Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

[the_druid_droid]

Hello and welcome, one and all, to the very first Ponythread Learns to Draw thread. The purpose of this thread is fairly simple - it's a collaborative effort to improve our art skills by posting sketches, line drawings, digital artwork, paintings, etc. and providing advice, constructive criticism and encouragement to one another.

Who Can Post?

Anyone! Although I'll be plugging this thread hardest in the My Little Pony threads in the Media Discussions section of the forum, if anyone wants to post their art here for comments and review, they're more than welcome!

The one suggested rule I have is that if at all possible, along with your post of your own art, please try and provide helpful or encouraging comments to at least one other poster. You don't have to deconstruct their entire technique and write a book about things, but please try and find something you really like, or something you notice that you've struggled with in the past and point it out to them.

What Can We Draw?

Draw anything that inspires you! Although my own work will probably focus on ponies and other cartoon art, the purpose of this thread is to draw, and it's easiest to draw things you like. Thus, feel free to post pictures of people, stick figures, dragons, landscapes, ponies, still life pieces, or anything that makes you want to draw.

But I'm Not a Good Artist

Coincidentally, neither am I! I haven't drawn in years, but I was challenged to do so recently, and I found out that I can make things I'm actually pleased with using only patience, a good eraser, and a model that doesn't move too much.

Also, since the goal of this thread is to LEARN, there's nothing too insignificant to post! Even if you only have 15 minutes to sketch up some stick figures or rough out a character at the end of the day, go ahead and post it. Practice makes perfect, and you learn something every day. There's nowhere to go but up in your abilities!

So try and practice every day, and post your results here! We'll be waiting with open arms and (hopefully) helpful tips.

I go!

*pops back around corner*

Still standing there? Wondering what to draw to get started? Well, I have just the thing, courtesy of a link supplied by the Great and Powerful Trixie! Check out the spoiler box below:

Art Challenges

MyLP Challenge:

Do you want to try your hand at something fun? Feeling need to draw fanart? How about trying MyLP Challenge?

What it is? Just click on the linked template (http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/363/3/a/my_little_pony_fim_meme_by_don_komandorr-d35y2mv.jpg).

How does that work? Don't be scared, just complete the template to the best of your ability. Have one (http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_THRVNyZ8xf0/TbFTvCFELvI/AAAAAAAABas/3RaVVEnJms0/my_little_pony_meme_by_gothzilla_alena-d38os5c.jpg) two (http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_THRVNyZ8xf0/TbFTvRf19mI/AAAAAAAABaw/glvBh-QkZ-c/mlp_friendship_is_magic_meme_by_peppersupreme-d37wpkl.png) three (http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_THRVNyZ8xf0/TbFTvA47e6I/AAAAAAAABa0/h3zzuNlxp80/mlp___fim_meme_by_kitty_kitty_koneko-d35zovy.png) four (http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_THRVNyZ8xf0/TbFTwJJdSkI/AAAAAAAABa4/oFOMSgU0MHk/my_little_pony_memes_are_magic_by_scruffytoto-d37x352.jpg) examples made by other ponies :smalltongue:

Starting thread and more examples can be found here (http://don-komandorr.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d35y2mv).

[the_druid_droid]

So, to get the ball rolling, I'll go ahead and post some things I drew recently. These are the first things I've really tried to draw in years, and the fact that I don't completely hate them, and got very nice feedback on the pony threads when I showed them is what inspired me to start this thread.

First, some disapproving Twilight:
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/TS.png

Thoughts: I really don't like how the eyes turned out in this one. They're too small and the irises and pupils are wonky. Still, I think the rest of the head turned out ok, although the proportions might be a little off. I'd link the picture I sketched it from, but it was a screencap macro with non-board appropriate language.

Second, have a happy Pinkie Pie:
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/PP.png

The original:
http://i2.listal.com/image/2707089/936full-my-little-pony%3A-friendship-is-magic-screenshot.jpg

Thoughts: I like this one more than the Twilight one, although the eyes are still off. Pinkie's hair is really fun to draw, although a little intimidating at first...

Finally, some smug Rainbow Dash:
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/RD.png

The original (mild language, darn you macros!):
http://thedilettantista.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-1x13-fall-weather-friends-1080p-hdtv-ac3-5-1-x264-mentos-mkv_snapshot_09-21_2011-02-02_13-22-29.png

Thoughts: I tried to cheat with closed eyes, but then I found out that wings and legs are hard! I still think the perspective is a bit off on the three forward legs, but not terribly so. Also, I'm fairly happy with how the wings turned out (guide lines for the win!)

[MBI]

Since all my art is borderline plagiarism, I probably won't be posting any here too often. But I look forward to seeing what everyone else has to offer.

[the_druid_droid]

Since all my art is borderline plagiarism, I probably won't be posting any here too often. But I look forward to seeing what everyone else has to offer.

Don't worry about it! You can see everything I drew above was cribbed directly from MLP:FiM. As long as you're presenting the work you personally drew, even if it's of someone else's character/landscape/work, and you acknowledge that and use it as a way to learn, you should be protected under fair-use laws.

Also, you can't plagiarize stick figures! Start with some of those!

@V: Excellent! Go for it! Regarding the scanner, if you have a digital camera, or a friend with one, you can try using that to upload your art.

[byaku rai]

I will attempt to participate in this, but not having a scanner will make it difficult. x.x I'm also taking a shot in the dark and trying to get my not-girlfriend, who is a much better artist than I am, involved.

[Beacon of Chaos]

Alrighty then, I got no response whatsoever when I posted in the ponythread itself, maybe I'll get a little more feedback here.

@DD: You're first few attempts are looking good! May I ask, though, if you are using guidelines/stick figures to draw? It really helps, especially when positioning the eyes, which you mentioned having trouble with. You'll notice below, of course, that I didn't follow my own advice too well, hence why I'm mentioning it now.


Anywho, here's a sketch I did for a halloween costume contest thingy. Twilight, Derpy and Carrot Top as the Spanish Equestrian Inquisition from Monty Python:

http://www.canterlot.com/uploads/gallery/album_36/gallery_299_36_427331.jpg

And the inked/coloured version:
http://www.canterlot.com/uploads/gallery/album_36/gallery_299_36_289567.jpg

My thoughts on these: First up, I had to make quite a few edits when inking. Twilight's face was completely messed up, mostly because the far side of her face was sticking out too much. Derpy's eyes were too big and I forgot her ears too. I also had to redo Carrot Top's headgear (It was just a hat at first, but on rewatching the sketch, it should've been a hood). CT's muzzle also looks a little off to me.

My biggest mistake though? Being lazy with the legs. I didn't do a full stick figure pose underneath (just did it roughly) and I paid for it with misproportioned, mispositioned limbs (especially on Twilight. Look at those back legs. Ugh).

Still I'm happy with it.

My advice to anyone who wants to draw ponies? References. Everywhere. All the time.

[Dirtbag]

I will attempt to participate in this, but not having a scanner will make it difficult. x.x I'm also taking a shot in the dark and trying to get my not-girlfriend, who is a much better artist than I am, involved.

Do you have a camera? Works much better.

For drawings that I want to vectorize I only use my camera.

I use the scanner for documents only.

And... I guess I'll join in? :/

Sure, I'll post ponies, I need help with drawing ponies anyway.

[Deadly]

Here's a sketch of AJ as a human I did a while back. I was doodling the mane 6 as humans, trying a new style, and was really happy with how AJ turned out. Fluttershy and RD were OK too, but needed more work. The rest were... not great.

Maybe some day I'll take another stab at the rest of them, but for now...

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/303/c/2/applejack_human_sketch_by_adcoon-d4egkru.jpg

You know, I'm not really a fan of AJ, but here she kinda looks cool :smallbiggrin:

[byaku rai]

Do you have a camera? Works much better.

For drawings that I want to vectorize I only use my camera.

I use the scanner for documents only.

And... I guess I'll join in? :/

Sure, I'll post ponies, I need help with drawing ponies anyway.

Only the really sucky one on my phone, and no way to get that from phone to computer because my phone is /retarded/. ^^'' Oh well.

@DH: not bad. =) I don't really know what to say as a critique, so I'll stick with It's better than I could do right now.

[Deadly]

A few thoughts to go along with my own post:


And the inked/coloured version:

I'm not sure how show-accurate you're shooting for, but making the strokes a darker color than the fill, rather than pure black is a relatively small thing you could do to get there. The show also uses thicker strokes. If you're trying to go for your own unique style, just disregard that :)

Twilight's leg, the one she's holding up looks like it might have too many joints or is just a little too long. It looks a little like she's wearing sleeves or socks which are too long.

Don't know what else I can offer. Looks pretty good.

[Noctemwolf]

I wanna try! I Wanna Try!
Oh, um, Hi guys. http://i.imgur.com/EvxT1.png
I'll start by looking at art. here we go...



Here's a sketch of AJ as a human I did a while back. I was doodling the mane 6 as humans, trying a new style, and was really happy with how AJ turned out. Fluttershy and RD were OK too, but needed more work. The rest were... not great.

Maybe some day I'll take another stab at the rest of them, but for now...

*snip*

You know, I'm not really a fan of AJ, but here she kinda looks cool :smallbiggrin:

I like it. =) though, she has no hands...? 0_0 (Not that I'm saying anything. I've tried to draw hands. They do not like to work with you, at all)!


Alrighty then, I got no response whatsoever when I posted in the ponythread itself, maybe I'll get a little more feedback here.

@DD: You're first few attempts are looking good! May I ask, though, if you are using guidelines/stick figures to draw? It really helps, especially when positioning the eyes, which you mentioned having trouble with. You'll notice below, of course, that I didn't follow my own advice too well, hence why I'm mentioning it now.


Anywho, here's a sketch I did for a halloween costume contest thingy. Twilight, Derpy and Carrot Top as the Spanish Equestrian Inquisition from Monty Python:

*Snip*

And the inked/coloured version:
*Snip*

My thoughts on these: First up, I had to make quite a few edits when inking. Twilight's face was completely messed up, mostly because the far side of her face was sticking out too much. Derpy's eyes were too big and I forgot her ears too. I also had to redo Carrot Top's headgear (It was just a hat at first, but on rewatching the sketch, it should've been a hood). CT's muzzle also looks a little off to me.

My biggest mistake though? Being lazy with the legs. I didn't do a full stick figure pose underneath (just did it roughly) and I payed for it with misproportioned, mispositioned limbs (especially on Twilight. Look at those back legs. Ugh).

Still I'm happy with it.

My advice to anyone who wants to draw ponies? References. Everywhere. All the time.

NOBODY EXPECT THE EQUESTRIAN INQUISITION! :smalltongue: Love it, mate! Legs, well, like you said. I'm no art expert, so, I really just want to make sure I say something about other art first before I expect any for mine.

How did you color it? Did you use a computer program, or...?


Here's a few things I've worked on recently. a little hard to see, since I took the picture with my phone. They're not ponies (No, that comes next alongside my story)! but just drawing attempts.

Swingset at my local park:

http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr17/Noctemwolf/318605_275690229119454_100000354385117_946852_1054 614397_n.jpg

Self-Portrait!

Ha-ha! I am hidden behind my goggles! :smallbiggrin:
http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr17/Noctemwolf/302344_275698555785288_100000354385117_946928_1127 954336_n.jpg

So far as I can tell, it's really making shadows that I suck at (Well, my Depth perception, perspective, coloring, and attention span [so as to insure I work longer than an hour] really need some work too, but)!
I also hate how I drew my teeth -_-** they look nothing like that (Not really, I don't think... I don't know! I don't study them daily! :smallsigh:) the beard looks a little off, but I'm serious when I say that's how it looked at the time!

[Kindablue]

Aw, man, I'm really going to have to go through with this, aren't I?


I really like that picture, Diego. It's nice. I hope learn how to talk about this stuff more intelligently later.

[Deadly]

I like it. =) though, she has no hands...? 0_0 (Not that I'm saying anything. I've tried to draw hands. They do not like to work with you, at all)!

Thanks :) The lack of hands (and feet) is intentional, I wanted a simple, cartoonish style.

Your portrait makes me think you could make a bit of a villain :smallbiggrin: Maybe that's the glasses and... hood?

[Vent Reynolt]

Hmm... This looks like an awesome idea. Not that I'd ever actually join in; every time I've ever attempted artwork, it has always ended in fire and tree sap. To be honest, I'm already intimidated by the quality of the work posted so far.

[Noctemwolf]

Thanks :) The lack of hands (and feet) is intentional, I wanted a simple, cartoonish style.

Your portrait makes me think you could make a bit of a villain :smallbiggrin: Maybe that's the glasses and... hood?

Yay for simple cartoon style! =D

As to being called a villain... Muwahahaha.... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!
I would so be willing to be a villain in a show... especially since that means I could be on T.V! =)


wait... no hands and feet...
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/95/Powerpuff_girls_characters.jpg/270px-Powerpuff_girls_characters.jpg

And Lauren Faust was involved with it...

Coincidence? No, Fate has brought you here. :smallbiggrin:


Hmm... This looks like an awesome idea. Not that I'd ever actually join in; every time I've ever attempted artwork, it has always ended in fire and tree sap. To be honest, I'm already intimidated by the quality of the work posted so far.

Intimidated? 0-0 come now; I'm sure anything you can make will be just as good.

[Deadly]

Hmm... This looks like an awesome idea. Not that I'd ever actually join in; every time I've ever attempted artwork, it has always ended in fire and tree sap. To be honest, I'm already intimidated by the quality of the work posted so far.

http://i.imgur.com/N2nfK.png Anything we can do, you can do... too (maybe better :smallwink:)

Don't be intimidated, be inspired


wait... no hands and feet...
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/95/Powerpuff_girls_characters.jpg/270px-Powerpuff_girls_characters.jpg

And Lauren Faust was involved with it...

Coincidence? No, Fate has brought you here. :smallbiggrin:

Huh, cool. I doubt it's the first time people have drawn in a similar style, though. I'm not exactly trying to be greatly original :smallsmile:

[Sean Mirrsen]

I'm trying to draw a lineup of the main cast, for a larger scene with original characters, but unlike OCs, these present a problem, in that they have an established look, which I have to replicate.

I'd like some pointers here, maybe some traits or features I've missed, or things I drew wrong. Don't pay attention to the sketchiness, this is just a sketch before proper drawing. Pointers on wrong anatomy would also be useful, because for me at least, wings seem to be the new hands, and ponies in general are still a rather new item.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/M6_lineup.png

[Grif]

I'm trying to draw a lineup of the main cast, for a larger scene with original characters, but unlike OCs, these present a problem, in that they have an established look, which I have to replicate.

I'd like some pointers here, maybe some traits or features I've missed, or things I drew wrong. Don't pay attention to the sketchiness, this is just a sketch before proper drawing. Pointers on wrong anatomy would also be useful, because for me at least, wings seem to be the new hands, and ponies in general are still a rather new item.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/M6_lineup.png

One thing that struck me. Your ponies look rather meatier (fatter?) than the style from the show. It's especially apparent with Twilight at the end. Spike also seems off for some reason which I cannot pinpoint.

[the_druid_droid]

Alrighty then, I got no response whatsoever when I posted in the ponythread itself, maybe I'll get a little more feedback here.

@DD: You're first few attempts are looking good! May I ask, though, if you are using guidelines/stick figures to draw? It really helps, especially when positioning the eyes, which you mentioned having trouble with. You'll notice below, of course, that I didn't follow my own advice too well, hence why I'm mentioning it now.


Anywho, here's a sketch I did for a halloween costume contest thingy. Twilight, Derpy and Carrot Top as the Spanish Equestrian Inquisition from Monty Python:

http://www.canterlot.com/uploads/gallery/album_36/gallery_299_36_427331.jpg

And the inked/coloured version:
http://www.canterlot.com/uploads/gallery/album_36/gallery_299_36_289567.jpg

My thoughts on these: First up, I had to make quite a few edits when inking. Twilight's face was completely messed up, mostly because the far side of her face was sticking out too much. Derpy's eyes were too big and I forgot her ears too. I also had to redo Carrot Top's headgear (It was just a hat at first, but on rewatching the sketch, it should've been a hood). CT's muzzle also looks a little off to me.

My biggest mistake though? Being lazy with the legs. I didn't do a full stick figure pose underneath (just did it roughly) and I payed for it with misproportioned, mispositioned limbs (especially on Twilight. Look at those back legs. Ugh).

Still I'm happy with it.

My advice to anyone who wants to draw ponies? References. Everywhere. All the time.

Aaaah! I totally meant to comment on this in the thread! Forgive me for being a derp, and I will comment on it now.

So, Deadly had a good point about lines I think, if you're going for show accuracy. Also, you're right that references are important; I think for legs and wings, they're doubly so, at least until you've drawn quite a few of them!

That said, I do really like this picture; it's a fun crossover and Derpy as an Inquisitor makes me smile.

Re: guide lines - Yeah, I learned that lesson after drawing Twilight and Pinkie...I did use them on RD's head though, and it definitely made me feel more confident about eye placement and size. I totally encourage everyone to use them in the roughing out stage!


Here's a sketch of AJ as a human I did a while back. I was doodling the mane 6 as humans, trying a new style, and was really happy with how AJ turned out. Fluttershy and RD were OK too, but needed more work. The rest were... not great.

Maybe some day I'll take another stab at the rest of them, but for now...

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/303/c/2/applejack_human_sketch_by_adcoon-d4egkru.jpg

You know, I'm not really a fan of AJ, but here she kinda looks cool :smallbiggrin:

I like the hair on this one, it really seems to fit AJ. The chibi style is also fun; I've been thinking that in the future I want to branch out into drawing more general cartoon/anime-style art. Do you have any suggestions for cartoon-specific styles, since there seems to be a huge array of possibilities?


Here's a few things I've worked on recently. a little hard to see, since I took the picture with my phone. They're not ponies (No, that comes next alongside my story)! but just drawing attempts.

Swingset at my local park:

http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr17/Noctemwolf/318605_275690229119454_100000354385117_946852_1054 614397_n.jpg

Self-Portrait!

Ha-ha! I am hidden behind my goggles! :smallbiggrin:
http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr17/Noctemwolf/302344_275698555785288_100000354385117_946928_1127 954336_n.jpg

So far as I can tell, it's really making shadows that I suck at (Well, my Depth perception, perspective, coloring, and attention span [so as to insure I work longer than an hour] really need some work too, but)!
I also hate how I drew my teeth -_-** they look nothing like that (Not really, I don't think... I don't know! I don't study them daily! :smallsigh:) the beard looks a little off, but I'm serious when I say that's how it looked at the time!

The swing set looks very nice! I think you got the perspective on it spot on. There are some things in the background that could be tweaked a bit to give the whole picture a more unified sense of perspective though, as it looks a bit skewed overall, but that could just be my eyes...Also, I commend you for posting something non-pony! I want to remind everyone that they're free to post whatever they like here (so long as it's board appropriate, of course).

I really like the self portrait as well. There's something in the face and goggles that makes it seem very expressive. Also the beard is quite well-done! I don't know much about shading and depth when it comes to drawing from life, so I don't know that I can help you there, except to encourage you to keep practicing :smallsmile:

I will say in regard to time that there is a noticeable difference in quality between something you work at for an hour and something you work at for two hours, but I understand the attention span issue. My advice would be to do things in stages - rough in first, then walk away, then come back and add details, then chat for a while, then go back and refine, etc... You don't have to finish in a single drawing session, or even a single day.

Also, everyone please feel free to post works in progress here as well! That way, we might be able to offer advice as things come together, and you won't have to feel like you MUST FINISH TONIGHT OR ELSE!


Hmm... This looks like an awesome idea. Not that I'd ever actually join in; every time I've ever attempted artwork, it has always ended in fire and tree sap. To be honest, I'm already intimidated by the quality of the work posted so far.

No, no! Don't think that way! The thread isn't about being the best, or even being good; it's about learning. Even if you post stick figures or stick ponies, you'll learn something about posing and roughing out a sketch, and that's a valuable step toward more complicated things!

The only person that can keep you from being good at drawing is you! We're all just here to encourage you and provide another set of eyes and experiences to help guide you toward improvement! So don't believe the Lie - you can draw, if only you'll put your mind to it!

[Sean Mirrsen]

One thing that struck me. Your ponies look rather meatier (fatter?) than the style from the show. It's especially apparent with Twilight at the end. Spike also seems off for some reason which I cannot pinpoint.

Although I'm not going for show-accurate here, yes, they do seem a little "meatier" now that I look at it again... maybe they just look better to me that way. I'm also proportioning them differently, maybe that's the cause - in which case it's all as intended.

[Deadly]

I like the hair on this one, it really seems to fit AJ. The chibi style is also fun; I've been thinking that in the future I want to branch out into drawing more general cartoon/anime-style art. Do you have any suggestions for cartoon-specific styles, since there seems to be a huge array of possibilities?

Thanks. Sadly I can't offer much in the form of advice, I'm still new to this myself. All I can think of is the obvious: Look around for inspiration and experiment with different ideas.

[Beacon of Chaos]

@DH: not bad. =) I don't really know what to say as a critique, so I'll stick with It's better than I could do right now.
Thanks very much! Yeah, sometimes it's hard to give a critique. Especially when we're all still learning.


A few thoughts to go along with my own post:

I'm not sure how show-accurate you're shooting for, but making the strokes a darker color than the fill, rather than pure black is a relatively small thing you could do to get there. The show also uses thicker strokes. If you're trying to go for your own unique style, just disregard that :)

Twilight's leg, the one she's holding up looks like it might have too many joints or is just a little too long. It looks a little like she's wearing sleeves or socks which are too long.

Don't know what else I can offer. Looks pretty good.
Re: Show accuracy. For this one I was mostly going for a quick colouring, nothing fancy. I agree that the lines could stand to be a little thicker, but one thing I've noticed is that the line width on the show is not uniform. It widens and thickens depending on which parts are being drawn, and right now I have no idea how to replicate that using computer programs.

Re: The leg. Ah yeah, I can see that now. Didn't really notice before, but it does look too long now. Again, skipping on the framework was not a good idea.

Thanks very much ^^


NOBODY EXPECT THE EQUESTRIAN INQUISITION! :smalltongue: Love it, mate! Legs, well, like you said. I'm no art expert, so, I really just want to make sure I say something about other art first before I expect any for mine.

How did you color it? Did you use a computer program, or...?
I used Flash CS5.5 for the colouring. I find that doing the lines there is easier than using Photoshop. I've heard good things about Inkscape, but I've never really had a chance to use it.


I really like that picture, Diego. It's nice. I hope learn how to talk about this stuff more intelligently later.
Thanks very much ^^


Aaaah! I totally meant to comment on this in the thread! Forgive me for being a derp, and I will comment on it now.

So, Deadly had a good point about lines I think, if you're going for show accuracy. Also, you're right that references are important; I think for legs and wings, they're doubly so, at least until you've drawn quite a few of them!

That said, I do really like this picture; it's a fun crossover and Derpy as an Inquisitor makes me smile.

Re: guide lines - Yeah, I learned that lesson after drawing Twilight and Pinkie...I did use them on RD's head though, and it definitely made me feel more confident about eye placement and size. I totally encourage everyone to use them in the roughing out stage!
It's okay, I know that things can get lost in ponythread, though I did post during a slow time. Still, no biggie.

Yeah, I've tried drawing wings. Good grief! This is something I did ages ago, completely in Flash. It looks good, but it took me ages. Oh, and do you know how hard it is to draw a pony sitting down? From the front!?
http://www.canterlot.com/uploads/gallery/album_36/gallery_299_36_56666.jpg

But yeah, references and guidelines are a big help. I had at least 4-5 references up for doing the above picture. When I get a chance I'll post the sketches I did while trying to get the wings right, maybe it will help others.


Here's a few things I've worked on recently. a little hard to see, since I took the picture with my phone. They're not ponies (No, that comes next alongside my story)! but just drawing attempts.

Swingset at my local park:

http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr17/Noctemwolf/318605_275690229119454_100000354385117_946852_1054 614397_n.jpg

Self-Portrait!

Ha-ha! I am hidden behind my goggles! :smallbiggrin:
http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr17/Noctemwolf/302344_275698555785288_100000354385117_946928_1127 954336_n.jpg

So far as I can tell, it's really making shadows that I suck at (Well, my Depth perception, perspective, coloring, and attention span [so as to insure I work longer than an hour] really need some work too, but)!
I also hate how I drew my teeth -_-** they look nothing like that (Not really, I don't think... I don't know! I don't study them daily! :smallsigh:) the beard looks a little off, but I'm serious when I say that's how it looked at the time!
These are looking good to me! I can't critique too much as I am rubbish at realistic images (I have no desire to draw them. Real life is not interesting :P inb4 "life drawing classes are essential") If you're worried about depth and perspective though, try drawing out vanishing point lines. I can't really explain too well myself so here's a guide I found after googling: http://www.wikihow.com/Draw-Perspective


Hmm... This looks like an awesome idea. Not that I'd ever actually join in; every time I've ever attempted artwork, it has always ended in fire and tree sap. To be honest, I'm already intimidated by the quality of the work posted so far.
I've been beaten to it, but it bears repeating: The point of this topic is to learn how to draw. Together. You can always do better. If it's one thing I can say it's that no one here will laugh at you or deride you. We want to help you.


I'm trying to draw a lineup of the main cast, for a larger scene with original characters, but unlike OCs, these present a problem, in that they have an established look, which I have to replicate.

I'd like some pointers here, maybe some traits or features I've missed, or things I drew wrong. Don't pay attention to the sketchiness, this is just a sketch before proper drawing. Pointers on wrong anatomy would also be useful, because for me at least, wings seem to be the new hands, and ponies in general are still a rather new item.
It's looking good. I think someone made a point about them looking a little thicker, and yes that shows. Spike looks rather muscular, I must say :^^. The perspective is good, though Twi looks a little bit taller than the rest.

[Deadly]

Re: Show accuracy. For this one I was mostly going for a quick colouring, nothing fancy. I agree that the lines could stand to be a little thicker, but one thing I've noticed is that the line width on the show is not uniform. It widens and thickens depending on which parts are being drawn, and right now I have no idea how to replicate that using computer programs.

What program do you use? I'm only familiar with Inkscape, but the principle should be the same: You make two shapes with no actual strokes, one the color of the outline and one the color of the fill, then you stack the fill-shape above the outline-shape so that only the actual outline is visible behind it. That way you can make the outline whatever crazy, uneven shape you wish.

At least, that's how I've ended up doing it.

Hope my explanation makes sense.

[byaku rai]

I'm trying to draw a lineup of the main cast, for a larger scene with original characters, but unlike OCs, these present a problem, in that they have an established look, which I have to replicate.

I'd like some pointers here, maybe some traits or features I've missed, or things I drew wrong. Don't pay attention to the sketchiness, this is just a sketch before proper drawing. Pointers on wrong anatomy would also be useful, because for me at least, wings seem to be the new hands, and ponies in general are still a rather new item.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/M6_lineup.png

They're a bit more... buff than the ponies in the show. And the necks are longer. Spike looks like he's ready to punch someone.

[Sean Mirrsen]

It's looking good. I think someone made a point about them looking a little thicker, and yes that shows. Spike looks rather muscular, I must say :^^. The perspective is good, though Twi looks a little bit taller than the rest.I must be used to the humanoid limb thickness proportions. I've pulled up an equine anatomy chart, and now I also notice the forelegs should be thinner. Okay, that seems an easy fix. Anything else? In particular, I've been wrestling (figuratively) with Fluttershy's look far longer than necessary, and it still seems odd to me.

Spike is off because I drew him completely from memory, again adding a touch of my personal brand of "realism". :) I'll pull up a good reference episode and redraw him.

ninja edit: The necks are longer because I'm proportioning them differently, slightly away from the regular "cartoonish" designs. I'm not going to be using the show's "Flash-y" colored outlines, and the less realistic designs look far worse with thin black outline.

[the_druid_droid]

It's okay, I know that things can get lost in ponythread, though I did post during a slow time. Still, no biggie.

Yeah, I've tried drawing wings. Good grief! This is something I did ages ago, completely in Flash. It looks good, but it took me ages. Oh, and do you know how hard it is to draw a pony sitting down? From the front!?
http://www.canterlot.com/uploads/gallery/album_36/gallery_299_36_56666.jpg

But yeah, references and guidelines are a big help. I had at least 4-5 references up for doing the above picture. When I get a chance I'll post the sketches I did while trying to get the wings right, maybe it will help others.


Definitely post the wing sketches! They are decidedly hard to draw, and so I think all the collective knowledge we can muster for them will be important!

I'm also thinking about throwing together a little 'how DD approaches drawing ponies' series of images once I get a bit more comfortable, both to encourage and guide the couple of really nervous lurkers we seem to have, and so I can get critique on my early-stage roughing in techniques, since that's where mistakes can haunt you later, it seems... For those of you that feel a bit more experienced with pony (and general) art, I'd love to see your own versions - a set of pictures showing your progression from initial concept sketch to finished product.


I must be used to the humanoid limb thickness proportions. I've pulled up an equine anatomy chart, and now I also notice the forelegs should be thinner. Okay, that seems an easy fix. Anything else? In particular, I've been wrestling (figuratively) with Fluttershy's look far longer than necessary, and it still seems odd to me.

Spike is off because I drew him completely from memory, again adding a touch of my personal brand of "realism". :) I'll pull up a good reference episode and redraw him.

ninja edit: The necks are longer because I'm proportioning them differently, slightly away from the regular "cartoonish" designs. I'm not going to be using the show's "Flash-y" colored outlines, and the less realistic designs look far worse with thin black outline.

My one suggestion would be to consider going with a wing style closer to the show's for the pegasi. Although your wings look good, the fact that the top of the wing is angled rather than straight comes out a bit odd on the finished product of a semi-cartoon style pony - I think it looks a bit too realistic, for lack of a better word. I sort of think that a straight wing top and more of a fan-shape would still convey the feel you want, but look a bit more natural on the body style you're using.

EDIT: Alternatively, you might keep the current style, but make the wings a bit longer and 'poofier' so they look a little more filled out.

[Sean Mirrsen]

My one suggestion would be to consider going with a wing style closer to the show's for the pegasi. Although your wings look good, the fact that the top of the wing is angled rather than straight comes out a bit odd on the finished product of a semi-cartoon style pony - I think it looks a bit too realistic, for lack of a better word. I sort of think that a straight wing top and more of a fan-shape would still convey the feel you want, but look a bit more natural on the body style you're using.

EDIT: Alternatively, you might keep the current style, but make the wings a bit longer and 'poofier' so they look a little more filled out.

Well, there's a grand total of one other way I have ever drawn wings (i.e. here (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/RainbowDash.png)), so I might try using that.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/RD.png

Better?

[the_druid_droid]

Well, there's a grand total of one other way I have ever drawn wings (i.e. here (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/RainbowDash.png)), so I might try using that.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/RD.png

Better?

To my eye, that does look better. In fact, you might consider making the feathers even a bit longer and 'swoopier', but that might just be personal preference talking. I definitely do like this style better than the previous one; it looks more natural :smallsmile:

[Beacon of Chaos]

What program do you use? I'm only familiar with Inkscape, but the principle should be the same: You make two shapes with no actual strokes, one the color of the outline and one the color of the fill, then you stack the fill-shape above the outline-shape so that only the actual outline is visible behind it. That way you can make the outline whatever crazy, uneven shape you wish.

At least, that's how I've ended up doing it.

Hope my explanation makes sense.
Um... sorta? ^-^: You mean, instead of using the built-in lines, copy the fill and expand it? Seems awfully fiddly.

Using Flash CS5.5.


Definitely post the wing sketches! They are decidedly hard to draw, and so I think all the collective knowledge we can muster for them will be important!
I'll try and get them for tomorrow when I can use my parents' scanner. The key thing I noted was that when stretched out the tips of the feathers make a sort of semi-circle shape. It helps to get the lengths right. You'll see what I mean.

[Kindablue]

I'm about done with my first one (a sketch of a person), but I've run into a problem. Does anyone know of a good tutorial for drawing ears? Or, better, is there anyone here who's good at drawing them and who could run me through the process?

They keep coming out looking like hurricanes somehow.

[Domochevsky]

Creeperpony steps forward with an example on how to pose. :smallwink:

http://wildwestscifi.net/Misc/Challenge/LTD_Pony_1.png


(I guess it was only a matter of time until the Learns To Draw type of thread becomes a group activity. :smallbiggrin: )

[Deadly]

Um... sorta? ^-^: You mean, instead of using the built-in lines, copy the fill and expand it? Seems awfully fiddly.

Using Flash CS5.5.

A quick and dirty example, which I hope clarifies the idea

http://i.imgur.com/6Y2u1.png

Yes, it is a little more fiddly this way, but really not too bad IMO. I'm not familiar with Flash, but I don't think you get truly irregular strokes without it getting a little fiddly like this. And personally I find that the little extra work needed is more than made up for by just how much better it looks in the end.

[Thanqol]

This thread is BEST THREAD.


Anywho, here's a sketch I did for a halloween costume contest thingy. Twilight, Derpy and Carrot Top as the Spanish Equestrian Inquisition from Monty Python:

http://www.canterlot.com/uploads/gallery/album_36/gallery_299_36_427331.jpg

And the inked/coloured version:
http://www.canterlot.com/uploads/gallery/album_36/gallery_299_36_289567.jpg

My advice to anyone who wants to draw ponies? References. Everywhere. All the time.

My big advice to you is line colour/width. The reason this looks odd is because you've got very thin straight black lines. They cut through the picture like lasers, separating everything from everything else. Experiment with thicker lines, as well as colour.

Also, the clothing in particular looks extremely flat. Try having a look at clothing bends and folds - once you start to get your head around that, things will improve dramatically! :smallsmile:

Eyes look good, though!


Here's a sketch of AJ as a human I did a while back. I was doodling the mane 6 as humans, trying a new style, and was really happy with how AJ turned out. Fluttershy and RD were OK too, but needed more work. The rest were... not great.

Maybe some day I'll take another stab at the rest of them, but for now...

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/303/c/2/applejack_human_sketch_by_adcoon-d4egkru.jpg

You know, I'm not really a fan of AJ, but here she kinda looks cool :smallbiggrin:

Freckles! Needs freckles! This is otherwise quite a cool style, but I'm most interested to see it in action poses!




Here's a few things I've worked on recently. a little hard to see, since I took the picture with my phone. They're not ponies (No, that comes next alongside my story)! but just drawing attempts.

Swingset at my local park:

http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr17/Noctemwolf/318605_275690229119454_100000354385117_946852_1054 614397_n.jpg

Self-Portrait!

Ha-ha! I am hidden behind my goggles! :smallbiggrin:
http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr17/Noctemwolf/302344_275698555785288_100000354385117_946928_1127 954336_n.jpg

The swingset looks great!

The self portrait is generally good, but the top of the head hairline/shadow thing looks weird and blodgy. If that's a dark shadow, it looks really out of place given how well-lit the rest of the face seems to be. Otherwise this is pretty cool


I'm trying to draw a lineup of the main cast, for a larger scene with original characters, but unlike OCs, these present a problem, in that they have an established look, which I have to replicate.

I'd like some pointers here, maybe some traits or features I've missed, or things I drew wrong. Don't pay attention to the sketchiness, this is just a sketch before proper drawing. Pointers on wrong anatomy would also be useful, because for me at least, wings seem to be the new hands, and ponies in general are still a rather new item.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/M6_lineup.png

I think that my main problem with this is the mouth shape. Pony jaws are deceptively difficult; it's really easy to make them look too square. Rainbow, for instance, looks like she crashed into a wall recently. Rarity and Twilight look better.

The trick with pony jaws also comes down to line thickness. Look at some screencaps: the nose part is really thick, and then thins out to a graceful curve down along the chin that tapers out. Also merge the nose into the eye a bit more; the curves follow, and it makes the pictures look more harmonious.

The wings, however, look fantastic.


And good luck to everypony! This may seem hard at first, but it's absolutely worth doing! You won't believe your progress if you stick with it.

[Deadly]

Freckles! Needs freckles! This is otherwise quite a cool style, but I'm most interested to see it in action poses!

Totally forgot her freckles, yeah :smallredface:

Maybe I'll try some more active poses too. Initially I just wanted to figure out what I thought they looked like as humans, so I didn't much care about pose

[Thanqol]

Totally forgot her freckles, yeah :smallredface:

Maybe I'll try some more active poses too. Initially I just wanted to figure out what I thought they looked like as humans, so I didn't much care about pose

It seems like a style that can bend into really interesting poses, hence the curiosity. Expressive, that's the word.

[Deadly]

It seems like a style that can bend into really interesting poses, hence the curiosity. Expressive, that's the word.

Thanks :) I'll give it a stab sometime, then

[Kindablue]

I'm mostly interested in learning how to draw people right now, so I made a list of musicians I like to give me something focused to work on. (I haven't decided whether I'll just keep adding names to the list or restart it once I've hit the end.) Unfortunately the only camera I have in the house is, as the kids would say, teh suck, so I'll scan it sometime later this week and hopefully it will come out better then.

Drawing one:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6107/6297185858_939ff20b74_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6230/6297183674_3c164bdb95_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6238/6296654065_044c641703_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6043/6297184412_66f10682e1_z.jpg


Based on:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6106/6296672357_7f339f9f2a.jpg

The list:
Finished:
Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen


Unfinished:
Imogen Heap
Dusty Springfield
Neko Case
Agustin Barrios
Alexander James Adams
Tosin Abasi
Miles Davis
Brent Hinds
Billie Holiday
Django Reinhardt
Chuck Schuldiner
Ingrid Michaelson
Joe Pass
Venetian Snares
Charles Mingus
Sun Ra
Michel Petrucciani
Natacha Atlas
Sarah Blasko
Jacqueline du Pré

[Noctemwolf]

This thread is BEST THREAD.

The swingset looks great!

The self portrait is generally good, but the top of the head hairline/shadow thing looks weird and blodgy. If that's a dark shadow, it looks really out of place given how well-lit the rest of the face seems to be. Otherwise this is pretty cool

And good luck to everypony! This may seem hard at first, but it's absolutely worth doing! You won't believe your progress if you stick with it.


Well, I could link the original picture:
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/307336_275690505786093_100000354385117_946866_1113 021420_n.jpg[

portrait:
http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr17/Noctemwolf/302344_275698555785288_100000354385117_946928_1127 954336_n.jpg
I couldn't see my hair, so I just drew it in shadow. I also just blocked the shadows together instead of trying for subtle shadow changes (Not very good at that). 0-0* I know that's something i need to work on. definitely. And the head is probably a little long too...

Thank you for the criticism! =D


I'm mostly interested in learning how to draw people right now, so I made a list of musicians I like to give me something focused to work on. (I haven't decided whether I'll just keep adding names to the list or restart it once I've hit the end.) Unfortunately the only camera I have in the house is, as the kids would say, teh suck, so I'll scan it sometime later this week and hopefully it will come out better then.

Drawing one:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6107/6297185858_939ff20b74_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6230/6297183674_3c164bdb95_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6238/6296654065_044c641703_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6043/6297184412_66f10682e1_z.jpg


Based on:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6106/6296672357_7f339f9f2a.jpg

The list:
Finished:
Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen


Unfinished:
Imogen Heap
Dusty Springfield
Neko Case
Agustin Barrios
Alexander James Adams
Tosin Abasi
Miles Davis
Brent Hinds
Billie Holiday
Django Reinhardt
Chuck Schuldiner
Ingrid Michaelson
Joe Pass
Venetian Snares
Mingus
Sun Ra
Michel Petrucciani
Natacha Atlas
Sarah Blasko
Jacqueline du Pré


I like them! Very nice! The wrinkles on the forehead make the person seem older in your drawing, but otherwise enjoyable. =)

[Kindablue]

I like them! Very nice! The wrinkles on the forehead make the person seem older in your drawing, but otherwise enjoyable. =)

Thanks for the feedback!

[the_druid_droid]

I'm mostly interested in learning how to draw people right now, so I made a list of musicians I like to give me something focused to work on. (I haven't decided whether I'll just keep adding names to the list or restart it once I've hit the end.) Unfortunately the only camera I have in the house is, as the kids would say, teh suck, so I'll scan it sometime later this week and hopefully it will come out better then.

Drawing one:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6107/6297185858_939ff20b74_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6230/6297183674_3c164bdb95_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6238/6296654065_044c641703_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6043/6297184412_66f10682e1_z.jpg


Based on:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6106/6296672357_7f339f9f2a.jpg

The list:
Finished:
Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen


Unfinished:
Imogen Heap
Dusty Springfield
Neko Case
Agustin Barrios
Alexander James Adams
Tosin Abasi
Miles Davis
Brent Hinds
Billie Holiday
Django Reinhardt
Chuck Schuldiner
Ingrid Michaelson
Joe Pass
Venetian Snares
Mingus
Sun Ra
Michel Petrucciani
Natacha Atlas
Sarah Blasko
Jacqueline du Pré


It's very neat to see the finished product! I've been waiting for this! :smallbiggrin:

A couple of things I notice in looking at it - one is that his head seems more bent toward the bass (it is a bass, yes?) in the photo. I don't know if you did, but I'd suggest that when you're getting started, try and draw some lines to show where the midline of the body and head are going to be later on, to help establish their relative positions. Second is that his hand looks small compared to the rest of his body - I'm not sure what the best fix would be, but I'd suggest that once you have a rough set of lines to define the pose, try and find a largish section of the subject to use as an anchor and start filling in the details from there outward. It'll help with relative sizes and perspective as things come together, I think. On ponies, I personally used their giant melon heads, or else the most dynamic part of the pose...

Overall, I gotta say that this was quite good, and you're way braver than me for starting with human subjects! They have so many fiddly little details to keep track of! I'm looking forward to the rest of your series :smallbiggrin:

[Kindablue]

It's very neat to see the finished product! I've been waiting for this! :smallbiggrin:

A couple of things I notice in looking at it - one is that his head seems more bent toward the bass (it is a bass, yes?) in the photo.
I noticed that right when I got the head to look halfway decent. And yeah, NHØP was a bassist (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M-LnU2F4CY&feature=related).


I don't know if you did, but I'd suggest that when you're getting started, try and draw some lines to show where the midline of the body and head are going to be later on, to help establish their relative positions. Second is that his hand looks small compared to the rest of his body - I'm not sure what the best fix would be, but I'd suggest that once you have a rough set of lines to define the pose, try and find a largish section of the subject to use as an anchor and start filling in the details from there outward. It'll help with relative sizes and perspective as things come together, I think. On ponies, I personally used their giant melon heads, or else the most dynamic part of the pose...

I did not, but I'll definitely do that next time. Thanks!


Overall, I gotta say that this was quite good, and you're way braver than me for starting with human subjects! They have so many fiddly little details to keep track of! I'm looking forward to the rest of your series :smallbiggrin:
I'm really glad you made this thread. I never would've started something like this alone.

[Thanqol]

I'm mostly interested in learning how to draw people right now, so I made a list of musicians I like to give me something focused to work on. (I haven't decided whether I'll just keep adding names to the list or restart it once I've hit the end.) Unfortunately the only camera I have in the house is, as the kids would say, teh suck, so I'll scan it sometime later this week and hopefully it will come out better then.

Drawing one:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6107/6297185858_939ff20b74_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6230/6297183674_3c164bdb95_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6238/6296654065_044c641703_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6043/6297184412_66f10682e1_z.jpg


Based on:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6106/6296672357_7f339f9f2a.jpg

Now that's a challenging list! Good luck with the series.

The big nitpick with this one is the upper part of the nose. It curves in too much, which makes both his forehead and nose seem like they're protruding way too much. It's a pity, because it's a good looking nose, it's just not quite the nose that fits with the rest of the picture.

The other thing to work on is where the lighting falls on the face. Shading faces is tricky, but I'm noticing that getting the shading right is a major step to good pictures. Draw very light pencil boxes on the face in the areas that should be shaded, and then colour them in. Follow the lines of bones and natural curves. It adds a lot.


Well, I could link the original picture:
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/307336_275690505786093_100000354385117_946866_1113 021420_n.jpg[

portrait:
http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr17/Noctemwolf/302344_275698555785288_100000354385117_946928_1127 954336_n.jpg
I couldn't see my hair, so I just drew it in shadow. I also just blocked the shadows together instead of trying for subtle shadow changes (Not very good at that). 0-0* I know that's something i need to work on. definitely. And the head is probably a little long too...

Thank you for the criticism! =D

Yeah, I see why that would be your response to that picture, but thing is that photo is rather poor quality, and by trying to accurately copy a blurry photograph you're destined to get a blurry drawing!

My recommend with this is draw the head in it's entirety first and then add the shading. However, I'm generally behind on my pencil sketching and can't offer much advice as to actual shading techniques. Try looking at actual art books.

Also remember that running your thumb over pencil sketches smudges the lines and makes much softer shadows. I also don't see any hint of a skeleton there - you'll notice that people draw a circle with a cross through it when they're drawing heads and, honest to goodness, they do it for a reason.

[MBI]

Anyone feel like helping me? I'm currently making an animation/trailer for this (http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/10/story-end-of-ponies.html) Fanfic set to this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyDdV8eIHGE) music.
Although it's probably by no means good, I'd say it isn't going too badly either.

However, I've now hit my third major hurdle. I don't have any experience drawing ponies, and I don't want every scene to look like it's been traced from Ponygenerator.

A convenient place to start would be how to show a pony looking straight at the screen in shock and despair.

It's kinda hard to explain the exact shot i'm making, so here's a Gif thrown together entirely at the last minute at great expense:
http://i.picasion.com/pic45/c5554b313af65b0745f9cf2a14b70740.gif (http://picasion.com/)

So, Are you a bad enough dude to help monkeyboyinc draw ponies?

[Thanqol]

Anyone feel like helping me? I'm currently making an animation/trailer for this (http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/10/story-end-of-ponies.html) Fanfic set to this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyDdV8eIHGE) music.
Although it's probably by no means good, I'd say it isn't going too badly either.

However, I've now hit my third major hurdle. I don't have any experience drawing ponies, and I don't want every scene to look like it's been traced from Ponygenerator.

A convenient place to start would be how to show a pony looking straight at the screen in shock and despair.

It's kinda hard to explain the exact shot i'm making, so here's a Gif thrown together entirely at the last minute at great expense:
http://i.picasion.com/pic45/c5554b313af65b0745f9cf2a14b70740.gif (http://picasion.com/)

So, Are you a bad enough dude to help monkeyboyinc draw ponies?

I'll post up a bunch of tutorials when I get home, but here's the basics for front on ponies:

The eyes are really big and start really low, and reach up right to the start of the mane. Straight on ponies just have a single curve shape for a nose.
Pony eyes have really big pupils, smallish irises, and between two and four white circles. Remember that the colour of the whites of the eyes is never pure white! The Irises also change colours multiple times too!
Mouths are quite small

Reference image:

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/8390/5702smiletwilightsparkl.png

[Kindablue]

Now that's a challenging list! Good luck with the series.
Thanks!



The big nitpick with this one is the upper part of the nose. It curves in too much, which makes both his forehead and nose seem like they're protruding way too much. It's a pity, because it's a good looking nose, it's just not quite the nose that fits with the rest of the picture.
Yeah, I had a lot of trouble with the way his face ended. Looking at the photo, its low quality makes that ear look a lot better than it actually is.



The other thing to work on is where the lighting falls on the face. Shading faces is tricky, but I'm noticing that getting the shading right is a major step to good pictures. Draw very light pencil boxes on the face in the areas that should be shaded, and then colour them in. Follow the lines of bones and natural curves. It adds a lot.
Every time I tried to shade his face it looked like he had a beard. Maybe I just wasn't shading light enough, though. I'll try the box method next time.

[Thanqol]

DRAWING PONIES: THE TUTORIALS

Here's a gallery (http://imageshack.us/g/683/2ljgk84jpg.png/)of my collected ponytutes. Hope it helps!

[Thanqol]

Thanks!


Yeah, I had a lot of trouble with the way his face ended. Looking at the photo, its low quality makes that ear look a lot better than it actually is.

Every time I tried to shade his face it looked like he had a beard. Maybe I just wasn't shading light enough, though. I'll try the box method next time.

If you use sharp lines for shading then it looks like hair. Try a softer/lighter/smudgedier pencil.

Oh yeah, on that topic, everyone should have at least a H, 2B, 4B and 6B pencil for pencil drawing. The difference a range of tools makes over a common HB pencil is astounding.

Faces are really tricky in general, so especially in the early days, cheat. Draw lots and lots of construction lines. Sketch out your proportions clearly before you draw the picture. Draw bald people to get an idea for just how big the skull is. You're not going to be making great-looking pictures on your first try, so feel completely free to do basic parts in isolation - just practising eyes, or noses, or mouths - if it helps you get a better idea of how to do it.

[MBI]

I'll post up a bunch of tutorials when I get home, but here's the basics for front on ponies:

The eyes are really big and start really low, and reach up right to the start of the mane. Straight on ponies just have a single curve shape for a nose.
Pony eyes have really big pupils, smallish irises, and between two and four white circles. Remember that the colour of the whites of the eyes is never pure white! The Irises also change colours multiple times too!
Mouths are quite small

Reference image:

[SPOILER]Huge Twilight

Thanks Thanqol! Some of that is really useful. Other parts, not so useful. But it's totally my fault, not yours. I really didn't explain enough before. I'm going for a kinda Andrew Hussie But not as pixely style. This (http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=002657) flash animation should show you what I mean without spoiling anything major in the story. I don't really care about colour as much as I care about shading. In fact, I'm deliberately trying to make the first half of my animation as red and dull as possible.

So I should have probably asked about how to shade a pony.
Anyway, I'm tired. Don't blame me if none of that above post makes sense. Good night everyone!

[Thanqol]

Thanks Thanqol! Some of that is really useful. Other parts, not so useful. But it's totally my fault, not yours. I really didn't explain enough before. I'm going for a kinda Andrew Hussie But not as pixely style. This (http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=002657) flash animation should show you what I mean without spoiling anything major in the story. I don't really care about colour as much as I care about shading. In fact, I'm deliberately trying to make the first half of my animation as red and dull as possible.

So I should have probably asked about how to shade a pony.
Anyway, I'm tired. Don't blame me if none of that above post makes sense. Good night everyone!

Only example I have for front-on shading offhoof is this

http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/1474/38453creepytwilightspar.png

As to how to do it, that depends a lot on what program you're using and what tools you have access to. I still haven't figured it out myself, though I feel like I'm onto something with the airbrush.

[Kindablue]

If you use sharp lines for shading then it looks like hair. Try a softer/lighter/smudgedier pencil.

Oh yeah, on that topic, everyone should have at least a H, 2B, 4B and 6B pencil for pencil drawing. The difference a range of tools makes over a common HB pencil is astounding.
How does that work? I vaguely remember an art teacher in high school telling me that the brittler ones are darker. Are they smudgier too?



Faces are really tricky in general, so especially in the early days, cheat. Draw lots and lots of construction lines. Sketch out your proportions clearly before you draw the picture. Draw bald people to get an idea for just how big the skull is. You're not going to be making great-looking pictures on your first try, so feel completely free to do basic parts in isolation - just practising eyes, or noses, or mouths - if it helps you get a better idea of how to do it.
I guess Joe Pass is next then. And yeah, I was planning on doing individual body parts as well. Thanks again for the feedback.

[Thanqol]

How does that work? I vaguely remember an art teacher in high school telling me that the brittler ones are darker. Are they smudgier too?

Yeah, the more B you get the softer the lead is, the more H the harder. This means they tend to become rounded at the tip quite quickly, produce wider, powdery-er, darker lines.

http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/456/img0001qx.jpg

This is Day 33. The main lines were done with a 2B, the darker shading was a 4B. I've come to love the 4B as a main tool, but it's good to have a variety.

Harder leads produce very faint, easily erasable lines if you press lightly on them, which makes them great for skeletoning. H pencils also make good silvery metallic colours. A set of pencils will cost you maybe $10, and just play around with them until you get their measure.

[the_druid_droid]

I'm really glad you made this thread. I never would've started something like this alone.

I'm glad to see so much participation! It's really a wonderful thing to see everyone contributing and helping each other.


If you use sharp lines for shading then it looks like hair. Try a softer/lighter/smudgedier pencil.

Oh yeah, on that topic, everyone should have at least a H, 2B, 4B and 6B pencil for pencil drawing. The difference a range of tools makes over a common HB pencil is astounding.

Faces are really tricky in general, so especially in the early days, cheat. Draw lots and lots of construction lines. Sketch out your proportions clearly before you draw the picture. Draw bald people to get an idea for just how big the skull is. You're not going to be making great-looking pictures on your first try, so feel completely free to do basic parts in isolation - just practising eyes, or noses, or mouths - if it helps you get a better idea of how to do it.

My present to myself today was a set of sketching pencils :smallbiggrin:

Also, heed this man's advice on construction lines! They will save your flanks!

[Dirtbag]

Ponythread Community Draw-thingy GO!

So while intently listening to Discords story time in the IRC, I had an image pop into my head.

Going off from what was described from the scene during the RP, There is Discord sitting in a overly fluffy chair with Phantom Fox cuddled in a ball on his lap. Here's the list of the ponies who were there: KindaBlue, SiuiS, Dirtbag, PhantomFox, Braz, Shadowy, Jade aurora, Midnight, Princess Luna, Beeskee, Flashpoint, Leo, Neoseanster (Inkblot).

I removed my rough draft cause it was too big. (3000x4000 pixels too big. Dumb Camera.) So let's just play off the imagination of everypony who wants to contribute.

This is a group project as somepony suggested, so if everypony could give their two cents and yes, /your/ two cents is valued just as much as any other pony.

With that, the ponies mentioned above are the ones who were also in during Story Time, I'd like everypony who was there to put up their OC information so that the artists can create a mental image and start working on it.

So, if all the other ponies agree, you can add your OC information and/or picture to be added in.

As for ponies who may want to be added, also post your OC information or a picture so you can be added.

All the ponies can work on this, so everypony should start practicing their drawing and help out!

I'm not a very good leader, also I'm busy, so I'm just posting the idea, some other pony will have to take over from here.

More RP stuff: Jade, Midnight, Luna, Braz, and SiuiS were together. The first two were constantly flirting fooling around. I thought Flashpoint was a dragon so I pictured a large Silver Dragon beside/around the ponies cuddled up with them.

I'm not good at camera angles so somepony else should come up with where the shot is taken from. I thought from behind Discord but... :/

Add or remove anything you think may fit. This is just a starting point.

And have a fun learning experience everypony! :D

[Thanqol]

Dirtbag, are you presenting that as a challenge for the drawthread to do in it's entirety? Or are you trying it on your own, but requesting help? I'm unclear of exactly what you're requesting or what objectives you want achieved.

You can also resize photographs via Imageshack without much trouble.

[Dirtbag]

Dirtbag, are you presenting that as a challenge for the drawthread to do in it's entirety? Or are you trying it on your own, but requesting help? I'm unclear of exactly what you're requesting or what objectives you want achieved.

You can also resize photographs via Imageshack without much trouble.

I can re-size via Photoshop, but my head is spinning cause I'm tired. @.@

This is for the community to work on as a whole. I probably wont be able to help cause I'm to busy. I just saw an image in my head and thought it would be pretty cool. Somepony else had the idea of the community doing it.

Edit: Uh, I was informed that Shadowy was trying to hide during the story, so that's another detail.

[Grif]

Ponythread Community Draw-thingy GO!

So while intently listening to Discords story time in the IRC, I had an image pop into my head.

Going off from what was described from the scene during the RP, There is Discord sitting in a overly fluffy chair with Phantom Fox cuddled in a ball on his lap. Here's the list of the ponies who were there: KindaBlue, SiuiS, Dirtbag, PhantomFox, Braz, Shadowy, Jade aurora, Midnight, Princess Luna, Beeskee, Flashpoint, Leo, Neoseanster (Inkblot).

I removed my rough draft cause it was too big. (3000x4000 pixels too big. Dumb Camera.) So let's just play off the imagination of everypony who wants to contribute.

This is a group project as somepony suggested, so if everypony could give their two cents and yes, /your/ two cents is valued just as much as any other pony.

With that, the ponies mentioned above are the ones who were also in during Story Time, I'd like everypony who was there to put up their OC information so that the artists can create a mental image and start working on it.

So, if all the other ponies agree, you can add your OC information and/or picture to be added in.

As for ponies who may want to be added, also post your OC information or a picture so you can be added.

All the ponies can work on this, so everypony should start practicing their drawing and help out!

I'm not a very good leader, also I'm busy, so I'm just posting the idea, some other pony will have to take over from here.

More RP stuff: Jade, Midnight, Luna, Braz, and SiuiS were together. The first two were constantly flirting fooling around. I thought Flashpoint was a dragon so I pictured a large Silver Dragon beside/around the ponies cuddled up with them.

I'm not good at camera angles so somepony else should come up with where the shot is taken from. I thought from behind Discord but... :/

Add or remove anything you think may fit. This is just a starting point.

And have a fun learning experience everypony! :D

Curse my real-life for missing this. :smallbiggrin:

[Sean Mirrsen]

Ponythread Community Draw-thingy GO!

So while intently listening to Discords story time in the IRC, I had an image pop into my head.

Going off from what was described from the scene during the RP, There is Discord sitting in a overly fluffy chair with Phantom Fox cuddled in a ball on his lap. Here's the list of the ponies who were there: KindaBlue, SiuiS, Dirtbag, PhantomFox, Braz, Shadowy, Jade aurora, Midnight, Princess Luna, Beeskee, Flashpoint, Leo, Neoseanster (Inkblot).

I removed my rough draft cause it was too big. (3000x4000 pixels too big. Dumb Camera.) So let's just play off the imagination of everypony who wants to contribute.

This is a group project as somepony suggested, so if everypony could give their two cents and yes, /your/ two cents is valued just as much as any other pony.

With that, the ponies mentioned above are the ones who were also in during Story Time, I'd like everypony who was there to put up their OC information so that the artists can create a mental image and start working on it.

So, if all the other ponies agree, you can add your OC information and/or picture to be added in.

As for ponies who may want to be added, also post your OC information or a picture so you can be added.

All the ponies can work on this, so everypony should start practicing their drawing and help out!

I'm not a very good leader, also I'm busy, so I'm just posting the idea, some other pony will have to take over from here.

More RP stuff: Jade, Midnight, Luna, Braz, and SiuiS were together. The first two were constantly flirting fooling around. I thought Flashpoint was a dragon so I pictured a large Silver Dragon beside/around the ponies cuddled up with them.

I'm not good at camera angles so somepony else should come up with where the shot is taken from. I thought from behind Discord but... :/

Add or remove anything you think may fit. This is just a starting point.

And have a fun learning experience everypony! :D
I've no idea what roughly 85% of those characters look like.

[Level8Mudcrab]

I don't really have any drawing experience, nor do I think I'm too good at it. Nevertheless, it's something I've been wanting to practice, and this seems like a great thread to do just that. So, onto the main event. Have a hoofdrawn Twilight Sparkle.

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/892/mudcrabtwilight2.jpg

Using this picture as a reference,
http://images.wikia.com/mlp/images/e/e0/Twilight_Sparkle_after_drying_herself_S1E03.png

For a first time drawing, I like to think I did fairly well. I think I need to improve on legs and head. Confound those eyes. And just about everything else too. At any rate, advice/criticism is appreciated.



I don't really know enough to be giving decent advice to other people, so I'll just do what I can.

@Druid. I found drawing larger versions of eyes seperately helped a bit. With bigger ones I didn't have to worry about it being all small and fiddly, so I could practice. You should have seen my first attempt at eyes.
I do like your Rainbow.

@Sean Mirrsen
I like it, will be great to see how it turns out. I'll echo the above comments about the ponies looking a little meaty though.


And thanks for those guides, Thanqol. I'll have a look through them for when I next try this.

[Dirtbag]

I've no idea what roughly 85% of those characters look like.

That's why I told them to put their OC pictures/info in here.

Or I at least put it in the Main Ponythread.

After I get some sleep I'll send them messages if they hadn't already posted by then.

[Thanqol]

I don't really have any drawing experience, nor do I think I'm too good at it. Nevertheless, it's something I've been wanting to practice, and this seems like a great thread to do just that. So, onto the main event. Have a hoofdrawn Twilight Sparkle.

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/892/mudcrabtwilight2.jpg

Using this picture as a reference,
http://images.wikia.com/mlp/images/e/e0/Twilight_Sparkle_after_drying_herself_S1E03.png

For a first time drawing, I like to think I did fairly well. I think I need to improve on legs and head. Confound those eyes. And just about everything else too. At any rate, advice/criticism is appreciated.

Good heavens, that eye. That's the most obvious thing, so I don't need to point that out further. Just... well -

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/3595/c2418d8e.jpg

This is a SiuiS sketch of the first step of drawing a pony. Make sure everything is in the right place with construction lines, make sure everything's lined up before you start detailing. Helps avoid obvious mistakes

Legs also need to be thicker, but the curve of the chin is solid, good job with that :smallsmile:

[Vent Reynolt]

A long time ago, Midnight noted that there is absolutely no fanart of her of a certain *ahem* genre that is particularly popular with the pony fandom. Since Midnight was practically begging to have more fanart of her drawn (If you can even call this "art"), I decided to do what I could to make this for her. Unfortunately, I had all but given up completely about halfway through.

You guys have inspired me to finally finish what I started a while back! So here it is.

Presenting, Midnight completely naked. :smallwink: Aside from the pair of socks she's putting on.

http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g459/Vent_Reynolt/MidnightSocks.png

No, I did not have the tail curve that way just so that I didn't have to deal with Midnight's Tarot card cutie mark! I have no idea why you'd think that. [/Liarjack]

:smallsigh: I know it's embarrassingly terrible, but darn it, Inkwell and Kairaven set the bar for Midnight artwork too darn high!

Speaking of Kairaven, the reference I used was Kairaven's adult Midnight: (http://kairaven.deviantart.com/#/d3lobaf)

Don't expect me to post anything else anytime soon; the reason I don't do artwork at all is that every single time I look at anything that I am responsible for creating, I want to set it, and any evidence that it ever existed, on fire! (This is not a hyperbole)

[Thanqol]

A long time ago, Midnight noted that there is absolutely no fanart of her of a certain *ahem* genre that is particularly popular with the pony fandom. Since Midnight was practically begging to have more fanart of her drawn (If you can even call this "art"), I decided to do what I could to make this for her. Unfortunately, I had all but given up completely about halfway through.

You guys have inspired me to finally finish what I started a while back! So here it is.

Presenting, Midnight completely naked. :smallwink: Aside from the pair of socks she's putting on.

Fantastic :smallbiggrin: Legs don't quite seem thick enough, though, particularly at the back. Ponies are squishy, like marshmallows.


Don't expect me to post anything else anytime soon; the reason I don't do artwork at all is that every single time I look at anything that I am responsible for creating, I want to set it, and any evidence that it ever existed, on fire! (This is not a hyperbole)

Come on, man, how do you imagine I feel? :smallwink:

[the_druid_droid]

My latest project is applebuckin' AJ!

Be Strong!
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/AJ.png

Based on this:
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/Screenshot2011-10-30at12101AM.png

@Everyone who's posted: Looking good! Keep it coming!

[Thanqol]

My latest project is applebuckin' AJ!

Be Strong!
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/AJ.png

Based on this:
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/Screenshot2011-10-30at12101AM.png

@Everyone who's posted: Looking good! Keep it coming!

Generally solid :smallsmile: You've got good linework. I'm curious to see you work with colour, inking or shading.

[Kindablue]

Yeah, the more B you get the softer the lead is, the more H the harder. This means they tend to become rounded at the tip quite quickly, produce wider, powdery-er, darker lines.

*snip*

This is Day 33. The main lines were done with a 2B, the darker shading was a 4B. I've come to love the 4B as a main tool, but it's good to have a variety.

Harder leads produce very faint, easily erasable lines if you press lightly on them, which makes them great for skeletoning. H pencils also make good silvery metallic colours. A set of pencils will cost you maybe $10, and just play around with them until you get their measure.

I'll invest in some. Thanks for dropping the science!

[Noctemwolf]

I don't really have any drawing experience, nor do I think I'm too good at it. Nevertheless, it's something I've been wanting to practice, and this seems like a great thread to do just that. So, onto the main event. Have a hoofdrawn Twilight Sparkle.

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/892/mudcrabtwilight2.jpg

Using this picture as a reference,
http://images.wikia.com/mlp/images/e/e0/Twilight_Sparkle_after_drying_herself_S1E03.png

For a first time drawing, I like to think I did fairly well. I think I need to improve on legs and head. Confound those eyes. And just about everything else too. At any rate, advice/criticism is appreciated.



I don't really know enough to be giving decent advice to other people, so I'll just do what I can.

@Druid. I found drawing larger versions of eyes seperately helped a bit. With bigger ones I didn't have to worry about it being all small and fiddly, so I could practice. You should have seen my first attempt at eyes.
I do like your Rainbow.

@Sean Mirrsen
I like it, will be great to see how it turns out. I'll echo the above comments about the ponies looking a little meaty though.


And thanks for those guides, Thanqol. I'll have a look through them for when I next try this.

It's a good one! :smallbiggrin: I think her legs look a little short, and her right eye is a little off, but otherwise. =D



My latest project is applebuckin' AJ!

Be Strong!
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/AJ.png

Based on this:
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/Screenshot2011-10-30at12101AM.png

@Everyone who's posted: Looking good! Keep it coming!

Applejack! Who Can't like a good, hardworking pony? =P
Very nice, very nice!



Here's some more works of mine...:

Jack, the Nightmare:
http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/317455_286787681343042_100000354385117_987844_2083 527125_n.jpg
This is a character from a novel I HOPE to write someday, a mechanical creature known as Nightmare, though he calls himself Jack. I can never get his feet to look right. I want them to look more like a bird's feet. Might be useful if I look up some anatomy pictures, perhaps... 0-0*


Xia (WIP):
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/375895_286787688009708_100000354385117_987845_1865 863598_n.jpg
This is Xia, a pony based on a roleplaying character of mine known as , suprise suprise, Xia. =)


Xia (Almost complete):
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/298036_286787648009712_100000354385117_987843_1704 55169_n.jpg
This is a more finished version. Only thing missing? A cutie mark. I'm trying to decide what it should be. I'm torn between a question mark or a yin/yang circle (If I had to say what his special talent would be, it would be philosophy).

oh, the group drawing project going on? I'll help if I can. =)

[Mystic Muse]

Okay, sorry about not having better quality of a picture. The only camera I have is my Ipod one, and that's less than optimal.

The character is an older version of an MLP OC of mine named Smoothie. I'm not going to go into her whole background, I'm just going to give a few details.
1. At this point in time, she's a teacher. She teaches foals in the use of magic.
2. Both her element and her talent are magic. She's on the same tier as Twilight for various reasons.
3. She got control over her considerable power due to a lot of help from Lix Lorn, who also added a considerable number of spells to Smoothie's spellbook.
4. She has no cutie mark in the picture because I can't get it drawn correctly (You wouldn't think a wizard hat would be that hard to draw, would you?) and it wouldn't be big enough to show up in the picture anyway.

So, given the info that Lix trained her, you get one guess what she's teaching the foals to do with their magic.:smallamused:

http://i1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb443/Zernobog888/Avatars/IMG_0087.jpg

If your answer was "Genderbending" you are very very wrong.:smalltongue:

[Noctemwolf]

Okay, sorry about not having better quality of a picture. The only camera I have is my Ipod one, and that's less than optimal.

The character is an older version of an MLP OC of mine named Smoothie. I'm not going to go into her whole background, I'm just going to give a few details.
1. At this point in time, she's a teacher. She teaches foals in the use of magic.
2. Both her element and her talent are magic. She's on the same tier as Twilight for various reasons.
3. She got control over her considerable power due to a lot of help from Lix Lorn, who also added a considerable number of spells to Smoothie's spellbook.
4. She has no cutie mark in the picture because I can't get it drawn correctly (You wouldn't think a wizard hat would be that hard to draw, would you?) and it wouldn't be big enough to show up in the picture anyway.

So, given the info that Lix trained her, you get one guess what she's teaching the foals to do with their magic.:smallamused:

http://i1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb443/Zernobog888/Avatars/IMG_0087.jpg

If your answer was "Genderbending" you are very very wrong.:smalltongue:

Good picture! The hair seems like a mix between Twilight and Pinkie... when Pinkie's hair is down, of course. =)
and.. Lix? As in, the Lix Lorn?
Name's familiar, but I can't say I actually know who it is. I'm fairly certain he/she is an important figure here in the playground, yes?

[Thanqol]

General: On Inks

From what I understand, you can buy inking pens of various sizes; proper art inking pens are $4-5 and come in sizes from .2 to .8 that I've seen. It's just a matter of tracing your sketches with the inking pen and then erasing the pencil.


Here's some more works of mine...:

Jack, the Nightmare:
http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/317455_286787681343042_100000354385117_987844_2083 527125_n.jpg
This is a character from a novel I HOPE to write someday, a mechanical creature known as Nightmare, though he calls himself Jack. I can never get his feet to look right. I want them to look more like a bird's feet. Might be useful if I look up some anatomy pictures, perhaps... 0-0*

This is a cool design, I'd love to see an inked and cleaned up version!


Xia (WIP):
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/375895_286787688009708_100000354385117_987845_1865 863598_n.jpg
This is Xia, a pony based on a roleplaying character of mine known as , suprise suprise, Xia. =)


Xia (Almost complete):
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/298036_286787648009712_100000354385117_987843_1704 55169_n.jpg
This is a more finished version. Only thing missing? A cutie mark. I'm trying to decide what it should be. I'm torn between a question mark or a yin/yang circle (If I had to say what his special talent would be, it would be philosophy).

oh, the group drawing project going on? I'll help if I can. =)

Stiltlegs never looked right to me, I've always found it a freakish artefact of the pony generator. Otherwise, these are quite clean and well done. :smallsmile:


Okay, sorry about not having better quality of a picture. The only camera I have is my Ipod one, and that's less than optimal.

The character is an older version of an MLP OC of mine named Smoothie. I'm not going to go into her whole background, I'm just going to give a few details.
1. At this point in time, she's a teacher. She teaches foals in the use of magic.
2. Both her element and her talent are magic. She's on the same tier as Twilight for various reasons.
3. She got control over her considerable power due to a lot of help from Lix Lorn, who also added a considerable number of spells to Smoothie's spellbook.
4. She has no cutie mark in the picture because I can't get it drawn correctly (You wouldn't think a wizard hat would be that hard to draw, would you?) and it wouldn't be big enough to show up in the picture anyway.

So, given the info that Lix trained her, you get one guess what she's teaching the foals to do with their magic.:smallamused:

http://i1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb443/Zernobog888/Avatars/IMG_0087.jpg

If your answer was "Genderbending" you are very very wrong.:smalltongue:

The mistake in this one is the width of the neck. It should be almost a straight line from the bottom of the ear to the shoulder. I can see how you'd make the mistake because in a lot of pictures that part of the neck is covered by the mane. Proportions are, otherwise, quite good!

Also hats are super hard to draw properly.

See what you can do about getting non-lined paper, too - quality paper makes drawings look significantly better.

[SiuiS]

Mates, I've never been prouder to know any of you. And Vent; if you've spent the last decade setting things that are better than my best on fire, I think I will be very cross with you :smallwink:


Proporting the Pone
and other such details

The pony is sometimes a difficult beast to make proportional. They seem so... Fluid, so well put together! And worse, once you hear the secret to pony proportion power, you'll scoff. I guarantee it. Let's try it out;









The pony is measured by the size of it's own head.







See? Be honest, I bet you at least started to snort derisively. Because honestly, every "how to draw" book and it's mother says that, and well, you already knew it and you still aren't A master artist, so it's gotta be crock!
Except ponies are special.

One, because they're my little ponies.
Two, because they are a magical cartoon beast with barest of nods to actual anatomy sometimes.

The pony is measured by it's head. So if the pony's head is a circle that is 2 inches, then;
The pony is 5 inches tall (2.5 heads)
The body is about 1 Inch long
The eye is one inch tall
The ear is one inch tall
The horn is about one inch tall
The hoof if approximately one Inch in diameter
The legs are two inches long

That last one is important; at any point in time, a proportional pony will have distance between it's belly and the ground, exactly equal to the height of it's head.

Lemme show you.

A pony; one of my best, actually. I love the picture it came from, and it's cool that Thanqol actually took a shot at coloring my poopy doodles.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee468/WizardPony/examples/057ef8b6.jpg

Ok, now; same pony, with some amateur paint skills applied.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee468/WizardPony/examples/3709fc8b.jpg


There we are! Proof without having to murder a good picture or kludge through a new one!

-

And I'll tell you ponies what. I'm leaving the thread for a while (says he who's posted twice since then, and once here, and dips into irc every now and again) but the extra time is going to be split between working on a character, exercise...
And diving into that Guardalopolis comic that Ponythread spawned 15 or more iterations ago.

So there you are. You guys are going to see me weeble and wobble through a comic. I hope you're happy.

-

Hats are a a pain in the Mark. And quality paper is awesome! But don't be afraid to do roughs with bad materials. You lose masterpieces, but you gain skill always.

And as a repeat from last time; drawing is 90% perception. I you see something wrong, good! Nothing sucks more than no having a way to improve. If something goes awry, focus on that! Bring it up here, go to a book store and browse. If you see a neat art style, try to duplicate what's so neat about it. So long as you come away able to see something you couldn't before, you come away understanding more.

That paragraph got away from me, so post and bed.

[Level8Mudcrab]

Wow, SiuiS knows ponies. A very interesting read, thanks.

[BlasTech]

I'm trying to draw a lineup of the main cast, for a larger scene with original characters, but unlike OCs, these present a problem, in that they have an established look, which I have to replicate.

I'd like some pointers here, maybe some traits or features I've missed, or things I drew wrong. Don't pay attention to the sketchiness, this is just a sketch before proper drawing. Pointers on wrong anatomy would also be useful, because for me at least, wings seem to be the new hands, and ponies in general are still a rather new item.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/M6_lineup.png

Rather than them being too "buff", I think their heads might be too small ... maybe increasing the size of the heads will make them look more cartoonish. Here they appear a bit closer to realistic proportions.

That said, nice work. You've done well with getting six very different but recognisable ponies done ... I'd have trouble with one! :smalltongue:

[Sean Mirrsen]

I decided to see if I can determine how to improve my designs by sticking a show-type model side-by-side with a more serious-type of the same basic design.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/PegasiSbS.png

Just a quick sketch so far on both. I'd like any corrections you can provide for the show-type on the left side. I need to understand if I have the understanding right for drawing them, so that I know exactly what I am changing to make the serious variant.

For the right-side design, I think I found the reason for my troubles with facial expressions not looking right. Sans hair and eyes, the basic body and head shape of the right-side design looks a lot like a cat. So I tend to draw it like a cat. I'm gonna have to do something about that.

[Thanqol]

I decided to see if I can determine how to improve my designs by sticking a show-type model side-by-side with a more serious-type of the same basic design.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/PegasiSbS.png

Just a quick sketch so far on both. I'd like any corrections you can provide for the show-type on the left side. I need to understand if I have the understanding right for drawing them, so that I know exactly what I am changing to make the serious variant.

For the right-side design, I think I found the reason for my troubles with facial expressions not looking right. Sans hair and eyes, the basic body and head shape of the right-side design looks a lot like a cat. So I tend to draw it like a cat. I'm gonna have to do something about that.

The show type picture looks broadly solid; everything's in the right place.

Ever looked at a real horse?

http://www.nannasfarmbeautyproducts.com.au/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/horse-running-beach.jpg


Look at the legs. Look how weirdly thin they are. You can learn a lot about pony design and how their hooves bend and how they're jointed by noticing how they're, essentially, stylised horses.

You're going for a sort of taller, stockier, mature-er pony look? Then it might be worth increasing the length of the muzzle to balance it out. Take a look at cartoonlion (http://cartoonlion.deviantart.com/gallery/)'s ponies; I love the style, and it's great for a slightly more mature pony look.

[Sean Mirrsen]

The show type picture looks broadly solid; everything's in the right place.

Ever looked at a real horse?

http://www.nannasfarmbeautyproducts.com.au/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/horse-running-beach.jpg


Look at the legs. Look how weirdly thin they are. You can learn a lot about pony design and how their hooves bend and how they're jointed by noticing how they're, essentially, stylised horses.

You're going for a sort of taller, stockier, mature-er pony look? Then it might be worth increasing the length of the muzzle to balance it out. Take a look at cartoonlion (http://cartoonlion.deviantart.com/gallery/)'s ponies; I love the style, and it's great for a slightly more mature pony look.
I can't say I'm going for "a more mature" style, exactly - in fact, I'm not entirely sure what I am going for. I guess I want a healthy mix of the cartoon style and something more realistic, while retaining the same characters. Kinda like you can show an anime character in different styles and proportions, and still understand that it's the exact same character. It's cartoon ponies through a real-world lens, as it were.

[Thanqol]

I can't say I'm going for "a more mature" style, exactly - in fact, I'm not entirely sure what I am going for. I guess I want a healthy mix of the cartoon style and something more realistic, while retaining the same characters. Kinda like you can show an anime character in different styles and proportions, and still understand that it's the exact same character. It's cartoon ponies through a real-world lens, as it were.

Welp, you're out of my (really limited) area of expertise. I've got no idea how that works. Good luck! :smallsmile:

[Sean Mirrsen]

Clean up on sketch aisle five!

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/PegasiSbS2.png
Added covering feathers on the wings, changed the jawline and nose a little, tinkered with shading, cleaned up lines overall.

That's more or less how it works, I guess. Keep the same character, keep the same height and features, just reimagine him/her in a different universe, so to speak. No idea if it's useful for anyone else. I'm just a game master with a penchant for weird AUs. :smallsmile:

[Grif]

Clean up on sketch aisle five!

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/PegasiSbS2.png
Added covering feathers on the wings, changed the jawline and nose a little, tinkered with shading, cleaned up lines overall.

That's more or less how it works, I guess. Keep the same character, keep the same height and features, just reimagine him/her in a different universe, so to speak. No idea if it's useful for anyone else. I'm just a game master with a penchant for weird AUs. :smallsmile:

Your style is actually reminiscent of a few artists, who drew the ponies in a more realistic style. Let me see if I can find an example or not.

Ah, here we go.
http://img.ponibooru.org/_images/bb72f7177433aa9e052003230dc81f37/23453%20-%20applejack%20artist%3Acartoonlion%20fluttershy%2 0implied_lesbianism%20lesbian%20rainbow_dash.png

Said artist tend to do shipping pictures though, but you get the idea.

You can find more here (http://ponibooru.413chan.net/post/list/artist%3Acartoonlion/1).

[Sean Mirrsen]

I recognized the style, though I didn't understand why until I looked at where the link's pointing. That's the exact same artist Thanqol linked me to not five posts ago. :smallamused:

Anyway, speaking of weird AUs:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/StungunFilly.png
This sketch was made before I began posting in this thread, so don't critique it too harshly. It's not even finished as a sketch, I just had this idea pop into my head and drew it. Yes, that's Fluttershy, but can you guess which universe it is?

[Thanqol]

I recognized the style, though I didn't understand why until I looked at where the link's pointing. That's the exact same artist Thanqol linked me to not five posts ago. :smallamused:

I think the real lesson here is that we all have huge crushes on cartoonlion and are subtly trying to mould you into our pet copy of her.

I do think the wings, especially, in your second style are quite cool.


Anyway, speaking of weird AUs:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/StungunFilly.png
This sketch was made before I began posting in this thread, so don't critique it too harshly. It's not even finished as a sketch, I just had this idea pop into my head and drew it. Yes, that's Fluttershy, but can you guess which universe it is?

No clue!

[the_druid_droid]

Generally solid :smallsmile: You've got good linework. I'm curious to see you work with colour, inking or shading.

Oh goodness! Those are the things I feel very self-conscious about...but in this thread that's no excuse! I'm thinking that once I have my initial set of the mane 6 done, I'm going to go back and ink one or two of my favorites.

For shading, I'm thinking of doing a side project that's a rip off of Kindablue's idea, but with scientists. I think a black and white model picture might help me figure out how tone works...also then I could perhaps talk more intelligently with the folks concentrating on more realistic subject matter.

Coloring in a serious way may have to wait until I get a tablet or some more reliable way to make digital art, but I've promised myself that if I fill a sketchbook I'll buy one as a present to myself.


Okay, sorry about not having better quality of a picture. The only camera I have is my Ipod one, and that's less than optimal.

The character is an older version of an MLP OC of mine named Smoothie. I'm not going to go into her whole background, I'm just going to give a few details.
1. At this point in time, she's a teacher. She teaches foals in the use of magic.
2. Both her element and her talent are magic. She's on the same tier as Twilight for various reasons.
3. She got control over her considerable power due to a lot of help from Lix Lorn, who also added a considerable number of spells to Smoothie's spellbook.
4. She has no cutie mark in the picture because I can't get it drawn correctly (You wouldn't think a wizard hat would be that hard to draw, would you?) and it wouldn't be big enough to show up in the picture anyway.

So, given the info that Lix trained her, you get one guess what she's teaching the foals to do with their magic.:smallamused:

http://i1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb443/Zernobog888/Avatars/IMG_0087.jpg

If your answer was "Genderbending" you are very very wrong.:smalltongue:

Nice work Soft! I think you have the basic strokes that go into ponies down pat! I would just second what some other posters have said about double checking proportions. The thing that's helped me some is to really try to see the lines that go into a pony, rather than the whole pony at once. If you can figure out how all the lines and curves go relative to one another, where they begin and end, you'll really start to settle down into a consistent pony style.

Also, I like the mane style! Is it by any chance influenced by Hairspray's mane from Green Isn't Your Color?


See what you can do about getting non-lined paper, too - quality paper makes drawings look significantly better.

Can't agree enough that some basic, relatively inexpensive art supplies help a lot! Just a cheap sketchbook and pencils will do wonders for your versatility.


The pony is measured by the size of it's own head.

----

And I'll tell you ponies what. I'm leaving the thread for a while (says he who's posted twice since then, and once here, and dips into irc every now and again) but the extra time is going to be split between working on a character, exercise...
And diving into that Guardalopolis comic that Ponythread spawned 15 or more iterations ago.

So there you are. You guys are going to see me weeble and wobble through a comic. I hope you're happy.

-

Hats are a a pain in the Mark. And quality paper is awesome! But don't be afraid to do roughs with bad materials. You lose masterpieces, but you gain skill always.

And as a repeat from last time; drawing is 90% perception. I you see something wrong, good! Nothing sucks more than no having a way to improve. If something goes awry, focus on that! Bring it up here, go to a book store and browse. If you see a neat art style, try to duplicate what's so neat about it. So long as you come away able to see something you couldn't before, you come away understanding more.

That paragraph got away from me, so post and bed.

There is so much truth to your post SiuiS, I don't know what to do! Especially the bit about the head being the measure of a pony; when I draw them, I usually end up using it as an anchor for the rest of the drawing.

Also, we'll miss you while you're gone, but I for one hope you post the WIP comic here, at least in snatches!


I decided to see if I can determine how to improve my designs by sticking a show-type model side-by-side with a more serious-type of the same basic design.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/PegasiSbS.png

Just a quick sketch so far on both. I'd like any corrections you can provide for the show-type on the left side. I need to understand if I have the understanding right for drawing them, so that I know exactly what I am changing to make the serious variant.

For the right-side design, I think I found the reason for my troubles with facial expressions not looking right. Sans hair and eyes, the basic body and head shape of the right-side design looks a lot like a cat. So I tend to draw it like a cat. I'm gonna have to do something about that.

The only additional thing I'll suggest is that when show pegasi are just standing with their wings unfolded, they have a bit more of a fan shape. The top feather basically goes straight up, and then the next two define an arc down to the body, with the last little one being tucked on to define the curve of the bottom of the wing.

Other than that, everything looks solid! I'm really interested to see your work as it comes along!


I recognized the style, though I didn't understand why until I looked at where the link's pointing. That's the exact same artist Thanqol linked me to not five posts ago. :smallamused:

Anyway, speaking of weird AUs:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/StungunFilly.png
This sketch was made before I began posting in this thread, so don't critique it too harshly. It's not even finished as a sketch, I just had this idea pop into my head and drew it. Yes, that's Fluttershy, but can you guess which universe it is?

Is it the Firefly universe, by any chance?


I think the real lesson here is that we all have huge crushes on cartoonlion and are subtly trying to mould you into our pet copy of her.


I will confess to a huge crush on Cartoonlion, absolutely!

[Zorg]

Drawing one:


http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6107/6297185858_939ff20b74_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6230/6297183674_3c164bdb95_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6238/6296654065_044c641703_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6043/6297184412_66f10682e1_z.jpg


Based on:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6106/6296672357_7f339f9f2a.jpg

It looks to me like the main odditys from his face are perspective issues. He's looking in a not very common way (body upright, head tilted away and down) so it's a very hard pose to start with. While his chin is drawn right, the rest of his face is made to look more level, as if he's head's being held vertical like a traditional portrait.
For instance in the photo he's got his eyes open, but downcast to look at his cigarette - in your's due to the various facial cues he looks like he's closed his eyes. Things to note are the way the eyebrows curve down in the photo, and the position of his chin relative to the tip of his nose, the centre of his hairline and the right edge of his forehead.
His chin is in line with the bridge of his nose, while the tip of his nose is in line with the right visible edge of his forehead.

The general shape of the back of the head should be much rounder too. I've blathered on a bit in Thanquol's thread in regards to drawing people too.


That said, his shirt is done very well, and the only thing there is that his tie is perhaps a bit too thick. Overall the elements are done fine, and the linework is generally smooth, just not quite in the right spots.



How does that work? I vaguely remember an art teacher in high school telling me that the brittler ones are darker. Are they smudgier too?

B means Black, and H means Hard - so a 6B is very black and will leave a dark mark easily, while a 6H is very hard and probably won't ever go as dark as the 6B, even with tons of shading.

This pic illustrates the different grades and how they shade from a light touch to dark:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/PencilGradingChart.png

So you can see that an HB at its darkest is about as dark as a lightly applied 9B. The darker pencils are very soft so wear down quickly and do smudge more easily. Harder pencils stay sharp longer, but it's also easier to make marks in the paper if you press too hard.
One tip I got here was to wear white cotton gloves with a few fingers cut out to reduce smudging.

That said, having a wide assortment of (good) pencils really does make things easier. Derwent make a set of 12 shades that's reasonably priced. A gum eraser is also a good piece of kit to start using early on too as it helps tremendously with cleaning up small mistakes.

For instance in this pic of mine:

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r314/Gotthammer/40k/Reg01.jpg

I used a 6 or 8B for the darker areas, but the shading on the faces was mostly done with an HB or 2B. I did do some fine spots with a 4B. Just using a HB wouldn't give as much depth. I did the initial skeletal outlines and basic body shapes with a 4H, so it was suitably faint and easy to erase.

[Shadowy]

Ponythread Community Draw-thingy GO!
-snip-

Right, so I'm an insanely horrible artist. However in interests of seeing this thing succeed, if anyone has the full transcript and is willing to send it to me, I'll go through all of our general insanity and try and distill it to it's art-able parts.

Heck, I'll even put out a rough (Very Very Very Rough) Sketch for someother ponies to make more presentable.

I've you've got those logs, please PM me or something! Many thanks.

[EsperDerek]

A long time ago, Midnight noted that there is absolutely no fanart of her of a certain *ahem* genre that is particularly popular with the pony fandom. Since Midnight was practically begging to have more fanart of her drawn (If you can even call this "art"), I decided to do what I could to make this for her. Unfortunately, I had all but given up completely about halfway through.

You guys have inspired me to finally finish what I started a while back! So here it is.

Presenting, Midnight completely naked. :smallwink: Aside from the pair of socks she's putting on.

http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g459/Vent_Reynolt/MidnightSocks.png

No, I did not have the tail curve that way just so that I didn't have to deal with Midnight's Tarot card cutie mark! I have no idea why you'd think that. [/Liarjack]

:smallsigh: I know it's embarrassingly terrible, but darn it, Inkwell and Kairaven set the bar for Midnight artwork too darn high!

Speaking of Kairaven, the reference I used was Kairaven's adult Midnight: (http://kairaven.deviantart.com/#/d3lobaf)

Don't expect me to post anything else anytime soon; the reason I don't do artwork at all is that every single time I look at anything that I am responsible for creating, I want to set it, and any evidence that it ever existed, on fire! (This is not a hyperbole)

*right-click, Save*

Hee-hee! Apart from the slightly thinner legs that Thanqol pointed out, I think that you did a really great job! There's no need to set it on fire, besides, I already saved a copy, so you can't dispose of the evidence.

Love her socks, too. :smallwink:

[Sean Mirrsen]

I've always had some problem with action poses (and poses in general), because I seem to have a broken mental renderer when it comes to these things. One or two limbs always end up doing something wrong. Like here:

*sketch, sketch, sketch*
*stare*
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/RD_pose1.png
*frown*
*sigh*
*sketch sketch sketch*
I'm pretty sure one of the forelegs is positioned wrong. I better pull up a reference and compare.

[Mystic Muse]

Nice work Soft! I think you have the basic strokes that go into ponies down pat! I would just second what some other posters have said about double checking proportions. The thing that's helped me some is to really try to see the lines that go into a pony, rather than the whole pony at once. If you can figure out how all the lines and curves go relative to one another, where they begin and end, you'll really start to settle down into a consistent pony style. Alright. This is just my first attempt. I'm sure I'll get better as I move on.




Also, I like the mane style! Is it by any chance influenced by Hairspray's mane from Green Isn't Your Color?

No idea. I just chose a mane style I thought looked cool.

I don't think it was very clear, but there are supposed to be strips of cloth on her tail. No particular reason, I just thought it looked kinda cool.

[the_druid_droid]

*right-click, Save*

Hee-hee! Apart from the slightly thinner legs that Thanqol pointed out, I think that you did a really great job! There's no need to set it on fire, besides, I already saved a copy, so you can't dispose of the evidence.

Love her socks, too. :smallwink:

I agree with Esper here! Vent, you have absolutely no reason not to post more work here, your Midnight picture was really good, and I personally want to see more of your work.


I've always had some problem with action poses (and poses in general), because I seem to have a broken mental renderer when it comes to these things. One or two limbs always end up doing something wrong. Like here:

*sketch, sketch, sketch*
*stare*
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/RD_pose1.png
*frown*
*sigh*
*sketch sketch sketch*
I'm pretty sure one of the forelegs is positioned wrong. I better pull up a reference and compare.

My main thoughts are:

1.) Those wings are AWESOME! They really set the tone of the whole pose, and it's great :smallbiggrin:

2.) One issue with the forelegs might be that they look just a bit long in comparison to the rear ones. Also, the accentuated "knuckle" on the hoof closest to us might look better if it was downplayed just a bit.

3.) The head seems just a tiny bit small in comparison to the body

Awesome pose though! I am extremely excited to see what you start pulling together for the large project.


Alright. This is just my first attempt. I'm sure I'll get better as I move on.


Definitely! It's an excellent start, and there's nowhere to go but up :smallsmile:

[Kindablue]

It looks to me like the main odditys from his face are perspective issues. He's looking in a not very common way (body upright, head tilted away and down) so it's a very hard pose to start with. While his chin is drawn right, the rest of his face is made to look more level, as if he's head's being held vertical like a traditional portrait.
For instance in the photo he's got his eyes open, but downcast to look at his cigarette - in your's due to the various facial cues he looks like he's closed his eyes. Things to note are the way the eyebrows curve down in the photo, and the position of his chin relative to the tip of his nose, the centre of his hairline and the right edge of his forehead.
His chin is in line with the bridge of his nose, while the tip of his nose is in line with the right visible edge of his forehead.

The general shape of the back of the head should be much rounder too. I've blathered on a bit in Thanquol's thread in regards to drawing people too.


That said, his shirt is done very well, and the only thing there is that his tie is perhaps a bit too thick. Overall the elements are done fine, and the linework is generally smooth, just not quite in the right spots.
Thanks for the feedback. I'll take care to plan these out more before I start from now on.




B means Black, and H means Hard - so a 6B is very black and will leave a dark mark easily, while a 6H is very hard and probably won't ever go as dark as the 6B, even with tons of shading.

This pic illustrates the different grades and how they shade from a light touch to dark:

*snip*

So you can see that an HB at its darkest is about as dark as a lightly applied 9B. The darker pencils are very soft so wear down quickly and do smudge more easily. Harder pencils stay sharp longer, but it's also easier to make marks in the paper if you press too hard.
Thanks, I'll remember that.



One tip I got here was to wear white cotton gloves with a few fingers cut out to reduce smudging.
Yeah, I had to redo some things completely because I kept smudging them with my sweaty ape hands. I was definitely planning on wearing a pair of gloves from now on.



That said, having a wide assortment of (good) pencils really does make things easier. Derwent make a set of 12 shades that's reasonably priced. A gum eraser is also a good piece of kit to start using early on too as it helps tremendously with cleaning up small mistakes.

For instance in this pic of mine:

*snip*

I used a 6 or 8B for the darker areas, but the shading on the faces was mostly done with an HB or 2B. I did do some fine spots with a 4B. Just using a HB wouldn't give as much depth. I did the initial skeletal outlines and basic body shapes with a 4H, so it was suitably faint and easy to erase.

Thanks for the recommendation.

[Beacon of Chaos]

Right, so I promised some of my early wing sketches. Well here you go, it's not much it but shows progression... somewhat. The main thing to note is that when the wing is spread out, the feather tips make a curve.

Also there were a couple of my really early attempts at ponies on the reverse side of the page, and I couldn't be bothered to edit them out ^^:

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i93/DiegoHavoc/Pony%20Stuff/sketches.jpg


My big advice to you is line colour/width. The reason this looks odd is because you've got very thin straight black lines. They cut through the picture like lasers, separating everything from everything else. Experiment with thicker lines, as well as colour.

Also, the clothing in particular looks extremely flat. Try having a look at clothing bends and folds - once you start to get your head around that, things will improve dramatically! :smallsmile:

Eyes look good, though!
Hmm, does it really look that odd with the black lines? I guess I'll try to experiment with the lines as Deadly suggested.

RE: Clothing. Folds of cloth are my one true foe when it comes to drawing. Hands (which many people seem to have trouble with) are fairly easy for me, but getting realistic folds is something that baffles me. Perhaps I'll try doing some test sketches later.

Thank you for the suggestions! And yes, I'm fairly happy with the eyes. :smallsmile:


A quick and dirty example, which I hope clarifies the idea

http://i.imgur.com/6Y2u1.png

Yes, it is a little more fiddly this way, but really not too bad IMO. I'm not familiar with Flash, but I don't think you get truly irregular strokes without it getting a little fiddly like this. And personally I find that the little extra work needed is more than made up for by just how much better it looks in the end.
Alright, I see what you mean. I'll give it a shot.


Speaking of lines and colours and stuff, here are two of my earlier pieces for a little Flash animation project I work on in my spare time.

http://www.canterlot.com/uploads/gallery/album_36/gallery_299_36_46657.jpg

http://www.canterlot.com/uploads/gallery/album_36/gallery_299_36_2093.png
I've very happy with how Braeburn turned out, but something about Spitfire's foreleg bugs me and yet I'm not sure what.

EDIT:
Did some more sketches tonight. This time: ponies from different angles.
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i93/DiegoHavoc/Pony%20Stuff/ponysketches1.jpg
Anyway, tried to put SiuiS' tips on using pony head sizes for proportions (I admit I knew about it anyway, but this is the first time I've actually paid attention to it).

[Deadly]

Speaking of lines and colours and stuff, here are two of my earlier pieces for a little Flash animation project I work on in my spare time.

http://www.canterlot.com/uploads/gallery/album_36/gallery_299_36_46657.jpg

http://www.canterlot.com/uploads/gallery/album_36/gallery_299_36_2093.png

I've very happy with how Braeburn turned out, but something about Spitfire's foreleg bugs me and yet I'm not sure what.

Braeburn looks great.

Spitfire's body seems maybe a little long, I'm not sure. As for the front leg, it doesn't look too bad to me, but maybe the bend closest to her mouth should be a little more narrow.

[SiuiS]

I can't say I'm going for "a more mature" style, exactly - in fact, I'm not entirely sure what I am going for. I guess I want a healthy mix of the cartoon style and something more realistic, while retaining the same characters. Kinda like you can show an anime character in different styles and proportions, and still understand that it's the exact same character. It's cartoon ponies through a real-world lens, as it were.

this, I can help with!
Have you ever read Calvin and Hobbes? If so, do you remember how every now and again, the sketches got all serious and realistic and such?

Pick a pony with distinct features who isn't Pinkie Pie (because let's face it- that hair.) and draw that pony in FiM style.
Then draw that pony in Serious Calvin & Hobbes style.
Then draw that pony in SinFest style (SinFest dot net; language, but not as bad as you'd think. It lampshades itself constantly)
Then draw that pony in an amine style (I'd suggest Arcana dot keenspace don't com I think).
Then draw that pony in G1/G2 style.

It's tedious, but it will help you get a feel for what details are important when. And it sounds bunkum, but it's the first step I took to be able to go "line, line, circle, curve, flick- complete human face".

Line work doesn't have to outline everything you see that's distinct; that's coloring's job. Line art should be able to evoke a sense of depth with as few lines as possible. Or as few white spaces as possible, considering standard meme faces. Me gusta!

And Diego, the proportion issues are the head. It's too small; it should be bigger. No necessarily longer, but bigger. The circle you use? Experiment with increasing it's size. Alternately, reducing the barrel-ness of the chest. The pony should be self consistent, and it looks like the head and everything else are on different scales.

[Vorpalbob]

I did some pony-related drawing today, for my Nightmare Night costume.

First, I made an eye. My initial plan for mounting it was to stick it to my face with spirit gum, but I couldn't find any. When I finally got to school and nopony knew who the hell I was (okay, two people did), I decided that the hipster glasses were perfect.
I actually really like how it turned out. It's the first thing I've put serious effort into drawing in years, so I found it quite surprising.
http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/3032/sam0091jy.jpg
Next, I would need a cutie mark. I ended up throwing this together with just a gray marker, but it worked.
http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/6613/sam0094c.jpg
And now, the completed package. I took this one at home, and my camera decided to focus on the edge of my desk. http://i.imgur.com/DrMmg.png

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/4201/sam0107c.jpg

That wasn't my only costume for today/night. My buddy Waffles and I went as Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake.
http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/15/sam0100o.jpg
IT'S MY...
DECK IN A BOX!
http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/5030/sam0104n.jpg
This is where the Magic happens. :smallwink:

Finally, my pumpkin.
http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/7176/sam0111k.jpg
Betcha can't guess my favorite pony?

[Thanqol]

Vorpalbob is now best pony.

[Vorpalbob]

Vorpalbob is now best pony.
http://i.imgur.com/pUT8r.png
http://i.imgur.com/dB204.png
http://i.imgur.com/EvxT1.png



May I please put that in my sig?

[Thanqol]

http://i.imgur.com/pUT8r.png
http://i.imgur.com/dB204.png
http://i.imgur.com/EvxT1.png



May I please put that in my sig?

By all means!

(I am becoming featured in an increasingly large number of sigs! Bwuahaha!)

[Level8Mudcrab]

And here's my day 2 pony. This time, I've done Pinkie Pie.

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/9099/mudcrabpinkiepie2.jpg

Looking back at it, I made a few of those lines too light. *Shrugs* I could have done a better job on the head, it does look a little squashed. I like her mane though. Again, advice appreciated. Let's see if I can keep up a pony a day.

[the_druid_droid]

Vorpalbob is now best pony.

QFT. That was awesome, Vorpal! You should totally post more stuff!


And here's my day 2 pony. This time, I've done Pinkie Pie.

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/9099/mudcrabpinkiepie2.jpg

Looking back at it, I made a few of those lines too light. *Shrugs* I could have done a better job on the head, it does look a little squashed. I like her mane though. Again, advice appreciated. Let's see if I can keep up a pony a day.

The mane looks great! It really captures the bounciness present in the show. My advice regarding the head and body would be to pull up a reference and once you've got a rough circle shape to locate your head, use the reference to figure out the relative sizes and shapes of the body and legs by comparison. That may help to keep things from looking squashed.

[Vent Reynolt]

Fantastic :smallbiggrin: Legs don't quite seem thick enough, though, particularly at the back. Ponies are squishy, like marshmallows.

You're right. Now that I look at it again, the legs do seem a bit thin. Unfortunately, at this point, it might be more trouble than it's worth to try to fix. :smalltongue:


Mates, I've never been prouder to know any of you. And Vent; if you've spent the last decade setting things that are better than my best on fire, I think I will be very cross with you :smallwink:

*right-click, Save*

Hee-hee! Apart from the slightly thinner legs that Thanqol pointed out, I think that you did a really great job! There's no need to set it on fire, besides, I already saved a copy, so you can't dispose of the evidence.

I agree with Esper here! Vent, you have absolutely no reason not to post more work here, your Midnight picture was really good, and I personally want to see more of your work.

:smallredface::smallredface::smallredface:

Eeep! But, I'm not any good; I'm not! This digital art thing doesn't even require any skill; it's just fiddling around with the lines and shapes until it looks right.

Also, Thanqol linked to some pony tutorials earlier, and I can't recommend this one enough. (http://imageshack.us/f/683/2ljgk84jpg.png/)


Love her socks, too. :smallwink:

Nothing but the greatest, of course.

-

Next time: I'm bringing you something out of Jade and Midnight's secret dossier. (KIDDING!!!!!) :smallwink:

[the_druid_droid]

:smallredface::smallredface::smallredface:

Eeep! But, I'm not any good; I'm not! This digital art thing doesn't even require any skill; it's just fiddling around with the lines and shapes until it looks right.


This is how I draw everything! And I don't do any digital work. You just make the first lines light enough that you can go back and erase them. You just draw, erase, redraw and repeat!


Next time: I'm bringing you something out of Jade and Midnight's secret dossier. (KIDDING!!!!!) :smallwink:

You're only allowed to be kidding about the dossier. You'd better post something! Fluttershy is watching you! http://i.imgur.com/2E2Va.png

[Trixie]

I'm only going to post it here because this section disappears from the OP:

Art Challenges

MyLP Challenge:

Do you want to try your hand at something fun? Feeling need to draw fanart? How about trying MyLP Challenge?

What it is? Just click on the linked template (http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/363/3/a/my_little_pony_fim_meme_by_don_komandorr-d35y2mv.jpg).

How does that work? Don't be scared, just complete the template to the best of your ability. Have one (http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_THRVNyZ8xf0/TbFTvCFELvI/AAAAAAAABas/3RaVVEnJms0/my_little_pony_meme_by_gothzilla_alena-d38os5c.jpg) two (http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_THRVNyZ8xf0/TbFTvRf19mI/AAAAAAAABaw/glvBh-QkZ-c/mlp_friendship_is_magic_meme_by_peppersupreme-d37wpkl.png) three (http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_THRVNyZ8xf0/TbFTvA47e6I/AAAAAAAABa0/h3zzuNlxp80/mlp___fim_meme_by_kitty_kitty_koneko-d35zovy.png) four (http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_THRVNyZ8xf0/TbFTwJJdSkI/AAAAAAAABa4/oFOMSgU0MHk/my_little_pony_memes_are_magic_by_scruffytoto-d37x352.jpg) examples made by other ponies :smalltongue:

Starting thread and more examples can be found here (http://don-komandorr.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d35y2mv).

...Maybe it can be worked into OP of this thread in some form, if it's still useful?

[Beacon of Chaos]

And Diego, the proportion issues are the head. It's too small; it should be bigger. No necessarily longer, but bigger. The circle you use? Experiment with increasing it's size. Alternately, reducing the barrel-ness of the chest. The pony should be self consistent, and it looks like the head and everything else are on different scales.
Hmm, alright, I'll work on that. Thanks!

@Trixie: Hey, that's not a bad idea at all! I'd seen it before but I'd forgotten about it. This might make a good challenge for us. Thanks ^^ I might give it a shot this weekend.

[the_druid_droid]

I'm only going to post it here because this section disappears from the OP:

Art Challenges

MyLP Challenge:

Do you want to try your hand at something fun? Feeling need to draw fanart? How about trying MyLP Challenge?

What it is? Just click on the linked template (http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/363/3/a/my_little_pony_fim_meme_by_don_komandorr-d35y2mv.jpg).

How does that work? Don't be scared, just complete the template to the best of your ability. Have one (http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_THRVNyZ8xf0/TbFTvCFELvI/AAAAAAAABas/3RaVVEnJms0/my_little_pony_meme_by_gothzilla_alena-d38os5c.jpg) two (http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_THRVNyZ8xf0/TbFTvRf19mI/AAAAAAAABaw/glvBh-QkZ-c/mlp_friendship_is_magic_meme_by_peppersupreme-d37wpkl.png) three (http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_THRVNyZ8xf0/TbFTvA47e6I/AAAAAAAABa0/h3zzuNlxp80/mlp___fim_meme_by_kitty_kitty_koneko-d35zovy.png) four (http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_THRVNyZ8xf0/TbFTwJJdSkI/AAAAAAAABa4/oFOMSgU0MHk/my_little_pony_memes_are_magic_by_scruffytoto-d37x352.jpg) examples made by other ponies :smalltongue:

Starting thread and more examples can be found here (http://don-komandorr.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d35y2mv).

...Maybe it can be worked into OP of this thread in some form, if it's still useful?

This is an excellent idea! The last time I saw it was before I decided to try drawing ponies. I'll go edit the OP to include it :smallsmile:

[Dispozition]

Woah, a draw thread, that's cool. Nice to see people getting together to get better at stuff (:

I guess I should participate a bit...Mostly giving advice I guess, although I can't draw myself. I guess I can colour fairly well though, so if anyone wants advice specifically on that I can offer it.
Speaking of which, here's my best WIP at the moment, out of the...5 or so I have going :-/
Link because it's very large (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9958452/Art/Pony/rarity%20plot%20WIP%2002%20HQ.png)

I currently have a massive art block stopping me from finishing it...But anywho...

I guess I might occasionally colour stuff from this thread if I want, but I likely won't do requests. If you don't want me to colour your stuff, just say so and I'll steer clear.

[Vent Reynolt]

You're only allowed to be kidding about the dossier. You'd better post something! Fluttershy is watching you! http://i.imgur.com/2E2Va.png

I'm getting mixed messages here. I'm going to assume that this means that Fluttershy wants me to make this picture of Jade & Midnight's dossier. http://i.imgur.com/N2nfK.png

[Thanqol]

Woah, a draw thread, that's cool. Nice to see people getting together to get better at stuff (:

I guess I should participate a bit...Mostly giving advice I guess, although I can't draw myself. I guess I can colour fairly well though, so if anyone wants advice specifically on that I can offer it.
Speaking of which, here's my best WIP at the moment, out of the...5 or so I have going :-/
Link because it's very large (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9958452/Art/Pony/rarity%20plot%20WIP%2002%20HQ.png)

I currently have a massive art block stopping me from finishing it...But anywho...

I guess I might occasionally colour stuff from this thread if I want, but I likely won't do requests. If you don't want me to colour your stuff, just say so and I'll steer clear.

Dispo, you are so incredible me giving you advice would seem to veer uncomfortably towards Art of the Dress territory.

However! I am still on the Paint Tool SAI trial, which you recommended to me, and I'm gradually coming to like it more. What tools are you using to colour this? I think I see the acryllic brush for the mane and some of the details, and water for additional shading? Or is that just a more transparent acryllic/blur tool? Also, do you do basic paintfill with additional detail/shading on top or do you colour it all in by hand?

Oh wait, I remember that you linked me to a video of you drawing at some point which I totally forgot to save the link to; could you relink me? :smallsmile:

[Dispozition]

Dispo, you are so incredible me giving you advice would seem to veer uncomfortably towards Art of the Dress territory.

However! I am still on the Paint Tool SAI trial, which you recommended to me, and I'm gradually coming to like it more. What tools are you using to colour this? I think I see the acryllic brush for the mane and some of the details, and water for additional shading? Or is that just a more transparent acryllic/blur tool? Also, do you do basic paintfill with additional detail/shading on top or do you colour it all in by hand?

Oh wait, I remember that you linked me to a video of you drawing at some point which I totally forgot to save the link to; could you relink me? :smallsmile:

Pfft, advice is always appreciated, or at least mistakes you think you see, or where you think it can be improved. Pretty much anything like that :P

I do multi-method shading these days...Normally building on each other. I normally block shading out with the water tool on simple circle and mostly default settings. Then I'll refine it with the brush, normally on rough vertical to refine lines and show the darkest shading. Then I'll go and do some random brush stuff, normally with bristle or some of the similar painterly brushes to do more detail work. It kind of depends...I'm still experimenting a lot, and I'd advise you do that too, it's one of the better ways to learn.

Oh, and I work completely on one layer for each thing. Or multiple if multiple colours are involved, but then flatten them down when I'm doing the detail shading. So for rarity, her eyes are one layer, glasses another, then mouth, hair, and body being all the layers. So 5 for the image. Sometimes I keep eyes on two layers, but it depends. But that's just me...So yeah, like I said, experiment.

As for my videos, they're on my youtube page (http://www.youtube.com/user/Dispozition). The Twilight one is the only one I did in SAI though. Haven't uploaded the others yet since they're all kinda awful or incomplete :P

Oh, and I do flats with a combination of the pen tool and the bucket. Depending on my mood.

[Brazen Shield]

Do. Not. Wanna.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee468/WizardPony/3cb00fe7.jpg
Here >>

Happy Leo? I drew you >>

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee468/WizardPony/ce241a74.jpg
This is my favorite so far. I like the legs: I'm not even gonna bother with faces anymore till I get the body shape down.


http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee468/WizardPony/d3a16eaf.jpg
Smaller one, just more body practice.

[the_druid_droid]

Do. Not. Wanna.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee468/WizardPony/3cb00fe7.jpg
Here >>

Happy Leo? I drew you >>

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee468/WizardPony/ce241a74.jpg
This is my favorite so far. I like the legs: I'm not even gonna bother with faces anymore till I get the body shape down.


http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee468/WizardPony/d3a16eaf.jpg
Smaller one, just more body practice.

Yay! A wild Brazen Shield has posted!

The legs in the last picture are looking pretty good; you definitely got a lot of the curve in them down. My suggestion if you want to try focusing on ponies without worrying about details is to try sketching the dress forms from Art of the Dress - they don't have manes or tails to worry with (I know I mentioned this in the IRC, but I thought I'd post it in case others might want to try the idea out).

[Noctemwolf]

Well, enough drawing. Time to go Work on my NaNoWriMo Novel... Muwaha. Oh, I'll come back and look over artwork too, if you guys like. =)

[the_druid_droid]

And now for some Rarity:

Line by Line, Drawing it Together
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/Rarity.png

Based on this:
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/Screenshot2011-10-30at80505PM.png

Thoughts:
I went back and forth between loving and hating this as I drew. I think that my big successes were getting the curly bits in the mane down, and capturing some of the dynamic pose of the original.

On the other hand, I wonder if my proportions weren't off in places, and my pace was kind of slow on this one.

[Vorpalbob]

This is related to my next project:

If Calvin were a pony, what would Hobbes be?

In the meantime, here is my first attempt at drawing a full pony.
I cheated: It's a filly
Please keep in mind, this is the only thing I've drawn in three years that I've actually put serious effort into, other than that eye, but that's just an eye.

Reference picture
http://th04.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2011/105/9/2/scootaloo_singin___by_moongazeponies-d3e3f76.png
And now, my feeble efforts.
The picture just felt lacking, so I added the amp for fun, and did some shading on the mane and tail. http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/5666/sam0113u.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/0bxcP.png

[Thanqol]

This is related to my next project:

If Calvin were a pony, what would Hobbes be?

Smartypants!


In the meantime, here is my first attempt at drawing a full pony.
I cheated: It's a filly
Please keep in mind, this is the only thing I've drawn in three years that I've actually put serious effort into, other than that eye, but that's just an eye.

Reference picture
http://th04.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2011/105/9/2/scootaloo_singin___by_moongazeponies-d3e3f76.png
And now, my feeble efforts.
The picture just felt lacking, so I added the amp for fun, and did some shading on the mane and tail. http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/5666/sam0113u.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/0bxcP.png

That's really good for a first try! :smallbiggrin: It's not bad at all, it just might look a little worse than it is due to smudging/leftover construction lines. If that was inked and coloured you'd see that none of the lines are really wrong (though the microphone forehoof is kinda thin)

[Vorpalbob]

Smartypants!



That's really good for a first try! :smallbiggrin: It's not bad at all, it just might look a little worse than it is due to smudging/leftover construction lines. If that was inked and coloured you'd see that none of the lines are really wrong (though the microphone forehoof is kinda thin)

I originally drew it thicker, but couldn't get the tapering right, so I just left it.

Smartypants, eh? I bet I could do that.

[SiuiS]

Dispo, you are so incredible me giving you advice would seem to veer uncomfortably towards Art of the Dress territory.

However! I am still on the Paint Tool SAI trial, which you recommended to me, and I'm gradually coming to like it more. What tools are you using to colour this? I think I see the acryllic brush for the mane and some of the details, and water for additional shading? Or is that just a more transparent acryllic/blur tool? Also, do you do basic paintfill with additional detail/shading on top or do you colour it all in by hand?

Oh wait, I remember that you linked me to a video of you drawing at some point which I totally forgot to save the link to; could you relink me? :smallsmile:


Pfft, advice is always appreciated, or at least mistakes you think you see, or where you think it can be improved. Pretty much anything like that :P

I do multi-method shading these days...Normally building on each other. I normally block shading out with the water tool on simple circle and mostly default settings. Then I'll refine it with the brush, normally on rough vertical to refine lines and show the darkest shading. Then I'll go and do some random brush stuff, normally with bristle or some of the similar painterly brushes to do more detail work. It kind of depends...I'm still experimenting a lot, and I'd advise you do that too, it's one of the better ways to learn.

Oh, and I work completely on one layer for each thing. Or multiple if multiple colours are involved, but then flatten them down when I'm doing the detail shading. So for rarity, her eyes are one layer, glasses another, then mouth, hair, and body being all the layers. So 5 for the image. Sometimes I keep eyes on two layers, but it depends. But that's just me...So yeah, like I said, experiment.

As for my videos, they're on my youtube page (http://www.youtube.com/user/Dispozition). The Twilight one is the only one I did in SAI though. Haven't uploaded the others yet since they're all kinda awful or incomplete :P

Oh, and I do flats with a combination of the pen tool and the bucket. Depending on my mood.

You're using lingo I don't understand about a particular branch of art I really want to get into and I hate you both for making it sound so easy.

I hate you with the fury of a half-eaten slice of french
Toast.

Seriously though! Dispo does good work, and Thanq's skin tone is getting there. The performed gulf between us is insane... I need to start throwing money in a jar and harassing Jade so I can get a desktop and catch up.
Fabulous.


And now for some Rarity:

Line by Line, Drawing it Together
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/Rarity.png

Based on this:
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/Screenshot2011-10-30at80505PM.png

Thoughts:
I went back and forth between loving and hating this as I drew. I think that my big successes were getting the curly bits in the mane down, and capturing some of the dynamic pose of the original.

On the other hand, I wonder if my proportions weren't off in places, and my pace was kind of slow on this one.

The dynamism excels,
Here. I love this Rarity. For proportions, he legs are too long; too much up and down. Since her legs are splayed, she should be closer to the ground. It took me a minute of looking at pic and reference at the same time though, to pin down what I thought was wrong.

Oh my goodness that pose... That pose! That pose.
Yes Rarity, yes. Yes you are awesome.

*k-sleep*

[Athaniar]

Dispo, your art is great, don't think otherwise.


And now for some Rarity:

Line by Line, Drawing it Together
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/Rarity.png

I really like her mane! No, really, it's very good, the shape of her mane and tail are excellent. The pose is also very good.


Also, here is my attempt at drawing my Paladin avatar:
http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq108/GitPLordXavius/PaladinPonyDrawn.png

[Level8Mudcrab]

And for today I've drawn Applejack.
http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/2986/mudcrabapplejack2.jpg
Referencing this:
http://th09.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2011/249/c/3/applejack_on_replanting_by_suxtonhael-d492udb.png

My biggest issue with this one is definately Applejack's expression. Not really happy with how that turned out. And eyes. I still hate eyes.




Also, here is my attempt at drawing my Paladin avatar:
http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq108/GitPLordXavius/PaladinPonyDrawn.png

Looks great. I love the patterns on the armour.

[Sean Mirrsen]

Dispo, your art is great, don't think otherwise.
Also, here is my attempt at drawing my Paladin avatar:
http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq108/GitPLordXavius/PaladinPonyDrawn.pngIt may be accurate to your avatar, but the design gives the impression that his forelegs and wings are attached to the same joint, i.e. the human equivalent of arms growing out of the abdomen. Otherwise, fairly decent. Good job on the armor details, and nicely done facial expression, too.

And here's what I've been (and still am) working on:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/FriendsInNeedTitle010.png
It's (going to be) a title page for a fanfic, this one (http://www.fimfiction.net/story/2133/Friends-In-Need), to be precise. (FiMFiction link) It's a Dwarf Fortress/MLP crossover collaborative fic-in-the-making, with my part of the collaboration being the art assets and the occasional editing remark.

As a sort of an experiment, I tried using a non-smoothed 1px brush to do the final lines, and.. well, it's not my tool. (the current character guidelines are the result) I'm redoing the lines with my usual smoothed 1px brush, and in the meantime I'd like some kind of suggestions for improving the background/scenery. There's no helping the perspective at this point, but I'd like to get as much of what can still be fixed as possible done right.

Some things I can point out myself - such as that the house designs are atrocious (even disregarding the sketchiness) and are channeling rural Russia instead of whatever it is Ponyville homes are supposed to be. I'll be fixing that shortly. I'm fairly sure the scenery is also wrong for the specific place the view is supposed to represent, the grass is extraneous, etc.

So, any suggestions?

[Athaniar]

Looks great. I love the patterns on the armour.

It may be accurate to your avatar, but the design gives the impression that his forelegs and wings are attached to the same joint, i.e. the human equivalent of arms growing out of the abdomen. Otherwise, fairly decent. Good job on the armor details, and nicely done facial expression, too.
Hm, yes, I see how it could give that impression (even though it was not intended to look that way). I'll have to think about clarifying that in further works. Thank you both, though. For the pattern on the armor I was going for something "aerial".

[Sean Mirrsen]

Hm, yes, I see how it could give that impression (even though it was not intended to look that way). I'll have to think about clarifying that in further works. Thank you both, though. For the pattern on the armor I was going for something "aerial".Well, it's swirly, so works as "aerial", I guess. I think the last time I tried to draw engraved armor it was this lil' thing:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Robo_001.PNG

Aand since I'm pulling up old pencilled robots, here, have a few more:

Laser-headed robot dinosaur motorcycle!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Dynabot_002_bak.PNG

Two iterations of a character from my first RTD:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Korora.png
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Korora_20s.png

The player team from the aforementioned RTD game doing something they didn't quite get around to doing after all.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Multiworld_Team_Action1s.png
Bonus points if you can identify the BattleMech.

[the_druid_droid]

This is related to my next project:

If Calvin were a pony, what would Hobbes be?

In the meantime, here is my first attempt at drawing a full pony.
I cheated: It's a filly
Please keep in mind, this is the only thing I've drawn in three years that I've actually put serious effort into, other than that eye, but that's just an eye.

Reference picture
http://th04.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2011/105/9/2/scootaloo_singin___by_moongazeponies-d3e3f76.png
And now, my feeble efforts.
The picture just felt lacking, so I added the amp for fun, and did some shading on the mane and tail. http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/5666/sam0113u.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/0bxcP.png

I'm with Thanqol on this, the picture is excellent, first attempt or no, and there's not really anything wrong with the line work.

We will be watching your career with great interest!


The dynamism excels,
Here. I love this Rarity. For proportions, he legs are too long; too much up and down. Since her legs are splayed, she should be closer to the ground. It took me a minute of looking at pic and reference at the same time though, to pin down what I thought was wrong.

Oh my goodness that pose... That pose! That pose.
Yes Rarity, yes. Yes you are awesome.

*k-sleep*

Yeah, I'm not a fan of how the legs turned out overall. I think I made them too skinny and not splayed out enough vs. the original pose. Your suggestion about length is also helpful. I'm going to try and focus on hoof proportions and height more in my next one.


Also, here is my attempt at drawing my Paladin avatar:
http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq108/GitPLordXavius/PaladinPonyDrawn.png

This looks pretty accurately like your avatar. I might suggest adding more swoop to the tail, but nothing else really stands out.


And for today I've drawn Applejack.
http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/2986/mudcrabapplejack2.jpg
Referencing this:
http://th09.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2011/249/c/3/applejack_on_replanting_by_suxtonhael-d492udb.png

My biggest issue with this one is definately Applejack's expression. Not really happy with how that turned out. And eyes. I still hate eyes.


The hair again is very well done! The legs seem small though, especially in comparison to the body. Notice how compact AJ's body is in the reference, and how curvy the lines are that define her pose; if you can capture that, you're 90% there with the expression.


It may be accurate to your avatar, but the design gives the impression that his forelegs and wings are attached to the same joint, i.e. the human equivalent of arms growing out of the abdomen. Otherwise, fairly decent. Good job on the armor details, and nicely done facial expression, too.

And here's what I've been (and still am) working on:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/FriendsInNeedTitle010.png
It's (going to be) a title page for a fanfic, this one (http://www.fimfiction.net/story/2133/Friends-In-Need), to be precise. (FiMFiction link) It's a Dwarf Fortress/MLP crossover collaborative fic-in-the-making, with my part of the collaboration being the art assets and the occasional editing remark.

As a sort of an experiment, I tried using a non-smoothed 1px brush to do the final lines, and.. well, it's not my tool. (the current character guidelines are the result) I'm redoing the lines with my usual smoothed 1px brush, and in the meantime I'd like some kind of suggestions for improving the background/scenery. There's no helping the perspective at this point, but I'd like to get as much of what can still be fixed as possible done right.

Some things I can point out myself - such as that the house designs are atrocious (even disregarding the sketchiness) and are channeling rural Russia instead of whatever it is Ponyville homes are supposed to be. I'll be fixing that shortly. I'm fairly sure the scenery is also wrong for the specific place the view is supposed to represent, the grass is extraneous, etc.

So, any suggestions?

I'm afraid I don't have enough landscape experience to suggest anything you haven't already pointed out, but I really like the way it's shaping up!


Well, it's swirly, so works as "aerial", I guess. I think the last time I tried to draw engraved armor it was this lil' thing:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Robo_001.PNG

Aand since I'm pulling up old pencilled robots, here, have a few more:

Laser-headed robot dinosaur motorcycle!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Dynabot_002_bak.PNG

Two iterations of a character from my first RTD:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Korora.png
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Korora_20s.png

The player team from the aforementioned RTD game doing something they didn't quite get around to doing after all.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Multiworld_Team_Action1s.png
Bonus points if you can identify the BattleMech.

I'm really curious: how did you come up with the details on all those robot pictures? I love them, but I have no idea how I'd draw something similar; it seems so complicated...

[Sean Mirrsen]

I'm really curious: how did you come up with the details on all those robot pictures? I love them, but I have no idea how I'd draw something similar; it seems so complicated...
The operative word here is "seems". At its core, drawing something like this is just making a frame and filling it with purposeful-looking doodads. It helps to understand how machinery works, of course, much like with living things and anatomy. But mostly, it's just a series of beams, panels, and neat-looking details. I might succumb to nostalgia (haven't done one of these in a while) and make a step-by-step description of how I draw these things. Assuming I haven't forgotten how to, of course.:smallsmile:

[ealdhain]

Umm...I'm not sure if this was mentioned yet, since I haven't read all of the posts yet, but for those of you who think your irises look "wonky," try making the eyes shinier. Add in little anime white bubbled in the pupil or overlapping the pupil and the iris. The ponies are adorable little animated creatures, and as such, have super emotional and shiny eyes. Hope that helps a bit. =)

[Vorpalbob]

I kinda like this drawing thing.

Ya know what? Imma get me a deviantART profile.

There ya go. (http://vorpalbob.deviantart.com/)

As well, here's my second work. I decided to add a little color to this one.
Reference picture
http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110612123708/mlp/images/9/9e/7.png
Final result
http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/307/c/0/applejack_rope_trick_by_vorpalbob-d4ex10j.jpg

[Level8Mudcrab]

Day 4, Fluttershy. Where wings join eyes in the "I hate drawing them" club. Perhaps they can get fancy shirts?

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/2551/mudcrabfluttershy2.jpg

http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/23800000/Fluttershy-and-Angel-fluttershy-23835834-638-355.png

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with how this one turned out. The wings, and again, the eyes could definately do with some work. Though I'd place these amoung my better eyes, so I guess that counts for something. Looking back at it, her tail is rather sketchy, I could have neatened that up a bit. And her mane behind her head looks like it's not there. But other than that, I like her mane.




Well, it's swirly, so works as "aerial", I guess. I think the last time I tried to draw engraved armor it was this lil' thing:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Robo_001.PNG

Aand since I'm pulling up old pencilled robots, here, have a few more:

Laser-headed robot dinosaur motorcycle!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Dynabot_002_bak.PNG

Two iterations of a character from my first RTD:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Korora.png
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Korora_20s.png

The player team from the aforementioned RTD game doing something they didn't quite get around to doing after all.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Multiworld_Team_Action1s.png
Bonus points if you can identify the BattleMech.

Wow, they're very impressive.

[Sean Mirrsen]

Overtaken by randomness, took a part of that victorian-esque robot of mine and spiffied it up into an avatar form. No idea at all why I did that. I have better things to do. >_>

Might as well post it though:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Robo_av.png

[the_druid_droid]

I kinda like this drawing thing.

Ya know what? Imma get me a deviantART profile.

There ya go. (http://vorpalbob.deviantart.com/)

As well, here's my second work. I decided to add a little color to this one.
Reference picture
http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110612123708/mlp/images/9/9e/7.png
Final result
http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/307/c/0/applejack_rope_trick_by_vorpalbob-d4ex10j.jpg

Looks very nice! The proportions and pose look right to my eye, and the color seems to have turned out well. You seem to have the basics of drawing ponies down really well; I'd suggest you try playing around with things in addition to more regular drawing, like trying to draw one from memory, or seeing how much you could capture with a limited number of lines, or drawing while watching the show without pausing or screencapping.


Day 4, Fluttershy. Where wings join eyes in the "I hate drawing them" club. Perhaps they can get fancy shirts?

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/2551/mudcrabfluttershy2.jpg

http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/23800000/Fluttershy-and-Angel-fluttershy-23835834-638-355.png

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with how this one turned out. The wings, and again, the eyes could definately do with some work. Though I'd place these amoung my better eyes, so I guess that counts for something. Looking back at it, her tail is rather sketchy, I could have neatened that up a bit. And her mane behind her head looks like it's not there. But other than that, I like her mane.


Actually, I think the wings came out pretty nicely, along with the mane, you seemed to get the shape and positioning down quite well. I'd still suggest working with a more compact body, but it's looking good!

[Vorpalbob]

Looks very nice! The proportions and pose look right to my eye, and the color seems to have turned out well. You seem to have the basics of drawing ponies down really well; I'd suggest you try playing around with things in addition to more regular drawing, like trying to draw one from memory, or seeing how much you could capture with a limited number of lines, or drawing while watching the show without pausing or screencapping.

I'm not sure I'm good enough to attempt that just yet, but I did do something kinda tricky (for me, anyway).

I drew a pony without a reference object.

I find it really hard to get the scaling right, especially at the start, if I don't have an object in the image to refer back to.

I seem to be keeping up a pace of a drawing a day. Doubt that will last.

Reference picture
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JOE2Bo4GdoY/TfLvoqNNgaI/AAAAAAAAAXc/h5DzIMm-F1A/s200/PinkiePieHiRes.png
Final result.
http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/308/1/c/pinkie_pie_by_vorpalbob-d4f164s.jpg

[Sean Mirrsen]

I'm not sure I'm good enough to attempt that just yet, but I did do something kinda tricky (for me, anyway).

I drew a pony without a reference object.

I find it really hard to get the scaling right, especially at the start, if I don't have an object in the image to refer back to.

I seem to be keeping up a pace of a drawing a day. Doubt that will last.

Reference picture
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JOE2Bo4GdoY/TfLvoqNNgaI/AAAAAAAAAXc/h5DzIMm-F1A/s200/PinkiePieHiRes.png
Final result.
http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/308/1/c/pinkie_pie_by_vorpalbob-d4f164s.jpg
Looks almost like a trace.
Meaning, nicely done. http://www.giantitp.com/forums/images/icons/icon14.gif

[Level8Mudcrab]

Today's drawing, Art of the Pony.

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/8378/mudcrabrarity2.jpg

Reference.
http://images.wikia.com/mlp/images/f/f6/MLP_FIM_-_Rarity.png

This one took a bit longer than usual. Rarity's mane is very annoying to draw. All twisty and such. I like how her tail turned out though.

Tommorow will be Rainbow Dash, and then I'll have drawn the mane 6.

Sleep now.



I'm not sure I'm good enough to attempt that just yet, but I did do something kinda tricky (for me, anyway).

I drew a pony without a reference object.

I find it really hard to get the scaling right, especially at the start, if I don't have an object in the image to refer back to.

I seem to be keeping up a pace of a drawing a day. Doubt that will last.

Reference picture
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JOE2Bo4GdoY/TfLvoqNNgaI/AAAAAAAAAXc/h5DzIMm-F1A/s200/PinkiePieHiRes.png
Final result.
http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/308/1/c/pinkie_pie_by_vorpalbob-d4f164s.jpg

Wow, very impressive. It's quite a nice match for the reference.

[Thanqol]

Today's drawing, Art of the Pony.

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/8378/mudcrabrarity2.jpg

Reference.
http://images.wikia.com/mlp/images/f/f6/MLP_FIM_-_Rarity.png


Ear's wrong. Ponies have really big ears. Nose starts too low and goes out too far. And the legs are a real problem; remember, as SiuiS says, the length of the legs is as long as the head.

Otherwise, commendable. You're on the right path! :smallbiggrin:

[the_druid_droid]

Bluh. I've been trying to draw Fluttershy for the past two days, and I just cannot get things to work. I'll probably try again tonight and post the WIP to see if I can get any suggestions...

[Sean Mirrsen]

Here's the completed thing-I've-been-working-on.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/FriendsInNeedTitle.jpg

Turned out rather nice, I think. Although the fic itself appears to have stalled for some reason.

[Beacon of Chaos]

Here's the completed thing-I've-been-working-on.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/FriendsInNeedTitle.jpg

Turned out rather nice, I think. Although the fic itself appears to have stalled for some reason.
Looks really good! Well done! What did you colour it with?

[Sean Mirrsen]

Looks really good! Well done! What did you colour it with?With? Photoshop. Brushes. Mostly hard ones.

[Neoseanster]

I went out and bought myself a mechanical pencil on the way home today with the intention of trying this... "drawing" thing.

I'll post the results of my horrible embarrassing failure later tonight.

[Thanqol]

Here's the completed thing-I've-been-working-on.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/FriendsInNeedTitle.jpg

Turned out rather nice, I think. Although the fic itself appears to have stalled for some reason.

Exceptional, great work! The composition of the piece is spot on.

[Vorpalbob]

Looks almost like a trace.
Meaning, nicely done.
Thanks. I'm going to try some custom designs next, from memory. A few of my friends, upon hearing that I draw, insisted I ponify them.

Here's the completed thing-I've-been-working-on.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/FriendsInNeedTitle.jpg

Turned out rather nice, I think. Although the fic itself appears to have stalled for some reason.

Looks great! I'm not sure if this was a deliberate part of your art style, but the legs do seem a little long, making the Mane 6 look a little awkward.

Other than that, fantastic.

I went out and bought myself a mechanical pencil on the way home today with the intention of trying this... "drawing" thing.

I'll post the results of my horrible embarrassing failure later tonight.
Don't worry, man. That's exactly what I was thinking when I first tried drawing Scootaloo. Just find a good reference picture and go slow for the first little while.

[the_druid_droid]

Well, today was...trying to say the least. I couldn't get Fluttershy to come out the way I wanted, and then after I finally got down a Scootaloo I was ok with posting, the scanner turned out to be broken.

*le sigh*

[Neoseanster]

So... I drew Apple Bloom.

Source:
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/7471/applebloom.png

Drawing:
http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/6953/neoapplebloom.png

And then, after getting OCD-ish and cleaning it up a little...

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/4567/applebloom2.png

It's not perfect, but I surprised myself for a first try.

Things that I noticed were wrong with it or that were pointed out to me in IRC (thanks Dispo!):


The lines from her body on the left and right of her front left leg don't match each other.
Her ear is too pointy.
When I was cleaning it up, I accidentally made her mane merge with her body, instead of the line for it being raised a little.
Head doesn't properly overlap with neck, makes it look like she's reaching her neck out or something.
Bow is too rounded.
Bottom of her forehead lock is too straight.
Front left leg is a little too curved.
Back leg joint could be a little more rounded.
Eye could be a little rounder.


Any other criticisms are welcome. Maybe I'll try someone else tomorrow, or I'll redo this one and see if I can avoid the same mistakes.

Right now I'm going to sleep and wondering why I was up at 5 am drawing ponies.

[Sean Mirrsen]

I know the whole "Fluttershy is a tree" thing is quite old at this point, but just as an experiment, I sketched Fluttershy as a dryad/naiad/nature spirit:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Flutterdryad2.png

The stare is intentional, but there seems to be something wrong with the face.. a few extraneous lines somewhere.


edit: hm, I think I accidentally the whole sketch. Dropbox is cool, but sometimes I forget which files I link. Anyway, complete color version:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Flutterdryad3.png

[the_druid_droid]

So... I drew Apple Bloom.

Source:
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/7471/applebloom.png

Drawing:
http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/6953/neoapplebloom.png

And then, after getting OCD-ish and cleaning it up a little...

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/4567/applebloom2.png

It's not perfect, but I surprised myself for a first try.

Things that I noticed were wrong with it or that were pointed out to me in IRC (thanks Dispo!):


The lines from her body on the left and right of her front left leg don't match each other.
Her ear is too pointy.
When I was cleaning it up, I accidentally made her mane merge with her body, instead of the line for it being raised a little.
Head doesn't properly overlap with neck, makes it look like she's reaching her neck out or something.
Bow is too rounded.
Bottom of her forehead lock is too straight.
Front left leg is a little too curved.
Back leg joint could be a little more rounded.
Eye could be a little rounder.


Any other criticisms are welcome. Maybe I'll try someone else tomorrow, or I'll redo this one and see if I can avoid the same mistakes.

Right now I'm going to sleep and wondering why I was up at 5 am drawing ponies.

That's an excellent first pony! You didn't ruin your circle at all; you made it better!

Dispo seems to have given pretty good feedback, I don't have much else to say, except heed the experienced pony-drawer.


I know the whole "Fluttershy is a tree" thing is quite old at this point, but just as an experiment, I sketched Fluttershy as a dryad/naiad/nature spirit:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Flutterdryad2.png

The stare is intentional, but there seems to be something wrong with the face.. a few extraneous lines somewhere.


edit: hm, I think I accidentally the whole sketch. Dropbox is cool, but sometimes I forget which files I link. Anyway, complete color version:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Flutterdryad3.png

I like the way her wings are made of twigs and leaves; it's a neat touch.

Also, the scanner is working again! Huzzah!

So, cowering Scootaloo it is:
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/Scoot.png

Based on this:
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/Screenshot2011-11-04at105442PM.png

Thoughts:
I didn't get her head cocked up quite right, and there are still some proportion issues with her hooves, although I think it's a bit better than in the Rarity one I posted before. Also, although I'm broadly happy with her mane and tail shape, you can definitely see deviations from the source.

Overall, I'm a little frustrated; I switched to this picture from Fluttershy because I just couldn't get the proportions right, and even with the simpler terror!Scoot screencap, things were hit-and-miss. Maybe if I try to blame it on the HUB logo blocking the shot...

[Beacon of Chaos]

I know the whole "Fluttershy is a tree" thing is quite old at this point, but just as an experiment, I sketched Fluttershy as a dryad/naiad/nature spirit:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Flutterdryad2.png

The stare is intentional, but there seems to be something wrong with the face.. a few extraneous lines somewhere.


edit: hm, I think I accidentally the whole sketch. Dropbox is cool, but sometimes I forget which files I link. Anyway, complete color version:
-snip-
She looks much older here. Dunno if that was deliberate. Probably due to the lines on her face.

Sorry I can't be more constructive with anyone elses stuff. I can't really spot anything that no one else has mentioned. Plus I'm knackered right now.

So here's a Trixie I did. I left the guidelines in, I find it helps.
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i93/DiegoHavoc/Pony%20Stuff/Trixiesketch.jpg

Based on:
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i93/DiegoHavoc/Pony%20Stuff/vlcsnap-2011-11-05-14h37m08s152.png

Thoughts: The tilt of her head and body looks off, and the hind legs aren't bending enough. One thing I've learned here is that pony legs taper towards the joints more than I thought.

[the_druid_droid]

Bluh. Kind of braindead tonight so I'm posting without responding to things. I promise to fix this in the morning.

Anyway, Fluttershy:
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/FS.png

Based on:
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/Screenshot2011-11-05at55817PM.png

[Sean Mirrsen]

As per an odd request in the Bay12 ponythread, I'm trying to draw AJ diving in a wetsuit. Or something. I've really no idea how it's supposed to look, so I'm trying to extrapolate from things I saw on TV and the like. So far, this is the resulting sketch:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Appledive.png

Anything immediately wrong that you can see?

[Level8Mudcrab]

I ended up not having time to do a pony yesterday, I blame the new episode. Instead, have Rainbow Dash today.

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/4838/mudcrabrainbowdash2.jpg

Reference.
http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110419150522/mlp/images/thumb/2/28/RainbowDashRainbow.png/640px-RainbowDashRainbow.png

The left eye could do with some work, but I'm happier with the right one. Don't like the wings either. And I now suddenly realise I forgot the second wing. Silly me.

Well, I've now done the mane 6. I've still got a long way to go, but I am doing better than I'd first expected, so that's a plus. I think I'll try something different for tommorow.



As per an odd request in the Bay12 ponythread, I'm trying to draw AJ diving in a wetsuit. Or something. I've really no idea how it's supposed to look, so I'm trying to extrapolate from things I saw on TV and the like. So far, this is the resulting sketch:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Appledive.png

Anything immediately wrong that you can see?

That is a bit of an interest request. Looks pretty good though. What's that bit on her shoulder? Edit: Oh, I think it's an Equestrian badge/symbol type thing?

[Sean Mirrsen]

I ended up not having time to do a pony yesterday, I blame the new episode. Instead, have Rainbow Dash today.

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/4838/mudcrabrainbowdash2.jpg

Reference.
http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110419150522/mlp/images/thumb/2/28/RainbowDashRainbow.png/640px-RainbowDashRainbow.png

The left eye could do with some work, but I'm happier with the right one. Don't like the wings either. And I now suddenly realise I forgot the second wing. Silly me.

Well, I've now done the mane 6. I've still got a long way to go, but I am doing better than I'd first expected, so that's a plus. I think I'll try something different for tommorow.Can you people scale down your scans? They're stretching the forum somethin' fierce.

For the drawing, the proportions are off. The body seems too big, and the neck too short/thick. (that tiny line between the wing and the mane is too high) And the cutie mark seems to have migrated a little. :) The legs are mostly fine, but the point where the hind leg intersects with the abdomen is too far back, giving RD a rather "fat cow" appearance. The mismatched eyes and missing wing you've already noted. Otherwise, well, I can still tell it's RD, so it's not half bad. :)


That is a bit of an interest request. Looks pretty good though. What's that bit on her shoulder? Edit: Oh, I think it's an Equestrian badge/symbol type thing?Well, the request is less weird if you've seen the last episode - at least the line of thinking leading up to it becomes clearer. And yes, that thing on the shoulder is some sort of Equestrian spec-ops badge. I've no idea how the Navy Seals badge looks, so I just improvised using the horse head symbol as a base.

[Level8Mudcrab]

Can you people scale down your scans? They're stretching the forum somethin' fierce.

I'll keep that in mind for future scans. My screen's pretty big, so I hadn't noticed.

And thanks for the advice, always appreciated.

[Sean Mirrsen]

Cleaned up diving AJ a little:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Appledive_c.png

No idea how to color it properly though.

[the_druid_droid]

So here's a Trixie I did. I left the guidelines in, I find it helps.
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i93/DiegoHavoc/Pony%20Stuff/Trixiesketch.jpg

Based on:
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i93/DiegoHavoc/Pony%20Stuff/vlcsnap-2011-11-05-14h37m08s152.png

Thoughts: The tilt of her head and body looks off, and the hind legs aren't bending enough. One thing I've learned here is that pony legs taper towards the joints more than I thought.

Yeah, the big thing to notice about ponies is how much some of the lines actually curve. In particular the ones that define the front part of each leg are challenging to get right, because they have to be somewhat concave to give them the right look without seeming fat, but too much curve and they seem abnormal. I find I constantly have to go back and tweak lines I've drawn to shallow or to straight during my rough layout.


Cleaned up diving AJ a little:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Appledive_c.png

No idea how to color it properly though.

Hmm, I would go with a blue-black for the wetsuit, and similar colors for the diving gear. The patches you could probably go wild with, but I'd imagine the cutie mark one should look a bit like her normal color scheme, and the Spec Ops one would probably use the sort of color palette they do in real life - mostly dark browns, greens, blues and whites, but some primary colors (especially yellow and red) for accents. Besides that, it's mostly just AJ's body, so that should be straightforward.

[Sean Mirrsen]

Heh, I went in an entirely different direction at first.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Appledive_cc.png

Although changing colors around isn't much of a problem, with proper preparations:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Appledive_cc2.png

I still have no idea how to light an underwater scene properly though.

And I'd imagine Equestrian SpecOps wouldn't be like human Spec Ops, so I made the badge a tiny bit more cheerful. :)

[Vorpalbob]

Heh, I went in an entirely different direction at first.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Appledive_cc.png

Although changing colors around isn't much of a problem, with proper preparations:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/Appledive_cc2.png

I still have no idea how to light an underwater scene properly though.

And I'd imagine Equestrian SpecOps wouldn't be like human Spec Ops, so I made the badge a tiny bit more cheerful. :)

Dude! That's awesome! This is making me think about (if I could mod) modding Metal Gear Solid to star AJ.

Unfortunately, "Applejack? APPLEJAAAAAAAAACK!" Just doesn't have the same ring to it. :smallsigh:

[Neoseanster]

I has done drawing!

Source image (from Sisterhooves Social, so if you're avoiding spoilers for it, just move along... nothing too plot-critical, though):
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/5354/raritysource.jpg

Also, rotated it to help me with using it as a model. This made it blurry.

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/3430/rotatedsource.png

Now, my drawing:

I was showing it to people on IRC as I worked, so I have a few different pictures of it this time, in varying stages of completion.

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/471/rarityinprogress.jpg

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/9180/rarityinprogress2.png

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/2944/rarityinprogress3.png

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/8938/wetrarity1.jpg

I'm not perfectly happy with it... didn't come out too terribly, though, and it was interesting to draw. She's more challenging than Apple Bloom.

[Bakuel]

Hello,


I'm a long time lurker on these forums but never felt the need to post.
I must confess to watching MLP and enjoying it immensely so I decided to draw some, then I saw the thread and thought, why not post?

I was also hoping it would force me to draw more. I have been drawing a long time, but my art skills are lopsided. I rarely finish sketches with color or even basic shading. Actually, I rarely clean up sketches at all. I figured if I take part in a thread it get me working. If no one minds me cluttering up the thread and being here that is.

Besides ponies, I have been working on more realistic but still cartoony/abstract humans compared to my general way of drawing. So these two themes will probably be thrown together in horrible dissonance.

These are some Rarity and Odysseus heads in various states of completion, I was drawing them to compare them with each other.
But this would be the most unlikely team up ever!
That is, if Rarity forgives him for his horrible hat and shaggy beard. And Odysseus doesn't take her to be some strange (but oddly fabulous) horse horror Poseidon decided to throw in his way.

Ok, so it wouldn't work out at all.

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/9202/jj1fi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/38/jj1fi.jpg/)


I should have shaded Rarity's hair in more. Also, Rarity's hair keeps changing shape into more and more bulbous forms. It's almost as if it has a mind of it's own.
Sorry for the light lines. I need to work on that. I'm addicted to grey lines.




I has done drawing!
*snip*

I hope you don't mind me commenting. If you do then just skip my ramblings.

It is a nice picture! I really like how you shaded in the wet hair, I'm going to have to try that.

Take any and all of my words with a grain of salt. But the only thing that seems to be off with the picture is the position of the eye furthest from the viewer. The eye should be smaller or rather squashed a bit more due to foreshortening, if that makes sense.

[Neoseanster]

I hope you don't mind me commenting. If you do then just skip my ramblings.

It is a nice picture! I really like how you shaded in the wet hair, I'm going to have to try that.

Take any and all of my words with a grain of salt. But the only thing that seems to be off with the picture is the position of the eye furthest from the viewer. The eye should be smaller or rather squashed a bit more due to foreshortening, if that makes sense.

Commentary is indeed welcome, thank you for the input!

[the_druid_droid]

Hello,


I'm a long time lurker on these forums but never felt the need to post.
I must confess to watching MLP and enjoying it immensely so I decided to draw some, then I saw the thread and thought, why not post?

I was also hoping it would force me to draw more. I have been drawing a long time, but my art skills are lopsided. I rarely finish sketches with color or even basic shading. Actually, I rarely clean up sketches at all. I figured if I take part in a thread it get me working. If no one minds me cluttering up the thread and being here that is.

Besides ponies, I have been working on more realistic but still cartoony/abstract humans compared to my general way of drawing. So these two themes will probably be thrown together in horrible dissonance.

These are some Rarity and Odysseus heads in various states of completion, I was drawing them to compare them with each other.
But this would be the most unlikely team up ever!
That is, if Rarity forgives him for his horrible hat and shaggy beard. And Odysseus doesn't take her to be some strange (but oddly fabulous) horse horror Poseidon decided to throw in his way.

Ok, so it wouldn't work out at all.

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/9202/jj1fi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/38/jj1fi.jpg/)


I should have shaded Rarity's hair in more. Also, Rarity's hair keeps changing shape into more and more bulbous forms. It's almost as if it has a mind of it's own.
Sorry for the light lines. I need to work on that. I'm addicted to grey lines.





I hope you don't mind me commenting. If you do then just skip my ramblings.

It is a nice picture! I really like how you shaded in the wet hair, I'm going to have to try that.

Take any and all of my words with a grain of salt. But the only thing that seems to be off with the picture is the position of the eye furthest from the viewer. The eye should be smaller or rather squashed a bit more due to foreshortening, if that makes sense.

It's always nice to have new posters in the thread! Welcome!

Also, I commend you for tackling Rarity's mane; it's no easy feat to get the curls right!

EDIT: To avoid double posting!

So this is something different; a version of my avvie for a Sekerit Project. I inked this one, for a bit of a different effect; I also owe The Great and Powerful Inkwell for helping clean up the original graphic.
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/Avatar_Cleaned.jpg

Thoughts: I like how most of it turned out, except the hood. The hood isn't really poofy enough, or is improperly poofy, and it kind of ruins the effect for me. There are also a couple of proportion/fidelity issues, but nothing hideously off.

[Dirtbag]

I fail!

I can't draw dragon wings. ;_;

We all got turned into dragons in the IRC so I decided to make that my air born Xenomorph, but I suck at drawing wings.

Here's what I got, but I know it sucks, I just don't know how to fix it.

http://i.imgur.com/CxvSu.jpg

Help me please! :(

[the_druid_droid]

I fail!

I can't draw dragon wings. ;_;

We all got turned into dragons in the IRC so I decided to make that my air born Xenomorph, but I suck at drawing wings.

Here's what I got, but I know it sucks, I just don't know how to fix it.

http://i.imgur.com/CxvSu.jpg

Help me please! :(

Hmm, the problem with the wings is that you've basically drawn them as large rectangles. What you need to do is locate a reference picture for a set of wings, either a photo of real birds you're shooting for, someone else's dragon drawings, or even pegasi wings from the show.

Look at them closely, and what you'll see is that although there are differences, most likely all of them have a sort of curving shape in common to the underside of the wing, tapering down from the wingtip to join into the chest. From there compare and contrast a couple styles to figure out what details you want and see if you can work up something you're happier with. The taper should fix 75% of the issue, with dragon-specific details rounding out the rest, I think.

[Dirtbag]

Hmm, the problem with the wings is that you've basically drawn them as large rectangles. What you need to do is locate a reference picture for a set of wings, either a photo of real birds you're shooting for, someone else's dragon drawings, or even pegasi wings from the show.

Look at them closely, and what you'll see is that although there are differences, most likely all of them have a sort of curving shape in common to the underside of the wing, tapering down from the wingtip to join into the chest. From there compare and contrast a couple styles to figure out what details you want and see if you can work up something you're happier with. The taper should fix 75% of the issue, with dragon-specific details rounding out the rest, I think.

Oh, I completely forgot I am allowed to use reference.

I don't usually use reference cause it feels like I'm stealing other ponies work.

So it kind of flew over my head.

Just looking at Dragon wings shows me obvious mistakes.

On another note, somepony wanted a flag of some sorts? I don't remember.

Here it is:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/48497129/Pony/Equestria%20Logo.png

Cheesy yes, but you said a quick job will do. :P

[Bakuel]

It's always nice to have new posters in the thread! Welcome!

Also, I commend you for tackling Rarity's mane; it's no easy feat to get the curls right!

Thank you for the welcome, I don't tend to post on internet forums very often, so I was pretty nervous.
And of course I had to try Rarity's mane. Rarity is the best pony in my book.
At least when Applejack isn't.



So this is something different; a version of my avvie for a Sekerit Project. I inked this one, for a bit of a different effect; I also owe The Great and Powerful Inkwell for helping clean up the original graphic.
*snip*

Thoughts: I like how most of it turned out, except the hood. The hood isn't really poofy enough, or is improperly poofy, and it kind of ruins the effect for me. There are also a couple of proportion/fidelity issues, but nothing hideously off.

Hoods are very annoying to get right. Especially if your going for an abstract style and only have a few lines to work with to provide the illusion of poofyness and depth. I admire anyone who attempts something like this in the OOTS style, for a front view no less.
It looks good, are you planning on coloring or are you leaving it as is?


Oh, I completely forgot I am allowed to use reference.

I don't usually use reference cause it feels like I'm stealing other ponies work.

So it kind of flew over my head.


This is just a side comment, but I don't think you should feel bad about using references. Plenty of people use references, including myself if it matters. And everyone's work is based off of something, either something someone else made or from the natural world.
As long as your not literally copying them and wandering around passing it off as your work, I don't think it counts as stealing.

By the way, nice flag! Even if you think it's cheezy. The only thing that seemed somewhat odd was the black line borders on the clouds since the sun, moon and stars don't have borders. But if you remove them the clouds might not look right, so you may not want that.


Here is another drawing, this one of Applejack and Apple Bloom,

It seems that my can't-draw-children-disease translates wonderfully over into ponies. The proportions always end up looking off when measured against an adult.
Also Applejack's neck is too long. I'll have to work on that.

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/6966/19909954.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/507/19909954.jpg/)

[the_druid_droid]

Thank you for the welcome, I don't tend to post on internet forums very often, so I was pretty nervous.


No worries, the forums as a whole are pretty friendly, and we're certainly happy to see new faces!


Hoods are very annoying to get right. Especially if your going for an abstract style and only have a few lines to work with to provide the illusion of poofyness and depth. I admire anyone who attempts something like this in the OOTS style, for a front view no less.
It looks good, are you planning on coloring or are you leaving it as is?


I probably won't color this one, although I think I'm going to get a tablet for Christmas so I can do some more digital art, now that I've gotten into the whole ponies and cartoon drawing craze.

Also, after coming back and looking at it, I think the hood might actually be less of a problem than the fact that I set the eyes too far above the mouth and put the pose together a bit sloppily. It makes my drawing look less stylized than my avatar, although the hood could admittedly use a tweak as well...


Here is another drawing, this one of Applejack and Apple Bloom,

It seems that my can't-draw-children-disease translates wonderfully over into ponies. The proportions always end up looking off when measured against an adult.
Also Applejack's neck is too long. I'll have to work on that.

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/6966/19909954.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/507/19909954.jpg/)

I really like this! My only nit-pick is that the head on Applejack seems a little too large. As SiuiS pointed out to me and I've measured now for myself, it seems that the body should be about a head-height off the ground, and the belly is typically located about 3/4 or so of a head down from, well, the head itself.

[Vorpalbob]

My first custom pony, without reference!

I did a quick sketch of one of my classmates in Drama last week, finishing it up today with the necklace and cutie mark. She initially asked for a weed (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G4HxrVx20A) leaf as her cutie mark, but decided instead on ice cream. I added the joint for fun.
The nose strikes me as too long, and the torso as well. I needed to start the legs sooner. Ah, well.
http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/311/3/6/my_little_sketches__friendship_is_drawing_pt__1_by _vorpalbob-d4fh3rg.jpg

[Thanqol]

Here is another drawing, this one of Applejack and Apple Bloom,

It seems that my can't-draw-children-disease translates wonderfully over into ponies. The proportions always end up looking off when measured against an adult.
Also Applejack's neck is too long. I'll have to work on that.

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/6966/19909954.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/507/19909954.jpg/)

On the contrary, I think Applebloom looks very well proportioned here. The lineart to this picture is solid, only tweak I have is Applejack's nose, which doesn't look quite right :smallsmile:


My first custom pony, without reference!

I did a quick sketch of one of my classmates in Drama last week, finishing it up today with the necklace and cutie mark. She initially asked for a weed (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G4HxrVx20A) leaf as her cutie mark, but decided instead on ice cream. I added the joint for fun.
The nose strikes me as too long, and the torso as well. I needed to start the legs sooner. Ah, well.
http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/311/3/6/my_little_sketches__friendship_is_drawing_pt__1_by _vorpalbob-d4fh3rg.jpg

Pony heads are round! The gap between the tip of the nose and the start of the far eye is very, very short. Draw a circle for the head and add features to that.

[SiuiS]

Day 4, Fluttershy. Where wings join eyes in the "I hate drawing them" club. Perhaps they can get fancy shirts?

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/2551/mudcrabfluttershy2.jpg

http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/23800000/Fluttershy-and-Angel-fluttershy-23835834-638-355.png


To be fair, Fluttershy's eyes are deceptive. They are unique, almost, and very, very different from all other pony eyes in behaviour. My very third pony picture had Fluttershy eyes, and as a result I have never shown it in public. It hurts too much.


I'm not sure I'm good enough to attempt that just yet, but I did do something kinda tricky (for me, anyway).

I drew a pony without a reference object.

I find it really hard to get the scaling right, especially at the start, if I don't have an object in the image to refer back to.

I seem to be keeping up a pace of a drawing a day. Doubt that will last.

Reference picture
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JOE2Bo4GdoY/TfLvoqNNgaI/AAAAAAAAAXc/h5DzIMm-F1A/s200/PinkiePieHiRes.png
Final result.
http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/308/1/c/pinkie_pie_by_vorpalbob-d4f164s.jpg

Hm. For scaling reference, pick a part of the pony. Remember, internal consistency is what you're going for; the pony should be scaled correctly relevant to the pony. To the moon with anything else.

Good job though. That's a hay of a Pinkie Pie.


Bluh. I've been trying to draw Fluttershy for the past two days, and I just cannot get things to work. I'll probably try again tonight and post the WIP to see if I can get any suggestions...

My comisserations. My only good Fluttershy works because it's just far enough away from the show's style that you'd think the differences were intentional...

Look at the emotes Gadora posted. There is one, where she is facing the camera but her eyes are downcast to the side, while still wide open. Her eyes are HUGE.


I went out and bought myself a mechanical pencil on the way home today with the intention of trying this... "drawing" thing.

I'll post the results of my horrible embarrassing failure later tonight.

I feel proud for inspirin someone by saying that the tools don't need to be fancy ^w^


So... I drew Apple Bloom.

Source:
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/7471/applebloom.png

Drawing:
http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/6953/neoapplebloom.png

And then, after getting OCD-ish and cleaning it up a little...

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/4567/applebloom2.png

It's not perfect, but I surprised myself for a first try.

Things that I noticed were wrong with it or that were pointed out to me in IRC (thanks Dispo!):


The lines from her body on the left and right of her front left leg don't match each other.
Her ear is too pointy.
When I was cleaning it up, I accidentally made her mane merge with her body, instead of the line for it being raised a little.
Head doesn't properly overlap with neck, makes it look like she's reaching her neck out or something.
Bow is too rounded.
Bottom of her forehead lock is too straight.
Front left leg is a little too curved.
Back leg joint could be a little more rounded.
Eye could be a little rounder.


Any other criticisms are welcome. Maybe I'll try someone else tomorrow, or I'll redo this one and see if I can avoid the same mistakes.

Right now I'm going to sleep and wondering why I was up at 5 am drawing ponies.

Nice applebloom!
I have to ask, dis you draw that from reference alone or did you make a skeleton first?


I ended up not having time to do a pony yesterday, I blame the new episode. Instead, have Rainbow Dash today.

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/4838/mudcrabrainbowdash2.jpg

Reference.
http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110419150522/mlp/images/thumb/2/28/RainbowDashRainbow.png/640px-RainbowDashRainbow.png

The left eye could do with some work, but I'm happier with the right one. Don't like the wings either. And I now suddenly realise I forgot the second wing. Silly me.

Well, I've now done the mane 6. I've still got a long way to go, but I am doing better than I'd first expected, so that's a plus. I think I'll try something different for tommorow.
That is a bit of an interest request. Looks pretty good though. What's that bit on her shoulder? Edit: Oh, I think it's an Equestrian badge/symbol type thing?

Neat. I never noticed how, well, manly RD's posture was in that shot. The mullet really works there.


I has done drawing!

Source image (from Sisterhooves Social, so if you're avoiding spoilers for it, just move along... nothing too plot-critical, though):
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/5354/raritysource.jpg

Also, rotated it to help me with using it as a model. This made it blurry.

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/3430/rotatedsource.png

Now, my drawing:

I was showing it to people on IRC as I worked, so I have a few different pictures of it this time, in varying stages of completion.

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/471/rarityinprogress.jpg

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/9180/rarityinprogress2.png

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/2944/rarityinprogress3.png

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/8938/wetrarity1.jpg

I'm not perfectly happy with it... didn't come out too terribly, though, and it was interesting to draw. She's more challenging than Apple Bloom.

Good gravy! Look at the difference betweenthose last two pictures! You make me feel better about my own differences...


Hello,

I'm a long time lurker on these forums but never felt the need to post.
I must confess to watching MLP and enjoying it immensely so I decided to draw some, then I saw the thread and thought, why not post?

I was also hoping it would force me to draw more. I have been drawing a long time, but my art skills are lopsided. I rarely finish sketches with color or even basic shading. Actually, I rarely clean up sketches at all. I figured if I take part in a thread it get me working. If no one minds me cluttering up the thread and being here that is.

If it makes you feel better, so far only Thanqol is the only bloke who takes his sketches all the way through post production. I've resigned myself to being a doodler rather than an 'artist' because really neat but still dirty sketch is as far as I can take a piece of work.


Besides ponies, I have been working on more realistic but still cartoony/abstract humans compared to my general way of drawing. So these two themes will probably be thrown together in horrible dissonance.

These are some Rarity and Odysseus heads in various states of completion, I was drawing them to compare them with each other.
But this would be the most unlikely team up ever!
That is, if Rarity forgives him for his horrible hat and shaggy beard. And Odysseus doesn't take her to be some strange (but oddly fabulous) horse horror Poseidon decided to throw in his way.

Ok, so it wouldn't work out at all.

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/9202/jj1fi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/38/jj1fi.jpg/)


I should have shaded Rarity's hair in more. Also, Rarity's hair keeps changing shape into more and more bulbous forms. It's almost as if it has a mind of it's own.
Sorry for the light lines. I need to work on that. I'm addicted to grey lines.




Fabulous! I like the look on profile-Odysseus' face. Seems you're having some trouble with portrait-Odysseus though; he lacks the detail of profile or 3/4 profile version.

Still... Really cool.


I fail!

I can't draw dragon wings. ;_;

We all got turned into dragons in the IRC so I decided to make that my air born Xenomorph, but I suck at drawing wings.

Here's what I got, but I know it sucks, I just don't know how to fix it.

http://i.imgur.com/CxvSu.jpg

Help me please! :(

Look at bat wings. The wing works like a hand even in birds.
And don't sweat the references. "drawing from memory" usually just means you've memorized the references, but they're still there.

[Vorpalbob]

Pony heads are round! The gap between the tip of the nose and the start of the far eye is very, very short. Draw a circle for the head and add features to that.

Definitely remembering that for next time.

[Dispozition]

Here is another drawing, this one of Applejack and Apple Bloom,

It seems that my can't-draw-children-disease translates wonderfully over into ponies. The proportions always end up looking off when measured against an adult.
Also Applejack's neck is too long. I'll have to work on that.

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/6966/19909954.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/507/19909954.jpg/)

I would say the problem is less her neck being too long, and more her legs being far too short. But otherwise a very nice picture (:

[Thanqol]

If it makes you feel better, so far only Thanqol is the only bloke who takes his sketches all the way through post production. I've resigned myself to being a doodler rather than an 'artist' because really neat but still dirty sketch is as far as I can take a piece of work.

Honestly, SiuiS, I've said this before but colouring and editing your pieces is a joy. You've got crazy good composition and structure, and you put together pieces that just work. And I think the only thing stopping you from being an 'artist' is possession of a drawing tablet and willingness to spend time learning how to colour.

I'll understand if learning to colour is daunting, though, because I'm 174 days in and still have no bloody idea how to do it effectively. I'm still experimenting, all the time, and I still haven't tried all the tools these programs have. But it's the fun kind of not knowing, where I can try new combinations of stuff every day and see how it turns out.

If there's any sketches you want coloured at any time, just ask. I stand a fairly decent chance of colouring anything you throw up anyway. :smallsmile:

[Sean Mirrsen]

I've also got a problem with coloring. Most of the time, I prefer to leave sketches as sketches, because more often than not my coloring will break something in the design.

But, a well-drawn colored piece will always look better than a sketch, so that's incentive to improve. :)

[Trixie]

I wonder, would someone with a pretty big amount of experience with digital image editing (including colouring) but relatively few with any free-hand drawing be okay in this thread? :smallconfused:

I just don't want to be laughed off with claims 'what you need to learn, anyway?' if I post something...

<sigh> Maybe I can borrow someone's sketch to practice digital manipulation on, but I'd need to ask permission first, I guess...

[Sean Mirrsen]

No offense, but... really, what do you need to learn? What I've seen of your art is plenty awesome as it is. If you need to fiddle with something though, feel free to take any of my designs.

[Trixie]

<sigh> Exactly as I said, I suck on anything other than using mouse, be it free-hand tablet or pencil. That's why I'd like to get some criticism here.

But okay, I get the hint :P

[the_druid_droid]

I wonder, would someone with a pretty big amount of experience with digital image editing (including colouring) but relatively few with any free-hand drawing be okay in this thread? :smallconfused:

I just don't want to be laughed off with claims 'what you need to learn, anyway?' if I post something...

<sigh> Maybe I can borrow someone's sketch to practice digital manipulation on, but I'd need to ask permission first, I guess...

Absolutely feel free to join in with the thread!

I never meant for things to be restricted to any level of talent or any medium, I just sort of marketed this toward new pony drawing people because I knew there would be some interest. By all means, post anything you like, and we'll give you any sort of help we know how to!

EDIT: Not to mention it would be nice to have several folks around with some coloring experience once I start dabbling with the process; I'm pretty much going to be starting at ground zero...

[Sean Mirrsen]

Yeah, some experts on coloring here would be nice. And, for the record, being able to draw well with a mouse is an awesome skill all by itself.

As for me, I'm now trying to do illustrations to that ill-fated fanfic project I mentioned. I'm no longer sure it'll get off the ground at all, but as long as it keeps giving me something unusual to draw, all is fine.

RD and one of the OC dwarves in flight:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/FiN_Urist_Dash_v2_05.jpg

I find the concept of pegasi "running" while flying a little outlandish, so in this case I've tried to justify the OC's action-y pose with some cloudskipping.

AJ learning of the profession of another OC dwarf, and the definition of "antipersonnel weapon":
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/FiN_Starkey_AJ_01.jpg

Could've gone for a more neutral scene, but wanted to experiment with expressions. AJ seems to convey shock pretty well here, to me at least.

These are both sketches-in-progress, so if you have any advice to give, I'll gladly hear it.

[ealdhain]

Hi guys! I hope to be as active on this thread as I can be. I have plenty of pony sketches but little time to actually get online. With the few minutes I have today, I thought I'd just take the last picture posted and make some comments! Sooo...



Yeah, some experts on coloring here would be nice. And, for the record, being able to draw well with a mouse is an awesome skill all by itself.

As for me, I'm now trying to do illustrations to that ill-fated fanfic project I mentioned. I'm no longer sure it'll get off the ground at all, but as long as it keeps giving me something unusual to draw, all is fine.

RD and one of the OC dwarves in flight:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/FiN_Urist_Dash_v2_05.jpg

I find the concept of pegasi "running" while flying a little outlandish, so in this case I've tried to justify the OC's action-y pose with some cloudskipping.

AJ learning of the profession of another OC dwarf, and the definition of "antipersonnel weapon":
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/FiN_Starkey_AJ_01.jpg

Could've gone for a more neutral scene, but wanted to experiment with expressions. AJ seems to convey shock pretty well here, to me at least.

These are both sketches-in-progress, so if you have any advice to give, I'll gladly hear it.

Wow! These were both so good. I love your style, it looks like you've been doing this for quite some time. It's all so clean looking, and your attention to detail really shines. I'm very envious of anyone who can draw feathered wings well, and you did a great job. I think a next step to take this further would be color, or even more simple, some shading. Have you tried that on your drawings yet? I bet it would look great!

[the_druid_droid]

Yeah, some experts on coloring here would be nice. And, for the record, being able to draw well with a mouse is an awesome skill all by itself.

As for me, I'm now trying to do illustrations to that ill-fated fanfic project I mentioned. I'm no longer sure it'll get off the ground at all, but as long as it keeps giving me something unusual to draw, all is fine.

RD and one of the OC dwarves in flight:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/FiN_Urist_Dash_v2_05.jpg

I find the concept of pegasi "running" while flying a little outlandish, so in this case I've tried to justify the OC's action-y pose with some cloudskipping.

AJ learning of the profession of another OC dwarf, and the definition of "antipersonnel weapon":
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/FiN_Starkey_AJ_01.jpg

Could've gone for a more neutral scene, but wanted to experiment with expressions. AJ seems to convey shock pretty well here, to me at least.

These are both sketches-in-progress, so if you have any advice to give, I'll gladly hear it.

My only suggestions are that in the first picture, the dwarf pony's rear leg looks a bit odd; it may just be the pose but the joint seems to bend strangely, even for a pony. Also, in the second, the crossbow seems relatively heavily detailed in comparison to most of the rest of the picture; you might consider scaling it back a bit to keep the simpler, elegant feel of the body styles.


Hi guys! I hope to be as active on this thread as I can be. I have plenty of pony sketches but little time to actually get online. With the few minutes I have today, I thought I'd just take the last picture posted and make some comments! Sooo...


Good to have you with us! Don't feel too pressured to post, but whenever you've got time, we'll be around to see if we can help.

[ealdhain]

Umm..here's my first sketch. I had to use a reference picture and trace a bit. I've never drawn body proportions like these, and I'm not a great artist. All comments welcomed and encouraged!
http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/312/9/d/fluttershy1_by_ealdhain-d4fkhx2.jpg

[Bakuel]

I really like this! My only nit-pick is that the head on Applejack seems a little too large. As SiuiS pointed out to me and I've measured now for myself, it seems that the body should be about a head-height off the ground, and the belly is typically located about 3/4 or so of a head down from, well, the head itself.

Thanks for the compliment!
I'll keep those proportions in mind for next time, the picture I did today I fear some of their legs may be a bit too long.


On the contrary, I think Applebloom looks very well proportioned here. The lineart to this picture is solid, only tweak I have is Applejack's nose, which doesn't look quite right :smallsmile:


Thanks! I tried to pay more attention to the profile noses today. Don't know if it made a difference or not.


[color="darkgreen"]
If it makes you feel better, so far only Thanqol is the only bloke who takes his sketches all the way through post production. I've resigned myself to being a doodler rather than an 'artist' because really neat but still dirty sketch is as far as I can take a piece of work.

The sad part is, I really want to create colored pictures. I often look at art of other artists and old master painters and think, "Wow, I wish I could use color like that!". But whenever I get ready to color one of my own it always turns out worse and I end up preferring the monotone doodle.


[color="darkgreen"]
Fabulous! I like the look on profile-Odysseus' face. Seems you're having some trouble with portrait-Odysseus though; he lacks the detail of profile or 3/4 profile version.

Still... Really cool.


Thank you for the kind words! I'm still playing with how much or how less abstraction to go with. On the portrait view I begin to fall back on old habits.


I would say the problem is less her neck being too long, and more her legs being far too short. But otherwise a very nice picture (:

Looking back at Applejack's legs, I think your right. Today I think I made them too long though.


I've also got a problem with coloring. Most of the time, I prefer to leave sketches as sketches, because more often than not my coloring will break something in the design.

But, a well-drawn colored piece will always look better than a sketch, so that's incentive to improve. :)

I can relate with that, my bad coloring ruins a otherwise fine drawing. But I guess I'll have to put up with it too improve.




As for me, I'm now trying to do illustrations to that ill-fated fanfic project I mentioned. I'm no longer sure it'll get off the ground at all, but as long as it keeps giving me something unusual to draw, all is fine.

RD and one of the OC dwarves in flight:
*sinp*
AJ learning of the profession of another OC dwarf, and the definition of "antipersonnel weapon":
*snip*

These are both sketches-in-progress, so if you have any advice to give, I'll gladly hear it.

These are beautiful! The backgrounds are wonderful, especially in the first picture. How long does it take you to draw each picture?


Umm..here's my first sketch. I had to use a reference picture and trace a bit. I've never drawn body proportions like these, and I'm not a great artist. All comments welcomed and encouraged!
*snip*

It looks pretty good!
You shouldn't feel bad for using a reference picture, and tracing is fine for practice. The two major things that I see are the edge of the wings (but wings are hard), and Fluttershy's hair on the top of her head seems a bit flat when it should curve and be abit more poofy if that makes since.


Here is another picture today,

Here is Apple Bloom, Big Macintosh and Applejack. Working on the proportions of different body sizes.
For Applejack I imagined that Big Macintosh was reminding her of the time she tried to finish harvest alone. I wanted to give her expression between a sheepish apologetic smile and a grimace, like she was remembering a horrible memory. I don't know if I succeeded or not, but there it is.
The sketch is a bit more dirty then usual as I was pressed for time.

http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/9021/aabfam2.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/821/aabfam2.jpg/)

I can't help but think Big Mac should be bigger. And Applebloom's head seems a bit too big. And the less said about her bow the better.

[ealdhain]

Thanks for the feedback! I agree with Fluttershy's hair needing a bit of extra "poof." As for the wings, that's the best of my ability at the moment. That's going to be the major thing I work on. =)


I can't help but think Big Mac should be bigger. And Applebloom's head seems a bit too big. And the less said about her bow the better.[/SPOILER]

Ooh, I like your sketchy style. I agree that Big Mac should be a good bit bigger. As for Applebloom, the bow is fine, in my opinion. It looks good. =) I think her head should be smaller and...the eye a bit more oval? Her eyes are very round in the show, a sign of youth, but I think it needs just a tiny bit of elongation or heavier eyelashes.

I also second the call for improvement to color. If I even so much as ink in one of my sketches, it turns very flat and loses so much depth. The search for a color expert begins!

[Dispozition]

Here is another picture today,

Here is Apple Bloom, Big Macintosh and Applejack. Working on the proportions of different body sizes.
For Applejack I imagined that Big Macintosh was reminding her of the time she tried to finish harvest alone. I wanted to give her expression between a sheepish apologetic smile and a grimace, like she was remembering a horrible memory. I don't know if I succeeded or not, but there it is.
The sketch is a bit more dirty then usual as I was pressed for time.

http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/9021/aabfam2.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/821/aabfam2.jpg/)

I can't help but think Big Mac should be bigger. And Applebloom's head seems a bit too big. And the less said about her bow the better.

I think AJ is looking pretty damn good in this. Legs are just about right. Maybe just compare it to a few show screenshots to see how you did.

I think Big Mac could do to be taller, again with the legs :P
And I think Applebloom is...Hmm..I think her body is too long? I can't quite place it. I'd say compare it to a few screenshots again. But you're right in thinking something is off.

[Sean Mirrsen]

Wow! These were both so good. I love your style, it looks like you've been doing this for quite some time. It's all so clean looking, and your attention to detail really shines. I'm very envious of anyone who can draw feathered wings well, and you did a great job. I think a next step to take this further would be color, or even more simple, some shading. Have you tried that on your drawings yet? I bet it would look great!Thanks, and yes, I do do shading, even in pencil. I even do coloring and lighting, but I'm not very good at it.


My only suggestions are that in the first picture, the dwarf pony's rear leg looks a bit odd; it may just be the pose but the joint seems to bend strangely, even for a pony.Yeah, those rear legs I've been reworking more than the rest of the picture. Still couldn't get them right, evidently.


Also, in the second, the crossbow seems relatively heavily detailed in comparison to most of the rest of the picture; you might consider scaling it back a bit to keep the simpler, elegant feel of the body styles.It's detailed largely because I kept adding details to it. :) So it's a little overdone. It'll look cleaner in the final version. Other than that, it's still a crossbow. It's supposed to look a little out-of-place in the Ponyverse.


These are beautiful! The backgrounds are wonderful, especially in the first picture. How long does it take you to draw each picture?Well, these two were done over the course of the work day, roughly midday to eight PM, so - eight hours, on and off, for both of these, including largely redoing the first one at least once. I'm in no rush. :)

[the_druid_droid]

Well, finally finished my collection of the mane 6. This time up, it's Fluttershy!

http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/FS_2.png

Based on:
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/Screenshot2011-11-05at55147PM.png

Thoughts: I think there are some successes and failures here. On the one hand, I think I finally did better about drawing the hooves curvy enough and they're starting to get large enough to balance with the size of the rest of the composition. On the downside, I think I drew her a little too long, which threw off some other proportions, and there are spots in her mane I really don't like. Also, the eyebrows need to arch more.

Fluttershy's mane is surprisingly hard; it's just a bunch of smooth lines and curves and it's hard to find reference points to tie them all together. I honestly found it harder to manage than Rarity's...

[Sean Mirrsen]

Well, finally finished my collection of the mane 6. This time up, it's Fluttershy!

http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/FS_2.png

Based on:
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/Screenshot2011-11-05at55147PM.png

Thoughts: I think there are some successes and failures here. On the one hand, I think I finally did better about drawing the hooves curvy enough and they're starting to get large enough to balance with the size of the rest of the composition. On the downside, I think I drew her a little too long, which threw off some other proportions, and there are spots in her mane I really don't like. Also, the eyebrows need to arch more.

Fluttershy's mane is surprisingly hard; it's just a bunch of smooth lines and curves and it's hard to find reference points to tie them all together. I honestly found it harder to manage than Rarity's...Well, the eyes look slightly off, and she's a tad longer than in the reference, but all in all, that's a very well-drawn Fluttershy. Not sure which spots in her mane you don't like, all I notice at the moment is a slightly broken line near the end of the tail.

In the meantime I pencil-shaded that first sketch, and tried to fix Urist's (the OC's) hind leg:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/FiN_Urist_Dash_v2_06.jpg
Can't find anything else wrong here, so I'll probably move to cleanup.

I've also edited a few details in the second one:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/FiN_Starkey_AJ_02.jpgThe weapon's still heavy on the details, but I'll fix it in cleanup. For now, the background needs improving.

[Akrim.elf]

http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/313/2/d/pony_sketch_by_depresiveneko-d4flcdj.png

here... a fast sketch of idea for HalfDragonCube pony request.. but look weird...

[Level8Mudcrab]

A day or two off drawing, but now I'm back. I obtained a nice new set of pencils too.

As for today's drawing, we have our first background pony, Octavia.

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/5157/mudcraboctavia2.jpg

Reference:
http://i.neoseeker.com/mgv/60953-Shadow%20of%20Death/953/30/octavia02b_display.png

I'm quite happy with how this one turned out. And I even managed to include the cello. Biggest point I'd have against this; I think her expression looks a bit odd.




In the meantime I pencil-shaded that first sketch, and tried to fix Urist's (the OC's) hind leg:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/FiN_Urist_Dash_v2_06.jpg
Can't find anything else wrong here, so I'll probably move to cleanup.

I've also edited a few details in the second one:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/FiN_Starkey_AJ_02.jpgThe weapon's still heavy on the details, but I'll fix it in cleanup. For now, the background needs improving.

Love these drawings. Dwarf Fortress and Ponies is a nice cross-over. Have I mentioned how great your wings look before? Because they look great.

[Sean Mirrsen]

Backgrounds and character cleanup on the Starkey and AJ one:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/FiN_Starkey_AJ_04.jpg
The crossbow still stands out a little, but it's a complex piece, so that's as simple as it gets. Now the hardest part, cleaning up backgrounds.

Yeah, it's a pretty fun crossover. We're basically plotting some sort of epic adventure arc in four chapters, but all in all it's too far down the line to say for certain whether or not it'll all be complete.

[byaku rai]

Well, the eyes look slightly off, and she's a tad longer than in the reference, but all in all, that's a very well-drawn Fluttershy. Not sure which spots in her mane you don't like, all I notice at the moment is a slightly broken line near the end of the tail.

In the meantime I pencil-shaded that first sketch, and tried to fix Urist's (the OC's) hind leg:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/FiN_Urist_Dash_v2_06.jpg
Can't find anything else wrong here, so I'll probably move to cleanup.

I've also edited a few details in the second one:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/FiN_Starkey_AJ_02.jpgThe weapon's still heavy on the details, but I'll fix it in cleanup. For now, the background needs improving.

I am extremely envious of your wing-drawing ability. XP That said, Urist's hind leg still looks a bit off in the first picture. I can't quite place it, but I think part of the problem is that it's too far back.

Anyway, I hope to post a pic or two later today. x.x meep...

[ealdhain]

As for today's drawing, we have our first background pony, Octavia.


I'm quite happy with how this one turned out. And I even managed to include the cello. Biggest point I'd have against this; I think her expression looks a bit odd.


Wow, that cello is quite nice. I'd have doubts about drawing that. As for her expression, I agree that it needs a slight bit of tweaking. I think her right eye (on our left) needs to be in closer to the nose. The reference picture shows that eye skooched over a bit. I'm not sure if it needs to be bigger or not, or just moved. Otherwise, very very good! =D The only other thing I can recommend is applying some shading to Octavia. The cello has some shading on the edge near her body, and that looks lovely. It gives it a lot of depth. I think the same style should be applied to our pony here.
Hope this helps!

Here's my sketch for the day, just a quick thing.
http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/312/d/7/dancin___fluttershy_by_ealdhain-d4fko6c.jpg
This isn't the original. Some of you saw the original when byakurai posted it on the ponythread. He still has the englarged, colored-in original. This was a quick sketch just to remind me of it. Should I post the original at some point?

[Vent Reynolt]

A day or two off drawing, but now I'm back. I obtained a nice new set of pencils too.

As for today's drawing, we have our first background pony, Octavia.

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/5157/mudcraboctavia2.jpg

Reference:
http://i.neoseeker.com/mgv/60953-Shadow%20of%20Death/953/30/octavia02b_display.png

I'm quite happy with how this one turned out. And I even managed to include the cello. Biggest point I'd have against this; I think her expression looks a bit odd.

Wow. Excellent! I can really see some improvement in your drawings. I don't have anything to say for critique, though. I just wanted to note that I'm seeing definite improvement!

[Noctemwolf]

A day or two off drawing, but now I'm back. I obtained a nice new set of pencils too.

As for today's drawing, we have our first background pony, Octavia.

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/5157/mudcraboctavia2.jpg

Reference:
http://i.neoseeker.com/mgv/60953-Shadow%20of%20Death/953/30/octavia02b_display.png

I'm quite happy with how this one turned out. And I even managed to include the cello. Biggest point I'd have against this; I think her expression looks a bit odd.



Definitely very good! I think her expression looks odd only because her eyes are a little far apart; otherwise, Amazing!
Octavia is awesome. (Vinyl Scratch is my preferred music pony, buuuut I can overlook that, since Octavia comes in an almost first place second =P).

[ealdhain]

Postin' another sketch!
http://th01.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2011/312/f/7/good_ol___applejack_by_ealdhain-d4fkp21.jpg

Applejack in a fightin' pose. There are several ponies all drawn on the same page, so you can see a bit of Fluttershy's hair on the right-hand side.
This was a quick sketch using a reference picture (but no tracing-improvement!) so I know it's pretty rough. Here are the issues I'm having:I know the nose is a bit too pointed, I've fixed that since posting. However, I can't quite tell what's wrong with the bangs. They just don't sit right. The eye probably needs to be cleaned up a bit, and I wasn't sure about how to end her tail.

Thoughts and suggestions?
Thanks!

[the_druid_droid]

A day or two off drawing, but now I'm back. I obtained a nice new set of pencils too.

As for today's drawing, we have our first background pony, Octavia.

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/5157/mudcraboctavia2.jpg

Reference:
http://i.neoseeker.com/mgv/60953-Shadow%20of%20Death/953/30/octavia02b_display.png

I'm quite happy with how this one turned out. And I even managed to include the cello. Biggest point I'd have against this; I think her expression looks a bit odd.


Definitely seeing improvement in your work! There are still a few places in the arms and torso where the lines need to be tucked in a little, and the eye is a bit far over, but overall it looks very good.


Backgrounds and character cleanup on the Starkey and AJ one:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/FiN_Starkey_AJ_04.jpg
The crossbow still stands out a little, but it's a complex piece, so that's as simple as it gets. Now the hardest part, cleaning up backgrounds.

Yeah, it's a pretty fun crossover. We're basically plotting some sort of epic adventure arc in four chapters, but all in all it's too far down the line to say for certain whether or not it'll all be complete.

Looking good! Even if the fic never gets off the ground, these pictures are pretty neat!


Postin' another sketch!
http://th01.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2011/312/f/7/good_ol___applejack_by_ealdhain-d4fkp21.jpg

Applejack in a fightin' pose. There are several ponies all drawn on the same page, so you can see a bit of Fluttershy's hair on the right-hand side.
This was a quick sketch using a reference picture (but no tracing-improvement!) so I know it's pretty rough. Here are the issues I'm having:I know the nose is a bit too pointed, I've fixed that since posting. However, I can't quite tell what's wrong with the bangs. They just don't sit right. The eye probably needs to be cleaned up a bit, and I wasn't sure about how to end her tail.

Thoughts and suggestions?
Thanks!

I think the issue with the bangs is that instead of ending under her hat, they should arc back to tuck behind her ear; additionally the eye placement isn't too bad, but its shape needs to be rounder.

A couple of other things I'd suggest are that her tail is a bit too long proportionately, and her legs need to have a more accentuated curve; if you look at stills from the show, you'll notice that pony legs are almost frighteningly curved in on themselves - especially toward the front.

Good job though! It's always a little nerve-wracking the first time you draw fully freehand from a reference, but you've got a good start going!

[Vorpalbob]

I got bored during Drama class today, and so I decided to do a quick sketch.

We were watching a movie, so I had nothing better to do. I'm just glad I carry around my sketch pad. Guess which movie?

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/313/9/4/pony_indy_by_vorpalbob-d4fouel.jpg

I re-drew the stage left eye so many times that you can see I made a little tear in the paper from all the erasing. As well, you can see that I originally made the body much longer, but it feels like it's a bit short now. I also want to improve the composition of the hat on his head, it looks a bit like it should be larger and lower on his brow.

I did improve on my freehand (without reference picture) drawing of pony heads, as his nose doesn't seem too big. I probably should have used a ruler when drawing the gun barrel. It looks like someone took a hammer to it. :smalltongue:

[ealdhain]

I think the issue with the bangs is that instead of ending under her hat, they should arc back to tuck behind her ear; additionally the eye placement isn't too bad, but its shape needs to be rounder.

A couple of other things I'd suggest are that her tail is a bit too long proportionately, and her legs need to have a more accentuated curve; if you look at stills from the show, you'll notice that pony legs are almost frighteningly curved in on themselves - especially toward the front.

Good job though! It's always a little nerve-wracking the first time you draw fully freehand from a reference, but you've got a good start going!

Thanks! I'll tweak the pic a bit with your suggestions, and see how it goes. I saw the extreme curves in the legs while watching the show, but every time I draw the legs that way I think, "There's no way they can be that curved." But they are. Practice, practice, practice! I'll be posting another pic later today.



I re-drew the stage left eye so many times that you can see I made a little tear in the paper from all the erasing. As well, you can see that I originally made the body much longer, but it feels like it's a bit short now. I also want to improve the composition of the hat on his head, it looks a bit like it should be larger and lower on his brow.

I did improve on my freehand (without reference picture) drawing of pony heads, as his nose doesn't seem too big. I probably should have used a ruler when drawing the gun barrel. It looks like someone took a hammer to it. :smalltongue:

I love this one! You did a really good job of ponifying him! I think the nose and body length are just fine. They look like the ponies of the show. My only comments are on the hair and stage right hoof. Both look a little awkward. Should the hair follow the line of the head? And I think the hoof should be a bit rounder at the bends. Otherwise, very nice! This made me laugh, as I could immediately identify him.

[Sean Mirrsen]

I've decided to keep all the illustrations in sketch form until I'm done with all pages. Then I can try and color them in one fell swoop, to keep the styles consistent.

Update on the Starkey/AJ sketch:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/FiN_Starkey_AJ_05.jpgI'm not sure I like the shading very much... it also feels like the landscape needs some subtle shading to denote distance, but I've no idea how to properly do that.

And a new one in earlier stages, with Debesh and Fluttershy:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/FiN_Debesh_Fluttershy_02.jpg
I'm not too sure on the perspective and poses here. Anything seem wrong to you? Well, besides Fluttershy seemingly having an array of strong drinks in her house. That's part of the fic, not my design. Also, I believe I forgot straws.

[Level8Mudcrab]

Today I've decided to try something different, a reference free pony.

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/5971/mudcrabtwilightreading2.jpg

A little rough, though I don't think I did too badly. Her face looks a little off, perhaps I drew the head a bit too big/sticking out?

[ealdhain]

Hey everyone! I have an OC here (aka, I wasn't near a computer for a reference pic but I wanted to draw a pony anyway).
http://th04.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2011/314/1/1/oc1_daisyshy_by_ealdhain-d4fr1e2.jpg

She looks vaguely like Fluttershy, so I've decided she's a distant relative and named her Daisyshy. The only thing I'm confident I can do on my own so far is the head, so that's what this is. Any suggestions? I'm pretty happy with her overall. =)

[byaku rai]

Well, I promised to post stuff, so here goes... *deep breath*

First, a sketch from a couple of years ago. Idk why I'm posting this, I just feel compelled to. It's also my first real attempt at shading, something which I have historically been gawdawful at. Not that you can actually see the shading with the image quality. :smallsigh:

http://th05.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2011/314/1/a/drake_guard_by_byakurai51-d4frkxi.jpg
I apologize for the exceptionally poor quality of the pic. This was taken with my phone camera.

Next, some ponies, all drawn without reference points because I never seem to get the urge to draw near a computer... >.>
http://th04.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2011/314/c/8/block_buster_by_byakurai51-d4frl6h.jpg
Sort of looks like Derpy Hooves, now that I look at her... Oh well. x.x
http://th05.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2011/314/7/c/bored_pony_by_byakurai51-d4frld9.jpg
A bored-looking pony, drawn during history class. NO CORRELATION WHATSOEVER I SWEAR >.> <.< >.>
http://th00.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2011/314/1/a/starry_dreamer_by_byakurai51-d4frllw.jpg
Starry Dreamer, a potential OC. Rarity-esque eyes, a Fluttershyish mane, and legs and body out of proportion to her head. x.x also my first unicorn.
http://th01.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2011/314/5/8/comet_by_byakurai51-d4frlqa.jpg
Comet, another potential OC. I got bored and inked her in as an experiment, but didn't quite manage to lose the sketchiness... Oh well. Ponies look better in color anyway. Also, disregard the wing until I actually figure out how to draw them with feathers... x.x

Oh, and a random dragon wing, one of the few things I feel like I can actually draw fairly decently:
http://th05.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2011/314/f/3/dragon_wing_by_byakurai51-d4frlvt.jpg
More work on that at another time. Maybe I can draw Luna's Royal Guards or something.

Once again, I apologize for the awful awful picture quality. Hopefully for future pics I'll be able to steal ealdhain's scanner/phone camera or maybe my parents' camera... We'll see.

... *scuttles off under a bush somewhere*

[SiuiS]

http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/313/2/d/pony_sketch_by_depresiveneko-d4flcdj.png

here... a fast sketch of idea for HalfDragonCube pony request.. but look weird...

Fabulous! I need to use something like this in an RP. Love the cubic torso and firebreath.

Also, good to see you here! I'm surprised, your avatar work was so good, you don't seem like you need any improvement :smallsmile:


Postin' another sketch!
http://th01.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2011/312/f/7/good_ol___applejack_by_ealdhain-d4fkp21.jpg

Applejack in a fightin' pose!

Nice! Hm. Riumination.


Honestly, SiuiS, I've said this before but colouring and editing your pieces is a joy. You've got crazy good composition and structure, and you put together pieces that just work. And I think the only thing stopping you from being an 'artist' is possession of a drawing tablet and willingness to spend time learning how to colour.

I'll understand if learning to colour is daunting, though, because I'm 174 days in and still have no bloody idea how to do it effectively. I'm still experimenting, all the time, and I still haven't tried all the tools these programs have. But it's the fun kind of not knowing, where I can try new combinations of stuff every day and see how it turns out.

You are entirely right, of course. What I mean when I say I'm a doodler, no an artist, is that my skill lies specifically in drawing; whereas you started fresh with everything. You can draw, tablet, mouse, digital paint; I'm not trying to sell myself short, and I do intend to learn. I'm just saying that right now, I can't do these things cost effectively.

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs15/f/2007/104/5/6/A_Teaser_by_Aensland.jpg

I can color, but it isn't satisfactory for the amount of time put in, you know? And that's something you ponies all need to learn; there is a difference in technique if you intend to color or you intend to stay as a sketch.

Post production.

As a sketch, you refine certain details with lines. The cheekbones, or details in the eyes, or specific strands of Hair, or folds on clothes. If you intend to paint it instead, you don't make those lines- you leave them blank, and then use color to allude to them. They are different processes. In fact, you may find at first that where a sketch looks rounded and with depth, coloring it 'flattens' it out. Don't look at it like a mistake, or failure; it's a chance to try your hand at carving depth with a broader pallette!

Right now, limited as I am to either colored pencils or MSPaint, my response when decided how much effort to put in is usually "bugger this; I'm gonna sketch something!". It's an admission of laziness, really. But I'm not trying for false humility or anything; I just can't be arsed to exert just now.

I am learning, however, that composition is a Strong point of mine. Imago. If somepony with better wordskill, Thanqol, could explain that, I'd be much obliged.



If there's any sketches you want coloured at any time, just ask. I stand a fairly decent chance of colouring anything you throw up anyway. :smallsmile:

I'll try and see if anything more from the thread jumps out at me. It is my inspiration, after all. Ponies broke me of a multiple-year dry spell :smallsmile:


Umm..here's my first sketch. I had to use a reference picture and trace a bit. I've never drawn body proportions like these, and I'm not a great artist. All comments welcomed and encouraged!
http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/312/9/d/fluttershy1_by_ealdhain-d4fkhx2.jpg

How much pre-production stuff are you doing? That is, are you doing skeletons at all, or just diving right into the outline of the pony?

I ask, because that's one habit that saved me about a year's worth of effort; drawing naked people. It sounds weird, but hear me out! I'm less of a pervert than I make myself sound.

All things stem from the center. Most artists I know - every artist I know, actually - draws similarly in the beginning stages of a project. First, lines. Only one or two, to show the general flow. For a pony bucking, for example, it was like an upside down Y. One line, the left-most front leg, going up and bending back to represent the flow of energy from stable foreleg to back hoof. The second line was the other foreleg, and merged with the other, longer line about where the shoulders would be.

Second, we add form. Circles, in this case. Position the head and body in a way that looks right, and add the + to the head circle to figure out the face.

Then we draw the naked pony (or person, if you're so inclined). Trace the outlines of the flesh on there, and ignore hair, eyes, tail, etc. At this stage, almost every pony looks identical. This is a ggod thing; it keeps you from missing the forest for the trees. The difference between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash is her eye shape, her mane and- that's it. Devils and details, Y'know? Simple is almost never a bad thing. Simple is elegant.

After you have this, the line, the circle, the body, then you individualize the pony. Mane style, tail style, expression. Boy language was already handled by the lines and circles, so you're good! And we windup with a picture I Janet rushed at the end;

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee468/WizardPony/2f63dd69.jpg

Dynamic, and all because of implied movement. Like in the twirl your AJ has going, in the first quote.

Also, note that I'm not trying to like, school you specifically, Ealdhain. You just gave me a segue into something I feel is a fundamental part of drawing.
It's like martial art forms. The moves don't matter. The basics do. Setup, breathing, balance, poise. No matter how "bad" you are at art, the basics will carry you. Look at my work, it's seriously just adding circles and lines, and letting your brain imply all the rest for me!

That's my rant for the day. Trying to be educational while not sounding superior or smug is hard. So I'm gonna go to bed. Any questions on my ranting, just ask! I love excuses to illustrate my own work. I'm a total narcissist and could talk about myself forever, my work and styles included.

EDIT: DERP! I forgot he point of one of my lead-ins. You'll occasionally come across an artist who doesn't seem to use lines and circles and nakedness. This is a lie, and part of the craft; every artist uses bases symbols to define the higher magnitudes of form. The better you are, the more of it can be done in your head to avoid erasing, but it does happen. Just like reference pictures aren't bad; memorizing a reference is still using it! Look at that picture of the handholding the metal sphere; what was that magnificent piece of art if not a reference drawing? If that guy could do it, why do you feel bad for doing it?

[Deadly]

Haven't really been drawing anything since my last post... I know, it's shameful

So here at last is Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy in the same humanized style as AJ:
http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/315/8/4/8445285b0a056a140fd41c2787c0b08d-d4ftnlv.jpg

I've also been terrible at keeping up with this thread. I'm not really sure what to offer anypony else right now, so for now just have the above picture.

[the_druid_droid]

Haven't really been drawing anything since my last post... I know, it's shameful

So here at last is Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy in the same humanized style as AJ:
http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/315/8/4/8445285b0a056a140fd41c2787c0b08d-d4ftnlv.jpg

I've also been terrible at keeping up with this thread. I'm not really sure what to offer anypony else right now, so for now just have the above picture.

No worries about keeping up; just post when you have time :smallbiggrin:

I like the humanized cartoon style, though the only tweak I would suggest is to see if you could make Fluttershy's hair have a more heart-shaped profile around her face. The curl at the end is good, but that face-framing heart seems to be particularly distinctive for her.

[Deadly]

The curl at the end is good, but that face-framing heart seems to be particularly distinctive for her.

Huh, you know, I've never noticed that before :smalleek:

Thanks, I'll play around I think :)

[Beacon of Chaos]

Hey all, been a while since I drew anything, but I'm back. I'm afraid I don't have any critiques to offer, since anything I would've said has already been said. So here's this...

The Great and Powerful... Trucy!
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i93/DiegoHavoc/Pony%20Stuff/GreatandPowerfulTrucy.jpg
Sorry for the quality, I can't use the scanner right now.


References used:
Outfit/rough pose (linked for size):
http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100521220947/aceattorney/images/9/99/Artofgs-420.jpg

http://images.wikia.com/aceattorney/images/d/d5/Trucy_bodyshot.png

Pose/proportions:
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i93/DiegoHavoc/Pony%20Stuff/vlcsnap-2011-11-12-10h04m27s29.png

General reference:
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i93/DiegoHavoc/Pony%20Stuff/vlcsnap-2011-11-05-14h37m08s152.png

More general refences (linked for one naughty word):
http://ponibooru.413chan.net/post/view/32265

Things I have learned from this:

Hind legs are HAAAAAARD!
Pony eyes are HUGE. They take up about half the face! O_O
I think I drew the neck a little too long. As such her right "arm" seems a bit off too.
Pony proportions seem really weird when I first start drawing. The head always looks too big and the legs too long.
I originally made her body too long, making her look stretched out. Unfortunately, that's not an easy fix, so I had to erase and start over. I think it looks okay now. I had to actually raise the crotch a little so that it wouldn't stick out from under the skirt, but I don't think the pic suffers for it.
I intend to colour this. I am not looking forward to doing the folds in the fabric X_X

[Bakuel]

Hey everyone! I have an OC here (aka, I wasn't near a computer for a reference pic but I wanted to draw a pony anyway).
*snip*
She looks vaguely like Fluttershy, so I've decided she's a distant relative and named her Daisyshy. The only thing I'm confident I can do on my own so far is the head, so that's what this is. Any suggestions? I'm pretty happy with her overall. =)

This is pretty nice non-reference pony! I really like how you drew the "sparkle" in the eye. But I must echo X's advice when he commented on your other picture, pre-production is important! Especially as you try to move away from references.

To add to what he said, it may seem odd, but if a simple pony made of circles and lines doesn't look right in a pose, a finished pony with all the details won't look right in that pose either. It saves a lot of time in the end to do the pre-production.
Originally I didn't do any preproduction work because I thought it would take too long, however once I started my drawings begin to not only look better but, oddly enough, I begin to draw faster. This is because since most of my erasing is in the pre-production phase (and erasing simple circles and lines are easy), after I have a skeleton I'm satisfied with I can focus on drawing, rather then erasing finely drawn details just because a ear is off place or a arm should be longer.



Well, I promised to post stuff, so here goes... *deep breath*

First, a sketch from a couple of years ago. Idk why I'm posting this, I just feel compelled to. It's also my first real attempt at shading, something which I have historically been gawdawful at. Not that you can actually see the shading with the image quality. :smallsigh:

*snip*

Once again, I apologize for the awful awful picture quality. Hopefully for future pics I'll be able to steal ealdhain's scanner/phone camera or maybe my parents' camera... We'll see.

... *scuttles off under a bush somewhere*

My favorite one is the bored pony's expression, the most important thing which seems off is the nose shape, it looks a bit too long.
Even though as a history major and someone who works in education I am forced to ask,
Why weren't you paying attention in history class?!http://i.imgur.com/Sy0s7.png
:smalltongue:

It doesn't look like your doing any pre-production work though. If your having trouble with Pegasus wings/bird wings but can draw dragon wings ok, you should look at some pictures of bird wings. The wing shapes are different, but the basic bone structure has *some* similarities.



Haven't really been drawing anything since my last post... I know, it's shameful

So here at last is Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy in the same humanized style as AJ:
*snip*
I've also been terrible at keeping up with this thread. I'm not really sure what to offer anypony else right now, so for now just have the above picture.


They look pretty dang cute!
My only comment is Rainbow Dash's hair bangs are parted in the middle, while in the cartoon her mane-hair-bang type things are combed to the left when she is looking at the camera. I don't know if this makes sense.



Hey all, been a while since I drew anything, but I'm back. I'm afraid I don't have any critiques to offer, since anything I would've said has already been said. So here's this...

The Great and Powerful... Trucy!
*snip*
Things I have learned from this:

Hind legs are HAAAAAARD!
Pony eyes are HUGE. They take up about half the face! O_O
I think I drew the neck a little too long. As such her right "arm" seems a bit off too.
Pony proportions seem really weird when I first start drawing. The head always looks too big and the legs too long.
I originally made her body too long, making her look stretched out. Unfortunately, that's not an easy fix, so I had to erase and start over. I think it looks okay now. I had to actually raise the crotch a little so that it wouldn't stick out from under the skirt, but I don't think the pic suffers for it.
I intend to colour this. I am not looking forward to doing the folds in the fabric X_X


It looks very nice!
I really like the small pupils it gives her expression a dangerous, murderous, slant. I never played the Ace Attorney series, but I can't wait to see the finished product.



*snip*

All I have to say is that you drew Trixie fighting zombies.
I awoke today and I thought it would be just another boring Saturday. Some studying, some drawing, then bed again. But then I saw this picture and everything seems so much more awesome.


Well, I finally got around to drawing some more. I finally signed up for a deviantart account so my drawings won't get all resized by imageshack.


First, here is a non-pony picture, a Confucius scholar reading a book. I don't really care for the figure, but I really like the paperback book with the broken spine. It turned out much better then I thought it would. I should have cleaned it more.

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/316/a/e/ancient_chinese_scholar_enjoying_book___sketch_by_ bakuel-d4fyk09.jpg

Now here is Rarity!
A sketch and a crude coloring of it. I decided to Pony arms in any other pose but normal horse ones look odd and I'm having trouble getting them right. How do they twist them around like that anyway? I don't know much about normal horse autonomy, but can they do that? Her hand holding the necklace is too long.

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/316/7/f/rarity_crude_drawing1_by_bakuel-d4fymc4.jpg

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/316/6/d/rarity_crude_drawingwcolor1_by_bakuel-d4fymsa.jpg

Oh well, practice makes perfect I guess. I'll try again later.

[the_druid_droid]

Well, I finally got around to drawing some more. I finally signed up for a deviantart account so my drawings won't get all resized by imageshack.


First, here is a non-pony picture, a Confucius scholar reading a book. I don't really care for the figure, but I really like the paperback book with the broken spine. It turned out much better then I thought it would. I should have cleaned it more.

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/316/a/e/ancient_chinese_scholar_enjoying_book___sketch_by_ bakuel-d4fyk09.jpg

Now here is Rarity!
A sketch and a crude coloring of it. I decided to Pony arms in any other pose but normal horse ones look odd and I'm having trouble getting them right. How do they twist them around like that anyway? I don't know much about normal horse autonomy, but can they do that? Her hand holding the necklace is too long.

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/316/7/f/rarity_crude_drawing1_by_bakuel-d4fymc4.jpg

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/316/6/d/rarity_crude_drawingwcolor1_by_bakuel-d4fymsa.jpg

Oh well, practice makes perfect I guess. I'll try again later.


Regarding pony joints, they seem to be pretty surprisingly flexible in the show, although the legs do tend to be drawn consistently in a stylized horse shape. In particular, the knees seem to bend more or less like real horses' legs do, with some wiggle room for the possibilities inherent in it being a cartoon.

Also, in terms of style, your Rarity looks broadly correct; the proportions seem to be pretty good using the head as a baseline, Rarity's mane looks right, and the legs have the same sort of exaggerated curvature as they do in the show. All I'd suggest is that you might want to try a variety of poses to get a feel for how to position ponies in action shots.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with next!

[Deadly]

So I went and updated an old vector drawing of mine, my very first one uploaded to dA, in fact. It was made almost a year ago for my homegrown fantasy world (which I really need to get back to working on), and I've always been pretty happy with it. And now I'm even happier with it.

Random lycanthrope (alas, not a pony):
http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/317/0/8/lycan_actress_by_adcoon-d38h9ru.png

Not a total redrawing, but still a rather major tweaking.

For comparison, the old one:

http://i.imgur.com/KRKkF.png



They look pretty dang cute!
My only comment is Rainbow Dash's hair bangs are parted in the middle, while in the cartoon her mane-hair-bang type things are combed to the left when she is looking at the camera. I don't know if this makes sense.

Thanks. I always have trouble with hair, I always struggle to not make it look the same for all characters. Something to keep working on, I suppose :smallsmile:



Hey all, been a while since I drew anything, but I'm back. I'm afraid I don't have any critiques to offer, since anything I would've said has already been said. So here's this...

The Great and Powerful... Trucy!
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i93/DiegoHavoc/Pony%20Stuff/GreatandPowerfulTrucy.jpg
Sorry for the quality, I can't use the scanner right now.

Looks very nice, low quality aside. I'm not familiar with the reference, but she looks cute and sophisticated. I think after a little cleaning up it would look smashin' http://i.imgur.com/6ZURl.png

[Sean Mirrsen]

Not a whole lot of activity here lately, hm?

Well, can't have that.

I'm trying to improve my coloring, shading and highlighting (I keep the latter two separate for some reason), and I've decided that a random pony could do very well for the purpose.

Meet Delta Pi:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/DeltaPi01.jpg

She ain't much to look at, but she'll do. (Delta Pi, while misconstruable in numerous ways, simply stands for Drawing Practice. I could just name her that of course, but where's the fun in that?)

First, choosing a coat and hair color. I like green, so it'll be a light green and lime-ish combo.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/DeltaPi02.jpg

Why is she standing on what looks like mud? No idea.

Next step, lose the sketch lines. Since I'm going full color, the outlines will have to be color too. And decide on an eye color while I'm at it - in this instance, red, in contrast to green.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/DeltaPi03.jpg

The expression changed a little, from slight surprise to slight sadness (I think). It's not a problem now, but I might want to be more accurate for future pictures.

Finally, using that little lamp in the corner as an aid, applying gratuitous amounts of light and darkness:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/DeltaPi04.jpg

Hm, doesn't seem too bad. I'll try it a few more times with DP, then move to some bigger image.

[the_druid_droid]

Thanks. I always have trouble with hair, I always struggle to not make it look the same for all characters. Something to keep working on, I suppose :smallsmile:


My suggestion for this is to make heavy use of the show as a reference. The artists put a lot of effort into differentiating the cast via mane style, so if you really try to incorporate the key features, it'll probably help. I know that in my own sketching, the ponies don't really seem very differentiated until the mane is added.


Not a whole lot of activity here lately, hm?

Well, can't have that.

I'm trying to improve my coloring, shading and highlighting (I keep the latter two separate for some reason), and I've decided that a random pony could do very well for the purpose.


Yeah, I've been going in odd directions with drawing lately, trying to learn about some non-cartoony things like value and shading but it's going slowly. Still I plan on posting something later today, either a WIP or a compilation of my old images with a sort of retrospective/analysis for those that might be interested.

[Sean Mirrsen]

Yeah, I'm mostly going in these directions to keep breaking the ice, so to speak. Gotta be able to draw things both cartoony and non-cartoony sometimes.

More Delta Pi, without in-progress shots this time though:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/DeltaPi2.jpg
I keep having trouble with properly lighting scenes, so I want to gradually add objects to the environment and see how I can handle 'em. Also, trying a more dynamic pose, I seem to have trouble with them as well lately.

[Geno9999]

Alright, my first entry into this thread:
Meet Frantz Kruger
http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/317/4/7/my_little_rusty_heart__franz_by_fellknight-d4g2xrq.png

(Description of him from Rusty Hearts:)A gloomy man from the start, Frantz Kruger's life took a turn for the worse when he was bitten by a vampire.
Unable to resist the temptation, he bit just one person. Instead of letting the blood complete his transformation, Frantz used the blood and the force of his own will to halt the process. He now exists as a creature trapped in limbo between human and monstrosity. As a side-effect of his condition, he suffers from chronic anemia and insomnia, giving him an ashen appearance and a sullen, sarcastic disposition.

For one, it's a bit of a rough sketch.
Two, I did it without any references, so his mane and tail are more messy than they should be, and details on his coat is missing as well.

[Beacon of Chaos]

It looks very nice!
I really like the small pupils it gives her expression a dangerous, murderous, slant. I never played the Ace Attorney series, but I can't wait to see the finished product.
Thanks! Though, I was going for more smug than murderous. It IS still Trixie in the outfit, after all. Maybe I'll expand the pupils a little.


So I went and updated an old vector drawing of mine, my very first one uploaded to dA, in fact. It was made almost a year ago for my homegrown fantasy world (which I really need to get back to working on), and I've always been pretty happy with it. And now I'm even happier with it.

Random lycanthrope (alas, not a pony):
http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/317/0/8/lycan_actress_by_adcoon-d38h9ru.png
It's pretty good, I like the design, but I think the eyes look a little derped. I think it's because her left eye seems to be looking right at the viewer, while the right seems to be looking forward.


Looks very nice, low quality aside. I'm not familiar with the reference, but she looks cute and sophisticated. I think after a little cleaning up it would look smashin' http://i.imgur.com/6ZURl.png
Haha, thanks. Trucy is a stage magician from the game Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice. It just made sense to have Trixie cosplay as her. :smalltongue:


Alright, my first entry into this thread:
Meet Frantz Kruger
http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/317/4/7/my_little_rusty_heart__franz_by_fellknight-d4g2xrq.png

(Description of him from Rusty Hearts:)A gloomy man from the start, Frantz Kruger's life took a turn for the worse when he was bitten by a vampire.
Unable to resist the temptation, he bit just one person. Instead of letting the blood complete his transformation, Frantz used the blood and the force of his own will to halt the process. He now exists as a creature trapped in limbo between human and monstrosity. As a side-effect of his condition, he suffers from chronic anemia and insomnia, giving him an ashen appearance and a sullen, sarcastic disposition.

For one, it's a bit of a rough sketch.
Two, I did it without any references, so his mane and tail are more messy than they should be, and details on his coat is missing as well.
Haha! Someone else who plays that game! The pic looks good. It certainly looks like Frantz. You've got his expression down well.

[SiuiS]

Haven't really been drawing anything since my last post... I know, it's shameful

I know that feel. But nothing I've even tried to think about drawing recently is appropriate for the thread here... And I've been lazy and snoozing my life away.


So here at last is Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy in the same humanized style as AJ:
http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/315/8/4/8445285b0a056a140fd41c2787c0b08d-d4ftnlv.jpg

I've also been terrible at keeping up with this thread. I'm not really sure what to offer anypony else right now, so for now just have the above picture.

Nice.
I would suggest the same thing I always do; start with an imaginary bone structure, or at least a skull and some lines. The eyes particularly; you will always get your best results if you sketch in the orbital cavity (eye socket) and then draw lids over that. It guarantees internal consistency even when using an art style that calls for wonky proportions.


This is pretty nice non-reference pony! I really like how you drew the "sparkle" in the eye. But I must echo X's advice when he commented on your other picture, pre-production is important! Especially as you try to move away from references.

To add to what he said, it may seem odd, but if a simple pony made of circles and lines doesn't look right in a pose, a finished pony with all the details won't look right in that pose either. It saves a lot of time in the end to do the pre-production.
Originally I didn't do any preproduction work because I thought it would take too long, however once I started my drawings begin to not only look better but, oddly enough, I begin to draw faster. This is because since most of my erasing is in the pre-production phase (and erasing simple circles and lines are easy), after I have a skeleton I'm satisfied with I can focus on drawing, rather then erasing finely drawn details just because a ear is off place or a arm should be longer.

This. By the Light of Celestia's Sun, this.
I spent years, literally, years, drawing twice as long as needed because I kept erasing and fiddling with things. I even switched to the most simple, basic art style I could so there would be less to hassle with.

A quote I found somewhere that became an amazing maxim in my life; "the truly lazy a job right the first time so they don't have to redo it." it's hard to real that inertia (says the man who still uses a scribe grip for drawing) but once you do, leaps and bounds, my friend.
Preproduction is your hop, just before the skip and jump to success. :smallsmile:





All I have to say is that you drew Trixie fighting zombies.
I awoke today and I thought it would be just another boring Saturday. Some studying, some drawing, then bed again. But then I saw this picture and everything seems so much more awesome.


Aye. Was fun, but it was early in my pony indoctrination and I had to stop because I couldn't get her rump looking right. 40 minutes of tracing pony butt and I just closed the sletchbook for the day. XD




First, here is a non-pony picture, a Confucius scholar reading a book. I don't really care for the figure, but I really like the paperback book with the broken spine. It turned out much better then I thought it would. I should have cleaned it more.

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/316/a/e/ancient_chinese_scholar_enjoying_book___sketch_by_ bakuel-d4fyk09.jpg

Now here is Rarity!
A sketch and a crude coloring of it. I decided to Pony arms in any other pose but normal horse ones look odd and I'm having trouble getting them right. How do they twist them around like that anyway? I don't know much about normal horse autonomy, but can they do that? Her hand holding the necklace is too long.

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/316/7/f/rarity_crude_drawing1_by_bakuel-d4fymc4.jpg

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/316/6/d/rarity_crude_drawingwcolor1_by_bakuel-d4fymsa.jpg

Oh well, practice makes perfect I guess. I'll try again later.


Wow.
Do you take requests? I have a couple human characters I can't seem to do any justice.

Confuscian guy is excellent.

Rarity seems grand. Her butt is missing some oomph (as a tutorial I saw once put it "Pert only butt (THIS IS IMPORTANT!), and yes they do look weird if the rump isn't just so.)

Pony joints are odd things. Canonically, the shoulders probably lack clavicles. They can pop out of the torso (see the infamous screen cap of Rarity rubbing Twilight's "boobs"), and each joint is, somehow, a ball-socket joint. EVERY joint in their forelimbs can rotate as well as pivot. It's weird.


So I went and updated an old vector drawing of mine, my very first one uploaded to dA, in fact. It was made almost a year ago for my homegrown fantasy world (which I really need to get back to working on), and I've always been pretty happy with it. And now I'm even happier with it.

Random lycanthrope (alas, not a pony):
http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/317/0/8/lycan_actress_by_adcoon-d38h9ru.png

Not a total redrawing, but still a rather major tweaking.

For comparison, the old one:

http://i.imgur.com/KRKkF.png


My phone tweaked a second when I opened the spoiler. I got to scroll up her legs. It was an interestingly self-conscious act. Haha.

Only thing that pops out at me is the head position. The lower part of the mandible that anchors the masseter; that is, the "corner" of the jawbone that is so pronounced in chiseled jaws on rugged men, generally cannot go farther than halfway around the neck. If you imagine a top-down view, with facing forward being 90 degrees, that particular part of the bone cannot go much farther (if at all) than 0 degrees and 180 degrees. Here, the bone is sitting at about 4, 5 degrees past that line (maybe more, going from memory). You'd have to take her jaw, and...

Well, words fail me here. I'll ruminate and see if I can come up with anything constructive.

Nice, though! Very well done.

[Bakuel]

So I went and updated an old vector drawing of mine, my very first one uploaded to dA, in fact. It was made almost a year ago for my homegrown fantasy world (which I really need to get back to working on), and I've always been pretty happy with it. And now I'm even happier with it.

Random lycanthrope (alas, not a pony):
*snip*
Not a total redrawing, but still a rather major tweaking.

For comparison, the old one:
*snip*


The picture is very solid and it's of a lycanthrope which is worth some bonus points. A defiant improvement over the old one, especially on the hair.
But I must echo Diego Havoc's comment on the eyes. They do have a bit of derpy look about them, probably because it looks like a three quarters view but the eye furthest from the viewer is cut off and doesn't have any foreshortening so it looks a bit odd. But I don't know if that's the abstract style your going for.


Not a whole lot of activity here lately, hm?

Well, can't have that.

I'm trying to improve my coloring, shading and highlighting (I keep the latter two separate for some reason), and I've decided that a random pony could do very well for the purpose.


Thank you for posting these step by step color works in progress with comments. I for one, will be reading your posts with interest!


Alright, my first entry into this thread:
Meet Frantz Kruger

For one, it's a bit of a rough sketch.
Two, I did it without any references, so his mane and tail are more messy than they should be, and details on his coat is missing as well.

No shame in rough sketches!
I never played the game and thus don't know the reference, however, it looks good. The only obvious thing that is off is the size of the back legs, I think they should be a bit thicker.


Thanks! Though, I was going for more smug than murderous. It IS still Trixie in the outfit, after all. Maybe I'll expand the pupils a little.


Sorry about that! Pony's pupils are so big and I've seen so many murderous pony images that now I equate small pupils with murder. I'm sure that statement says something about me but I'm not sure what.

Well, I decided to follow the_druid_droid's advice and draw a action shot. Try to draw those ponies doing something.

Today I woke up and couldn't think up a good picture. I wanted ponies fighting, but fighting what? I considered a dragon or hydra, but didn't feel like it. Then it hit me, the Cretan Bull! Everyone's favorite monster! Since the Cretan Bull was famous for destroying orchards and crops on Crete, the Apple family would naturally take it on. Also it's a bull and Applejack's a cowpony. Thus I started to draw and this came up four hours later.

Sketch,

http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/317/8/5/applejack_and_big_mac_vs_the_cretan_bull_wip_by_ba kuel-d4g3w2k.jpg


Crude Coloring,

http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/317/c/e/applejack_and_big_mac_vs_the_cretan_bull_wip_color _by_bakuel-d4g3whk.jpg

The ponies are off model, as show references couldn't be used for these poses, instead I had to use common horse poses (with varying results). The coloring is sloppy and haphazard, and I'm really sorry for not cleaning up the picture but I ran out of time.
But I am somewhat happy with it and will probably try to clean it up and fancy up the coloring some other day.

[Jahkaivah]

When browsing the internet I came across this pony drawing tutorial which I have found incredibly useful:

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c226/saxcsa/Mosthelpfultutorialever.png

By following it's instructions I have found I've been able to draw some excellent pony:

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c226/saxcsa/twilightsparkle.png
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c226/saxcsa/fluttershy.jpg
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c226/saxcsa/applejack.png

[Level8Mudcrab]

When browsing the internet I came across this pony drawing tutorial which I have found incredibly useful:

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c226/saxcsa/Mosthelpfultutorialever.png

By following it's instructions I have found I've been able to draw some excellent pony:

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c226/saxcsa/twilightsparkle.png
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c226/saxcsa/fluttershy.jpg
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c226/saxcsa/applejack.png

Excellent work, they look just like the actual ponies :smalltongue:

[the_druid_droid]

Well, I decided to follow the_druid_droid's advice and draw a action shot. Try to draw those ponies doing something.

Today I woke up and couldn't think up a good picture. I wanted ponies fighting, but fighting what? I considered a dragon or hydra, but didn't feel like it. Then it hit me, the Cretan Bull! Everyone's favorite monster! Since the Cretan Bull was famous for destroying orchards and crops on Crete, the Apple family would naturally take it on. Also it's a bull and Applejack's a cowpony. Thus I started to draw and this came up four hours later.

Sketch,

http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/317/8/5/applejack_and_big_mac_vs_the_cretan_bull_wip_by_ba kuel-d4g3w2k.jpg


Crude Coloring,

http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/317/c/e/applejack_and_big_mac_vs_the_cretan_bull_wip_color _by_bakuel-d4g3whk.jpg

The ponies are off model, as show references couldn't be used for these poses, instead I had to use common horse poses (with varying results). The coloring is sloppy and haphazard, and I'm really sorry for not cleaning up the picture but I ran out of time.
But I am somewhat happy with it and will probably try to clean it up and fancy up the coloring some other day.


This actually looks really nice! The ponies are a bit off-model, but it's not really bothersome, and I think the style works quite well for the picture. Also, the color looks nice, and I think if you cleaned it up, it would be an excellent piece!

Also, I got my Christmas present early (it's a tablet!) so I doodled some ponies. They're rather quick and only so-so but I'm just trying to get the feel of using the pen right now, so I won't bother with a reference comparison:
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/pony_doodle1.png

[Deadly]

My suggestion for this is to make heavy use of the show as a reference. The artists put a lot of effort into differentiating the cast via mane style, so if you really try to incorporate the key features, it'll probably help. I know that in my own sketching, the ponies don't really seem very differentiated until the mane is added.

I don't have trouble with ponies, especially if I have something to reference, but it's not always easy to translate the show's manes to humans, apparently.



It's pretty good, I like the design, but I think the eyes look a little derped. I think it's because her left eye seems to be looking right at the viewer, while the right seems to be looking forward.

Hmm, it doesn't look derped to me, but maybe the left eye should show less of the iris.



Nice.
I would suggest the same thing I always do; start with an imaginary bone structure, or at least a skull and some lines. The eyes particularly; you will always get your best results if you sketch in the orbital cavity (eye socket) and then draw lids over that. It guarantees internal consistency even when using an art style that calls for wonky proportions.

I don't usually make actual structures like that. I start with a very hard pencil, drawing a very crude outline of the pose and body, then I just incrementally refine it and add details. Sometimes I use a few guiding lines to make sure things are properly aligned, I did in this case, but mostly I just keep drawing/erasing until it looks right.



My phone tweaked a second when I opened the spoiler. I got to scroll up her legs. It was an interestingly self-conscious act. Haha.

Only thing that pops out at me is the head position. The lower part of the mandible that anchors the masseter; that is, the "corner" of the jawbone that is so pronounced in chiseled jaws on rugged men, generally cannot go farther than halfway around the neck. If you imagine a top-down view, with facing forward being 90 degrees, that particular part of the bone cannot go much farther (if at all) than 0 degrees and 180 degrees. Here, the bone is sitting at about 4, 5 degrees past that line (maybe more, going from memory). You'd have to take her jaw, and...

Well, words fail me here. I'll ruminate and see if I can come up with anything constructive.

Nice, though! Very well done.

Heh, and her legs I'd say are the least interesting :smallbiggrin:

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Her pose is probably a little off, but I'm not sure how to fix it and it doesn't look all that bad to me.

Thanks, though :)



The picture is very solid and it's of a lycanthrope which is worth some bonus points. A defiant improvement over the old one, especially on the hair.
But I must echo Diego Havoc's comment on the eyes. They do have a bit of derpy look about them, probably because it looks like a three quarters view but the eye furthest from the viewer is cut off and doesn't have any foreshortening so it looks a bit odd. But I don't know if that's the abstract style your going for.

Yeah, I'm really happy with the improvement on the hair. That's probably also where I did the most improvements.

I'm not entirely sure on the eye either. I think it may be partially the style.

[Beacon of Chaos]

Today I woke up and couldn't think up a good picture. I wanted ponies fighting, but fighting what? I considered a dragon or hydra, but didn't feel like it. Then it hit me, the Cretan Bull! Everyone's favorite monster! Since the Cretan Bull was famous for destroying orchards and crops on Crete, the Apple family would naturally take it on. Also it's a bull and Applejack's a cowpony. Thus I started to draw and this came up four hours later.

Sketch,

http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/317/8/5/applejack_and_big_mac_vs_the_cretan_bull_wip_by_ba kuel-d4g3w2k.jpg


Crude Coloring,

http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/317/c/e/applejack_and_big_mac_vs_the_cretan_bull_wip_color _by_bakuel-d4g3whk.jpg

The ponies are off model, as show references couldn't be used for these poses, instead I had to use common horse poses (with varying results). The coloring is sloppy and haphazard, and I'm really sorry for not cleaning up the picture but I ran out of time.
But I am somewhat happy with it and will probably try to clean it up and fancy up the coloring some other day.


That looks incredible! It doesn't really look off model to me. Very dynamic action scene. I particularily like how you did Big Mac. I look forward to seeing a cleaned up version.


Anyway, here's the cleaned up line art for my Trixie/Trucy cosplay pic:
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i93/DiegoHavoc/Pony%20Stuff/TrucyTrixieLines.jpg
Looking good so far, I think. Just needs, as Jahkaivah put it, a good coat of paint. :smallbiggrin:

I think I'll also practice doing the lines the way Deadly mentioned. Hopefully that will give it a better look.

[SiuiS]

Welp, I finally happened. Inkwell drew something that I cannot fathom coming from mine own quill, and so I'm gonna mope for a spell then get back on the horse and bust my and it's bums to get back ahead of the pack- or at least close enough to feel I'm still in the race :smallwink:

Seriously, Inkwell. You're awesome.


This actually looks really nice! The ponies are a bit off-model, but it's not really bothersome, and I think the style works quite well for the picture. Also, the color looks nice, and I think if you cleaned it up, it would be an excellent piece!

Also, I got my Christmas present early (it's a tablet!) so I doodled some ponies. They're rather quick and only so-so but I'm just trying to get the feel of using the pen right now, so I won't bother with a reference comparison:
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/pony_doodle1.png

Ach. Your tablet skills are better than mine and I hate you *pout*

Nah we're still cool. But still, that's really good, especially since you just got the thing. Keep it up!



I don't usually make actual structures like that. I start with a very hard pencil, drawing a very crude outline of the pose and body, then I just incrementally refine it and add details. Sometimes I use a few guiding lines to make sure things are properly aligned, I did in this case, but mostly I just keep drawing/erasing until it looks right.

*nods*
I would suggest against doing that, in the long run. It's easier to mod a structure if you expand out from the core, rather than filling in the hollow spots. It's an amine trap; you get so good at drawing a Hawkins and framing it with hair that you can't draw a head or face without those benchmarks
Or well, I can't, most of the time. If you're comfy where you are then stay the course, of course. But if you want to expand, get away from outlines. They confine your art, rather than define the art. Y'know?



Heh, and her legs I'd say are the least interesting :smallbiggrin:

Well, I mean there's only so much checking out your anthropology character I'll admit too, y'know? XD



I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Her pose is probably a little off, but I'm not sure how to fix it and it doesn't look all that bad to me.

Thanks, though :)

Aye, sorry. I'm very tactile-visual, which means things I've learned I've learned as diagrams in my head, or as sensations; drawing is a combination of pictures half finished in memory, and the feel of graphite dragging, the snap of lead, the crispness of paper slowly flexing beneath the nib. Putting that into words is hard.

Even worse; I tried drawing out the diagram I had in mind to better explain, and well... I can't actually draw that pose. :smallredface:
So the only thing that really struck me was her jaw-line was too far back. I don't know how else to describe it without an anatomy lesson I'm afraid. Thanqol should know, when he next shows up. He did the same pose and got actual good advice instead of my rambling :/

I'm still jealous of your colorin though. Gotta get me that computer...

[byaku rai]

So I went and updated an old vector drawing of mine, my very first one uploaded to dA, in fact. It was made almost a year ago for my homegrown fantasy world (which I really need to get back to working on), and I've always been pretty happy with it. And now I'm even happier with it.

Random lycanthrope (alas, not a pony):
http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/317/0/8/lycan_actress_by_adcoon-d38h9ru.png

Not a total redrawing, but still a rather major tweaking.

For comparison, the old one:

http://i.imgur.com/KRKkF.png




Thanks. I always have trouble with hair, I always struggle to not make it look the same for all characters. Something to keep working on, I suppose :smallsmile:




Looks very nice, low quality aside. I'm not familiar with the reference, but she looks cute and sophisticated. I think after a little cleaning up it would look smashin' http://i.imgur.com/6ZURl.png

The only real issues I can see with this lycan are her eyes (although that may be intentional) and her center of gravity. It looks a bit farther back than it should be. Ways to fix that include making her lean forward a bit, bending her knees some, and/or shifting the feet back some. Reverse knees are /hard/.

[Vorpalbob]

So, Drawthread. I have a few questions for you.

First, do you know this man? (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=32358)

He is my bro.
Bro, not brother. We are not related, nor are we African-American.

I decided to draw this picture of him.
Not him, obviously, his avatar.

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/319/e/8/worira_pony_by_vorpalbob-d4g8tpt.jpg
Here is my second question: Now that I have this, do I:

A) Trick/Force him into setting it as his avatar
OR
B) Set it as my own, and see how long before he notices?

You have until midnight (GMT -8) on Wednesday to vote.

[ShadowySilence]

Hello all, I haven't posted anything yet, but I have been thread lurking (I actually am unsure if I can post Inkscape drawings or if this is only for hand-drawn works).


@Vorpalbob- I would say option B, it would probably be funnier once he notices. :smallbiggrin:

[Deadly]

Aye, sorry. I'm very tactile-visual, which means things I've learned I've learned as diagrams in my head, or as sensations; drawing is a combination of pictures half finished in memory, and the feel of graphite dragging, the snap of lead, the crispness of paper slowly flexing beneath the nib. Putting that into words is hard.

Even worse; I tried drawing out the diagram I had in mind to better explain, and well... I can't actually draw that pose. :smallredface:
So the only thing that really struck me was her jaw-line was too far back. I don't know how else to describe it without an anatomy lesson I'm afraid. Thanqol should know, when he next shows up. He did the same pose and got actual good advice instead of my rambling :/

I think I see what you mean. I guess it's always hard to get pose and anatomy completely right. Practice, practice, practice, I guess



I'm still jealous of your colorin though. Gotta get me that computer...

Thanks. I do think I've gotten quite good at this vectorin' business. Biggest problem is getting a good base to work on.


The only real issues I can see with this lycan are her eyes (although that may be intentional) and her center of gravity. It looks a bit farther back than it should be. Ways to fix that include making her lean forward a bit, bending her knees some, and/or shifting the feet back some. Reverse knees are /hard/.

Hmm. Yeah, these kinds of legs are difficult to get right. It's also where I paid the least attention with this pic, I mostly focused on the head.


(I actually am unsure if I can post Inkscape drawings or if this is only for hand-drawn works).

I do, so I'd say you can too :)

[SiuiS]

Hello all, I haven't posted anything yet, but I have been thread lurking (I actually am unsure if I can post Inkscape drawings or if this is only for hand-drawn works).


@Vorpalbob- I would say option B, it would probably be funnier once he notices. :smallbiggrin:

Please, post away! So long as it's art, you're good. Hay, they even let me in here...

[Bakuel]

I just want to thank everyone for the kind words for my last picture, but I fear now my head will become so bloated that I won't be able to think straight.


That looks incredible! It doesn't really look off model to me. Very dynamic action scene. I particularily like how you did Big Mac. I look forward to seeing a cleaned up version.


Anyway, here's the cleaned up line art for my Trixie/Trucy cosplay pic:

Looking good so far, I think. Just needs, as Jahkaivah put it, a good coat of paint. :smallbiggrin:

I think I'll also practice doing the lines the way Deadly mentioned. Hopefully that will give it a better look.

The clean line art looks great! The bigger pupils also look nice, I can't wait to see the finished picture.


This actually looks really nice! The ponies are a bit off-model, but it's not really bothersome, and I think the style works quite well for the picture. Also, the color looks nice, and I think if you cleaned it up, it would be an excellent piece!

Also, I got my Christmas present early (it's a tablet!) so I doodled some ponies. They're rather quick and only so-so but I'm just trying to get the feel of using the pen right now, so I won't bother with a reference comparison:


Congratulations on getting the tablet! Tablets are awesome!
It took me a long time to get used to one, but it was really worth it.
Judging by your picture you seem to be already doing great with it.


So, Drawthread. I have a few questions for you.

First, do you know this man? (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=32358)

He is my bro.
Bro, not brother. We are not related, nor are we African-American.

I decided to draw this picture of him.
Not him, obviously, his avatar.

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/319/e/8/worira_pony_by_vorpalbob-d4g8tpt.jpg
Here is my second question: Now that I have this, do I:

A) Trick/Force him into setting it as his avatar
OR
B) Set it as my own, and see how long before he notices?

You have until midnight (GMT -8) on Wednesday to vote.

If it's worth anything, I would vote for B as well.


Hello all, I haven't posted anything yet, but I have been thread lurking (I actually am unsure if I can post Inkscape drawings or if this is only for hand-drawn works).


If random internet lackadaisical low-lives like me can suddenly sign up to the forum and be welcomed in this thread, then anyone is welcome here! Post your art without shame!

I decided to draw something simple today,

It's just a Sleeping Rainbow Dash, I wanted to draw something quick to try to color. But it is my first attempt at a Pegasus.
It's not cleaned up. I need to work on line art, but I fear I am too much of a scribbler at heart. I had a lot of trouble coloring the hair. I'm not too sure on the wing. And the less said about the barely existent shading, the better.
http://th09.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2011/319/8/6/sleeping_rainbow_dash_by_bakuel-d4gbrqm.jpg

Practice makes perfect and all that. I'll try another Pegasus picture later.

[the_druid_droid]

Hello all, I haven't posted anything yet, but I have been thread lurking (I actually am unsure if I can post Inkscape drawings or if this is only for hand-drawn works).


All art styles are welcome in the thread, as are all levels of experience. It's sort of a community project, with ponies as a loose organizing principle, but no hard-and-fast rules.

[the_druid_droid]

Technically a double post, but I have pony drawings so it's ok!

Tonight I tried drawing Lyra sitting:
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/Lyra.png

Based on this reference:
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/Screenshot2011-11-16at105328PM.png

Thoughts: I think I had some issues getting the eyes the right size and placement on the face, which hurts her overall expression. I also didn't have as much success as I'd like with her rear legs, but I still kind of like this picture although it could stand to be improved.

[Thanqol]

Technically a double post, but I have pony drawings so it's ok!

Tonight I tried drawing Lyra sitting:
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/Lyra.png

Based on this reference:
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/Screenshot2011-11-16at105328PM.png

Thoughts: I think I had some issues getting the eyes the right size and placement on the face, which hurts her overall expression. I also didn't have as much success as I'd like with her rear legs, but I still kind of like this picture although it could stand to be improved.

Generally good but the eyes are slightly too close together. The eyes fit on either side of the nose, and never cross that invisible line down the middle of the face. :smallsmile:

[ShadowySilence]

Due to everyone's encouragement to post, and my finally defeating the beast of procrastination I am now posting my first pony-drawing ever! :smallbiggrin:

http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/322/f/2/my_ponytar_by_shadowysilence-d4glwr2.png

I am also throwing up some of my older art just because. :smalltongue:

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/143/2/c/monty_python__s_king_arthur_by_shadowysilence-d3h2pm3.png
My previous avatar, and my favorite movie character of all time!

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/068/2/a/nalgen_doldukr__dwarf_psion_by_shadowysilence-d3baugl.png
This is a portrait of a psionic dwarf that I only was able to play for about 5 pages before bandits and a tree killed the whole party... :smallsigh:

http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/065/f/3/on_silent_wings_they_watch_us_by_shadowysilence-d3b38f4.jpg
Not entirely sure what this was supposed to be when I started, but it remains one of my favorites.

[Noctemwolf]

I will go through and see what has been done. but first, a little artwork.
Done in... maybe 20-25 minutes? keep that in mind, please. :smalleek:

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/316031_296238117064665_100000354385117_1020032_466 895424_n.jpg

Based on this:
http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/384684_295712907117186_100000354385117_1019031_210 8136399_n.jpg

I think her head is a little long, and not quite wide enough. The way her hair is sitting is what i think makes her head look long...

Otherwise, I think I like using these deep,bold lines...



Due to everyone's encouragement to post, and my finally defeating the beast of procrastination I am now posting my first pony-drawing ever! :smallbiggrin:

http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/322/f/2/my_ponytar_by_shadowysilence-d4glwr2.png

I am also throwing up some of my older art just because. :smalltongue:

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/143/2/c/monty_python__s_king_arthur_by_shadowysilence-d3h2pm3.png
My previous avatar, and my favorite movie character of all time!

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/068/2/a/nalgen_doldukr__dwarf_psion_by_shadowysilence-d3baugl.png
This is a portrait of a psionic dwarf that I only was able to play for about 5 pages before bandits and a tree killed the whole party... :smallsigh:

http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/065/f/3/on_silent_wings_they_watch_us_by_shadowysilence-d3b38f4.jpg
Not entirely sure what this was supposed to be when I started, but it remains one of my favorites.

I like the King Arthur one the best. :smallbiggrin:
(The second one down).

[Mystic Muse]

Heya ponythread. I know it's been a while since I've said anything here. My Ipod is finicky so I accidentally unsubscribed. Plus, I haven't drawn anything lately, so I haven't really had anything to post. However! I have a potentially important query.

*Bandit Keith voice* In America! Black Friday is coming up. For those not in the know, it's a day where a lot of stores drop their prices a huge amount. As an example, my brother managed to get a 40 some inch flat-screen TV for 300 USD. I was wondering whether it'd be worth it to invest in a tablet. I've had trouble thinking of Christmas gifts, and this could work well. What are the pros and cons? Are there Any particularly good brands/ brands to avoid? I also use a laptop, not a desktop if that affects anything.

[Thanqol]

Heya ponythread. I know it's been a while since I've said anything here. My Ipod is finicky so I accidentally unsubscribed. Plus, I haven't drawn anything lately, so I haven't really had anything to post. However! I have a potentially important query.

*Bandit Keith voice* In America! Black Friday is coming up. For those not in the know, it's a day where a lot of stores drop their prices a huge amount. As an example, my brother managed to get a 40 some inch flat-screen TV for 300 USD. I was wondering whether it'd be worth it to invest in a tablet. I've had trouble thinking of Christmas gifts, and this could work well. What are the pros and cons? Are there Any particularly good brands/ brands to avoid? I also use a laptop, not a desktop if that affects anything.

I own a Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet and I absolutely love it to bits. I'm not familiar with any particularly bad quality ones, but I got mine off their website for around $260, which came with Photoshop Elements and Corel Paint. I'll swear by it.

Note that it'll make you unlearn basically everything you think you know about drawing for a few weeks.

[Mystic Muse]

I own a Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet and I absolutely love it to bits. I'm not familiar with any particularly bad quality ones, but I got mine off their website for around $260, which came with Photoshop Elements and Corel Paint. I'll swear by it.

Note that it'll make you unlearn basically everything you think you know about drawing for a few weeks.

Well, to quote a certain movie, here's roughly what I know about drawing.

"Jack and ****; And Jack left town."

[Thanqol]

Well, to quote a certain movie, here's roughly what I know about drawing.

"Jack and ****; And Jack left town."

Perfect! :smallbiggrin:

[Mystic Muse]

Also; working on a Fluttershy drawing since I can't get to sleep, and because Fluttershy.

Pony eyes, Y U so hard?

[Sean Mirrsen]

I second the notion of getting a Wacom Bamboo Fun (Pen&Touch Medium here), I absolutely love the thing. It's also slim enough, and fits perfectly into my laptop case.

As for drawings, my progress has been slow lately (and what progress there was contains spoilers for the sequel to our fic (which I am still not sure will even happen), so I can't post it :( ), but I did draw a pony Kamina for the avatars thread.

If you haven't seen it already, repost:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/PonyKamina_Full.jpg

I might do something more presentable if I find time this week.

[Thanqol]

I second the notion of getting a Wacom Bamboo Fun (Pen&Touch Medium here), I absolutely love the thing. It's also slim enough, and fits perfectly into my laptop case.

As for drawings, my progress has been slow lately (and what progress there was contains spoilers for the sequel to our fic (which I am still not sure will even happen), so I can't post it :( ), but I did draw a pony Kamina for the avatars thread.

If you haven't seen it already, repost:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/PonyKamina_Full.jpg

I might do something more presentable if I find time this week.

There's a question - those colour-line distortion light-ray things, how were those done? Transparency filter over a solid colour?

[Noctemwolf]

I second the notion of getting a Wacom Bamboo Fun (Pen&Touch Medium here), I absolutely love the thing. It's also slim enough, and fits perfectly into my laptop case.

As for drawings, my progress has been slow lately (and what progress there was contains spoilers for the sequel to our fic (which I am still not sure will even happen), so I can't post it :( ), but I did draw a pony Kamina for the avatars thread.

If you haven't seen it already, repost:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4152380/PonyKamina_Full.jpg

I might do something more presentable if I find time this week.

Drill to the heavens! =D I like it! Especially Ponified!

I seriously need to watch Gurren Lagen sometime...

(In case you haven't seen):
all I've seen is the super size insane mech that destroyed the entire universe... Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagen?



Done in... maybe 20-25 minutes? keep that in mind, please. :smalleek:

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/316031_296238117064665_100000354385117_1020032_466 895424_n.jpg

Based on this:
http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/384684_295712907117186_100000354385117_1019031_210 8136399_n.jpg

I think her head is a little long, and not quite wide enough. The way her hair is sitting is what i think makes her head look long...

Otherwise, I think I like using these deep,bold lines...

[Trixie]

*Bandit Keith voice* In America! Black Friday is coming up. For those not in the know, it's a day where a lot of stores drop their prices a huge amount. As an example, my brother managed to get a 40 some inch flat-screen TV for 300 USD. I was wondering whether it'd be worth it to invest in a tablet. I've had trouble thinking of Christmas gifts, and this could work well. What are the pros and cons? Are there Any particularly good brands/ brands to avoid? I also use a laptop, not a desktop if that affects anything.

Vacom. Only Vacom. Also, while Bamboo is not their best brand, you should try to look for maximum affordable size, the smallest ones (10x15 cm) are not really suited to drawing...

[Sean Mirrsen]

There's a question - those colour-line distortion light-ray things, how were those done? Transparency filter over a solid colour?The rays in the foreground are solid yellowish-white, on an overlay layer at 60% fill.

[Beacon of Chaos]

Well, I did some colouring. I attempted this so many times with varying results. I hate Flash. Drawing the lines in flash is fine but obviously colouring is another matter altogether. Still, I'm learning. Anyway, Trixie has flat colours but is currently sans shading (except for the eyes since that's just a simple gradient).

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i93/DiegoHavoc/Pony%20Stuff/TrucyTrixieColour1.jpg

Lines aren't thick enough, I know. Getting them to look right is kind of a chore :smallsigh: I'll finish it properly later.

[Sean Mirrsen]

The lines are acceptable, actually, at least to my eye. What stands out to me is the rather too humanoid design of the upper torso/limbs. The stage-left shoulder almost looks like it's further away than the base of the neck, something you wouldn't normally see with the way a pony is structured. Still, that's only a minor thing given the cartoonishness of the show and characters, and otherwise that's a very fine drawing.

(better than what I could do in Flash last time I tried...)

[Dispozition]

Vacom. Only Vacom. Also, while Bamboo is not their best brand, you should try to look for maximum affordable size, the smallest ones (10x15 cm) are not really suited to drawing...

It's Wacom.

Also the no-name brands such as Genius are still alright, just don't expect them to have a good build quality. My first tablet was a no-name brand and it lasted...About a year and a half before rough treatment put it out of action.
Getting no-name also allows you to get a larger tablet for less.

[Bakuel]

Due to everyone's encouragement to post, and my finally defeating the beast of procrastination I am now posting my first pony-drawing ever! :smallbiggrin:

*snip*

I am also throwing up some of my older art just because. :smalltongue:

*snip*

Your pony looks fine and very good for a first try. The biggest thing that seems off is how defined the back legs are compared to ponies on the show which are highly stylized if you know what I mean. Other then this, the head shape for a profile view seems a little off, but this is a small thing.

Put me in the camp that thinks your king Arthur is pretty dang good. I like his eyebrows for some odd reason.



I will go through and see what has been done. but first, a little artwork.
Done in... maybe 20-25 minutes? keep that in mind, please. :smalleek:

*snip*

Based on this:

*snip*

I think her head is a little long, and not quite wide enough. The way her hair is sitting is what i think makes her head look long...

Otherwise, I think I like using these deep,bold lines...



This is a good picture of Pinkamena for a twenty minute sketch!
Take the following criticism with a jab of salt (just like all of my comments).
My only real criticism is her hair, if you compare it to the picture it's based off of Pinkamena's mane on the back of her head and neck in your picture looks like it's being grabbed by a hand because it curves up then back down. While in the base picture each major strand flows in a single curve from a single point behind her ear. Sorry if this doesn't make much since, but I really don't know how to explain it better.



Well, I did some colouring. I attempted this so many times with varying results. I hate Flash. Drawing the lines in flash is fine but obviously colouring is another matter altogether. Still, I'm learning. Anyway, Trixie has flat colours but is currently sans shading (except for the eyes since that's just a simple gradient).

*snip*

Lines aren't thick enough, I know. Getting them to look right is kind of a chore :smallsigh: I'll finish it properly later.

Even without the shading I like it! The image really works, I really don't have anything to say as I am a novice with coloring, but I hope to see a shaded version soon!


I second the notion of getting a Wacom Bamboo Fun (Pen&Touch Medium here), I absolutely love the thing. It's also slim enough, and fits perfectly into my laptop case.

As for drawings, my progress has been slow lately (and what progress there was contains spoilers for the sequel to our fic (which I am still not sure will even happen), so I can't post it :( ), but I did draw a pony Kamina for the avatars thread.

If you haven't seen it already, repost:
*snip*

I might do something more presentable if I find time this week.

Wonderful as always! For some odd reason, I really like how you made the torso. It hints at a human's chest without going overboard.


Well, I finished the AJ and Big Mac vs the Cretan Bull picture,
There's still dozen's of mistakes, but I'm done with this picture! Throwing in the towel to begin over again with something new with some lessons learned. I'm moderately satisfied with it.
I decided to add some dust clouds, but I'm not sure if they add to the image or not.
I really need to find some way to make cleaner line work.

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/324/5/8/applejack_and_big_mac_vs_the_cretan_bull_final_by_ bakuel-d4gsovv.jpg

[Noctemwolf]

This is a good picture of Pinkamena for a twenty minute sketch!
Take the following criticism with a jab of salt (just like all of my comments).
My only real criticism is her hair, if you compare it to the picture it's based off of Pinkamena's mane on the back of her head and neck in your picture looks like it's being grabbed by a hand because it curves up then back down. While in the base picture each major strand flows in a single curve from a single point behind her ear. Sorry if this doesn't make much since, but I really don't know how to explain it better.

No no, I think I can actually see what your saying. Her hair does look a little clinched near the back of her head. GaaaahhHH!!!!!!!!! :smallwink:

I Suppose I got lazy? No idea. I kinda just decided to make her hair look frizzy 'cause I wanted to go to bed. :smallsmile:

But hey, I'm not going for complete accuracy to the original. Just good enough that i can be proud of myself. Now, to actually draw something WITHOUT a reference picture... :smalltongue:





Well, I finished the AJ and Big Mac vs the Cretan Bull picture,
There's still dozen's of mistakes, but I'm done with this picture! Throwing in the towel to begin over again with something new with some lessons learned. I'm moderately satisfied with it.
I decided to add some dust clouds, but I'm not sure if they add to the image or not.
I really need to find some way to make cleaner line work.
*snip*

I love that picture, man! Almost seems like something that should happen in an episode..
Bull in a China shop... Muwahaha....


Well, I did some colouring. I attempted this so many times with varying results. I hate Flash. Drawing the lines in flash is fine but obviously colouring is another matter altogether. Still, I'm learning. Anyway, Trixie has flat colours but is currently sans shading (except for the eyes since that's just a simple gradient).

*Snip*

Lines aren't thick enough, I know. Getting them to look right is kind of a chore :smallsigh: I'll finish it properly later.

I like the outfit! Is it based on something, or is it one you came up with yourself? :smallsmile:

[Vorpalbob]

Well, I finished the AJ and Big Mac vs the Cretan Bull picture,
There's still dozen's of mistakes, but I'm done with this picture! Throwing in the towel to begin over again with something new with some lessons learned. I'm moderately satisfied with it.
I decided to add some dust clouds, but I'm not sure if they add to the image or not.
I really need to find some way to make cleaner line work.

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/324/5/8/applejack_and_big_mac_vs_the_cretan_bull_final_by_ bakuel-d4gsovv.jpg

DUDE. That picture is bucking BAD-ASS. Needs to be my desktop. Nice work.

So, a few days ago in the IRC, I promised Braz a space-faring pony. There have been some setbacks, but today I deliver.
http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/325/1/f/shepherd_book_and_river_by_vorpalbob-d4gv97m.jpg

[Bakuel]

No no, I think I can actually see what your saying. Her hair does look a little clinched near the back of her head. GaaaahhHH!!!!!!!!! :smallwink:

I Suppose I got lazy? No idea. I kinda just decided to make her hair look frizzy 'cause I wanted to go to bed. :smallsmile:

But hey, I'm not going for complete accuracy to the original. Just good enough that i can be proud of myself. Now, to actually draw something WITHOUT a reference picture... :smalltongue:

Sorry for posting that detailed of a critique, it was only that the rest of the image (besides the head being long which you already noted) was very nice, so I had to nit pick at the imperfection. I really can't wait more of your stuff!




I love that picture, man! Almost seems like something that should happen in an episode..
Bull in a China shop... Muwahaha....



DUDE. That picture is bucking BAD-ASS. Needs to be my desktop. Nice work.

Thanks for the kind words! This really means a lot to me, as I was having a horrible Monday.



So, a few days ago in the IRC, I promised Braz a space-faring pony. There have been some setbacks, but today I deliver.
*snip*

:smallbiggrin:

I know there is probably some story or reference behind this picture that goes over my head like a flock of pegasi, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

[the_druid_droid]

Thanks for the kind words! This really means a lot to me, as I was having a horrible Monday.


Don't know if you were aware, Bakuel, but you got a spot in the latest EqD Drawfriends! Right here (http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/11/drawfriend-stuff-253.html#more)

Well deserved, I say! Hope that helps cheer you up!

In regard to my own drawing, I was going to scan in a sketch I did today (of something that was not pony, for once!) but the communal scanner in my building is borked, so instead have some studies in pony posture for my upcoming bet repayment to SiuiS:
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee385/the_druid_droid/pony_doodle2.png

[Bakuel]

In regard to my own drawing, I was going to scan in a sketch I did today (of something that was not pony, for once!) but the communal scanner in my building is borked, so instead have some studies in pony posture for my upcoming bet repayment to SiuiS:
*snip*

Once again your tablet work is very nice! I hope you do a complete picture with it soon! :smallbiggrin:


Don't know if you were aware, Bakuel, but you got a spot in the latest EqD Drawfriends! Right here (http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/11/drawfriend-stuff-253.html#more)

Well deserved, I say! Hope that helps cheer you up!

:smallbiggrin:
Man, I really don't know what to say... My picture on Drawfriend! This is so incredibly awesome that I need to go to bed to stem these positive feelings before they make my head explode!
Blast you ponies, you ruined my horrible day!

[Mystic Muse]

I'm not going to be making any more contributions until Christmas when I get mah new tablet. I figure, given what Thanqol told me, it's best to start from scratch.

[Thanqol]

I'm not going to be making any more contributions until Christmas when I get mah new tablet. I figure, given what Thanqol told me, it's best to start from scratch.

Do note that not practising at all is worse than having to relearn some stuff. There's still plenty you can learn from lineart on P&P.

[the_druid_droid]

Once again your tablet work is very nice! I hope you do a complete picture with it soon! :smallbiggrin:


It may actually happen... My next project is probably going to be roughing out the positions for the D&D ponies of my bet and figuring out how to ink/clean up my images after I have the rough sketches done on the tablet.


:smallbiggrin:
Man, I really don't know what to say... My picture on Drawfriend! This is so incredibly awesome that I need to go to bed to stem these positive feelings before they make my head explode!
Blast you ponies, you ruined my horrible day!

Ponies have a way of doing that, eeeyup!


I'm not going to be making any more contributions until Christmas when I get mah new tablet. I figure, given what Thanqol told me, it's best to start from scratch.

I would agree with what Thanqol said above on this. Practice is important no matter what the medium you're working with. At the very bottom, drawing is not so much about the mechanical details as it is about first learning to really see the things you're trying to draw, and that essential skill should transfer easily between media, even if getting your hands to move properly to express what you see takes a bit of extra practice. Also, drawing on actual paper has its advantages: you can grab a sketchbook or some loose paper and go out to find subjects to draw, without having to drag along a computer, power cable, etc.