Focus on Female Skinners - Interview with Jumbles.
Interview by Kenray

Jumbles is not only Admin & Editor here at Teknidermy Magazine, she is a skinner of note, having worked on such diverse programs as Music Match Jukebox, WMP7, and Ultraplayer. Her name can be found on the dev-team roster of several apps, and J's website can be found at Dezina

We had the opportunity to speak with Jumbles from her home in Birmingham, England.

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Teknidermy: Where does your history in art begin? Were you a "scribbler" as a child?

Jumbles: I loved drawing at school, especially animals, but specialised in calligraphy.

I passed my "O" level Art in history of painting/calligraphy (This is an exam taken by all students around 16 years of age).

Teknidermy: All will note from your websites that you are a big supporter of animals, and the environment...what does that stem from?

Jumbles: From an early age, I was very aware of the dangers wild animals faced, and I became a strong supporter of their preservation, and hated the idea of hunting as a sport. British Colonies such as India,Parts of Africa were used as hunting grounds - something could not agree with or tolerate.

Teknidermy: Any groups, organizations you'd like to mention, re: support of animals?

Jumbles: World Wild Life Fund, Diana Fossey started an organisation to protect the Mountain Gorilla of Rwanda ( my favourite Animal). She was murdered by an African helper when part way through her campaign to project these beautiful creatures, now on the verge of extinction.

Teknidermy: The Gorilla is featured on your animal gallery site, correct?

Jumbles: It is my logo and the motto "Extinction is Forever"

Teknidermy: How long has the animal gallery site been up?

Jumbles: Since Around April 1998

Teknidermy: When did you start working on skins?

Jumbles: About 18 months ago after I happened to land at skinz.org

Teknidermy: Do you remember how that happened?

Jumbles: Yes, my eldest son lives a long way from me. We corresponded via ICQ. I could not find any skins I liked, so I decided to make my own(animal featured of course).

Teknidermy: You are quite the ambitious skinner, working on the more difficult programs, like Music Match, WMP7 and Ultraplayer. Are you a prodigy? Does the whole thing just sorta "come naturally" to you?

Jumbles: No, after skinning ICQ many times, I became bored and so looked at other challenges. Euro Calculator came next,Jumbles: and then winamp. I then discovered MMJB via my son. There were only around 5 in-house skins for it(October 1999), and I did not like any of them, so I decided to have a try. I did not find it easy at all, as its ini file is complicated.

After around 20 skins for MMJB, WMP7beta appeared, followed by WMP7. I skinned that prog for the challenge only. Re Ultra Player - the company contacted me and requested I skin it for them, but I was currently in the process of skinning Window Blinds, but did agree that when finished, I would tackle UP for them.

Teknidermy: WMP7 and Ultraplayer use a kind of XML, making them and their like the height of skinning technology. And a little intimidating to some of us. Can you tell us a little about your experiences working on these programs?

Jumbles: WMP7 I found hardest, because it 's concept is totally different to winamp/mmjb/coolplayer. UltraPlayer, because had skinned WMP7, did not find as difficult, but neither are for the beginner skinner, or the faint hearted. WMP7 took me a week, Ultra Player almost as long.

Teknidermy: so, what's it like? do you develop a basic "sketch " of the skin you want to make, and go from there, adjusting the art as you work, or is it a matter of programming to match what you made?

Jumbles: I start off with a design and modify as I go along, and I never sketch anything first.

Teknidermy: so, you're basically adjusting the art to fit the program?

Jumbles: yes

Teknidermy: do you think you would have created a different looking skin had there been a "skin builder" program for WMP7 or Ultraplayer?

Jumbles: There is a sort of skin builder for WMP7 but not in the form that winamp has. I have Builder Blinds for WB. That did not effect the design I wanted for my COMBAT skin, which I first designed for Coord Pad. I liked it, and so the suite emerged.

Teknidermy: Did you use the WMP skin builder program as you skinned WMP?

Jumbles: No, just used it as reference for the coordinates, and I had a great deal of help from Axeman,(Australia), who had skinned WMP7 many times.

Teknidermy: You had some contact with Kentiium at UP during the course of skinning UltraPlayer, correct?

Jumbles: Yes. He helped me understand certain points of skinning UP that are different to WMP7.

Teknidermy: do you find it is easy to get that kind of personal interaction with most companies? Anyone else (from a software company) being helpful that we should know about?

Jumbles: I found Kentium to be most helpful,, Neik of Coolplayer too, has always been quick to respond to any contact/message. Euro Calculator is also supportive, as well as ICQ Plus, and, of course, Redllar, regarding his beta projects that I have worked on .Totally different to the response I received from Music Match Jukebox.

Teknidermy: What kind of response did you get from Music Match?

Jumbles: It's possible that MMJB use an outside company for their customer contact/service. I wrote them couple of times, but they never replied.

Teknidermy: You sort of "own" the MMJB section at skinz.org. One of the reasons, I believe, is that many of the skins definitely show a woman's touch... do you think some of your "big hit numbers" are due to that feminine aspect of the skins?

Jumbles: Not necessarily. Combat is not feminine, nor was Platinum Disc/Suede. They have been at skinz org for many months when few attempted to skin MMJB. Aquamatch has been the most successful of my latest MMJB skins.

Teknidermy: are you happy to have been a trailblazer in the MMJB section (I have noticed many new names in the column at skinz.org)?

Jumbles: I do not consider myself a trail blazer -I like/d the program, use it a great deal, so obviously, I wanted a change of skin from time to time.

Teknidermy: What's your tool of choice as far as graphics creation goes?

Jumbles: I do not have a specific one, but use three main programs: Paint Ship Pro Versions 5,6,7 (because each of those are better at certain aspects of graphics than another), Photoshop, and Microsoft Image Composer, which was the first graphics program I ever used.

Teknidermy: got any tricks up your sleeve as far as skinning technique goes? Are you doing anything that would surprise the rest of us?

Jumbles: I don't think so, but always visit as often as possible, different sites that have good tutorials, so I can progress with my techniques, or mix-n-match certain ones to produce different results.

Teknidermy: You have something in common with Lorenela: You seem to wind up on a lot of development teams. Is that a love of skinning pouring over into the creation of skinnable apps, or a love of creating in general?

Jumbles: Bit of both - I like to try different progs and support developers who are striving to make apps that are unusual or unique.

Teknidermy: You are a wife and a mother. Does your family use your skins? Do they understand and respect your work? DO you have to fight for time to fit skinning in to your busy schedule?

Jumbles: My eldest son uses my MMJB skins, one twin son has a MAC, the other is in China, where computers are not widely available. They respect my work now, possibly because it has improved a great deal, and not only from the skinning aspect, but also graphics/web designing

Teknidermy: How about the husband and the dogs? DO you ever look up to your work to see six pairs of puppy dog eyes saying, "Please pay attention to us, Mommy."?

Jumbles: Yes, very often

Teknidermy: is it ever a problem?

Jumbles: Not with skinning, because that is now a hobby - I do not have the time to skin as often as I would like. Other work/interests such as Teknidermy take a lot of my time, plus my husband's ill health this year has curtailed the time available to me.

Teknidermy: As more and more programs become skinnable, and the corporate demand for skins rises, do you predict a pro future in skinning?

Jumbles: Yes. I think the programs will become more difficult,t perhaps, for the average skinner, i.e. WMP7. Microsoft, aol, etc., have realised that users want skinnable programs...

Teknidermy: Are you at all surprised at the outpouring of community support for Teknidermy Magazine?

Jumbles: Yes. I did not contemplate the interest that it would generate. It has been successful largely due to the members of staff. I think because we have tried to be neutral, not affiliated to any one at all, but exactly what our intention was: Written by skinners/for skinners.

Teknidermy: Would you like to see Teknidermy go to print format eventually?

Jumbles: Yes, of course, but that is probably a way off yet,

Teknidermy: So far, Tek has staff from USA, UK, and Australia. Are you surprised that you haven't had much interest from Asia? Especially in light of the fact that so many skinners are contacted by Japanese magazines?

Jumbles: Skinning may be popular in Asia, but I am not sure they have many skinners of their own.

Teknidermy: Would you like to see a reporter come in to Tek to provide an Asian perspective?

Jumbles: Of course, but the average Westerner is probably not aware of the restrictions some Asians face when accessing a computer at all, as in China, where wages are extremely low, and even access atan internet cafe costs money they do not have.

Teknidermy: What programs are you working on skinning now?

Jumbles: Music Match Jukebox V.6

-Jumbles created this MMJB6 skin exclusively for Teknidermy readers.
Click the image to download "Cirrus"

Teknidermy: the time you have spent working as webmaster for Teknidermy has been costly to you, correct? Is it worth it?

Jumbles: It has not cost toot much yet, and results have far outweighed cost.

Teknidermy: Any predictions for the future, re: skinning in general, Tek Magazine?

Jumbles: I think skinning will progress further as more developers realise that users want their programs to be skinnable. Teknidermy - Hope it has a great future, early days yet, but initial success/interest - future looks rosy.

Teknidermy: Some have suggested that, in the future, skinning will be such an established art, that these first few issues of Teknidermy will stand as historical documents of the "state of the art and the community" near the beginning. What do you think of that?

Jumbles: Who can say, possibly. Skinning has come on in leaps and bounds since my early days visiting skinz.org. The quality of work astounds me sometimes.

Teknidermy: Please answer Fnad's Five:

Teknidermy: 1. What skin do you wish you'd written ?

Jumbles: Fli7e winamp skin - Divine.

Teknidermy: 2. What would you like to have on your laptop if you were stranded on an island, eg: skins, music, proggies, peripherals, games, etc.

Jumbles: Paintshop pro, mmjb, my favourite music...

Teknidermy: What kind of music do you listen to?

Jumbles: A wide variety, opera,classical,beatles,george michael,madonna,john lennon...

Teknidermy: 3. Have there been any skins that have made you laugh? cry? orgasm?

Jumbles: Not as yet.

Teknidermy: 4. Boxers or briefs? (or, which do you prefer on your man?)

Jumbles: Either, I love him whatever he wears!

Teknidermy: 5. List some sites you visit daily, weekly, hourly.

Jumbles: Skinz.org, several times per day, desk mod-once per day, weekly - pinnoy, designs by mark. I have recently discovered endeffect.com, so I visit there at least once per week, & graphics ring - weekly.

01-01-01