Uber-Judge Interview #7: Heart464

In this interview, Heart464 shares her thoughts on her walling/judging experience thus far, offers up advice for making stylish design wallpapers, and also reveals some of her RL hobbies! XD

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1. How long have you been walling? What made you want to start walling?

I think I first started making walls around 2005. Before that, I had fun designing websites for myself and others. I discovered Minitokyo and Animepaper during my searches for resources and such. I was thrilled and still am about the content these two resources provide! Seeing all the great wallpapers on both these sites encouraged me to try making some myself.

2. Are there any wallers who you particularly admire?

Among my favorite wallers: Grayserg, anbuu, crapmonster, SohoDoll, manesseh

3. Where did you get your username from? (Where did the “464? part come from?)

It is kind of cheesy, actually. I made it up when I first met my husband, and the meaning is only known by the two of us.

4. The vectoring and typography in your walls have been, well, stunning to say the least. Were there any particular sources of design inspiration that you drew on for your walls?

Nothing specific. Just things I see in my everyday life, design books and websites, magazines, music, or movies.

5. Do you have any general advice for people who are interested in making their own stylish design walls? Are there any common pitfalls or things that people should avoid when making design walls?

Look for designs you like and see what kind of elements you want to try out for yourself. Eventually, you’ll end up with your own style.

I think its important to take the time to choose the right colors, fonts, and layout/placement. I know that when I finish a wallpaper, I’m excited to be able to post it, but taking the extra time to try alternative colors or fonts can further enhance your end result. I think its also a good idea to build a nice library of fonts, brushes, and textures. And don’t be afraid to try different colors that may not seem like they would go together, but look awesome when used in your wallpaper!

6. What kind of walls do you like to use? What’s your current desktop?

I’m pretty open to any kind of wallpaper, depends on my mood. Right now I’m using Anbuu’s Jin wallpaper – really enjoying the colors!

7. Your last wall was submitted to AP 2 years ago, and needless to say your walls have been missed! What brought about the hiatus, and how often do you still check AP?

I stopped going to AP for 2 or so years, and now I visit the site more often to look at all the pretty pictures every couple of days since the summer began.

I’ve noticed there are a lot more members on AP now that are creating more abstract and design walls. I stopped walling since other hobbies took over for me. I still make occasional graphics for people’s websites and such, but nothing major.

8. Will you be submitting any new walls to AP in the near future? :3

Perhaps. The participants of this competition are really inspiring me to start walling again.

9. What do you do in Real Life? ;D

In real life, I am a nurse, who in her spare time, enjoys doing photography, collecting cute vinyl figures and dolls, and watching Asian horror movies. Also, one day I would like to adopt a kitty.

10. How has the competition been going for you as a judge? Do you have any general words of wisdom or advice for the participants of AP Clash?

Just keep up the great work, everyone! I’m impressed with the amount of work and creativity that everyone has put into their walls. Its definitely fun for me as a judge, and I can’t wait to see the upcoming submissions!

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Thanks bunches Heart464! <3

For more reads on your Round 2 uber-judges, check out Interviews!