Zygen's Mare OC(Still yet to be named..)Art: To reference, or not to reference.

[Zygen 6,066]

Ok, so since its been a while nice i last drew something and posted it(not as long as before the last time i drew but still.) and because i have this weekend aswell as monday away from school i decided to draw some art last night.

 

However, i wasn't sure what to do, so i just started out at first by practicing with this tutorial a bit. 

 

 

Since this tutorial maker used reference lines, and recommended that others use them, i decided, eh why not. So at first I just started out drawing with my mouse on GIMP doing a black and white pony drawing for practicing proportions and seeing if reference lines helped.

 

Of course i eventually decided i'd use this practice as a way to draw more art for my mare oc(Still yet to be named i know lol, i'm getting there, if you wanna help go here http://mlpforums.com/topic/72020-poll-new-oc-need-help-narrowing-down-names/)

 

Anyways heres the art, so that way i can continue to ramble about it ;p.

 

 

So I drew all the reference lines(Except more crappy, since i kinda fail at making perfect circles. And had to try quite a few times to get them to a way i liked them.) and i basically followed the tutorial to be honest, minus the mane style being different, no wings, the muzzle(Well i sorta took the general idea.) the cutie mark, and the background. 

 

So yeah its a basic pose really, the most out there thing in there is the roses(yes those are really badly drawn roses) and the magic aura. Everything else is a standard pose pony, this was mostly for proportion practice, and seeing if reference lines helped me since i never used them before.

 

And did they? Well, i think that some helped yeah, especially on the head and body. The legs ones kinda confused more then helps honestly, but maybe its because i drew them crappy. 

 

But did they help, did they make me draw better?

 

Well thats up to you, compare any of my work i did in this, to any of my older stuff, and tell me.

 

And if anybody has any tips or uses references lines not used in this video they recommend feel free to tell me.

 

Hopefully with some more practice i can get a good proportioned pony and really start working on drawing different poses.(And just making her actually look adorable, instead of mostly souless xD.)

 

So tell me what you think! As always this was done in GIMP with a mouse, it took me about like 3 hours total i guess between watching the tutorial and the occasional forum posting and chating, aswell as of course the drawing.

 

I'm open to critique as always, aswell as tips, tricks, cookies,  or anything else you wanna offer.

 

Hopefully one day i'll be able to draw some cute shipping art of this OC and my Ponysona, aswell as making this Oc look adorable .

 

Later y'all! Thanks for taking the time to check this out!

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Fucking amazing for digital art, honestly even I can't do this shit man, make more !!! Seriously fucking amazing I'd rate this 9.87/100 good job !!

[Celtore 2,770]

Thanks for the link to the tutorial by the way, I'm trying to learn how to art as well.

 

I think it looks very good overall! I hope that this video can teach me to achieve the same results. I might suggest perhaps looking into inkscape or the bezier tool to get smoother lines, but I don't know if this is just your preferred style.

Edited September 1, 2013 by Celtore

[Blue Moon 6,345]

The flowers were actually drawn pretty well.

Anyway, you seem to be improving with the body, but the legs are a bit too long in this picture. Also, the forelegs look smaller than the backlegs. Another thing with the legs; they look a bit like sticks. 

 

 

As you can see, the forelegs kind of get thicker around the bottom of the leg for the hooves.

 

For the head; it's kind of squarish, and the eyes are too big. Also, the area right above the muzzle sticks out a bit. I have trouble with this part too (the head and muzzle are so hard to get right).

 

However, you did a pretty good job with the mane and tail, so good job there. Ignoring their size, the eyes are done pretty well, but the eyebrow is a bit too thick around the eyelashes. 

 

Good job with this drawing; you are definitely improving. Just keep studying the pony's proportions, and good luck with the rest of your drawings!

[Zygen 6,066]

Fucking amazing for digital art, honestly even I can't do this shit man, make more !!! Seriously fucking amazing I'd rate this 9.87/100 good job !!

O-o, thank you haha , i'm glad you think so highly of it.

 

Really considering how bad i was when i started i imagine anyone could do this haha, with some work i suppose. 

 

I plan to make more though, and practice some, i've just been quite busy so its hard to find time really. 

 

But thank you very much, means alot to know you like it so much .

 

Thanks for the link to the tutorial by the way, I'm trying to learn how to art as well.

 

I think it looks very good overall! I hope that this video can teach me to achieve the same results. I might suggest perhaps looking into inkscape or the bezier tool to get smoother lines, but I don't know if this is just your preferred style.

Well i put it there mostly for people to see what i was going off as a sort of reference, and see what reference lines i was drawing, but if you get something out of it then thats awesome .

 

And thank you , i found it pretty helpful, i think overall the reference lines helped me to be more accurate and not just rely on eyeing it quite as much. 

 

I'm not totally sure anything about Inkscape and vectors, i never understood it exactly and how it differes from making regular art, but maybe i'll check it out one day and see what happened.

 

Never used a bezier tool, i'm not even sure it exists in GIMP or not ;p.

 

I don't want to draw carbon copy show, no, i want to have a little bit of style, but i do want to improve to have good proportions and stuff, and just be better at art.

 

However i don't really want to do plain 100% show accurate stuff, sounds like it might get boring in some cases idk.

 

Maybe check it out sometime though, thank you for the compliments and suggestions! And good look on the road to becoming better at art! 

 

If you ever get discouraged, feel free to check my content and look back to my first art topic post.. If i can get here from that i'm pretty sure anyone can atleast draw halfway decentish like my stuff is ;p.

The flowers were actually drawn pretty well.

Anyway, you seem to be improving with the body, but the legs are a bit too long in this picture. Also, the forelegs look smaller than the backlegs. Another thing with the legs; they look a bit like sticks. 

 

 

As you can see, the forelegs kind of get thicker around the bottom of the leg for the hooves.

 

For the head; it's kind of squarish, and the eyes are too big. Also, the area right above the muzzle sticks out a bit. I have trouble with this part too (the head and muzzle are so hard to get right).

 

However, you did a pretty good job with the mane and tail, so good job there. Ignoring their size, the eyes are done pretty well, but the eyebrow is a bit too thick around the eyelashes. 

 

Good job with this drawing; you are definitely improving. Just keep studying the pony's proportions, and good luck with the rest of your drawings!

Eh, they're pretty low quality, but i suppose for a cartoon setting they work. I feel like they could've been a bit more consistent and smooth, dunno.

 

The body is probaly the biggest improvement, of course its still a bit messed up. I can even tell looking at it that the flank is big, but for some freaking reason the flank ALWAYS turns out big . 

 

I guess i like big flanks and i cannot lie ;p.

 

The legs being to long? Thats a new one xD. Oh me and my ability to over shoot things. Normally they're kinda on the short side, but i guess they did turn out a bit big.

 

I think part of the reason is i didn't curve them enough, and as for the back legs i think they might not have been curved enough either.

 

And yeah, i always screw that part of the forehooves up, i almost find the back hooves easier to do, which is weird.. Just because for some reason drawing that big part on the bottom of the forehooves is so. weird for me.

 

I think the square like part of it is due to me drawing the initial reference circle bad, then tracing over it, making it overall kinda a mess.. Plus for some reason making perfect circles is just impossible .

 

I tried taking the eyes up a bit in size since they always seemed a little on the small size, but its another case of over doing things.

 

And omg yeah, the head, and especially the muzzle are a nightmare , Probably the hardest part of the pony for me, or atleast up there. 

 

The mane and tail aren't to complex, and i feel they give a more freedom in them, since they're not stationed on joints like the body parts. They're just free flying hair/fur or whatever it is ;p. Therefore it just feels like its easier to draw and doesn't require as much being exact.

 

Eyebrows are sorta weird to draw for me, but i think i just used to big a brush size.

 

And thanks, glad to hear i'm atleast getting somewhere with the time spent on these. 

 

Might look over this video briefly a few more times when drawing ponies, or maybe just practicing with black and white pony drawings, maybe to work on proportions, i'll see.

 

And thanks!

 

Thanks for the critique aswell!

[Blue Moon 6,345]

 

 

And omg yeah, the head, and especially the muzzle are a nightmare , Probably the hardest part of the pony for me, or atleast up there. 

This.

 

 

Anyway, glad I could help, and good luck with any future drawings you do. Perhaps you could try to draw a profile view picture of a pony; I don't know if that would be any easier, but it may be, 

[Zygen 6,066]

This.

 

 

Anyway, glad I could help, and good luck with any future drawings you do. Perhaps you could try to draw a profile view picture of a pony; I don't know if that would be any easier, but it may be, 

Yeah... .

 

Thanks . And by profile view i assume you mean with the pony facing the screen? I could arrange that. Its actually a good idea, i haven't been totally sure what to draw, but i think i'll be doing some of that next.

 

Maybe i can use one as a new avvie, i thought about using this drawing as one, but seeing as my ponysona isn't in it, idk if i will.

 

Maybe i can draw and get one with them together .

 

And profile views(Assuming i know what i'm talking about), i find to be quicker atleast, the mane is a bit awkward to draw sometimes, but otherwise it does tend to be quicker to draw.

 

I dunno how much easier, i guess it feels easier, but i've only done a few, not sure how good they really are.

 

I'll try making some today sometime if i can remember to and have time.

[Blue Moon 6,345]

Yeah... .

 

Thanks . And by profile view i assume you mean with the pony facing the screen? I could arrange that. Its actually a good idea, i haven't been totally sure what to draw, but i think i'll be doing some of that next.

 

Maybe i can use one as a new avvie, i thought about using this drawing as one, but seeing as my ponysona isn't in it, idk if i will.

 

Maybe i can draw and get one with them together .

 

And profile views(Assuming i know what i'm talking about), i find to be quicker atleast, the mane is a bit awkward to draw sometimes, but otherwise it does tend to be quicker to draw.

 

I dunno how much easier, i guess it feels easier, but i've only done a few, not sure how good they really are.

 

I'll try making some today sometime if i can remember to and have time.

Yep, that's the profile view!

 

Anyway, I will agree with you on the mane; those things are hard to get right on profile view pictures. Profile view pictures are actually harder to me, and I always get the nose and mouth wrong. It's something I need practice in. 

If you end up doing that, good luck!

[Zygen 6,066]

Yep, that's the profile view!

 

Anyway, I will agree with you on the mane; those things are hard to get right on profile view pictures. Profile view pictures are actually harder to me, and I always get the nose and mouth wrong. It's something I need practice in. 

If you end up doing that, good luck!

Ok good, i atleast know what i'm talking about, and am not just totally confused and don't feel like a total idiot .

 

Yeah, i'm not terribly good at transfering things around to different perspectives, especially since i normally use references.

 

I don't do them much, but i guess i'll see how they turn out.

 

I do find they don't take as long generally though.

 

And thanks .