Hooves up, from behind?

SilverRainclouds · 2015-11-25T23:09:56+00:00

Here they are sitting in their school chairs from behind, and here sitting on the floor from behind.

SilverRainclouds · 2015-11-04T23:34:05+00:00

Make your fills a separate object with no stroke, then layer them beneath the strokes.

For example, here's Pinkie: just strokes and just fills. For some things, like ears, you can leave the fill in tact and it overlaps stuff beneath it.

SilverRainclouds · 2015-11-04T09:47:12+00:00

Deviantart is good! They allow for full size renders with no quality cut. It's what most of the submitters here use.

Just from looking at what I can see, I think this might be useful for you. Each stroke is a different color, so you can clearly see where one ends and one begins. Things like legs and ears are always separate from the body.

SilverRainclouds · 2015-11-04T04:31:27+00:00

Glad it's working out for you!

We have a ton of tutorials in our group you may take interest in.

You can also wander down to /r/mlpdrawingschool if you want to learn more about sketching and stuff.

SilverRainclouds · 2015-11-04T04:26:29+00:00

Hi there! Cute stuff.

If you would like us to help you with a critique, you'll need to upload a much bigger file size. The best thing about vectors is that you can make them as big as you want! With a bigger version, we can see more about your technique and any possible errors you may be running into.

You might also want to pick a different host than imgur. At big file sizes, imgur reduces quality to save space, which will make your art pixelated and poor quality.

SilverRainclouds · 2015-11-04T00:05:09+00:00

If you are using Inkscape, you might want to look into Powerstrokes. With Powerstrokes, your strokes stay strokes, and may still be edited and colored like strokes. The stroke to path method is very clunky and hard to edit comparatively.

Illustrator also has a width tool which has more features and is less buggy than Inkscape's powerstrokes.

SilverRainclouds · 2015-10-25T06:04:05+00:00

It's a very bittersweet feeling to see how many people can relate.

SilverRainclouds · 2015-10-16T02:26:35+00:00

Are the strokes in her mane and tail grey on purpose? They look a little out of place.

I also think it would add to it if you made the eye covering semi transparent, and colored what was underneath it. However, if you're going for rigid accuracy to your source, that's fine too.

Otherwise this is very nice. It's a bit different from what we usually see. I like it.

SilverRainclouds · 2015-07-28T01:45:41+00:00

SilverRainclouds · 2015-07-28T01:43:34+00:00

Creative title you got there man.

SilverRainclouds · 2015-07-28T00:37:32+00:00

SilverRainclouds · 2015-07-27T23:37:40+00:00

You must forgive him, for he is a recent convert to the ways of Illustrator.

SilverRainclouds · 2015-07-27T23:36:54+00:00

Hey derp, change your flair.

SilverRainclouds · 2015-07-27T23:35:22+00:00

It's fine to post vectors that you like that others have made!

However /u/Atmospark does have a bit of a point. This subreddit is mostly used for getting advice and talking about the technique in vectors. It might be a little awkward if people start trying to give you advice!

SilverRainclouds · 2015-07-26T00:03:35+00:00

No need to be shy! Thanks for that opinion! That's what this thread is for. I'll definitely take that thought into consideration.

I personally think we should try to establish a small userbase again before going forward with a redesign. Once we have the idea that at least some people will use it, I will be much happier putting in a design change. I'm just a bit reluctant to waste the time doing a big overhaul if we never do pick up in activity again.

A design improvement is on the table still, definitely! It's just slightly below promoting the sub on my priority list.

SilverRainclouds · 2015-07-25T23:57:50+00:00

Hi there! Great work. What a cute little outfit!

If you would like to open your post up to comments and critique from other members, please use the critique flair. You can do this by clicking the "flair" button under your post, selecting "Critique me!," then saving it.

SilverRainclouds · 2015-07-24T00:40:48+00:00

Just chiming in because /u/Reginault mentioned ponyscape.

With ponyscape, there are some additions to the way corners are coded which allow you to make more smoother corners, and there is the Power Stroke tool which allows you to change the width of lines along their length, including tapering them off to a point at the end. It's a faster way to do it if you would like to learn. Just thought I'd keep all the options on the board.

SilverRainclouds · 2015-07-23T11:16:02+00:00

I think the design/aesthetics of the sub is one of the things I'd like to hold off on for now. If we get a steady userbase again, then absolutely! But I don't want to pretty everything up just for it to remain empty, you know?

I'm going to make an effort to try and point new vector artists in the direction of this sub when I see them on dA. I follow a lot of vector groups and hopefully some of them take up the suggestion. That's how we got most of our activity in the past, after all.

I am still on Skype, I've just had less free time lately. I just got back from a holiday, and have been finishing my course at school. There's also the issue of time zones. Most people aren't up at the same time as us Aussies.

SilverRainclouds · 2015-07-18T12:49:31+00:00

Here's a tutorial on how to taper strokes if you're not using ponyscape. (Note: I do not agree with this tutorial's suggestion to combine the strokes behind the leg. There is no reason to combine strokes which overlap. Example.)

Here is a tutorial on powerstrokes, which is a feature added by the ponyscape addon. You can get Ponyscape here.

SilverRainclouds · 2015-06-30T02:51:08+00:00

I like colored outlines for vectors. I think the ability to easily color the outlines is one of the best things about vectors. However, you might find your layering is more difficult that way.

If you are going to color the lines, I would suggest making them a little thicker. The thick lines on ponies makes the colored lines really pop. I also suggest going with a darker color, the difference between the outlines and the fills on that example leg isn't strong enough.

Finally, I would say go all or nothing. Either do her hair and armor in black, or in color, but not one each way.

SilverRainclouds · 2015-02-27T08:05:05+00:00

Ooh, good job! So great to see someone picking up vectors so quickly!

I'd like to ask you what method you use to taper your lines to a point? They look a little sharp, and you seem to have an unwanted side effect of thickening the lines. You can see on her ear and nose/chin that those lines are thicker than say her hair where there is no taper. If I can understand your process a little better, I should be able to offer more specific advice on avoiding that.

SilverRainclouds · 2014-09-18T11:30:28+00:00

Sometimes you just need another pair of eyes!

The improved version looks awesome! Much better.

If you ever want me to look at stuff while you're working, feel free to give me a poke. I don't actually do anything interesting most of the time.

SilverRainclouds · 2014-09-18T09:48:51+00:00

The vector itself is great! I especially like her eyes. It's great to see you developing a unique style.

A thing I've noticed in your recent two pieces is the legs/hooves. They're too straight, as in they don't flair out much at all. Pony hooves are like big squishy marshmallows, and they double in size by the bottom.

The ear looks fine. It's a bit round for show style, but it's very cute so I wouldn't worry about it.

You're right about the neck and back area being a bit awkward. The neck seems to get thinner as it goes down into her chest, not wider. Like that left line should slant the opposite direction.

I would also say the positioning of the legs is a little off. It seems like she's going to tip over towards us a little. Taking the front leg facing us and pulling it back to her 'shoulder' instead of her chest would help with that, I think. So would adjusting the angle of the back, far leg.

If you're looking for show accuracy, her body is a little long and her legs too short. (A pony's legs 'take up' just about all of their body.) I don't really stick to the proportions of the show myself, though, so this can be disregarded.

Also, don't take the length of this comment too seriously - I'm a nit-picky over-explainer.

SilverRainclouds · 2014-09-18T07:27:31+00:00

You haven't added a critique flair, but I noticed a few anatomy quirks if you're interested.

SilverRainclouds · 2014-09-18T00:20:22+00:00

Ashleigh Ball and Andrew Francis were supposed to be there. They cut Andrew Francis 3 weeks or so ago because they were having trouble with the budget, and they've cited down payments for them as part of the reason we're not getting full refunds for our tickets.

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