Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

[Bakuel]

EDIT:

You know what? I'm mentally invested enough and this is a cool enough project for me to make the offer. Bakuel, I'm prepared to offer full assistance with this Samurai Equestria project; whatever I can offer that you need.

Probably the most useful thing I can offer is colouring linework; I'm okay at it, and there's probably going to be a lot of it to do. I'm less good at linework and composition, but I've got a decent theoretical grounding to critique from. Whatever else you want that I'm capable of - writing, idea bouncing, samurai movie wisecracks, poor singing - ask and I'll do it; I shall be an obedient vassal in all respects.

I also understand if it's a labour of love and you don't want the assistance, but I should at least make the offer

That would be awesome if you could!
The one thing the project really needs is a writer/editor, not so much for plot (even though advice and comments would be good there too!) but really I must say again, I can't write natural or even movie grad dialogue worth snot. And I wouldn't even be able to attempt the Apple's accent. Some of the enjoyment of MLP is somewhat in the dialogue, the difference between say Fancy, AJ, and Fluttershy for example, if these difference aren't there the story would lose quiet a bit.

Coloring linework would also help, but that would be all the way at the end stage. Because it's not going to be a long graphic novel, when the push comes to shove I want to get all the penciling finished first so we can all be sure that the panels and scenes flow well.

And it isn't that much a personal project, in my mind it's more like practice. Or rather, a trial by fire. I have always toyed with making comics. And I don't want to start with some long epic over ambitious tale that goes nowhere, but a shorter tale with a clear end already plotted. The type of small graphic novel someone could read in a hour or so. Since ponies have occupied my thoughts this past year and I love elseworlds/twisted mirror/what-if-type scenarios and settings, this is the result.
It would be foolish of me to turn down help or suggestions by people other people for this type of maiden project, which is part of the reason why I threw the concept out there while it is still in it's infancy.

But I should warn you, the idea is still in it's formative phase. It's like a ghost of a concept. And it's not even follow plotted out yet. I'm afraid that I might lose sight of the goal or something might happen. So for now, I want to keep throwing around and organizing ideas.

Day 107. I didn't plan this, I couldn't think of anything so I just started drawing and... it just kinda drew itself.

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*snip*

I don't mean to be annoying, but the first thing I thought when I saw that pony was it was straight from the 50s... It's probably the hair, but that *could* also be a leather jacket and white t-shirt. It could be...
Alright, maybe I'm crazy.

Day 37,

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More adventures in painting! Yay!
Did Applejack drinking. While on a barrel. I dunno. It came to me while I was doing my daily commute and is what I drew and colored when I got home. I think it's much stronger then I my painting yesterday. Mildly pleased with it, I must say painting is fun! And fast!
Who knew that getting rid of the black linework would be so liberating?

Then I drew Fluttershy as a shrine maiden. A ugly giant sketch, I don't know why I made it so big. Anyway, the idea is that Fluttershy's day job is as a shrine maiden, I need to write a blurb on Fluttershy and Dash.
But the problem is, what are these shrines dedicated to? The cult of the alicorns, ala Roman Imperial cult? Or to various natural phenomenon such as mountains, rivers, magic, nature and stuff like that? Or famous dead ponies? Or all of the above depending on the shrine?
It's odd, I wanted there to be shrines, yet I'm having trouble thinking up an actual reason for them to exist. They already have goddesses in the alicorns. I'm leaning toward all of the above, shrines being like public monuments that rich types people dedicate to something or another to show everyone how awesome they are and the shrine staff just charged with keeping up with it, tending the gardens, animals and whatever.