Welcome back to Glitch Asks, the series where I hand-pick interesting Newgrounds users to throw a bunch of questions at! In today's episode, I'm speaking to @Inkhandprint, perhaps better known as UnknownSpy! They're an artist who likes to draw characters, and then bring them to life through weird and wonderful animations. You may know them best as the artist behind the popular character Sploot!

So how did UnknownSpy get their start? What was their inspiration for Sploot? And just what are their thoughts behind the whole animation process? Let's find out the answers to all of those and more on today's episode of... Glitch Asks!

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Q: Explain the origin of your username (Inkhandprint and UnknownSpy).

A: My username UnknownSpy originated from my Sonic fan character/self insert Unknown the Spy-Bat ( https://www.deviantart.com/unknownspy/art/Unknown-the-Spy-Bat-926714261 ) when I was 13-15. As I created my first art social media, Deviantart, I didn’t know what else to use so I named my account UnknownSpyBat. Eventually a few years later I ditched the Bat part as it felt a bit childish to me, considering the origin.

Inkhandprint was created because I couldn’t use UnknownSpy on some sites as UnknownSpy was already taken. The name is a reference to my character Mr. Doodle ( https://www.deviantart.com/unknownspy/art/Mr-Doodle-Ref-883220401 ) who has ink hands and leaves ink handprints everywhere. He is also somehow connected to most of my stories, usually the reason who caused the main conflict in the story because of his ink. So I felt the name was fun and fitting for a username.

Q: When and how did you first start to create characters?

A: I have always been creating characters. Ever since I was a kid I was creating comics and images with recurring characters (but nothing too fancy, just simple animals or fantasy creatures). 

I believe my first fan characters were for the Worms Armageddon, and the dog series Silver Fang (Ginga Nagareboshi Gin). And when I was introduced to the internet around age 9, I found the Sonic franchise, which became my main interest for many years to come.

Eventually I realized I couldn’t draw other franchise’s characters to make my own stories without running into copyright issues. Especially if I wanted to make this more than a hobby. So I started creating original characters and original stories.

Q: By far your most well-known character on Newgrounds is Sploot the Alien, to the point there was even a fan project about a fictional Sploot television series. How did you come up with the idea for the character, and are there any future plans you have for them?

A: Sploot was supposed to be a joke character for a trending Animation Meme on YouTube in 2019 called “Alien Time”. I decided to create a design based on the stereotypical green alien, but curvy. And a year or two after I created the video, I decided to draw the alien again and I ended up feeling like I could draw them more. As I was asking for name suggestions, someone suggested the name “Sploot”, and it stuck.

However, after 5 years I had realized that I was stuck in a bad loop of drawing suggestive content because it got the views. I thought I was having fun, but in reality I was creating empty art for empty feedback which had me becoming miserable as an artist. Some of the attention I was getting was uncomfortable, and occasionally really nasty. It was attracting really horrible people who were not listening to me or my boundaries, going even as far as creating content against my wishes of my characters out of spite. I wanted out. 

So I stopped drawing suggestive art in 2024 and redesigned Sploot to something that makes me happy and I am comfortable with.

Now I am developing a proper story for Sploot and their friends. Ditching the old Sploot “fashion icon” and trying to give most of the outfits/forms Sploot has to have some kind of purpose, other than just looking cute or cool. Of course, I let myself draw cute outfits for them now and then.

At the moment I am making a trading card collection with Sploot where I have 45 illustrations (by the time of this interview.) And I am so excited to see a big art project like this to become something physical to hold. 

Q: How about your most recent character project, "World of None"? What's that all about?

A: I wouldn’t say it's the most recent. It was created in 2020 after all. 

But WoN is a collaborative stick figure project created by me and my friends. It is probably the most fleshed out story I am part of, and it has been so fun and exciting to work on.

It started off as a small idea where me and my friend thought of making stick figures for fun, but the story we created became much bigger than we expected. More friends were invited in, and the story grew more. It is pretty complicated to explain, and we are trying to make enough content to explain the story (which can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PGEPGtqjaglCW_kJJYkLRGdNm-H1stci73ndpTIcXYA/edit?usp=sharing )

But a summary of the main theme: People in this world live in a society where most conflicts are solved by fighting. A man called Price realized he could capitalize on this and made tournaments where winners could win money and fame. In return Price’s influence would grow bigger the more entertaining his tournaments/arena fights would get. 

Eventually, in need of new ideas to get more views on his arena, he removed the “no killing” rule, being the only fighting arena to do so. The fights became more popular than ever. However, some lives were lost in these fights that would come back to haunt him to find justice.

Q: What are your thoughts on the animation process, and how long would it usually take you to produce a short?

A: I have a complicated relationship with animation. I love working on them when I actually get to start. The hardest part is to find the ideas and actually start on one. 

I hate working on a project for too long, as I risk losing interest. So I try my best to keep them simple. But as I have a mentality where I always have to improve on myself and do something better than previously, these projects never stay as simple as I would want. Which makes me scared to start a new project thinking it will once again become too much work for me.

And of course I have that voice in the back of my mind being afraid I am disappointing my audience. Which adds to the pressure to create something new and impressive. Which has led me to avoid animating altogether. I don’t want to be like this, and I am trying to work on my mindset and mental health to be able to animate again for fun.

And when I do animate, I can manage to create a (fairly simple) animation meme in 2-4 days if I get fixated. And I can make several shorts, up to 4 or more a day if I just have the ideas and keep them simple. I know I can create more. My head is just keeping me back.

Q: What's your main motivation for working on your characters? Do you have any bigger plans for them?

A: My main motivation is always the reactions my audience has. It is probably not the healthiest to have an outside motivation, but it has kept me going this far. I love to hear my followers' thoughts and ideas they have for the art and stories I create. And hearing those thoughts make me want to draw more. 

Fanart and headcanons are such a massive fuel. A big part of my stories were created by collaborating with my fans. Those who were passionate enough to get invested and talk about the stories were a massive help and motivation to keep my projects going.

I don’t have any big plans currently, as I am trying to navigate all these ideas as the only artist. I have way too many characters and stories. So I try to narrow them down to the most important. I have a bad habit of working on too many things without getting anything finished. I try to work on this issue, but it can be overwhelming.

Q: Do you have any advice for beginner artists/character designers?

A: Just create. Start that story. Make that comic. Try out animating. Anything to get you started. 

Observe, analyze, and practice. Take as much visual information in from as many sources as possible. Explore new things, try drawing anything you like. Nothing is stopping you from finding out what you like to draw, and there is so much out there. Not just on the internet, but in real life as well. Go out and draw. Explore flea-markets or second hand shops to find unexpected inspiration. Because it’s everywhere.

Q: Name some of your favourite artists, and tell us what you admire about them!

A: My main childhood inspiration was definitely Unknown-Person back in 2011. His cartoony, simple, no nose style was a massive influence on me. Of course there were many artists throughout the years who inspired, but none stayed with me as strongly as U-P. It’s funny to see him resurfacing again in 2024 as new people found his animations. Brought back so much nostalgia.

Jeniak was there when I was in my Silver Fang era. Their old animations, like Mononoke Savior (which I am heartbroken there isn’t any reuploads of. I am desperate to see it again. Any of their older animations in general), and other dog animations on YouTube could have sparked that animator in me. Seeing another Finnish artist (around the same age as me) make such cool art with nothing too fancy was really motivating to me. 

Yuji Uekawa has probably been my most recent biggest influence. Going back to my Sonic era for comfort and nostalgia. I was studying his lineart and shading, trying to implement it into my work. I am moving away from direct copying of the style, but I learnt a few tricks that can give my art a nice touch. 

In general, as the Y2K style is resurfacing again, I have been influenced by the style. Going to those old video game characters, styles, and ideas for my current work. Especially for Sploot’s concept. The shiny round style fits them so well.

Q: If you discovered an alien lifeform right here on Earth, what would be the first thing you'd say to it?

A: Please go back. You’re not ready for whatever the people have in store for you. Especially on the internet.

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I would like to give a big thank you to @Inkhandprint for participating in the interview, and providing some detailed, well-thought-out answers!

Who will I interview next? Nobody knows but me! If you've made it this far down, thank you very much for reading, and I'll be seeing you in the next episode of Glitch Asks!

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Disclaimer: All answers are copied and pasted directly from the creator's response. Paragraphs in the interviewee's original response have been merged for consistency; no other adjustments to their answers have been made. The views expressed in this interview are purely those of the creator and do not reflect those of GlitchBuddy.

All information is correct at time of interviewee's response (31 May 2025).