Ponythread Learns to Draw! Together!

[Sean Mirrsen]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

The pose in this one is certainly off. The back right leg is splayed out but the rest of the body is solidly upright. It's like that movement is part of a step to rotate ninety degrees but the rest of the body isn't following it right? Urgh, I can't look at art right on this computer. Final one's a lot more balanced though.

Indeed. I started this one without even a hint of a general plan. I focused mainly on design elements, trying to shape out identifiable pieces that can be used as anchors to draw the thing by from other angles. When I've drawn myself into a corner, essentially, I became somewhat frustrated at being unable to get a feasible dynamic pose out of it, and drew an angry Pinkie instead. :)

[Diego Havoc]

Originally Posted by Sean Mirrsen

Yeah, that looks a lot better than it could have been, I guess. Silver Spoon seems to possess shapeshifting powers though, what with her forelegs and hind legs being of such radically different thickness and length. :)

Yeah, I figured that would be pointed out. The thickness I'll agree with. The length, however, was deliberate.

Spoiler

Cartoon physics. Your argument is invalid.

[Diego Havoc]

Day 8. Couldn't think of anything clever to do today, so here's some random practice pics, taken with a camera because I couldn't be bothered to use the scanner.

Spoiler

On the left, pony proportion practice. On the right, human proportion practice (ugh, haven't drawn humans in ages and it shows). In the middle, eyes, because I wanted to fill some space.

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by Diego Havoc

Day 8. Couldn't think of anything clever to do today, so here's some random practice pics, taken with a camera because I couldn't be bothered to use the scanner.

Spoiler

On the left, pony proportion practice. On the right, human proportion practice (ugh, haven't drawn humans in ages and it shows). In the middle, eyes, because I wanted to fill some space.

The proportions are slightly off for the human; legs are a little short. Remember that the waist-feet is the same length as head-waist.

[Dirtbag]

Well a friend wants me to make an Avatar for him so I might as well get back into drawing regularly. So I'll start posting here so I have reason to continue and not be lazy.

So he wanted a Fluttershy instead of Rainbow dash done in this pose:

Spoiler

This is about a quarter of it done now. I have to completely redo it though cause I forgot to save the .sai file and I only made a .jpg, losing all my layers. >.<

Spoiler

And I suck at drawing straight, pretty outlines. How would one learn to do this?

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by Dirtbag

And I suck at drawing straight, pretty outlines. How would one learn to do this?

Endless practise.

Also, if you're using SAI, have a look at the Linework layer (next to the new layer button, the page with the pen), and make liberal use of the 'delete CP' function under the edit function. Play around with it and see how it goes.

[Dirtbag]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

Endless practise.

Also, if you're using SAI, have a look at the Linework layer (next to the new layer button, the page with the pen), and make liberal use of the 'delete CP' function under the edit function. Play around with it and see how it goes.

Totally forgot about that when you told us in Dispo's channel.

Will try. Although I still find Vector in a Raster program quirky.

After using it for a second, this totally isn't Vector. More like... points on a pa-that's what Vector is. :/

It's weird, but useful.

[the_druid_droid]

Hi all, sorry I've been scarce, but this week has been hectic. I'm likely to be even more so next week as I'm out of town, but hopefully I'll get back into the swing when I return. I have been drawing though, but I'm frustrated with what I drew today and it's still sort of WIP-y, so have some anatomy sketches I've been doing.

Disclaimer: The reference I used for them was already drawn, rather than photos, so the shading was somewhat pre-figured out. Still my paper and materials are different enough that it still required some work to get right and I think I'm learning a bit about the process of shading...

Spoiler

[Bakuel]

Going back to work after the holidays was like getting hit in the face with a bag of bricks. And I stopped drawing as much as should have been, earning myself a place of shame. But I'll try to do better in the coming week.

Originally Posted by Diego Havoc

Sure is quiet in here.


First time drawing foals:

Spoiler

"'at are 'ou 'oing 'ilver 'oon!?"

"You need to, like, lighten up, Diamond Tiara!"

My thoughts:

Spoiler

Oddly enough, that was what I was thinking after watching this week's episode. Someone should do a Applebloom "Better then Expected Face", if it hasn't been done before. Since ponies don't have eyebrows it may be slightly tricky....
Your drawing is good, besides the anatomy issues that Sean Mirrsen brought up. But, as you showed, the show breaks those rules all the time as well. Foals can be rather tricky to draw (at least they are for me), so I congratulate you on a wonderful first go at it.

I really like the concept behind it though, Silver Spoon is a better pony then Diamond Tiara. Filthy Rich is a better pony then Diamond Tiara. Actually, one wonders how Diamond Tiara ended up so bitchy. Perhaps she doesn't have a mother and Filthy spoils her? Hmmm... One can only wonder.

Also, I just wanted to say on your Fluttershy pic, NIZE HAT!

Originally Posted by Sean Mirrsen

If there's anything that doesn't at all surprise me, it's the fact that I generally suck at coloring. I've always been a sketchy kinda artist. I don't know what prevents me from experimenting with dark tones. Some kind of odd setting in my brain telling me that "Reality is Unrealistic" and such. I never took any lessons or courses in drawing, so I don't have any defined understanding of these things. I'm just going by what looks right to me - and as is apparent, what looks right to me doesn't quite match with what it should look like.

If you do find some time to color a design of mine, I'd be very thankful.

In the meantime, I keep plugging away at that Benevolence pic. Not calling it final because I'm still not sure I want Rarity to have the Sapphire Spike as a weapon (I'd really rather give it to Twilight), and because possible shading experiments/horrible forest torching.

Spoiler

I'm late to the party, but I agree that you really would benefit from a more robust scene planning stage. I agree with Druid Droid in a way that you should try to work out the background first. Up to know, I get the feeling your making kick-ass characters and mechs, and adding a background to them. Which is fine for say, Dash's mech, as that was a simple background anyway. But the more complicated scenes you'll probably have to plan for. Especially scenes which involve people interacting with each other.

Well, since you seem to want comments (even if it is dreadfully late), I'm going to nit-pick, only because while the picture is good, you seem to be aiming for awesome. All of things which I am commenting on are things that I struggle with myself. So I'm going to nit-pick it just like I nit-pick my own things according to the odd standards I have gathered in my head. All of the things I say should be taken with a load of salt and some pepper.

Nit-picking.

Spoiler

I think the background is a bit too backgroundy. Like the scene is on a stage. Are they fighting in a clearing in the Everfree Forest, it's fine, but not very interesting. The trees are pushed to the background and stay there. You could add some trees and brush to the foreground, maybe have some knocked over and broken or bent. Perhaps some mud/dirt marks were the mechs have been fighting. They are mechs after all, I would imagine they cause a mess. But these are just suggestions.

Also, because you didn't draw the figures together or at once, they are rather distant from and distinct. What was the shadow mech planning to do? It seems he is flying by and going the opposite way from Rarity, was he taking a swipe at Rarity and missed only to be hit by Rarity's diamond tail? If this is the correct scenario, then why is Rarity so static standing there, her mech should be leaning away as if she was dodging or slightly ducking the shadow mech's failed attack. As it is now, there is one action and reaction in the picture, the Shadow Mech being hit by Rarity, but you could fit in two actions. Rarity responding to the Shadow Mech's failed attack, and her counterattack and the Shadow Mech's response to that. More actions mean more storytelling which is always a good thing.

Going into even nit-picker, nit-pick territory, ruled by the king of nit-picks. The scene feels like it could be more interesting if the characters were a bit more closer together. Rarity and the Shadow Mech are very distinct from each, with little to now overlap between the figures besides the tail. Now, many people have their own annoying motto, creed, or standard that they try to live up to in art, music, film or life in general. It's generally ambiguous and mystifying to everyone outside of the individual's head. Like George Lucas's infamous stage directions of "Faster! More intense!". Mine in action scenes is, "They could be closer together, aren't they a bit too distant?". It may seem odd, but characters invading each other's living space creates tension. Whether violent or sexual, and the more distant they are from each other, the less tension there seems to be. Now, on the other hand, two people in each other's living space can also be used to show that they are completely at ease and trusting of each other. But in violent scenes, close characters can be used to make it seem more interesting.
Alright I'm done.

Originally Posted by the_druid_droid

My own drawing stuff for today:

Spoiler

This is probably my most ambitious pony project so far. Not only am I playing with a bit of perspective, but I even have a background, and I intend to color this (well, not this picture exactly, but the cleaned version that's hopefully forthcoming). I'm probably just going to start like I said earlier, with relatively flat, show-based stuff before I move on to more complex shading.

This is also part of what I hope will become a finished secret project/gift of sorts, so I have motivation to finish, just not the time...

Additionally, the next drawing challenge will probably be up sometime this weekend, before I leave town for a conference. I may be scarce this next week, but I'll take my sketchbook with me.

The sketch looks good! Rarity's front legs look like they *could* be too long. But that position is a odd one for a horse and I honestly don't know. After all, their front legs in the cartoon seem to do odd things as Diego Havoc already pointed out.

Edit: Also those are some wonderful, wonderful, sketches you posted above.


Now onto the two drawings that I jumbled together.

Spoiler

This was my scene for the Ponies interacting challenge. Extremely WIP. But it is the pony thread. And I haven't been posting ponies. So I feel like I should post something.
It features Twist looking on while the CMC discuss things, unsure of whether to come up and say hello to Applebloom, or just slink away. I was going for a Ponyville street for a setting. The houses are a bit more crooked and cartoony then they are in the show even. I may or may not change it. The blasted horizon line is there, mocking me and the vanishing point is off the canvas somewhere. So those lines are flying all over! I didn't get to finish the rough Sweet Belle, so her eyes are blank. And Scoot is a bunch of shapes and stuff just like the background pony roughs floating around.
Yeah, I'll try to finish this picture this week!

Spoiler

And some bonus non-pony art!
Yeah, I got nothing to say on this one. This was a warm up before I started drawing the Pony scene.
However~!
This is my first ever camel I have ever drawn! True, it's a cartoony camel, and I was too lazy to bother with it's legs, but I feel like this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship. I didn't get around to finishing the faces at the bottom.

Spoiler

[Dispozition]

Originally Posted by Dirtbag

After using it for a second, this totally isn't Vector. More like... points on a pa-that's what Vector is. :/

It's weird, but useful.

That's actually not what vector is. Raster is based on pixels, Vector is based on maths. It means that you can draw a vector picture that's 100x100 and then expand it to 1000x1000 and it won't lose any detail as long as it's still vector. A raster image will just increase each pixel by 10x. If I had more than 5 minutes I'd show an example, or even a video.

Bakuel: Love the perspective drawing, but I don't think you're doing it right. It looks like a one point perspective, but the point is more like you;d use in a two point, and you aren't using enough guide lines. Maybe it's just my VisCom experience talking, but you use a guide line for literally every think you place.
But I'm just looking quickly and not actually sitting there scrutinizing it...No time!

[Sean Mirrsen]

Originally Posted by Bakuel

I'm late to the party, but I agree that you really would benefit from a more robust scene planning stage. I agree with Druid Droid in a way that you should try to work out the background first. Up to know, I get the feeling your making kick-ass characters and mechs, and adding a background to them. Which is fine for say, Dash's mech, as that was a simple background anyway. But the more complicated scenes you'll probably have to plan for. Especially scenes which involve people interacting with each other.

Yeah, I need to try and get a scene done properly sometime. I just never felt like actually doing a scene... well, except that one time, and if the feedback I got is to be believed, it's actually succeeded at what I wanted it to do - which is, convey an emotion state. Getting emotion conveyed properly is such a dark area for me sometimes.

Anyway, I promise I'll try a proper scene once I'm done with all these individual mech designs.

Well, since you seem to want comments (even if it is dreadfully late), I'm going to nit-pick, only because while the picture is good, you seem to be aiming for awesome. All of things which I am commenting on are things that I struggle with myself. So I'm going to nit-pick it just like I nit-pick my own things according to the odd standards I have gathered in my head. All of the things I say should be taken with a load of salt and some pepper.

Heh, well, whether or not it's already a disaster, in-depth analysis is always welcome, if only to prevent such disasters in the future. I mean, that's what they have flight recorders for.

Nit-picking.

Spoiler

I think the background is a bit too backgroundy. Like the scene is on a stage. Are they fighting in a clearing in the Everfree Forest, it's fine, but not very interesting. The trees are pushed to the background and stay there. You could add some trees and brush to the foreground, maybe have some knocked over and broken or bent. Perhaps some mud/dirt marks were the mechs have been fighting. They are mechs after all, I would imagine they cause a mess. But these are just suggestions.

Also, because you didn't draw the figures together or at once, they are rather distant from and distinct. What was the shadow mech planning to do? It seems he is flying by and going the opposite way from Rarity, was he taking a swipe at Rarity and missed only to be hit by Rarity's diamond tail? If this is the correct scenario, then why is Rarity so static standing there, her mech should be leaning away as if she was dodging or slightly ducking the shadow mech's failed attack. As it is now, there is one action and reaction in the picture, the Shadow Mech being hit by Rarity, but you could fit in two actions. Rarity responding to the Shadow Mech's failed attack, and her counterattack and the Shadow Mech's response to that. More actions mean more storytelling which is always a good thing.

Going into even nit-picker, nit-pick territory, ruled by the king of nit-picks. The scene feels like it could be more interesting if the characters were a bit more closer together. Rarity and the Shadow Mech are very distinct from each, with little to now overlap between the figures besides the tail. Now, many people have their own annoying motto, creed, or standard that they try to live up to in art, music, film or life in general. It's generally ambiguous and mystifying to everyone outside of the individual's head. Like George Lucas's infamous stage directions of "Faster! More intense!". Mine in action scenes is, "They could be closer together, aren't they a bit too distant?". It may seem odd, but characters invading each other's living space creates tension. Whether violent or sexual, and the more distant they are from each other, the less tension there seems to be. Now, on the other hand, two people in each other's living space can also be used to show that they are completely at ease and trusting of each other. But in violent scenes, close characters can be used to make it seem more interesting.
Alright I'm done.

This is very helpful, even if it is, in retrospect, painfully obvious. There wasn't a scene here to begin with, just character designs. Everything but the character designs is/was largely an afterthought.

Now, the actual proceedings in the scene are slightly confusing even to me, but if I were to guess, I'd say the Shadowmech is either being chased by RD's Tenacity, or is simply harassing the Benevolence without attacking outright, being able to fly, being larger, stronger, and generally being overly cocky. In the former case, adding the Tenacity flying on the same path as the Shadowmech could address the issue. In the latter case... well, I've no idea how to represent that. All in all, it's better to just redo the whole thing as a proper scene than try to salvage the existing image. And in that case, it'll be a lot better to get Rarity to show her mech's other weapon.

Now onto the two drawings that I jumbled together.

Spoiler

This was my scene for the Ponies interacting challenge. Extremely WIP. But it is the pony thread. And I haven't been posting ponies. So I feel like I should post something.
It features Twist looking on while the CMC discuss things, unsure of whether to come up and say hello to Applebloom, or just slink away. I was going for a Ponyville street for a setting. The houses are a bit more crooked and cartoony then they are in the show even. I may or may not change it. The blasted horizon line is there, mocking me and the vanishing point is off the canvas somewhere. So those lines are flying all over! I didn't get to finish the rough Sweet Belle, so her eyes are blank. And Scoot is a bunch of shapes and stuff just like the background pony roughs floating around.
Yeah, I'll try to finish this picture this week!

Spoiler

And some bonus non-pony art!
Yeah, I got nothing to say on this one. This was a warm up before I started drawing the Pony scene.
However~!
This is my first ever camel I have ever drawn! True, it's a cartoony camel, and I was too lazy to bother with it's legs, but I feel like this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship. I didn't get around to finishing the faces at the bottom.

Spoiler

The first one, despite being unfinished, already looks very good. Although I'm comparing to my memory, everyone looks on-model and true to their appearances, the poses and positions seem natural... in other words, I marvel at how you are able to construct scenes like that.

The second one... that face... that grinning face alone makes me want to giggle uncontrollably. Great job on the design! The camel looks good too. I can't help but wonder whether these are "first stage" sketches, done beginning to end as seen, or "second stage" sketches, cleaned of any underlying base sketch you've used to shape out the scene and characters. I'm wondering because I can't see any of the extra lines any of my first-stage sketches would've been filled with, and yet it looks like they were drawn as-is, without cleanup. There's just a few stray lines here and there, but it's mostly just clean, deliberate strokes. Definitely not something I could've managed myself, probably not even with a character I know how to draw, much less one I just made up on the fly.

edit: all this talk of scenes got me inspired to try one. Not too happy on some details yet, and the Mercy is in an odd pose, plus needs some foreground attackers, perhaps? I didn't plan actually having attackers shown, or the beams/drill shield effect for that matter. I think it actually needs a better angle...

Spoiler

Kinda spur-of-the-moment. Also, the TTGL influence is a little too obvious, no? :)

edit2: I'll stay the urge to refine the above until I get feedback (hopefully I will get some this time), so Anxiety remains the next machine on the list.

Spoiler

Anything you'd say is wrong/out of place? The hair is supposed to look like that of a real pony - that's just one of the things about Anxiety that make no sense for a battle robot, but exist because of Pinkie.

When transforming for the combination machine, the Anxiety forms the twin cannons out of both its fore and hind legs, their internal structure seamlessly integrating into the cannons' housing.

If the machines of the Pony Rangers were judged solely by their potential peak power output and performance, the Anxiety would leave all its competitors trampled into the dirt, winning handily even against Celestia and Luna's Harmonic Balance. Despite being lightly armored for its role as a heavy skirmish fighter, Pinkie Pie's custom machine possesses an incredibly tough endostructure, allowing it to withstand tremendous stress over short periods of time.

Its limbs are mostly made up of myomer macro-muscles, resulting in an excellent power-to-mass ratio second only to that of Rainbow Dash's Tenacity. The muscles can sink a lot of power, but the power has to come from somewhere - and unlike RD's machine the Anxiety doesn't have a high-performance powerplant. Instead, its chestplate conceals a capacitor bank large enough to provide the power required for the firing of the twin-linked Party Cannons. Since in its Titan form the Anxiety is limited to much weaker weaponry, the power collected in the capacitors can instead be rerouted through the body's muscle groups, resulting in enormous bursts of speed, strength, and agility. And even though each such burst must be followed by a period of recharge, the Anxiety's agility and flexibility allow it to always remain effective on the battlefield.

Combined with the natural precognition abilities of the Pink Ranger, the Anxiety is a dangerous opponent indeed.

edit3: Continuing the good tradition of drawing funny ponies when frustrated with some part of the design:

Spoiler

Not quite happy with how the rear legs, and rear torso in general, look. And the face can use a few touch-ups as well. Can't think of any good ways to improve either at the moment.

[Diego Havoc]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

The proportions are slightly off for the human; legs are a little short. Remember that the waist-feet is the same length as head-waist.

Yeah, that's mostly due to me running out of space on the page so I stuck the feet on too high.

Originally Posted by the_druid_droid

Hi all, sorry I've been scarce, but this week has been hectic. I'm likely to be even more so next week as I'm out of town, but hopefully I'll get back into the swing when I return. I have been drawing though, but I'm frustrated with what I drew today and it's still sort of WIP-y, so have some anatomy sketches I've been doing.

Disclaimer: The reference I used for them was already drawn, rather than photos, so the shading was somewhat pre-figured out. Still my paper and materials are different enough that it still required some work to get right and I think I'm learning a bit about the process of shading...

Spoiler

Excellent work on these!

Originally Posted by Bakuel

Oddly enough, that was what I was thinking after watching this week's episode. Someone should do a Applebloom "Better then Expected Face", if it hasn't been done before. Since ponies don't have eyebrows it may be slightly tricky....
Your drawing is good, besides the anatomy issues that Sean Mirrsen brought up. But, as you showed, the show breaks those rules all the time as well. Foals can be rather tricky to draw (at least they are for me), so I congratulate you on a wonderful first go at it.

I really like the concept behind it though, Silver Spoon is a better pony then Diamond Tiara. Filthy Rich is a better pony then Diamond Tiara. Actually, one wonders how Diamond Tiara ended up so bitchy. Perhaps she doesn't have a mother and Filthy spoils her? Hmmm... One can only wonder.

Also, I just wanted to say on your Fluttershy pic, NIZE HAT!

Thanks very much! ^^ I made a conscious decision to make Silver's forelegs longer than normal because otherwise she would have been so close to Diamond as to be nearly on top of her. Perhaps I could have positioned them better, but oh well. Think I may colour that one at some point.

And yes, that is a NIZE HAT. XD

Originally Posted by Bakuel

Now onto the two drawings that I jumbled together.

Spoiler

This was my scene for the Ponies interacting challenge. Extremely WIP. But it is the pony thread. And I haven't been posting ponies. So I feel like I should post something.
It features Twist looking on while the CMC discuss things, unsure of whether to come up and say hello to Applebloom, or just slink away. I was going for a Ponyville street for a setting. The houses are a bit more crooked and cartoony then they are in the show even. I may or may not change it. The blasted horizon line is there, mocking me and the vanishing point is off the canvas somewhere. So those lines are flying all over! I didn't get to finish the rough Sweet Belle, so her eyes are blank. And Scoot is a bunch of shapes and stuff just like the background pony roughs floating around.
Yeah, I'll try to finish this picture this week!

Spoiler

And some bonus non-pony art!
Yeah, I got nothing to say on this one. This was a warm up before I started drawing the Pony scene.
However~!
This is my first ever camel I have ever drawn! True, it's a cartoony camel, and I was too lazy to bother with it's legs, but I feel like this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship. I didn't get around to finishing the faces at the bottom.

Spoiler

Both pictures look very good! The perspective on the first is spot on. The second is just kinda fun looking. What kind of creature is the rider?

[Bakuel]

Originally Posted by Sean Mirrsen

Yeah, I need to try and get a scene done properly sometime. I just never felt like actually doing a scene... well, except that one time, and if the feedback I got is to be believed, it's actually succeeded at what I wanted it to do - which is, convey an emotion state. Getting emotion conveyed properly is such a dark area for me sometimes.

Anyway, I promise I'll try a proper scene once I'm done with all these individual mech designs.

Heh, well, whether or not it's already a disaster, in-depth analysis is always welcome, if only to prevent such disasters in the future. I mean, that's what they have flight recorders for.

This is very helpful, even if it is, in retrospect, painfully obvious. There wasn't a scene here to begin with, just character designs. Everything but the character designs is/was largely an afterthought.

I'm glad the comments weren't too annoying and off beat.
Sorry about not posting the comments sooner, I'll try to do better next time and actually post in time to do some good.

Originally Posted by Sean Mirrsen

Now, the actual proceedings in the scene are slightly confusing even to me, but if I were to guess, I'd say the Shadowmech is either being chased by RD's Tenacity, or is simply harassing the Benevolence without attacking outright, being able to fly, being larger, stronger, and generally being overly cocky. In the former case, adding the Tenacity flying on the same path as the Shadowmech could address the issue. In the latter case... well, I've no idea how to represent that. All in all, it's better to just redo the whole thing as a proper scene than try to salvage the existing image. And in that case, it'll be a lot better to get Rarity to show her mech's other weapon.

Ah I see, then if the Shadowmech is showboating around trying to intimidate, Rarity's simple and stoic slap to the face makes a lot more sense.

As a side note, if it were a comic and the scene had been set up by past panels, then you needn't have to worry about how to "tell" the story and the image would be perfectly fine. Of course, only in theory, I have very little practical experience in comics besides as a reader.
Just throwing that out there, just in case you get onto that comic and feel like reusing some of the scenarios. But you probably aren't a lazy guy like me.

Originally Posted by Sean Mirrsen

The first one, despite being unfinished, already looks very good. Although I'm comparing to my memory, everyone looks on-model and true to their appearances, the poses and positions seem natural... in other words, I marvel at how you are able to construct scenes like that.

Thanks! For this picture I really wanted those ponies on model, but didn't want to exactly copy it either so I had a lot of references opened at once. I think the show fillies heads are still a bit bigger compared to their bodies then mine though and thier eyes are a bit larger.

Originally Posted by Sean Mirrsen

The second one... that face... that grinning face alone makes me want to giggle uncontrollably. Great job on the design! The camel looks good too. I can't help but wonder whether these are "first stage" sketches, done beginning to end as seen, or "second stage" sketches, cleaned of any underlying base sketch you've used to shape out the scene and characters. I'm wondering because I can't see any of the extra lines any of my first-stage sketches would've been filled with, and yet it looks like they were drawn as-is, without cleanup. There's just a few stray lines here and there, but it's mostly just clean, deliberate strokes. Definitely not something I could've managed myself, probably not even with a character I know how to draw, much less one I just made up on the fly.

Thanks!
The drawing was mainly line and stroke practice, so I'm glad that turned out ok. I actually draw *very* light, so my messy lines are just hidden by the dark lines. Even after going over my original messy sketch, I generally have to copy the layer and merge it down to darken the lines a bit. I've drawn the character before, but it's not a character with a real set design, so I can be as lazy as I want and draw whatever clothing I feel like at the time.
This one is a bit more chibi then the past drawings, I fear ponies have seeped into my style! It's like Nietzsche said, I looked too long into that abyss.

Originally Posted by Sean Mirrsen

edit: all this talk of scenes got me inspired to try one. Not too happy on some details yet, and the Mercy is in an odd pose, plus needs some foreground attackers, perhaps? I didn't plan actually having attackers shown, or the beams/drill shield effect for that matter. I think it actually needs a better angle...

Spoiler

Kinda spur-of-the-moment. Also, the TTGL influence is a little too obvious, no? :)

edit2: I'll stay the urge to refine the above until I get feedback (hopefully I will get some this time), so Anxiety remains the next machine on the list.

Spoiler

Anything you'd say is wrong/out of place? The hair is supposed to look like that of a real pony - that's just one of the things about Anxiety that make no sense for a battle robot, but exist because of Pinkie.

When transforming for the combination machine, the Anxiety forms the twin cannons out of both its fore and hind legs, their internal structure seamlessly integrating into the cannons' housing.

If the machines of the Pony Rangers were judged solely by their potential peak power output and performance, the Anxiety would leave all its competitors trampled into the dirt, winning handily even against Celestia and Luna's Harmonic Balance. Despite being lightly armored for its role as a heavy skirmish fighter, Pinkie Pie's custom machine possesses an incredibly tough endostructure, allowing it to withstand tremendous stress over short periods of time.

Its limbs are mostly made up of myomer macro-muscles, resulting in an excellent power-to-mass ratio second only to that of Rainbow Dash's Tenacity. The muscles can sink a lot of power, but the power has to come from somewhere - and unlike RD's machine the Anxiety doesn't have a high-performance powerplant. Instead, its chestplate conceals a capacitor bank large enough to provide the power required for the firing of the twin-linked Party Cannons. Since in its Titan form the Anxiety is limited to much weaker weaponry, the power collected in the capacitors can instead be rerouted through the body's muscle groups, resulting in enormous bursts of speed, strength, and agility. And even though each such burst must be followed by a period of recharge, the Anxiety's agility and flexibility allow it to always remain effective on the battlefield.

Combined with the natural precognition abilities of the Pink Ranger, the Anxiety is a dangerous opponent indeed.

edit3: Continuing the good tradition of drawing funny ponies when frustrated with some part of the design:

Spoiler

Not quite happy with how the rear legs, and rear torso in general, look. And the face can use a few touch-ups as well. Can't think of any good ways to improve either at the moment.

Your new scene looks great, much stronger then the last!
Acrobatic mech is best mech. I can just imagine it doing cartwheels around the enemy.
Also the Justice is looking good. For the freckles it really depends on how you play it or how you hide it in the design. I mean, these are ponies after all, it need not be complete serious business. Besides, these are giant power ranger mech's that look like ponies, and Power Rangers will never win an award for most realistic and functional mech design.

On AJ and her hat, I can just imagine Pinkie bugging Rarity to use her mech to make a giant cow girl hat for AJ's mech. And I can imagine Rarity, for the sake of fashion, going along with it.

In matter of fact, every time they begin a battle, the Anxiety could pull it out of hammerspace and jam it on the Justice's head.

Originally Posted by Dispozition

Bakuel: Love the perspective drawing, but I don't think you're doing it right. It looks like a one point perspective, but the point is more like you;d use in a two point, and you aren't using enough guide lines. Maybe it's just my VisCom experience talking, but you use a guide line for literally every think you place.
But I'm just looking quickly and not actually sitting there scrutinizing it...No time!

Your right, the perspective lines are a mess and very lazy, just for the street and the rest without and so my eyes won't turn too crooked looking at the screen without straight guidelines. And I could do with another vanishing point. The street has prespective, the buildings have perspective-light (the bases which meet the street have perspective, the door, windows, and so don't have any guidelines), and the ponies? Well, they're all over the place. And pretty flat.
I thought about just uploading it without the guidelines and just hide them away, as the doodle looks stronger without them. As it is, it's like trying to sell a crooked house with levels (the tool) all over everything. But mess ups are mess ups and this is a work in progress. Why hide whatever props I use to waddle along?

I should use guidelines for everything, characters and buildings, but for multiple figures I can't help but fall back on lazy habits and go for the good, but not great. I'll see if I can do it right, if not in this scene then in the next one I'm planning.

But then again, now that I slept on it, the scene would be stronger if the perspective was reoriented around Twist, so the viewer was looking down the street at her looking at the CMC. But on the flip side, then she would be the center of attention rather then just off to the side.
I may try to redo it to see how it looks. Besides Twist, I don't really care for the rest of the figures so it *should* be easy to reorient the scene and perspective around her. I'll try to get another draft up tomorrow to see how it looks.

Originally Posted by Diego Havoc

Both pictures look very good! The perspective on the first is spot on. The second is just kinda fun looking. What kind of creature is the rider?

Thanks!
On the second pic it's a... Gremlin/ogre (depending on how big it is), chimera type creature... A mixture of mustelid, serpent, bull, canine, and a little of centipede. It's one of those things which gets drawn when I can't bring myself to draw, but feel like I should be practicing. It's my screen name's namesake.

[Sean Mirrsen]

Inspired by EqD's Artist Training Grounds challenge, this isn't technically a suit of armor, nor does it look all that interesting, but I feel I need to catch up on drawing living things rather than machines.

Spoiler

The Magenta Ranger facing off against Nightmare Moon alone, while the others are busy crushing the Shadowbolts and their machines. Of course, it doesn't go so well.

The idea for this part was that Twilight still didn't experience the Spark at this point, and as such has no Titan (giant robot) form, and gets her plot handed to her in one-on-one combat against Nightmare Moon. The Rangers arrive to help her just in time, beat back NMM, who then goes Godzilla on them. Seeing her friends rally to her, Twilight experiences the Spark and activates her own Titan form, subsequently forming the ultimate Harmonic Titan Megazord and pulverizing Nightmare Moon. Beaten, NMM surrenders her power and releases Celestia, turning back into princess Luna. Etc, etc. It'd really make a fun comic or story if I had any talent for drawing comics or writing.

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by Sean Mirrsen

Inspired by EqD's Artist Training Grounds challenge, this isn't technically a suit of armor, nor does it look all that interesting, but I feel I need to catch up on drawing living things rather than machines.

Spoiler

The Magenta Ranger facing off against Nightmare Moon alone, while the others are busy crushing the Shadowbolts and their machines. Of course, it doesn't go so well.

The idea for this part was that Twilight still didn't experience the Spark at this point, and as such has no Titan (giant robot) form, and gets her plot handed to her in one-on-one combat against Nightmare Moon. The Rangers arrive to help her just in time, beat back NMM, who then goes Godzilla on them. Seeing her friends rally to her, Twilight experiences the Spark and activates her own Titan form, subsequently forming the ultimate Harmonic Titan Megazord and pulverizing Nightmare Moon. Beaten, NMM surrenders her power and releases Celestia, turning back into princess Luna. Etc, etc. It'd really make a fun comic or story if I had any talent for drawing comics or writing.

I'm prepared to chip in my writin' powers if you're willing to use my words.

I'm not really seeing anything wrong with this picture, aside that her tail seems to be curving inwards.

[Noctemwolf]

Originally Posted by Sean Mirrsen

Inspired by EqD's Artist Training Grounds challenge, this isn't technically a suit of armor, nor does it look all that interesting, but I feel I need to catch up on drawing living things rather than machines.

Spoiler

The Magenta Ranger facing off against Nightmare Moon alone, while the others are busy crushing the Shadowbolts and their machines. Of course, it doesn't go so well.

The idea for this part was that Twilight still didn't experience the Spark at this point, and as such has no Titan (giant robot) form, and gets her plot handed to her in one-on-one combat against Nightmare Moon. The Rangers arrive to help her just in time, beat back NMM, who then goes Godzilla on them. Seeing her friends rally to her, Twilight experiences the Spark and activates her own Titan form, subsequently forming the ultimate Harmonic Titan Megazord and pulverizing Nightmare Moon. Beaten, NMM surrenders her power and releases Celestia, turning back into princess Luna. Etc, etc. It'd really make a fun comic or story if I had any talent for drawing comics or writing.

... I don't care if you suck at comic making. This will be done. I will make sure of it.

I see nothing wrong with it myself; Some of the best work I think you've done (Besides all the robots, of course, buuuut....)


Some of my drawings:

Spoiler

finished line art for Sojourner:

Spoiler

full picture:

Spoiler

[Sean Mirrsen]

Ugh. Mental notes: Do not try detailed cracked up floors again. At least until a good method for their drawing is developed. They just don't work otherwise. And menacing drop shadows require at least some kind of idea of how the overshadowing object actually looks, and how drop shadows actually work. More research needed.

Spoiler

The most defining quality of my full-scene pieces tends to be "looks twice as good at half the resolution".

I likely won't be submitting this one for anything. Not quite in the theme of the challenge, and not refined enough for the drawfriend.

[Diego Havoc]

Originally Posted by Sean Mirrsen

Ugh. Mental notes: Do not try detailed cracked up floors again. At least until a good method for their drawing is developed. They just don't work otherwise. And menacing drop shadows require at least some kind of idea of how the overshadowing object actually looks, and how drop shadows actually work. More research needed.

Spoiler

The most defining quality of my full-scene pieces tends to be "looks twice as good at half the resolution".

I likely won't be submitting this one for anything. Not quite in the theme of the challenge, and not refined enough for the drawfriend.

Honestly, I think this looks awesome. I'll agree with you on the drop shadow looking off, but apart from that it seems fine to me.


Anyway, I forgot to post my stuff from yesterday, which was just a little more human proportion practice.

Spoiler

Verdict: Meh. This is what happens when you learn anatomy from a "how to draw manga" book.

For something far superior (and pony-related!) please gaze upon my submission for the EqD training grounds:

Spoiler

Is it not nifty?

[Pokonic]

Originally Posted by Diego Havoc

Honestly, I think this looks awesome. I'll agree with you on the drop shadow looking off, but apart from that it seems fine to me.

For something far superior (and pony-related!) please gaze upon my submission for the EqD training grounds:

Spoiler

Is it not nifty?

On Angels first step in going up the food chain, he arms himself in Knights garb and uses the most adorable creature imaginable as his steed. Spike is doomed.

[Geno9999]

Remember back when I was sketching the My Little Pony and Team Fortress mashup? Well, I didn't color in Berry Punch Demomare, but I do have this instead:

Spoiler

"Go to the moon! And take your cheap suit with you!"
-Rarity, after dominating Blueblood.

For those of you who are wondering what weapons I tried to draw there, Rarity is using the Diamondback, and Blueblood is using the Big Earner. I tried to draw a rose on Blueblood's lapel, but it doesn't seem to work well w/o color.

Plus a quick and dirty sketch of the scene from Meet the Scout as a pony and a griffon:

Spoiler

Now it might not quite work for the Artist Training Ground, but... It's TF2, so it's worth a shot.

[Bakuel]

Originally Posted by Sean Mirrsen

Ugh. Mental notes: Do not try detailed cracked up floors again. At least until a good method for their drawing is developed. They just don't work otherwise. And menacing drop shadows require at least some kind of idea of how the overshadowing object actually looks, and how drop shadows actually work. More research needed.

Spoiler

The most defining quality of my full-scene pieces tends to be "looks twice as good at half the resolution".

I likely won't be submitting this one for anything. Not quite in the theme of the challenge, and not refined enough for the drawfriend.

I agree with Diego Havoc, the picture is awesome.
Actually, I really like the cracks in the floor and the floor in general. My only real criticism on that is that you *may* want to shade them with a slightly darker color to add a bit more detail on them. Stone floor tiles often aren't smooth and have imperfections, groves, and so on and you could use a darker color to add more detail maybe. But on the flipside, you may not want that much detail on the floor since it is just a floor. And, who knows? Equestria may have magical waxers and sanders. Other then that, the floor is great.
Yeah... I used to work with flooring...

Oh yes, and Twilight is looking snazzy too!
You've shown a lot of deviance with a single eye.

On the comic, I really hope you take a whack at it, and you already have a writer volunteer! Besides, I want to see your mechs and characters in action!

If you don't have any real comic experience, the only possible hurdle that I can think of is that you'll have to take a conscious effort to plan out your panels in advance in a rough draft to make sure the comic flows, which I read supposedly throws many for a loop. But I blabber.

Originally Posted by Diego Havoc

Honestly, I think this looks awesome. I'll agree with you on the drop shadow looking off, but apart from that it seems fine to me.


Anyway, I forgot to post my stuff from yesterday, which was just a little more human proportion practice.

Spoiler

Verdict: Meh. This is what happens when you learn anatomy from a "how to draw manga" book.

For something far superior (and pony-related!) please gaze upon my submission for the EqD training grounds:

Spoiler

Is it not nifty?

Actually, I think I may have first learned about anatomy from a "How to Draw Manga" book... No wonder I still don't know much about it.

Fluttershy and Angel in knight armor is wonderful!

Originally Posted by Geno9999

Remember back when I was sketching the My Little Pony and Team Fortress mashup? Well, I didn't color in Berry Punch Demomare, but I do have this instead:

Spoiler

"Go to the moon! And take your cheap suit with you!"
-Rarity, after dominating Blueblood.

For those of you who are wondering what weapons I tried to draw there, Rarity is using the Diamondback, and Blueblood is using the Big Earner. I tried to draw a rose on Blueblood's lapel, but it doesn't seem to work well w/o color.

Plus a quick and dirty sketch of the scene from Meet the Scout as a pony and a griffon:

Spoiler

Now it might not quite work for the Artist Training Ground, but... It's TF2, so it's worth a shot.

Rarity Spy versus. Blueblood Spy. It's like Spy vs Spy action! Alright, I admit I don't play TF2, but I do like the idea of a Blueblood spy. But then again, I love Prince Blueblood.

Some pony art,

Spoiler

I didn't get around to drawing anything serious today because of certain real life distractions. But I did draw Applejack with random shading! Yay for greyscale pictures!
I didn't use any references for this AJ so she's off model. And wearing a dirty apron, at first it was clean, but then I remembered, this is Applejack, I'm sure when baking she gets down and dirty.

[Level8Mudcrab]

Hello again everyone! After a month or so break, (Read: Procrastination and general laziness) I've finally gotten around to doing some more drawing, motivated by Phoe's ATG.

Unfortunately, I missed the deadline for the first day, but I'll post what I drew here anyway.

Spoiler

This one is a pony, no pony in particular, dressed in armour similar to that of the royal guards. Not too bad, I think, considering my lack of practice. The shape of his head does look a bit odd. I would have liked to add some more detail to the armour, or perhaps shaded it in some way. Though I wouldn't have a clue how to go about that.

Originally Posted by Diego Havoc

For something far superior (and pony-related!) please gaze upon my submission for the EqD training grounds:

Spoiler

Is it not nifty?

Oh, I saw this in the ATG's gallery post. It's great, definately something I can see Angel doing, and Fluttershy is looking sufficiently adorable.

[Diego Havoc]

Originally Posted by Pokonic

On Angels first step in going up the food chain, he arms himself in Knights garb and uses the most adorable creature imaginable as his steed. Spike is doomed.

Hehehe!

Originally Posted by Geno9999

Remember back when I was sketching the My Little Pony and Team Fortress mashup? Well, I didn't color in Berry Punch Demomare, but I do have this instead:

Spoiler

"Go to the moon! And take your cheap suit with you!"
-Rarity, after dominating Blueblood.

For those of you who are wondering what weapons I tried to draw there, Rarity is using the Diamondback, and Blueblood is using the Big Earner. I tried to draw a rose on Blueblood's lapel, but it doesn't seem to work well w/o color.

Plus a quick and dirty sketch of the scene from Meet the Scout as a pony and a griffon:

Spoiler

Now it might not quite work for the Artist Training Ground, but... It's TF2, so it's worth a shot.

Hehe, Blueblood as a spy. It's a nice touch!

Originally Posted by Bakuel

Actually, I think I may have first learned about anatomy from a "How to Draw Manga" book... No wonder I still don't know much about it.

Fluttershy and Angel in knight armor is wonderful!

I think the weird thing is that Manga teaches simplfied anatomy, but to learn anatomy you should really be looking at the real thing first.

Glad you like the pic. ^^

Originally Posted by Bakuel

Some pony art,

Spoiler

I didn't get around to drawing anything serious today because of certain real life distractions. But I did draw Applejack with random shading! Yay for greyscale pictures!
I didn't use any references for this AJ so she's off model. And wearing a dirty apron, at first it was clean, but then I remembered, this is Applejack, I'm sure when baking she gets down and dirty.

That's a very cute Applejack! I must note that because of the apron, at first glance it looks like she has very short legs. I think because you left some of the underlines for the legs, but they only go up halfway ^^:

Originally Posted by Level8Mudcrab

Hello again everyone! After a month or so break, (Read: Procrastination and general laziness) I've finally gotten around to doing some more drawing, motivated by Phoe's ATG.

Unfortunately, I missed the deadline for the first day, but I'll post what I drew here anyway.

Spoiler

This one is a pony, no pony in particular, dressed in armour similar to that of the royal guards. Not too bad, I think, considering my lack of practice. The shape of his head does look a bit odd. I would have liked to add some more detail to the armour, or perhaps shaded it in some way. Though I wouldn't have a clue how to go about that.

I'm afraid I can't seem to view your picture

Originally Posted by Level8Mudcrab

Oh, I saw this in the ATG's gallery post. It's great, definately something I can see Angel doing, and Fluttershy is looking sufficiently adorable.

Glad you like it!


Anyway, on to my ATG thing for today.

Spoiler

I hate this one so much :/ There was no inspiration here, unlike the Flutterknight picture. I don't think it helps that I was in kind of a "meh" mood today. Before I knew it I had drawn a bland looking picture of a pony in a default stance. Way to challenge yourself, Diego.

I also have no idea why it scanned so bright either.

Ah well, they can't all be winners. I may well take another shot tomorrow, assuming there's time.

[Geno9999]

Hey guys! My Spy vs. Spy picture was picked for the Training Ground! Look look look! (I'm #45)

[Capt. Ido Nos]

Originally Posted by Geno9999

Hey guys! My Spy vs. Spy picture was picked for the Training Ground! Look look look! (I'm #45)

Number 116, reporting for duty SIR! (Good job! ;) )

[Level8Mudcrab]

Originally Posted by Diego Havoc

I'm afraid I can't seem to view your picture

Ooops, should be fixed now. Well, my laptop can now see it.

Originally Posted by Diego Havoc

Anyway, on to my ATG thing for today.

Spoiler

I hate this one so much :/ There was no inspiration here, unlike the Flutterknight picture. I don't think it helps that I was in kind of a "meh" mood today. Before I knew it I had drawn a bland looking picture of a pony in a default stance. Way to challenge yourself, Diego.

I also have no idea why it scanned so bright either.

Ah well, they can't all be winners. I may well take another shot tomorrow, assuming there's time.

Well, the event's been postponed until the submission problems are solved, so you should have time to have another go. And there will be a day 1 resubmission, so I'll get a chance to put something in, hurrah.

It could just be the bright scan, but I'm having trouble distinguishing the bow from the magic surrounding it at a glance, making one of them more obvious would help.

[Noctemwolf]

Originally Posted by Geno9999

Hey guys! My Spy vs. Spy picture was picked for the Training Ground! Look look look! (I'm #45)

Originally Posted by Capt. Ido Nos

Number 116, reporting for duty SIR! (Good job! ;) )

How do you get involved in the training ground? Just wondering 0-0*
Also, congrats to both of you for making it up there!

Originally Posted by Noctemwolf

Spoiler

finished line art for Sojourner:

Spoiler

full picture:

Spoiler

[Level8Mudcrab]

Originally Posted by Noctemwolf

How do you get involved in the training ground? Just wondering 0-0*

It's quite simple, really. Anyone can join in, you just have to draw something related to that day's prompt and then submit it.

[fizmat]

Originally Posted by Level8Mudcrab

Spoiler

This one is a pony, no pony in particular, dressed in armour similar to that of the royal guards. Not too bad, I think, considering my lack of practice. The shape of his head does look a bit odd. I would have liked to add some more detail to the armour, or perhaps shaded it in some way. Though I wouldn't have a clue how to go about that.

I'm glad I'm not the only one here who decided to participate in the ATG.
I'm no artist, but in the spirit of the thread here's my 2 cents: the snout is too narrow for a male pony, the eyes need to be a bit larger. The left hind leg looks like it's behind the belly because of how the lines intersect. All in all a solid first day. I wouldn't start adding detail yet, it distracts from learning to draw the general shape consistently pony-like.

Originally Posted by Bakuel

Some pony art,

Spoiler

I didn't get around to drawing anything serious today because of certain real life distractions. But I did draw Applejack with random shading! Yay for greyscale pictures!
I didn't use any references for this AJ so she's off model. And wearing a dirty apron, at first it was clean, but then I remembered, this is Applejack, I'm sure when baking she gets down and dirty.

The mane is gorgeous and the face is nice, but hind legs look off. Maybe they are too thin? I'm not sure. The tail is hard to recognize too. It's difficult to imagine a tail laying on the ground, so I wouldn't know how to fix that. The apron I liked, but the pie looks like it's about to fall, she's holding it by the corner of the crust and it already started tipping. Maybe I was just looking at it too hard...

Originally Posted by Diego Havoc

Anyway, on to my ATG thing for today.

Spoiler

I hate this one so much :/ There was no inspiration here, unlike the Flutterknight picture. I don't think it helps that I was in kind of a "meh" mood today. Before I knew it I had drawn a bland looking picture of a pony in a default stance. Way to challenge yourself, Diego.

I also have no idea why it scanned so bright either.

Ah well, they can't all be winners. I may well take another shot tomorrow, assuming there's time.

I really like the mane? But seriously, the mane and tail, as well as the general shape is very pony. The hind legs seem a bit thick at the ankle. Also, the front legs are a bit longer than the rear ones. The arrow and target could be better, but they weren't your focus, were they?

My own (not yet submitted) submissions to the ATG:

Spoiler

I tried to be inspired by the structure of real horse armor. I still have trouble drawing... anything, really. Inked with a marker, Photoshopped for color and better contrast.

This was fun, if too time-consuming. I have this habit of aiming too high. I shouldn't be trying to draw crossovers yet, I still have trouble with eyes and poses... Pencil sketch > phone camera > Paint Tool Sai linework layer > another layer for colors.

[Diego Havoc]

Originally Posted by fizmat

I really like the mane? But seriously, the mane and tail, as well as the general shape is very pony. The hind legs seem a bit thick at the ankle. Also, the front legs are a bit longer than the rear ones. The arrow and target could be better, but they weren't your focus, were they?

Hm, I hadn't noticed the hind legs being thicker, but now that you mention it...

And yeah, the target was more or less just an accessory that I couldn't be bothered doing properly. It's a poor attitude to take but it was one of those days. I'll take another crack at this over the weekend. Maybe do something else entirely, not sure yet.

Anyway, for those who may have missed it in ponythread, here was yesterday's drawing, and the reasoning behind it:

Spoiler

Originally Posted by Aotrs Commander

E) Does it have starships/explosions/lasers/ponies/ninja/pokemon in it?

If it answers "no" to all of the above, it may or not be art, but importantly, I don't care.

If it manages "yes" to all of E at once, it also probably doesn't matter, because my skull probably will have asploded.

Originally Posted by otakuryoga

i don't know about the rest of you....but this sounds like a challenge to the resident thread artists

Originally Posted by Diego Havoc

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

Spoiler

And today, something simpler. Derpy sitting down, drawn in Flash, because I haven't done so in a while. It's unfinished (no cutie mark) and the linework is off around the hairline, but I don't care. I do care about the forelegs being too narrow though . You may be wondering why her forehooves are out like that. She's actually going to be sitting at a piano for part of an animation I'm doing, which is going very slowly indeed x_x. Uh, anyway, I'm rambling, so here:

Spoiler

It's a work in progress, so don't critique it too harshly please. I just wanted to get something done today.