New OOTS products from CafePress
New OOTS t-shirts, ornaments, mugs, bags, and more
Page 3 of 49 FirstFirst 1234567891011121328 ... LastLast
Results 61 to 90 of 1470
  1. - Top - End - #61
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Vent Reynolt's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Sniper Island
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    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. Aside from the pair of socks she's putting on.

    Spoiler
    Show


    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]


    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:

    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)
    "Why is it that we receive a penny for our thoughts, but have to put in our 2 cents?"

    Previous Avatars:
    Spoiler
    Show

    I got an award!
    Spoiler
    Show

    Fluttershy in the Playground - third place

  2. - Top - End - #62
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    Thanqol's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2009

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    Quote Originally Posted by Vent Reynolt View Post
    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. Aside from the pair of socks she's putting on.
    Fantastic 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?

  3. - Top - End - #63
    Troll in the Playground
     
    the_druid_droid's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    In a cornfield
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    My latest project is applebuckin' AJ!

    Be Strong!
    Spoiler
    Show


    Based on this:
    Spoiler
    Show


    @Everyone who's posted: Looking good! Keep it coming!
    This Machine Surrounds Hate And Forces It To Surrender

    Quote Originally Posted by Anarion View Post
    DD, your unicorn is stronger, prettier, and higher-ranking than mine, and her secret lab has a better name than mine. THERE SHALL BE NO QUARTER.
    Ponythread Learns to Draw!

    Spoiler
    Show
    Bleeeeh! Alfalfa Monster!


    Avatar by Aruius

  4. - Top - End - #64
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    Thanqol's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2009

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    Quote Originally Posted by the_druid_droid View Post
    My latest project is applebuckin' AJ!

    Be Strong!
    Spoiler
    Show


    Based on this:
    Spoiler
    Show


    @Everyone who's posted: Looking good! Keep it coming!
    Generally solid You've got good linework. I'm curious to see you work with colour, inking or shading.

  5. - Top - End - #65
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Kindablue's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jul 2011

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    Quote Originally Posted by Thanqol View Post
    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!
    ... I came to appreciate that mountains make poor receptacles for dreams.

  6. - Top - End - #66
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Noctemwolf's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    USA
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    Quote Originally Posted by Level8Mudcrab View Post
    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.

    Spoiler
    Show


    Using this picture as a reference,
    Spoiler
    Show


    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! I think her legs look a little short, and her right eye is a little off, but otherwise. =D


    Quote Originally Posted by the_druid_droid View Post
    My latest project is applebuckin' AJ!

    Be Strong!
    Spoiler
    Show


    Based on this:
    Spoiler
    Show


    @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:
    Spoiler
    Show

    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):
    Spoiler
    Show

    This is Xia, a pony based on a roleplaying character of mine known as , suprise suprise, Xia. =)


    Xia (Almost complete):
    Spoiler
    Show

    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. =)
    Last edited by Noctemwolf; 2011-10-31 at 02:23 AM.

  7. - Top - End - #67
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Mystic Muse's Avatar

    Join Date
    Mar 2009

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    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.

    Spoiler
    Show


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

  8. - Top - End - #68
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Noctemwolf's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    USA
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    Quote Originally Posted by Soft Serve View Post
    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.

    Spoiler
    Show


    If your answer was "Genderbending" you are very very wrong.
    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?
    Last edited by Noctemwolf; 2011-10-31 at 02:55 AM.

  9. - Top - End - #69
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    Thanqol's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2009

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    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.

    Quote Originally Posted by Noctemwolf View Post
    Here's some more works of mine...:

    Jack, the Nightmare:
    Spoiler
    Show

    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):
    Spoiler
    Show

    This is Xia, a pony based on a roleplaying character of mine known as , suprise suprise, Xia. =)


    Xia (Almost complete):
    Spoiler
    Show

    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.

    Quote Originally Posted by Soft Serve View Post
    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.

    Spoiler
    Show


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

  10. - Top - End - #70
    Banned
     
    SiuiS's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Somewhere south of Hell
    Gender
    Female

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    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

    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.

    Spoiler
    Show


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

    Spoiler
    Show



    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.

  11. - Top - End - #71
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Level8Mudcrab's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Australia
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    Wow, SiuiS knows ponies. A very interesting read, thanks.
    Thanks to Skeppio for my avatar.

  12. - Top - End - #72
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    BlasTech's Avatar

    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    Quote Originally Posted by Sean Mirrsen View Post
    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.

    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!

  13. - Top - End - #73
    Bugbear in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Togliatti, Russia
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    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.



    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.
    Bearer of the Psionic Flame
    ---------------------
    Current occupation: Considering drawing a better Psionic Flame avatar.
    ---------------------
    Skills: Competent Modder, Proficient Programmer, Accomplished RTD Game Master, Adequate Artist, Dabbling Writer
    ---------------------
    Join Dropbox! It's free! And useful!

  14. - Top - End - #74
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    Thanqol's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2009

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    Quote Originally Posted by Sean Mirrsen View Post
    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.



    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?

    Spoiler
    Show



    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's ponies; I love the style, and it's great for a slightly more mature pony look.

  15. - Top - End - #75
    Bugbear in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Togliatti, Russia
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    Quote Originally Posted by Thanqol View Post
    The show type picture looks broadly solid; everything's in the right place.

    Ever looked at a real horse?

    Spoiler
    Show



    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'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.
    Bearer of the Psionic Flame
    ---------------------
    Current occupation: Considering drawing a better Psionic Flame avatar.
    ---------------------
    Skills: Competent Modder, Proficient Programmer, Accomplished RTD Game Master, Adequate Artist, Dabbling Writer
    ---------------------
    Join Dropbox! It's free! And useful!

  16. - Top - End - #76
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    Thanqol's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2009

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    Quote Originally Posted by Sean Mirrsen View Post
    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!
    Last edited by Thanqol; 2011-10-31 at 06:00 AM.

  17. - Top - End - #77
    Bugbear in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Togliatti, Russia
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    Clean up on sketch aisle five!


    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.
    Bearer of the Psionic Flame
    ---------------------
    Current occupation: Considering drawing a better Psionic Flame avatar.
    ---------------------
    Skills: Competent Modder, Proficient Programmer, Accomplished RTD Game Master, Adequate Artist, Dabbling Writer
    ---------------------
    Join Dropbox! It's free! And useful!

  18. - Top - End - #78
    Ettin in the Playground
    Join Date
    Sep 2008

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    Quote Originally Posted by Sean Mirrsen View Post
    Clean up on sketch aisle five!


    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.
    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.
    Spoiler
    Show


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

    You can find more here.

  19. - Top - End - #79
    Bugbear in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Togliatti, Russia
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    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.

    Anyway, speaking of weird AUs:
    Spoiler
    Show

    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?
    Last edited by Sean Mirrsen; 2011-10-31 at 06:38 AM.
    Bearer of the Psionic Flame
    ---------------------
    Current occupation: Considering drawing a better Psionic Flame avatar.
    ---------------------
    Skills: Competent Modder, Proficient Programmer, Accomplished RTD Game Master, Adequate Artist, Dabbling Writer
    ---------------------
    Join Dropbox! It's free! And useful!

  20. - Top - End - #80
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    Thanqol's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2009

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    Quote Originally Posted by Sean Mirrsen View Post
    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.
    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:
    Spoiler
    Show

    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!

  21. - Top - End - #81
    Troll in the Playground
     
    the_druid_droid's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    In a cornfield
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    Quote Originally Posted by Thanqol View Post
    Generally solid 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.

    Quote Originally Posted by Soft Serve View Post
    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.

    Spoiler
    Show


    If your answer was "Genderbending" you are very very wrong.
    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?

    Quote Originally Posted by Thanqol View Post
    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.

    Quote Originally Posted by SiuiS View Post
    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!

    Quote Originally Posted by Sean Mirrsen View Post
    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.



    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!

    Quote Originally Posted by Sean Mirrsen View Post
    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.

    Anyway, speaking of weird AUs:
    Spoiler
    Show

    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?

    Quote Originally Posted by Thanqol View Post
    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!
    This Machine Surrounds Hate And Forces It To Surrender

    Quote Originally Posted by Anarion View Post
    DD, your unicorn is stronger, prettier, and higher-ranking than mine, and her secret lab has a better name than mine. THERE SHALL BE NO QUARTER.
    Ponythread Learns to Draw!

    Spoiler
    Show
    Bleeeeh! Alfalfa Monster!


    Avatar by Aruius

  22. - Top - End - #82
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Zorg's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Gender
    Female

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    Quote Originally Posted by Kindablue View Post
    Drawing one:

    Spoiler
    Show










    Based on:
    Spoiler
    Show
    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.


    Quote Originally Posted by Kindablue View Post
    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:

    Spoiler
    Show


    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:

    Spoiler
    Show


    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.
    Princess in the streets.
    Princess in the sheets.
    Don't touch me I'm royalty.

  23. - Top - End - #83
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Shadowy's Avatar

    Join Date
    Dec 2010

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    Quote Originally Posted by Dirtbag View Post
    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.
    Protect Humanity
    Avatar by The Architect
    Enslave the gods

  24. - Top - End - #84
    Bugbear in the Playground
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Canada

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    Quote Originally Posted by Vent Reynolt View Post
    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. Aside from the pair of socks she's putting on.

    Spoiler
    Show


    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]


    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:

    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.

  25. - Top - End - #85
    Bugbear in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Togliatti, Russia
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    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:

    Spoiler
    Show
    *sketch, sketch, sketch*
    *stare*

    *frown*
    *sigh*
    *sketch sketch sketch*

    I'm pretty sure one of the forelegs is positioned wrong. I better pull up a reference and compare.
    Bearer of the Psionic Flame
    ---------------------
    Current occupation: Considering drawing a better Psionic Flame avatar.
    ---------------------
    Skills: Competent Modder, Proficient Programmer, Accomplished RTD Game Master, Adequate Artist, Dabbling Writer
    ---------------------
    Join Dropbox! It's free! And useful!

  26. - Top - End - #86
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Mystic Muse's Avatar

    Join Date
    Mar 2009

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    Quote Originally Posted by the_druid_droid View Post

    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.

  27. - Top - End - #87
    Troll in the Playground
     
    the_druid_droid's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    In a cornfield
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    Quote Originally Posted by EsperDerek View Post
    *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.
    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.

    Quote Originally Posted by Sean Mirrsen View Post
    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:

    Spoiler
    Show
    *sketch, sketch, sketch*
    *stare*

    *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

    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.

    Quote Originally Posted by Soft Serve View Post
    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
    This Machine Surrounds Hate And Forces It To Surrender

    Quote Originally Posted by Anarion View Post
    DD, your unicorn is stronger, prettier, and higher-ranking than mine, and her secret lab has a better name than mine. THERE SHALL BE NO QUARTER.
    Ponythread Learns to Draw!

    Spoiler
    Show
    Bleeeeh! Alfalfa Monster!


    Avatar by Aruius

  28. - Top - End - #88
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Kindablue's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jul 2011

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    Quote Originally Posted by Zorg View Post
    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.


    Quote Originally Posted by Zorg View Post
    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:

    Spoiler
    Show
    *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.

    Quote Originally Posted by Zorg View Post
    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.

    Quote Originally Posted by Zorg View Post
    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:

    Spoiler
    Show
    *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.
    Last edited by Kindablue; 2011-10-31 at 01:45 PM.
    ... I came to appreciate that mountains make poor receptacles for dreams.

  29. - Top - End - #89
    Troll in the Playground
     
    Beacon of Chaos's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jul 2011

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    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 ^^:

    Spoiler
    Show


    Quote Originally Posted by Thanqol View Post
    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!

    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.

    Quote Originally Posted by Deadly View Post
    A quick and dirty example, which I hope clarifies the idea

    Spoiler
    Show


    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.

    Spoiler
    Show



    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.
    Spoiler
    Show

    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).
    Last edited by Beacon of Chaos; 2011-10-31 at 06:54 PM.
    Used to be Diego Havoc
    Spoiler: About Me
    Show
    Quote Originally Posted by SiuiS View Post
    Diego Havoc, one of the hoopier froods I've met, up there with DeLancie.



  30. - Top - End - #90
    Titan in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

    Quote Originally Posted by Diego Havoc View Post
    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.

    Spoiler
    Show




    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.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •