Creator Interview #1 - Vitalii, the creator of Evie and Kinie
Join us for a delightful dive into the creative world of Vitalii, the brilliant mind behind Evie and Kinie who amassed more than 1.4 million followers on Instagram. Our latest blog features an engaging interview with Vitalii, offering insights into his artistic journey, inspirations, and the charming creation of his characters. Get a glimpse of the passion and creativity that drives one of the most imaginative character creators in the digital art scene.
Background and Inspiration - Vitalii, could you share a bit about your background in character design and what inspired you to create 'Evie and Kinie'?
I created the characters Evie and Kinie as two opposites who, despite this, are madly in love with each other and cannot be apart. My inspiration always and in everything is my wife. We have been together for more than 10 years, and in creating each video, I just look at our everyday lives.
Creative Process - What does your creative process look like when designing a new story or sticker set for 'Evie_Kinie'?
When a funny moment happens in my everyday life with my wife, I imagine how Evie and Kinie would look in this situation, after which I get to work. This was my first experience in creating stickers, so I sat in front of a mirror and tried to show different emotions, then sketched out the most successful ones in my opinion.
Vitalii at work..! Challenges and Solutions - Creating a character-based sticker series is a journey filled with challenges. Could you tell us about a significant challenge you faced with 'Evie_Kinie' and how you overcame it?
Before creating Evie and Kinie, I had never created frame-by-frame animation, and learning the basic knowledge of frame-by-frame animation was and still is a big difficulty for me. Also, creating each video takes me about 8-10 hours, and sometimes I have to force myself to work.
Audience Engagement - How do you connect with your audience and gather feedback to ensure 'Evie_Kinie' resonates with them?
I really love communicating with my audience through comments and personal messages. I really enjoy creating different polls to get closer to my audience. When I publish a new video, I pay attention to the views; if the number of views is higher than usual, it means that the moment from our everyday life resonated with more people.
Stipop Platform Experience - What has been your experience using the Stipop platform? How has it helped in showcasing and distributing 'Evie_Kinie'?
In the comments and in direct messages, people often wrote to me about stickers, but I didn’t know how to do it. Stipop helped Evie and Kinie characters break into an absolutely new niche. My experience with the Stipop platform is extremely positive. The Stipop team works very professionally, they are always ready to help and answer all the questions.
Advice for Aspiring Creators - What advice would you give to aspiring character creators who are aiming to gather a large audience on Instagram like how you did?
The idea and the message are no less important than the skill. I found many incredibly skilled artists with a small audience and found many not very skilled artists who find a response from a large number of people because they can convey their ideas and their message. Advice for beginners: along with improving your skills, develop your vision, study the niche in which you want to become popular.
Personal Growth and Learning - How has your journey with 'Evie_Kinie' contributed to your personal and professional growth as a creator?
Like any other artist, I am very glad that my works have found their audience. The fact that people can share the stories of Evie and Kinie with their loved ones makes me very happy.
Favorite 'Evie_Kinie' Moment - Of all the stickers in the 'Evie_Kinie' series, do you have a personal favorite or a moment that stands out to you?
Every Evie and Kinie sticker is very important to me because they are all a part of me.
*You can view Vitalii’s stickers here.
Message to the Stipop Community - Lastly, what message would you like to share with the Stipop community, both current and future creators?
Stipop is an excellent platform that awaits a wonderful future. Stipop gives the opportunity to develop character IPs and earn extra revenue for a huge number of content creators, and that is incredibly cool!
Message to future creators: Don’t be afraid to create something new, take risks, and implement your thoughts and ideas!
(The answers were written in Russian, and were translated into English)
Vitalii's journey is a beacon of inspiration for aspiring character creators. If you're ready to embark on a similar path, Stipop welcomes you to join our community and bring your characters to life. Interested in sharing your own creative story? Reach out to us at artist@stipop.io for a chance to be featured. Start your journey with Stipop today, where every character has a story, and every creator has a stage.