Developing an OC

[MelonPonyIV 28]

So I've been in he fandom for a while now and I've been thinking, what would I look like as a pony? Naturally my hands decide to shake constanly (I have anxiety) so I am pretty bad at drawing. Basic tips on keeping my hands still would be great as well as just a basic pony template I could draw.

[P-Jay 1,987]

Well, there's a pony creator game. I'd try that, it's what I used. Then, if you wanna take it a step further, you can go to a request shop here in the forums.

Edited April 8, 2015 by Peytonjay

[Overlord0909 479]

Well, there's a pony creator game. I'd try that, it's what I used. Then, if you wanna take it a step further, you can go to a request shop here in the forums.

What I'd say Just at first try to make the pony relatale to your personality, or just do whatever looks cool or cute.

[Steel Accord 6,660]

@@MelonPonyIV,

 

Well the first question you need to ask yourself is, "is this 'just' an OC or my ponysona?" All ponyonae are OCs but not all OCs are ponysonae.

 

If it's just an OC and not specifically meant to reflect you, go nuts. If it's your ponysona on the other hoof, that requires a little more care. First of all, don't make it's fur your skin color, I see that mistake a lot of times. It's not supposed to be human and the ponies come in pastel colors, you don't need to be limited to humanity's natural skin colors. 

 

So pick a color that you like or strongly identify with, something bright that just screams you. Don't be limited to the standard ROYGBIV either, there's plenty of mixing and shades you can explore. Now that can be your themed color like Pinkie Pie or Applejack, who're  two shades of the same or close colors. Or something like Rarity and Rainbow where they have more than one color and the contrast works to highlight them.

 

It's up to you what fits you best . . . . just for the love of GOD don't be red and black!

 

Next you pick your race. Now hold on for one second because most pick pegasi because they wish to fly. Suffice it to say, that's not why I'm a pegasus, I'm a pegasus because something about them that I won't disclose here for time appealed to something in me.

 

So take a look at each race and who makes up their number, try to find something that connects them that resonates with you.

Edited April 9, 2015 by Steel Accord

[yisetab28 89]

So I've been in he fandom for a while now and I've been thinking, what would I look like as a pony? Naturally my hands decide to shake constanly (I have anxiety) so I am pretty bad at drawing. Basic tips on keeping my hands still would be great as well as just a basic pony template I could draw.

 

Well, there's a pony creator game. I'd try that, it's what I used. Then, if you wanna take it a step further, you can go to a request shop here in the forums.

 

 

Coming from a novice drawer, don't be afraid. If you don't learn to draw quickly and your hands are always shaky at the start, it's normal. If drawing on a physical medium is too difficult, you can try vector art, which is basically building ponies with program generated curves. But for the love of Celestia, DO NOT USE ANY TEMPLATE OF THE PONY CREATOR GAME OR RECOLOR PONIES. That is highly uncreative and it ruins the efforts of hundreds of artists who could have helped you, but who didn't get to do it because someone used a generator to create a pony and claimed it as "art". Recoloring, templates and generator games are nice to make a first sketch of your OC, to appreciate how it will be, but it is not something to use and claim as your own. If you really want an OC, ask an artist or learn to draw. Below, I'll give you a link to the MLP drawing school, a nice community of drawers and learners.

 

http://www.reddit.com/r/MLPdrawingschool/

 

Also (not to advertise myself or anything), if you have an idea of how you want your OC to be, I could try drawing it out for free so that you can at least get an idea. At least it's going to be a fun exercise. Or you can ask some of the commission artists, but they normally charge you for it. PM me if you're interested.

 

As for the color scheme, do not use fully saturated colors, they are just awful and hurt your eyes. Use colors you like, or colors that you think will match your OC's personality. Mane and tail should be same color, and even if red and black is ok, using it can be quite a challenge for an inexperienced artist. Then, for the race, if it's a self-insert you should go with a race you like more, if it's an OC, use a race that identifies to his personality and suits his occupation. Also, do not make an Alicorn, please. From what we understand with the show, Alicorns are godly beings who rule Equestria, and they should not be abused.

 

Also, before even choosing your color scheme, think about your OC's backstory. Many people just go on Pony Creator and create a pony, and then let other people choose a name and story for them while not even putting their hearth into it, or even worse, adopt ponies. A consistent backstory is critical, and it should be develloped before the actual character.

Edited April 14, 2015 by Blitzkrieg

[Tao 7,756]

 

 

It's up to you what fits you best . . . . just for the love of GOD don't be red and black!

 

Steel has a good point with that!    I cannot draw worth my life but I started using the pony creator  which

helped me a bit but once you get a "pony down"  try also a few other types of him in just playing around and

having fun and such!  Also you can request a thread or a artist to draw him or make him so get a few images

and all!  We have a lot of talent in this place and good souls more than willing to help!