Megan Lockhart

B.F.A., 2010, Studio Art: Printmaking

Website: Megan Lockhart
Instagram: @MegStyShow
Giphy: Megan Lockhart

What fun it was to catch up this week with UNT alumna Megan Lockhart (UNT ’10, B.F.A., Studio Art: Printmaking — with honors) to hear about an award she received for 23.5 billion views of her art.

Yes, billion. Pictured here in 2010 with then-Dean Robert Milnes, Megan now lives in L.A., chills at the beach and works as a professional illustrator and animator.

According to Social Media Week, "2019 was a wild year" for GIFs, and Megan earned the GIPHY's Top Viewed Artist of 2019 award!

A little about GIPHY: When GIPHY wanted to elevate the humble GIF from meme-factory punchlines into… well, works of art, the GIF search-engine startup with fewer than 100 employees unveiled the GIPHY Film Fest to celebrate “micro-film” creators, offering one grand prize winner a $10,000 cash prize as well as a five-year website-hosting subscription. The notion of GIFs as storytelling vehicles extends to GIPHY’s advertising strategy, which it launched in June 2018. The company’s in-house creative agency consults with brands to create emotive GIF-based ads that tell a story. Founded in 2013, GIPHY raised $151 million and, until 2018, was in “pre-revenue” mode.

And, btw, GIF is pronounced with a hard G, not a J, Megan said.

Why did you start making GIFs?

"The first GIF I made was a Valentine’s card in 2016. I uploaded it to GIPHY to surprise someone with it in a text the next morning, and I forgot about it. When I logged back into my account a few months later, it went viral on Tinder and had over 10 million views! (and they say people only go on Tinder for hook-ups...) It’s still one of my most popular GIFs with 617 million views."

"I started at UNT as a Comm Design major but transitioned to a printmaking degree after taking a screen printing class from the legendary Adam Palmer that totally changed the way I thought about making art. Lari Gibbons and Andy DeCaen always pushed me to make cohesive portfolios of work, which I still appreciate and think about now. After graduation, I ran a t-shirt and poster printing shop in L.A. for three years before moving into primarily digital illustration. It’s nice not to have to wait for anything to dry. Although, my printmaking background 100% affects how I choose my limited color palettes and imagery."

What else do you like to do?

"Any time I can get a day off, I love to go to the beach with a sketchbook, bottle of wine, or both. Usually both. I love anything from Stolpman Vineyards in Los Olivos [Calif.]. My husband and I are members, and they can do no wrong. My favorite beach is Paradise Cove in Malibu. It’s calm, sandy on the bottom, and private, so you can legally drink wine on the beach and don’t have to be sneaky."

What inspires your GIF-making?

"I love using GIF stickers as a main part of my digital communication... on Instagram stories, in messaging, you name it, so I’m always creating GIFs I want to use. If I try to find a GIF that doesn’t exist yet, I add it to the list. I love taking requests from friends and followers, too. I have this shared note in my phone where friends of mine add things they want to use. It’s a lifestyle." Editor's Note: Special thanks to Megan for responding to our request for two GIFs for us — Lucky the squirrel and #UNTCVAD!

Have you received jobs or other opportunities from your prolific GIF-making?

"Yes! It’s the wildest thing to have found myself here career-wise. I have done several GIF packs for brands, and I am always looking for ways to push the medium and get people as excited about it as I am. My favorite GIFs that have been commissioned are the packs I’ve made for GIPHY directly. They encourage me to make curated sets that I want to make in my own style. Working for brands can be fun and rewarding in other ways, but when you’re talking about making someone’s logo move versus making a hot dog dance... you tell me which sounds more fun.

"GIPHY has an impressive collection of featured GIF artists. When you find a gif on Instagram stories, it’s hard to find any more info, but if you search on GIPHY’s website or app, you can find all the details of who the artist is and links to their social media, website, etc. I like to go on their GIPHY Artists Page to find new GIFs to use and for inspiration."

What is your process for making a GIF? What software do you use?

"I hand draw all my GIFs on a Wacom tablet and mostly piece the frames together in Photoshop. Depending on the look I’m going for, I might pull it into After Effects or Illustrator to get some 3D touches, but mainly it’s all done by hand in Photoshop. I’ve been teaching myself Adobe Animate, which is great for making characters or more frame-heavy animations. I’m always looking for new ways to push it. I’m also making some AR filters for Instagram, so keep an eye out for those!"