The Arterview: Yilx
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Introduction
It had been several weeks since ium had interviewed me, and while the sudden spurt in attention was out of the ordinary, I quickly returned to my usual habits and let the event fade into memory. That is, until I heard the vibrating sound of a cellphone out in the hallway, which after a quick look revealed that ium had left his briefcase at my door. I really should leave my apartment more often. As I dug through its contents, I quickly answered the phone after excavating it from a pile of toothbrushes. The voice was thick and rugged with a hint of boredom, and it immediately began to instruct that the next target of the Arterview was Yilx and that the trip had already been booked. I was about to object to the mission as iumpersonation isn't one of my best merits, but the opportunity to speak with Yilx on his home turf was actually something I've looked forward to, so the fact that I was to handle the interrogation myself was a minor detail. I quickly packed a bag of my own, and hours later I was on the plane destined for Singapore.
I had not properly prepared myself for the moist oven that is Singapore's standard climate, where even my thinnest clothing made for a sweat trap. Silently complaining about my Scandinavian gene pool, I made my way towards Yilx's living quarters, and eventually arrived at the front of an enormous palace. Its majestic pillars and sculptures made for an impressive display of architecture, but as I managed to break my thoughts loose from its spellbinding appearance, I noticed that Yilx was to be found at the back of the building. There, I spotted a small shack, and while heading towards it, I couldn't help but think how the palace and the shack was a striking simile for Yilx's work and his own view of it. I went through the entrance, made my way down into a cellar, and gently knocked on the door that appeared before me. A muffled voice invited me in, and I entered a deceptively ordinary room, with many stacks of paper adorning the small space. A young man hunched over a computer desk in the corner was the only sign of life within those four walls, and he quickly spun around and greeted me with a hand wave. I took the liberty of grabbing the closest chair, and as Yilx polished his glasses, I fired up the recorder and cleared my throat.
You're a familiar face around Smogon, Yilx, but for newcomers or members who are simply unaware about the person behind the name, give us a small introduction about yourself!
Hello, I'm Yilx, and I just like to draw. I'm from Singapore, I'm 23, and I've been playing Pokémon since RBY.
Since RBY, you say? That's as early as they come. What made you stick with the franchise though?
The gameplay, the visuals, the idea of having a team of your own to beat the bad people! The magic is not as strong as it was before after getting to know about competitive battling, but at least it was still there the last time I played BW. On the topic of competitive battling, I started sometime around Gen II and NetBattle, but I didn't really get into it until somewhere later around Gen III or early Gen IV.
Was it that interest that eventually brought you to the shores of Smogon?
Yeah, I lurked for a VERY long time before posting though. I don't really remember how it happened, but it was a migration from the NetBattle forums to the Smogon forums.
And how has the community affected you during the years? Any particular traits that has been sharpened?
Very basic traits, like "lurk more" and "don't post stupid things and expect praise in return".
Standard forum procedure, I silently noted, even though things would have been different if Yilx had been driven away at that point. But with such bad thoughts starting to well up, I decided to quickly steer towards the next topic.
Those latter comments have certainly turned around as of late, which brings us to the thing we're here to speak about: art.
Ya.
His eyes began to subtly spark, giving his face a confident look. He too had apparently been eager to reach this part of the interview.
What made you start drawing on your own?
I guess I was always interested in it since I was little. I went through the same silly process though: pencil, oekaki, animes, more animes...
Ah, yes, the anime phase. Many good artists have been lost in that stage of development.
I wouldn't say I really started drawing "seriously" until recently; 2 years in the army didn't do very well for my arting! Although, in those 2 years, I did all those "blackground" pics and started posting in Smeargle's and CAP.
The CAP forums is definitely one of your more renowned art outlets. You've contributed with plenty of monster designs to those projects; any particular reason why that's the case?
To put it simply, I like to create. Character design is one of the main reasons why I even draw in the first place. I tend to stray towards human-shaped, "loli"-like designs because it's personal preference, but I can do something else if I choose to though.
Would you say that your art has improved continuously over time, or have you had some major turning points?
I guess I had my first major turning point when I entered school, and the more recent one being when I got a job. I personally don't think I made much progress until the 2nd one I just mentioned.
That's right, I almost forgot that there's another trait that separates you from the average artist in our midst: you actually work with art. For any aspiring artist out there pondering about making their hobby a profession, what's your experience with it?
I can't say much as the industry differs quite a lot from country to country, but there holds one thing in common: keep working hard and never stop drawing. You'll sometimes have to draw until you hate drawing, but it'll be a test of your conviction and how much you actually want to do it. Basically you'll be judged to hell and back, and if you're not ready for it, then... it's better to keep practicing first before you try. It's a painful transgression, but if you can somehow come out on top victorious, it'll be amazing for you.
Seeing Yilx this serious is a rare sight. A small tear had formed in my eye, and I discreetly wiped it off as I prepared the next question.
But despite the fact that you use your talents in a work environment, you seem to have enough creative fuel left to draw on your free time and around the forums. What do you prefer to draw yourself, and how would you describe your own style?
It's more of me pushing myself beyond my limits more than anything. Most of my colleagues don't even draw when they are at home. That's the reason why I tend to be so busy: I'd really rather draw what I want to draw when I'm at home. On the topic of that, it's usually cute or cool anime girls and stuff. I'd rather not get into what my style is, but I guess it has evolved from a more outline, inked, and cel-shaded style into a more painted anime one.
It can be difficult describing something that you don't actively think of while performing, I admit.
Simply put, I'll just call it "anime". Being at work, I've seen many different people with different styles and it's somewhat surprising how some of them, who can do AMAZING western-styled work, fumble and struggle when told to do something outlines and cel-shaded.
Judging by your earlier answers, it seems like you still have some new territories you'd want to dig into. Looking into the future, what's next on your art agenda?
Getting better in general is my main agenda right now. Color, anatomy, and so on. Changing my style is out of the question though, but the most important thing is to have a clear goal in mind and to work towards it. I just wish to draw lots of pretty pictures.
A noble endeavor.
Yilx let out a dry chuckle. My smug smile returned to its usual expression and I picked up a small box from my bag.
We've gotten some community questions as well. Most of them were weeded out, although we have one about your IRC presence: why do you sometimes type those weird noises on IRC?
That tends to happen when I'm overly tired, or... it's just me in general. I am unable to find a suitable answer for that question.
I too had wondered about those cryptic messages, suspecting that there may lie a secret meaning below their gibberish appearance. Seems like I was overthinking it.
Fair enough. We'll take something more familiar then: what's the story behind your username?
Oh, it's a strange story. I was playing some f-zero game that only allowed 4 letters for a name, and I wanted "yellow". "Hey, Yilx kinda sounds like yellow". Kinda embarrassing, although I was like 9 or so at the time. Cant remember exactly. I thought it was unique.
And finally, we have the big question: what is your favorite Pokémon? The world deserves to know.
I've mentioned this a few times before, but I have a bunch of six that I like. Trying to pick a favorite Pokémon is VERY difficult, but: Meloetta, Kirlia, Lilligant, Sawk, Aggron, and Escavalier are my favorites by far. At least they're the six that come to my mind immediately when someone asks me "favorite Pokémon?" Meloetta-Step particularly though. Gardevoir and Steelix and Honchkrow come close too, but those six are really the ones I feel for. I am frequently told I have strange tastes and it probably shows through here, lol.
Those six species do vary considerably in types and appearances, but that is to be expected from an artist of your caliber.
Aw, come on, don't say that. I honestly don't think I'm really there yet.
Humble as usual.
Thanks for taking your time, Yilx. This has been both an informative and inspirational interview, and I wish you the best in your future undertakings.
Okay!
We shook hands, and I began heading out the door, but not before I could say one last thing.
Oh, and stop calling me 'god of art' whenever you see me on IRC.
lol, force of habit.
Critique
Anyone who is moderately active on Smogon should have in one way or the other come in contact with Yilx's work, be it artistic renditions of Pokémon retypes or slick artwork for The Smog articles. Being able to maintain several styles, create lustrous effects, or just generally turning ordinary things into more badass versions of themselves are just some reasons why he has made a name for himself and a target for many who wish to seek his services. While his art has for a long time attracted attention due to its dynamic content and skilled use of lighting, Yilx has only excelled himself during the years where each new image has had such improvements as closer details, vibrant colors, and daring perspectives. Even if it's just a speedpaint, Yilx knows how to both construct and create exciting images that shows off the best side of Pokémon and humans alike, and him being assigned to a task is essentially synonymous with receiving a solid piece of art. His more recent experiments include backgrounds and landscapes, where one such image can currently be seen in Pokemon Showdown's lobby.
But even if many would consider him the best artist Smogon has to offer, anyone who has interacted with Yilx knows that he doesn't view himself in the same light. While being an overall jolly individual who doesn't refrain from making a good joke, Yilx is all the more serious towards his own products and is very adamant about keeping his ego within proper bounds. While his self-criticism can even be seen as unjustified or biased from a spectator's point of view, it all boils down to a specific trait that all artists and creators need to have: modesty. Staying humble is what allows him to continuously seek out new ways to improve his art or search for other territories where he could gain more experience, while always admitting that there are other artists from whom he can learn. So whether his view of himself is true or not, he's always open for criticism and even encourages others to inspect his images, all for the purpose of growing as an artist.
Overall, Yilx has been a staple in Smogon's art community and contributed a steady flow of pictures for both personal requests and site purposes alike, and he doesn't intend on slowing down any time soon. His art thread is the local joint where he displays his craft, although his work can also be seen on pixiv and deviantART. If for some reason you have been completely unaware of Yilx and his visual creations, then that only means that you have a veritable feast of imagery to behold in his galleries, and there are few who wouldn't mind going through that experience again. It's a sight to behold.
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