Teknidermy Magazine - Meet the New Kids, pt. II

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Teknidermy Magazine - Issue 3 , Vol. 1	March/April, 2001
Meet the New Kids - Part II Interview with a Hip Dude named Hippy by Doreen Tek: Hippy is well know in the Skinning Community as not only a Superb Skinning Machine but also a fun person to be around! Thanks so much Hippy for sparing some of your "Valuable Skinning Time" for me and the readers of Teknidermy! Hippy: Greetings, fair maiden Tek: Okay where shall we begin this interview? serious questions or fun? Hippy: Up to you. As you know, I'm always deadly serious Cough cough.... Tek: Okay, let's begin with who hippy is! Please share with us a little bit of the man behind the massive amounts of skins? Hippy: My name is Mark Mcquillan, I come from a wee town in Scotland called Port Glasgow, which is about 20 miles outside of Glasgow. I'm 20 years old, going 21 in a few months and this is my first Skinnaholics Anonymous meeting. Tek: How and when did you first realize you could create your owns skins? Was it by finding this out on skinning sites, or by simply "playing around" with a skin- able application? Hippy: The day I first ventured onto the internet and decided to check out the Winamp site, was the day I first discovered skinz. I only realized I could make them, when I found out that a friend of mines made his own WA skinz. It took me a while to actually try my own, and one day I found one of those 'Quick skin' programs for Winamp, and that was the start and also I think the day I saw Treetogs Attacker and Copperdeck themes, was the day I started skinning other progs! Tek: So actually some of your motivation came from seeing treetogs work? That is nice to hear that other skinners are motivation for new comers in the skinning community! Hippy: Well, treetog...shhesss, he's ....uuh...alright......He's got potential.....sorta... Hippy: I reckon if it hadn't been for Renato, I'd still be skinning Winamp Tek: look how far you've come! You ended up in second place right under him! (Hippy came in second place at a Deviantart skins contest. The rules were basically that all your skins uploaded between a certain period, got a score based on D/L's , comments, and grades. Treetog came in 1st and Hippy got 2nd.!) Hippy: Yeah, he uploaded all his older stuff to Devartart (He's real sneaky :)) Tek: hehe Do you remember your first skin and do you still have it laying around on your Hard Drive somewhere? we would really love to see your first skin! Hippy: It was a picture skin of a guitarist called Darrel Abbot, who plays for pantera. Sucked big time. Tek: I don't really know anyone who's first skin did not need room for improvement = suck big time! hehe Hippy: I don't have it anymore but I can get a ss of it right now from the Winamp site, while we do this, if you like? But remember, it's AWFUL! Tek: YES! Tek would love to see it! kind of like a before and after you learned more in skinning? Okay for those of you curious about Hippy's first skin click "HERE" and for those of you curious and want to see one of Hippy's more advanced skinz click "HERE" Tek: What programs do you use for making your skins? Hippy: Photoshop 5. Nothing else. Apart from Notepad to do ini files etc. Although I started out on PSP5, then 6 Tek: What is your average time to make a windowblind? I only ask that because of the numerous windowblinds you make and you should have a formula down pat by now? =) Hippy: I usually have them already sketched out before I start, and then I generally do them in one sitting of about 5-6 hours. Tek: yikes hippy! I always find it so interesting the broad spectrum of the time it takes each person to make their windowblinds, some take hours some take days some even take months! Hippy: I have real bad insomnia, so I usually sit up till about 4-5am working on them to fill the time Tek: So it is true you don't sleep! you skin 24/7? hehe Hippy: People think because I churn out so many, that i don't spend much time on them.... but that's very far from true it's quite the opposite! Tek: I know I have seen such comments to some peoples work that are notorious for making large quantities of skins, and have thought to myself if some people only knew how much work goes into making skins =( most people who leave such comments have never made even one single skin! Hippy: Yeah, true. Hippy: In the end, comments never bother me. Even if no one ever commented on my stuff I'd care less because I skin for myself, and I share with others... Tek: That's interesting hippy some people are quite different! They skin for the comments and the number of downloads. Hippy: If 1 person D/Ls my work, I'm happy! Tek: What other applications do you enjoy skinning? And which is your Favorite one to skin? Hippy: I sickened myself off of skinning Winamp. Windowblinds has to be my favourite. I also like Nextstart and I'm really getting into Hoverdesk themeing Tek: Seems a lot of people are taking notice of Hoverdesk lately? Is that hard to skin? Hippy: Yeah, I have it run on start-up and I use it all the time. It's not hard to skin, but you have to plan your theme, or else it'll just look awful. Tek: Have you ever made a DesktopX theme? Hippy: Nope. Doubt I ever will. hehe Tek: okay had to ask... hehehe =( Tek: Out of all the skin able apps out there to date which one do you want to skin that you have NOT skinned yet? Hippy: None. I'd have skinned it already! ;) Tek: How long have you been skinning now? Hippy: Just over a year. I was very quiet until about July, so people assumed I was only doing it since then. Tek: Where are some of the places you deposit your skinz at? Hippy: Skinz.org and Deviantart.com Used to post at Deskmod, but not anymore (No offence to those guys though)... I started off posting at Custo... Tek: Yes a lot of people started at custo Hippy: I also have stuff on my friend Jason (Aka Scarebear) site. He runs a skin site which is very different to others. Tek: why is it different? Hippy: It's hard to explain. His system is that he has a few skinners, who have given him permission to post their work. His site is designed to get skinners work recognized, and to maybe get them some paid work doing what they like... Hippy: Can I shamelessly advertise his site? Tek: It's your interview! Hippy: http://www.twohipdudes.com/ Tek: Thanks Tek: Hippy you are so enjoyed around at skinz.org, what other places do you hang your hat at? I mean not just posting your skins but hanging out on the msg boards and all? Hippy: You're most likely to find me on the Hoverdesk and Winstep irc channels and occasionally on the Deviantart one too. Tek: Oh so you too are an irc'er Hippy: Yep! Tek: How do you find the time hippy? When I don't see you on the msg boards I'm thinking you are doing some serious skinning and you mean your on irc chatting around too? Hippy: I usually skin whilst on irc/ICQ. Hippy: I'm unemployed just now, so I gotta a lot of time. I get about 5 - 6 hours of sleep I think, Kinda grown used to it now, so it doesn't burn me out so bad * Hippy collapses* Tek: Hippy what are your plans for your future? Do you think skinning will help you pursue something in this field? Hippy: I want to do something with graphics, for a living. I trained as a sound engineer about 4 years back, but it's not something that interests me anymore. Definitely graphics, or web design is what i want to do Hippy: Either that or I'd like to be a Las Vegas showgirl....... Tek: hehe I don't believe when I ask that question it ever leads anywhere else. I mean most people that Design skins and web sites etc enjoy it so much they would all love to pursue it as a means to making a living! Tek: Is there a subject about yourself Hippy that you would like to discuss in Teknidermy? Hippy: What do you mean? Tek: Something about yourself you would like to share? Weren't you prepared for this interview? hehe Hippy: Of course I am, I have my tent, bug repellant and baseball bat sitting right here Hippy: Oh! I got something to brag!! Tek: Well give it to us! Hippy: I just came 3rd in the Talisman themes 2000 contest! For Talisman, It was a joint effort between myself and my buddy Dave (Aka Transmutate). I owe it to him for his help. Tek: Congratulations Hippy! Readers if you want to see that winning theme click "HERE" Tek: Okay now let's get back on some serious questions now??? Shall we? Hippy: Ok then, I s'pose...... hehe Tek: There have been some serious rumors that hippy has a "Magic Bag" can you reiterate more on that sir? Hippy: Lies! All lies! It was a story published in the National Enquirer. All lies! I swear to you! Lies! Tek: So what you are saying is that there is NO magic bag? Hippy: There...'might'. be....... Ahem... Tek: Rumor has it that you pull many of your skins out from that magic bag! Hippy: Who's been talking to you?!?! I demand to know!!!! My secrets are out. Sob Tek: Sorry sir I cannot divulge that information Tek: Well hippy it has been great to interview you! and I'm sure the readers of Teknidermy will be keeping an eye out for your future skinz =)
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Teknidermy Magazine - Issue 3 , Vol. 1	March/April, 2001
Meet the New Kids - Part II Interview with a Hip Dude named Hippy by Doreen Tek: Hippy is well know in the Skinning Community as not only a Superb Skinning Machine but also a fun person to be around! Thanks so much Hippy for sparing some of your "Valuable Skinning Time" for me and the readers of Teknidermy! Hippy: Greetings, fair maiden Tek: Okay where shall we begin this interview? serious questions or fun? Hippy: Up to you. As you know, I'm always deadly serious Cough cough.... Tek: Okay, let's begin with who hippy is! Please share with us a little bit of the man behind the massive amounts of skins? Hippy: My name is Mark Mcquillan, I come from a wee town in Scotland called Port Glasgow, which is about 20 miles outside of Glasgow. I'm 20 years old, going 21 in a few months and this is my first Skinnaholics Anonymous meeting. Tek: How and when did you first realize you could create your owns skins? Was it by finding this out on skinning sites, or by simply "playing around" with a skin- able application? Hippy: The day I first ventured onto the internet and decided to check out the Winamp site, was the day I first discovered skinz. I only realized I could make them, when I found out that a friend of mines made his own WA skinz. It took me a while to actually try my own, and one day I found one of those 'Quick skin' programs for Winamp, and that was the start and also I think the day I saw Treetogs Attacker and Copperdeck themes, was the day I started skinning other progs! Tek: So actually some of your motivation came from seeing treetogs work? That is nice to hear that other skinners are motivation for new comers in the skinning community! Hippy: Well, treetog...shhesss, he's ....uuh...alright......He's got potential.....sorta... Hippy: I reckon if it hadn't been for Renato, I'd still be skinning Winamp Tek: look how far you've come! You ended up in second place right under him! (Hippy came in second place at a Deviantart skins contest. The rules were basically that all your skins uploaded between a certain period, got a score based on D/L's , comments, and grades. Treetog came in 1st and Hippy got 2nd.!) Hippy: Yeah, he uploaded all his older stuff to Devartart (He's real sneaky :)) Tek: hehe Do you remember your first skin and do you still have it laying around on your Hard Drive somewhere? we would really love to see your first skin! Hippy: It was a picture skin of a guitarist called Darrel Abbot, who plays for pantera. Sucked big time. Tek: I don't really know anyone who's first skin did not need room for improvement = suck big time! hehe Hippy: I don't have it anymore but I can get a ss of it right now from the Winamp site, while we do this, if you like? But remember, it's AWFUL! Tek: YES! Tek would love to see it! kind of like a before and after you learned more in skinning? Okay for those of you curious about Hippy's first skin click "HERE" and for those of you curious and want to see one of Hippy's more advanced skinz click "HERE" Tek: What programs do you use for making your skins? Hippy: Photoshop 5. Nothing else. Apart from Notepad to do ini files etc. Although I started out on PSP5, then 6 Tek: What is your average time to make a windowblind? I only ask that because of the numerous windowblinds you make and you should have a formula down pat by now? =) Hippy: I usually have them already sketched out before I start, and then I generally do them in one sitting of about 5-6 hours. Tek: yikes hippy! I always find it so interesting the broad spectrum of the time it takes each person to make their windowblinds, some take hours some take days some even take months! Hippy: I have real bad insomnia, so I usually sit up till about 4-5am working on them to fill the time Tek: So it is true you don't sleep! you skin 24/7? hehe Hippy: People think because I churn out so many, that i don't spend much time on them.... but that's very far from true it's quite the opposite! Tek: I know I have seen such comments to some peoples work that are notorious for making large quantities of skins, and have thought to myself if some people only knew how much work goes into making skins =( most people who leave such comments have never made even one single skin! Hippy: Yeah, true. Hippy: In the end, comments never bother me. Even if no one ever commented on my stuff I'd care less because I skin for myself, and I share with others... Tek: That's interesting hippy some people are quite different! They skin for the comments and the number of downloads. Hippy: If 1 person D/Ls my work, I'm happy! Tek: What other applications do you enjoy skinning? And which is your Favorite one to skin? Hippy: I sickened myself off of skinning Winamp. Windowblinds has to be my favourite. I also like Nextstart and I'm really getting into Hoverdesk themeing Tek: Seems a lot of people are taking notice of Hoverdesk lately? Is that hard to skin? Hippy: Yeah, I have it run on start-up and I use it all the time. It's not hard to skin, but you have to plan your theme, or else it'll just look awful. Tek: Have you ever made a DesktopX theme? Hippy: Nope. Doubt I ever will. hehe Tek: okay had to ask... hehehe =( Tek: Out of all the skin able apps out there to date which one do you want to skin that you have NOT skinned yet? Hippy: None. I'd have skinned it already! ;) Tek: How long have you been skinning now? Hippy: Just over a year. I was very quiet until about July, so people assumed I was only doing it since then. Tek: Where are some of the places you deposit your skinz at? Hippy: Skinz.org and Deviantart.com Used to post at Deskmod, but not anymore (No offence to those guys though)... I started off posting at Custo... Tek: Yes a lot of people started at custo Hippy: I also have stuff on my friend Jason (Aka Scarebear) site. He runs a skin site which is very different to others. Tek: why is it different? Hippy: It's hard to explain. His system is that he has a few skinners, who have given him permission to post their work. His site is designed to get skinners work recognized, and to maybe get them some paid work doing what they like... Hippy: Can I shamelessly advertise his site? Tek: It's your interview! Hippy: http://www.twohipdudes.com/ Tek: Thanks Tek: Hippy you are so enjoyed around at skinz.org, what other places do you hang your hat at? I mean not just posting your skins but hanging out on the msg boards and all? Hippy: You're most likely to find me on the Hoverdesk and Winstep irc channels and occasionally on the Deviantart one too. Tek: Oh so you too are an irc'er Hippy: Yep! Tek: How do you find the time hippy? When I don't see you on the msg boards I'm thinking you are doing some serious skinning and you mean your on irc chatting around too? Hippy: I usually skin whilst on irc/ICQ. Hippy: I'm unemployed just now, so I gotta a lot of time. I get about 5 - 6 hours of sleep I think, Kinda grown used to it now, so it doesn't burn me out so bad * Hippy collapses* Tek: Hippy what are your plans for your future? Do you think skinning will help you pursue something in this field? Hippy: I want to do something with graphics, for a living. I trained as a sound engineer about 4 years back, but it's not something that interests me anymore. Definitely graphics, or web design is what i want to do Hippy: Either that or I'd like to be a Las Vegas showgirl....... Tek: hehe I don't believe when I ask that question it ever leads anywhere else. I mean most people that Design skins and web sites etc enjoy it so much they would all love to pursue it as a means to making a living! Tek: Is there a subject about yourself Hippy that you would like to discuss in Teknidermy? Hippy: What do you mean? Tek: Something about yourself you would like to share? Weren't you prepared for this interview? hehe Hippy: Of course I am, I have my tent, bug repellant and baseball bat sitting right here Hippy: Oh! I got something to brag!! Tek: Well give it to us! Hippy: I just came 3rd in the Talisman themes 2000 contest! For Talisman, It was a joint effort between myself and my buddy Dave (Aka Transmutate). I owe it to him for his help. Tek: Congratulations Hippy! Readers if you want to see that winning theme click "HERE" Tek: Okay now let's get back on some serious questions now??? Shall we? Hippy: Ok then, I s'pose...... hehe Tek: There have been some serious rumors that hippy has a "Magic Bag" can you reiterate more on that sir? Hippy: Lies! All lies! It was a story published in the National Enquirer. All lies! I swear to you! Lies! Tek: So what you are saying is that there is NO magic bag? Hippy: There...'might'. be....... Ahem... Tek: Rumor has it that you pull many of your skins out from that magic bag! Hippy: Who's been talking to you?!?! I demand to know!!!! My secrets are out. Sob Tek: Sorry sir I cannot divulge that information Tek: Well hippy it has been great to interview you! and I'm sure the readers of Teknidermy will be keeping an eye out for your future skinz =)
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