"One pony a day"-project

[Hdc 155]

When I was browsing through the Fan Art section yesterday, I became so jealous of inspired by some ponies artistic abilities that I decided to draw a pony myself. I grabbed what I had access to (a ballpoint pen and a paper with some printed text on it), to see if I could draw anything whatsoever. I have never really been drawing at all before this, so I was pretty happy with the (quite flawed) result.

 

 

Drawing felt very satisfying and relaxing so this got me thinking, that if I draw one pony every day, I might get better at this! So that is what this thread is for. Me drawing a pony every day. Hopefully, my "skills" will evolve. If not, I'll just give up.

 

Like I said, I have never really been drawing at all before, so I know nothing about this whatsoever.

 

Yesterday's major buck-ups:

 

*Her left eye is really weird.

*The hindquarters are quite messy and sort-of the wrong shape. I imagine this will be the most difficult part to get right.

*I shouldn't have put a Twilight-style tail on there. It doesn't match her mane.

*Don't use a damn ballpoint.

*Don't use a paper with text on it.

 

Other notes:

 

This was a very casual doodle, so I only looked at some reference pictures whilst drawing. At first, I was only thinking of drawing the head, which is why the body goes through the text. In the end, I pretty much rushed the hindquarters when I lost my patience.

Her cutie mark is a ballpoint pen. 

 

Tonight, I will actually look at a drawing tutorial, and try to draw Twilight.

 

Hopefully, this will get interesting.

 

 

[AngryUnicorn 163]

I'm actually quite interested about this project that you're working on. I'd love to see how a new artist progresses! I'm fairly new myself, so it can give me some insight on how well I'm doing compared to others starting out as well. Hope to see more

[lardbobobo 1,591]

It'll help you improve. The fact that you're taking time to notice your mistakes and all will really help out in the future. You should also do sketches because while in a way I guess it technically is "cheating" it's what most professional artists will do and it helps out so god damned much you don't even know.

[Thrashy 2,800]

Not bad, man. I will say it is rather ambitious of you to try the whole one-a-day thing; as many artists who've tried it will agree, it's really quite taxing, and quite a few tend to give up pretty quickly. But if you can stick to it faithfully, there's really no better way to improve your skills - hammer away at 'em day by day, and you'll come ever closer to attaining the skill level you're striving for. Best of luck!

Edited May 2, 2013 by Lowline

[StingeMuffin 244]

For the last month or two I've been doing exactly this, drawing (nearly) every day just for the sake of relaxing and personal satisfaction, and I've definitely improved since I began, to the point where I don't entirely loathe what I draw. You'll surely improve too, whether it's over the course of weeks, months or years, so don't give up.

 

I don't think you should force yourself to draw every day, though; maybe you could make a habit of looking for inspiration on a daily basis. For example, you could find an OC that strikes your fancy, draw it, and PM it to the owner as a gift!

Edited May 2, 2013 by StingeMuffin

[Zhooves 843]

I remember when I began... T'was horrible and slow, yet satisfying in a weird way... I have been drawing for almost a year now, and I've drawn FAR from one pony a day! Mainly because I was too slow for it (Though now it might work out), but I kept on going~

 

I'd say you have started out fairly well - way better than my first try (though I tried a kinda complicated thing for my first...), but I eventually got it, and I improved a lot in the next couple of months~

 

Can't wait to see thine improvements over time!

[Mlpfan185 1,763]

Something was here. Something was here. Something was here. 

Edited October 10, 2018 by NONAME

[Estella 88]

An interesting drawing, and although there are some minor flaws (All of which have been due-ly noted, obviously), it's still not bad. Like some other people said, the whole One Pony A Day thing sounds like an interesting thing to watch over as it escalates as your skill increases. It'l be interesting to see where you end up further on.

 

With all that said, I shall be watching~! Not like anyone cares _{^{From A Distance}}

[Pinkazoid 3,493]

Well i guess i could point out some of the things i see x:

 

* Legs are a bit short

 

* Neck is too thick

 

* Eyes should be bigger (they look bigger than the snouts if you draw them canon-wise)

 

* Ears could be a little bigger (Maybe just me, though)

 

Other than that, this is pretty good, i suggest you start sketching with Pencil first instead :3

Also, this is pretty good for being your first drawing, my first pony drawings involved the mane being too big compared to the head xD

[Hdc 155]

Wow, thanks a lot for all the feedback. Like some of you said, I guess I shouldn't force myself to draw every day if I don't feel like it or if I'm too busy, but I'll see when that occurs. I have a tendency to get lazy and just quit a lot of things permanently though, so in a way I must force myself sometimes to get anything done.

 

Now, this is what I drew yesterday after watching

drawing tutorial that I saw posted in another thread. I drew this immediately after yesterdays post so I had not yet read any comments.

 

 

Buck-ups:

 

*Proportions are off, the body is too small for the head I believe.

*Eye placement looks off.

*The tail looks a bit lazy.

*Is the ear really supposed to be that big?

 

Other notes:

 

Midway through, I remembered that I was supposed to draw Twilight, which is why the eye is the wrong shape and such. In the end I gave her a different cutie mark as a cop-out. (The number 2, since this was my second drawing, how creative of me.)

 

I'll look at more videos and try to take your advice into account tonight.

[AngryUnicorn 163]

Wow, thanks a lot for all the feedback. Like some of you said, I guess I shouldn't force myself to draw every day if I don't feel like it or if I'm too busy, but I'll see when that occurs. I have a tendency to get lazy and just quit a lot of things permanently though, so in a way I must force myself sometimes to get anything done.

 

Now, this is what I drew yesterday after watching

drawing tutorial that I saw posted in another thread. I drew this immediately after yesterdays post so I had not yet read any comments.

 

2013-05-01.jpg

 

Buck-ups:

 

*Proportions are off, the body is too small for the head I believe.

*Eye placement looks off.

*The tail looks a bit lazy.

*Is the ear really supposed to be that big?

 

Other notes:

 

Midway through, I remembered that I was supposed to draw Twilight, which is why the eye is the wrong shape and such. In the end I gave her a different cutie mark as a cop-out. (The number 2, since this was my second drawing, how creative of me.)

 

I'll look at more videos and try to take your advice into account tonight.

 

I'm seeing a little bit of improvement in your pony-drawing skills so far. The ear, as you stated, is just a mite too big, but overall I'd say that you're progressing well for this being your second drawing. You did well on the neck (its not as thick as it was in the previous drawing), and the mane and tail match this time

 

Good work!

[Psych Ward 377]

I'm sure you'll improve.  It took me awhile to get a hang on the style.

 

First pony drawing:

 

A more recent pony drawing:

 

Even more recent pony drawing:

 

I think the hardest part is getting t legs proportionate.

[Zhooves 843]

Wow, thanks a lot for all the feedback. Like some of you said, I guess I shouldn't force myself to draw every day if I don't feel like it or if I'm too busy, but I'll see when that occurs. I have a tendency to get lazy and just quit a lot of things permanently though, so in a way I must force myself sometimes to get anything done.

 

Now, this is what I drew yesterday after watching

drawing tutorial that I saw posted in another thread. I drew this immediately after yesterdays post so I had not yet read any comments.

 

2013-05-01.jpg

 

Buck-ups:

 

*Proportions are off, the body is too small for the head I believe.

*Eye placement looks off.

*The tail looks a bit lazy.

*Is the ear really supposed to be that big?

 

Other notes:

 

Midway through, I remembered that I was supposed to draw Twilight, which is why the eye is the wrong shape and such. In the end I gave her a different cutie mark as a cop-out. (The number 2, since this was my second drawing, how creative of me.)

 

I'll look at more videos and try to take your advice into account tonight.

 

Now, I wouldn't worry too much about getting everything perfect... It's a good idea to find your own style, one that feels a little more natural to you rather than copying the show 100%~

Well, you can do that too, and I guess it's a good idea to begin with, but in the end you should go for what looks and feels the best to you~

[nooneimportantwashere 705]

grsesgersegrgrsesegrgersgser

Edited February 10, 2022 by nooneimportantwashere

[Hdc 155]

Thanks again everypony!

 

For yesterdays drawing, I pretty much looked at one single image as a reference and tried to copy that. The result looks quite a bit better.

 

 

Now, learning how to copy a style is one thing, but I have no idea how to handle the day when I want to come up with a completely original pose or perspective. But that's a later problem. One step at a time.

 

Buck-ups (not that many, I believe):

 

*Once again, the tail is sloppily drawn.

*Her left eye placement might not be 100%, but I think I'm nitpicking myself a bit here.

*The basic shape of the head looks a bit too round, it's like a ball or something.

 

Other notes:

 

Proportions are at least getting better. I am quite happy with the body this time. Now, when I look at the source picture, the body is turned towards the viewer a lot more. I could not really figure out how to do this properly, and did not really notice it until I drew the legs and saw that my hind legs were a lot farther away from the front legs than in the source picture. Interesting.

 

Now, you mentioned that I should find my own style in the end, and not just copy the show 100%. I agree, but I'm not at all mature enough yet to move in that direction. For now, I won't stray to far away from looking at reference pictures, even if yesterdays drawing didn't turn out that imaginative or creative.

 

Also, today I bought a sketch book and a new pencil, so I actually have something to draw on/with.

[AngryUnicorn 163]

Still seeing progression! The main thing that catches my eye (no pun intended) is the left eye. It's a little too narrow, I think. Otherwise, I like what I'm seeing so far. Keep going at it like you have been! You're sure to get better with this challenge ^-^

[Hdc 155]

Okay, so this time I'm not all that happy about the results. I once again tried to copy a picture, but I switched the character around (from rainbow to AJ). I also tried to do a front view. I felt like I ran into some problems.

 

 

Buck-up list:

 

*This is actually a bit unfinished. Her right ear is missing. The thing is in most views of AJ her mane covers her ear, but I made the mane too small (or perhaps the ear to big again?), because that is not happening. I redrew the mane a few times, but eventually I called it a day.

*The front legs are perhaps too skinny, and the hind leg is weird.

*I don't know why, but I get pissed when I look at this. 

 

 

Tonight, I will try to not copy anything specific really, but draw more freely (I will probably need to look at some stuff for reference though). That is probably a better creative exercise, as some of you have pointed out.

 

Also, I will not do a front view again for a while, cause that was like a completely different thing.

[AngryUnicorn 163]

Front views, for me anyway, are difficult to do. I've only done a couple (one turned out half decent) so I'm not very experienced with them. 

With your next drawing, try drawing absent-mindedly and going with whatever. I do that with most of my more recent drawings (not of actual characters, but random ponies that result with your draw-fest). I also wouldn't attempt any super different poses until I mastered at least one, so I can always have a fallback option in case I can't draw for crap that day. Sideways is always a good way to start when you're new to the whole drawing thing. 

 

I like to see that you're still aimed at improving your skills

[Hdc 155]

Okay, so there was no post yesterday, because I didn't have enough time to finish up my drawing. I did not however, neglect to draw. In the end however, I am actually pretty happy with this.

 

 

I went back to the safer, easier sideways view. I did follow the principles outlined in the tutorial I used for my second and third drawing. This time however, I did not really look at any references while drawing. I simply got the idea to draw a slightly startled pony and see if I could work out the body pose and expression. The result is a tad careful perhaps, but I think it's on the right track.

 

I guess this was the first time I actually allowed myself to be a bit more creative with this drawing stuff. (It is still quite "rigid" though.) Whilst making this, I actually started thinking about who I was drawing, and I sort of came up with my first OC. 

 

Name: Coffee Shakes (even this name is probably already taken by somepony)

Occupation: Barista

Character traits: Jumpy, stressed out, panics easily, but still outgoing and friendly.

Cutie mark: Three coffee beans.

 

I even came up with a short backstory, but I will not bore you with that now.

So this actually fueled my creative juices, which is always refreshing.

 

I don't think there are any huge technical mistakes this time (?) so I'll skip that part of the post.

 

 

With your next drawing, try drawing absent-mindedly and going with whatever. 

 

 

I will try to do this next time. I still feel that my lack of technical experience is holding creativity back a bit. Onwards!

 

[dash360 102]

Keep up the good work man. i have been doing this for about a week and i went from this

 

to this

 

 

to this in a week.

 

 

I hope you reach your goal just as much as i hope i reach mine.

[Psych Ward 377]

Okay, so there was no post yesterday, because I didn't have enough time to finish up my drawing. I did not however, neglect to draw. In the end however, I am actually pretty happy with this.

 

2013-05-05.jpg

 

I went back to the safer, easier sideways view. I did follow the principles outlined in the tutorial I used for my second and third drawing. This time however, I did not really look at any references while drawing. I simply got the idea to draw a slightly startled pony and see if I could work out the body pose and expression. The result is a tad careful perhaps, but I think it's on the right track.

 

I guess this was the first time I actually allowed myself to be a bit more creative with this drawing stuff. (It is still quite "rigid" though.) Whilst making this, I actually started thinking about who I was drawing, and I sort of came up with my first OC. 

 

Name: Coffee Shakes (even this name is probably already taken by somepony)

Occupation: Barista

Character traits: Jumpy, stressed out, panics easily, but still outgoing and friendly.

Cutie mark: Three coffee beans.

 

I even came up with a short backstory, but I will not bore you with that now.

So this actually fueled my creative juices, which is always refreshing.

 

I don't think there are any huge technical mistakes this time (?) so I'll skip that part of the post.

 

 

 

 

I will try to do this next time. I still feel that my lack of technical experience is holding creativity back a bit. Onwards!

 

XD  Our OC's couls almost be sisters!

 

 

Here's Jitter Bean, way back from last year.  She was my first OC.  I've redone her once in a headshot but I won't post that here.

[Hdc 155]

XD  Our OC's couls almost be sisters!

 

Here's Jitter Bean, way back from last year.  She was my first OC.  I've redone her once in a headshot but I won't post that here.

 

Well, there you go. It's pretty much impossible to be original with pony names.    Your pony's name has a better ring to it though.

 

Speaking of which:

 

I did not have much time tonight, but I had to do a drawing today, since I skipped yesterday. So tonight I tried to sketch quickly, without references or any guide circles or such. I had no real ideas though, so it's a simple Coffee Shakes-sketch again.

 

 

Once again, pretty happy with this. Biggest issue is probably that the body looks a bit too long. The style is a bit too "canon" perhaps, but if I keep drawing freely from now on it might develop a bit more naturally on its own. I am really happy with the nose this time, somehow it seems like it's always the small things that you notice the most when you draw. Some small detail can irk you to no end.

 

Now, I skipped a day again yesterday. I do not plan on turning this into "a pony every other day". So I better get my act together.

[Psych Ward 377]

Well, there you go. It's pretty much impossible to be original with pony names.    Your pony's name has a better ring to it though.

 

Speaking of which:

 

I did not have much time tonight, but I had to do a drawing today, since I skipped yesterday. So tonight I tried to sketch quickly, without references or any guide circles or such. I had no real ideas though, so it's a simple Coffee Shakes-sketch again.

 

2013-05-08.jpg

 

Once again, pretty happy with this. Biggest issue is probably that the body looks a bit too long. The style is a bit too "canon" perhaps, but if I keep drawing freely from now on it might develop a bit more naturally on its own. I am really happy with the nose this time, somehow it seems like it's always the small things that you notice the most when you draw. Some small detail can irk you to no end.

 

Now, I skipped a day again yesterday. I do not plan on turning this into "a pony every other day". So I better get my act together.

 

I wouldn't say the body is too long, but the legs are too skinny.  The body needs to be the same lenth as two heads and that looks about right.  The legs need to be a bit wider.

[Bugplayer 720]

All of your drawing are gorgeous! 

But hey! When I started drawing, I felt on a little tutorial of of to draw them, It helped me alot!

I would suggest you to take a look at this:

http://steffy-beff.deviantart.com/art/How-to-Draw-Ponies-MLP-Style-300674828

 

Can't wait to see more of your stuff 

[Hdc 155]

*sigh* 

 

Dear diary,

 

Tonight I actually had quite some time to do a drawing, but it just didn't work out. I started and screwed it up several times, so I erased everything and started over... and screwed it up again. I just don't know what went wrong.

So in the end I said "screw it" and put the drawing pad down for today.

I guess this is turning into "one pony every other day" after all...