twenties, he browsed dating sites, servers, forums, etc seeking out other knismos - especially people who had an affinity for clowns. Using this knowledge, as well as his knack for networking and lock-picking, he began to seek the thrill of tracking down people who are interested in sessions, essentially becoming a serial tickler. He doesn't do much to hide this 'hobby', he just asks his partners to keep his real name & identity under wraps. But encourages them to spread rumors about the infamous Tickle Clown so that he can reach out to more potential playmates~

He works as an event coordinator for his local theater, which he's started doing remotely as he travels more & finds performing troupes to join.

[ticklish-touch]

Caramelldansen Kama anon here... I tried searching your blog through Tumblr's search and through Google, and cannot find these Willie and Nillie. Am I blind, or have they been sitting in the drafts with Laurence? 😅

Ok now them I never did make a bio for, I think I only briefly mentioned them & made them cameo in my Circus chapter.

BUT in a nutshell:

Willie and Nillie are clown entities from the Surreal realm. They both manifested around the same time, when amusement parks first started becoming popular. They bring dreams of super trippy carnivals with floating rides, no sense of direction or gravity, and bright, colorful neon lights everywhere.

Willie (stage name Topsy) is very hyperactive, loud, and aggressively enthusiastic, and never stops moving. They bring motion-based dreams with thrill rides, with the added bonus of motion sickness not affecting someone in their sleep. They can spin their head & neck ruffles right off of their body like a top. They don't intend to scare people, they can just be a little... intense.

Nillie (stage name Turvy) is very gregarious, talkative and affectionate. They don't have full physicality, they phase in and out of view like a Cheshire cat. They can create dazzling light displays, which don't have ill effects on someone with epilepsy. Usually Willie manifests the rides, while Nillie decks them out in their aesthetic.

They're like siblings, they're practically attached at the hip. They're both agender, but go by any pronouns. They're both mischief-makers and can be a bit much to deal with, but ultimately they just want people to have a fun time!

This scare actor is a dead-ringer for Willie's voice and inflections (including the tone changes):

Helping tying your shoes!

Nillie has an androgynous voice with a very strong Jersey accent. Quite a bit like Danny's impression of his teacher 😛

Willie, Nillie, Balthy and Roscoe are all BFFs and often get together to create their own Dream Circus!

[ticklish-touch]

*After reading tv shows/movies question* Respectfully, who is this Laurence you mention? Is he a new oc you haven't introduced yet?

OH SHIT I'M DUMB, LMAO I totally thought I at least shared my sketch of him, but turns out I didn't, whoops

Laurence is my latest human character. He's a circus clown! I figured I should make at least one clown that isn't a magical inter-dimensional entity 👍

I'll post a more complete bio in a little bit, but in a nutshell:

Laurence (aka Laurie, or his stage name Laffy Taffy) was a theater kid that always wanted to be a circus performer. His mom and teachers didn't take his goals seriously, but in spite of them he still went to clown college. He also works as an event coordinator for his local theater, which he eventually starts doing remotely as he picks up more performing gigs & going to more traveling circuses.

He's also a serial tickler. :3c Because he's so good at networking, and has joined so many knismo chats, servers, forums, etc, he gets a lot of hookups. He's so good at slight-of-hand (and good with his hands in general ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ) that he sometimes just.. welcomes himself into someone's house to spring a session on them~ (totally consented of course! He won't do it unless they've made it blatantly obvious that they'd want him to make a surprise visit.)

Also he's seven feet tall 👌

[ticklish-touch]

Felt like doing something self-indulgent after...frankly, a pretty shitty month, so here’s the finished illustration from my speedpaint. My friend @raybidtickles introduced me to the song “Hide and Seek” by Jonny T, and it gave me such immediate Ragman vibes that I had to use it somehow. I know I haven’t done actual tickling art in quite some time, but anticipation can be just as exciting in its own way~

Blue isn’t intimidated too easily, their Leo personality and draconic need to fite everyone drives them to come out on top. but Ragman, understandably, gets to them pretty easily :3c

I didn’t draw their glasses because they do wear contacts sometimes. I did forget to add their ear hoops though, whoops

[ticklish-touch]

UPDATE: I have the completed illustrations posted now. If you like and/or reblog this WIP post, I would also really appreciate you taking a look at the finished versions as well! Thank you!

~Let Us Hear Your Laughter ~

Ok so. I actually finished these right before I got hella sick, but was going to wait to post them til after I got more progress on the othe

Aight so. I wanted to wait until I had these completely finished before posting them, but I still might not have a computer for at least a couple weeks and I'm seeing more and more ppl in the TK community sharing art of these two getting rekt like they deserve. So I wanna at least share the progress I made last month 👍

This is based on the chapter "Counting to Ten" from my fanfic, where the shocks from a TENS unit are unbearably ticklish to the two bots. Sunny can handle a much more intense bout of ticklish pulses than Moon; probably because no-one's ever dared to try giving the tickle monster a taste of his own medicine~

[ticklish-touch]

Oh lawd he comin

About time I draw some more art of my goopy boi. And I absolutely intend to draw some very steamy TK art with him ;3c

Iris is my first yandere-leaning OC. But he's definitely more horny yandere than murder-y yandere, lmao. He'll only kill people if they're genuinely scummy, and he likes sharing his partners and having slime orgies

He's clingy, overly-protective, needy, destructive, mentally off-kilter, and really fearful of losing people that he cares about. He takes great pleasure in chasing down his partners & playmates and making them succumb to his advances. You see him coming after you with this face and boi you'd better run

It's all in good fun though~ He doesn't want to actually scare ppl that he likes. Just know that once he does take a liking to you, he'll proceed to pounce your ass every time he sees you 👍