Good morning all! After what has been ages, I've taken a small break from my regularly-scheduled commission work and done a few pieces of personal fanart, as well as another gift or two that I'm very happy to be able to share you all! It's been forever since I've had the occasion to make a post such as this, so without further ado, here they are~
First off is a doodle which has probably been a long time coming, and which I've mentioned wanting to do many times but just have never gotten around to: my first-ever fanart of Spitfire! I've been kicking around this idea for ages now but after a recent conversation on my previous post about said pony, and after learning that I'd missed my friend
Kateasaurus' birthday (she's a big fan of Spitfire) I decided there was no time like the present. Hopefully you enjoy her especially, Katie-dear, because she was made with you in mind and I wanted to do
something to make up for missing your birthday!
..Okay, I know what you all are probably thinking and really, I have no excuse for myself. But I
can say at least that I originally made the sketch of this picture months ago! This doodle is a reference to a line in a fanfiction,
Diamond in the Rough, that described Fluttershy "joylessly pounding down shot after shot like an old, bitter alcoholic". As out of character as it was I still found the mental image hilarious the first time I read the story, and told the author in my comments on the EqD thread that someday, I would make a fanart of the idea. Nearly six months later, I have at last.
D'aww, Twilight Sparkle can be so adorable when she wants to be. This picture was a definite quickie and was not inspired by anything in particular, just the result of some random sketching I did while working on my upcoming commissioned piece. She looked so cute that I decided to finish her, and I suppose more Twilight is always welcome by many of you besides.
Yes, once again I know what you all are thinking, but for once I have created a piece of Rarijack fanart for somebody other than myself! This picture was done as a birthday gift for a friend of mine, who happens to like this pairing about as much as I do and who I had discussed the idea of an artwork with, the end consensus being that an excessively adorable picture of Applejack and Rarity together was in order (hopefully I managed to achieve just that). Though I think it's pretty decidedly shippy, I suppose there's still enough wiggle-room in personal interpretations to imagine this as more of a friendshipping picture for those who are so inclined... in any case I only hope that you're happy with it dear friend of mine because that's all that matters to me. *^_^* Excessively adorable ponies~~
Well it's a relatively small offering of artworks for a Roundup this time around, and in all fairness a few of them are a step or two above many of my doodles, but I'm merely excited to get some personal artworks up again and am happy I was able to squeeze these out in the record time that I did. Coming up next is another commission, which if all goes according to plan I will be able to share with you all very soon. Until then, stay lovely dears~!
WD
22 comments:
Relatively small? Woaaah! While it's arguably been a long time since the last roundup (Hah!), the fact that we get four times the ponies compared to the last couple of posts... well, is highly appreciated.
1. That is some sleek Spitfire you got there. I'm sure Kate will be pleased to see this one. I also wonder how many of you keep track of birthdays - I know I can't!
P.S. is that Derpy in the background?
2. Teehee, more Fluttershy just after a marvellous Fluttershy episode. It's like the quasi-sequel to that Rarity commission you did for Pogosama so long ago. Loving that stoic expression of hers.
3. Twilight Sparkle, adorkable as always. All I can say is that this is adorable and well, it's her equivalent of Fluttershy's "Oh, my..."
4. Ah, Rarijack. It's kind of hard to escape the overbearing and overly cute pairing that is your speciality around here. A bit up close and personal, but I like to think that they've been taking pictures together at some kind of photo booth.
Aaaaggghhh so much art today... I'm afraid I can't do anything right now, I'm still facing culture shock from moving into my new dorm room, which isn't much...I'll post a picture soon. Cue the homesickness.
Also, campus's WiFi network is pretty questionable, so I may be gone for a long time. But I'll dash to Starbucks on the weekends if I have to!
I really appreciate what you did for Katie, because her birthday was exactly one month ago and yet you took the time to whip something up! I'm sure she'll love it, especially a lovely sunset picture like this!^^
I have to agree with zhoomcar that the Fluttershy picture really does look a great deal like that particular Rarity commission. Though admittedly, much grumpier and intimidating...=S
The Twilight and Rarijack pictures look pretty generic, so I'm not going to give any detailed commentary on them...however, I must say that it's a good effort and brilliant job as usual. I especially liked the lighting of the second picture, it gives me an idea if what I want to achieve. Maybe you could see if my next piece makes the cut?
Alright, I'll keep this comment short (as always), I'm feeling much too nauseous to go on...I'll be sure to let Katie know about this wonderful gift, if she hasn't discovered it herself first~!^_^
My reaction upon seeing this post.
I'm just utterly speechless! (It doesn't happen often, trust me.) Thank you so so SO much! It's just so GAH! AMAZING! (Insert fangirl squeal here)
On top of the amazingly awesome Spitfire picture, you have 3 more fabulous pieces as well! I'm going to have to stop myself before I gush all over the comment section with adjectives and exclamation points.
Thank you so much, Di! This was the best thing to wake up to this morning! ^_^
Yesssss. More Rarijack XD
A short comment just to let you know it's another great set of drawings from you. I know of two friends who will get great amusement from the Fluttershy and Spitfire pieces! Though that's quite an Applejack-esque pose Spitfire has; you just can't escape it, can you?
Once again, a beautiful and adorable set of work. You continue to inspire as always~
Yay! More art! What a pleasant way to start the day. All of them are quite charming, and you know I love these relaxed portraits from you.
Spitfire looks great... Confident and yet cute, showing there are successful non-saucy ways to approach the character. I really like the color palette here, with the gorgeous soft shifts of sunrise. (I'm going with sunrise... gotta hit those early practices.) My favorite part though is the subtle "Hey" she's doing with a wave of her hand-like wing. Very clever.
I admit, the Fluttershy one might be my favorite of the bunch due to the humor of it. You so perfectly captured that scene (yes, of course I've read that one.) She has that thousand-yard stare burning a hole in the back of the bar, and I've always loved the show's use of errant curls popping into manes to show building tension within a character. Really fun illustration!
Aw... Twilight's got her "realization" pupils at full effect, and the droopy ears and hair are quite adorable. You're entirely correct, more Twilight is never a bad thing. I swear the longer I stare into those reflections in her eyes, the more I actually see them trembling.
This one is the loveliest of the bunch... Soft, clean and overloaded with that charm that I associate with a White Diamonds drawing. I like the extreme intimate cropping of the picture, and while I think most will instantly see the shipping, imagining a simple arm around Rarity off frame makes this one of AJ pulling her in for a friendly hug. As always, you've done a great job on using the shading to define their features, and in a variety of ways from the smoother manes to the velvety coats. Again, this kind of work from you just feels warm, cozy and happy... and what more could one want from ponies?
Great job!
A quartet of "doodles?" The fun has been ... ahem, er, anyway, these are wonderful.
I can only speak for myself, but one of the things that originally drew me to your art is your effortless control over light and volume. Your Spitfire piece showcases both of these really well. I'll take the opposite approach of Harwick and say this an evening portrait, if only because Spitfire looks happy and relaxed, and the old sailing maxim is "red sky at night, sailor's delight; red sky at morning, sailors take warning," because, I understand, red skies in the morning herald approaching storms. Setting aside the fact that pegasi control their own weather, she would probably have other things on her mind if she was going to be on serious weather duty later that day. Anyway, the light is beautiful, and her mane looks luxuriant and textural. My favorite thing are the goggles, with which you did a superb job.
Fluttershots! I love her! One of the satisfying things about having hooves must be the sound they make when pounding on a bar. "Another round!" Her frazzled mane and red nose are wonderful, and she is staring with that single-minded focus that drunks have, that sees everything and nothing at the same time. I have a feeling that if you gave her a slight push she would topple over backward without much resistance. This makes me want to read that story.
Enigma Sparkle. Is she sad? Surprised? Offended? Heartbroken? Apologetic? Flabbergasted? I have no idea, but I REALLY like her mane!
Last, but certainly not least, you've left us with one of my favorite Rarijack pieces yet. To me, this one actually doesn't look as "shippy" as some of your other works, because there are simply so many possibilities as to what is just outside the frame. Hoof placement is everything! Actually, I think this is my favorite Applejack I've ever seen from you. The illusion of depth on her hair is absolutely perfect. I feel like I could reach into my monitor and brush her mane. The more I look at this, the more I love it. It's a perfect example of everything I adore about your art.
These pieces make me smile. If little girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice, then these drawings are made of apples, sweet stuff, and marshmallow fluff.
It's most definitely time for me to be going to bed, but I wanted to at least leave a quick comment on these newest posted drawings. As usual, they're all terrific.
There's been a lot of excellent Spitfire artwork over the past year, and this portrait ranks with the best. As the others have mentioned, the warm sunset colors really add a lot to the image; her pose and expression are also just perfect: relaxed, friendly, confident. I'm guessing the higher pegasus in the background is Soarin', but I'm not sure about the other; is it Derpy, as zhoomcar guessed?
That Fluttershy portrait is definitely wildly out of character, but it's also just plain funny. You've really captured the "bitter alcoholic" feel with her expression, her posture, and they way she has a hoof slammed down on the bar, and yet, being Fluttershy, she can't help but be cute anyway.
The Twilight portrait is basic but utterly charming; the way her eyes, mane, and raised hoof are drawn, she looks like she's just discovered or remembered something embarrassing.
As others have mentioned, I think it's perfectly reasonable to read the Rarijack drawing as either romantic shipping or friendshipping; I find it easy to imagine this being the moment that Rarity has finally managed to cheer up a formerly-glum Applejack. Their closeness and gentle smiles clearly convey their mutual affection, while allowing the viewer to interpret the nature of that affection.
As always, each of your drawings is full of life and character, with lovely color. I'm especially glad to see you doing some art just for yourself in this roundup. Thanks for sharing these!
@zhoomcar
Well, by relatively small I meant compared to my other doodle-roundups (I like to try and do a minimum of five), but again I was only happy to be able to squeeze in doing a little personal artwork, and was not about to hold out for when I'd be able to finish a fifth piece. Because who knows when that would have been.
But anyway, thank you so very much for your kind praise of the pieces, dearie! I'm so happy to hear that you like them all! ^.^ In answer to your questions I only found out about Katie's birthday after the fact, courtesy of CaineScroll (and hence the reason I did not have a piece of artwork made for her in time, though hopefully this makes up for that at least somewhat!), and a mutual friend was kind enough to give me a heads-up on Harwick's. And yes I might have been thinking of Derpy when I drew that second pegasus silhouette in the Spitfire picture; the other was meant to resemble Soarin' if it was not discernible.
I'm glad that you enjoyed the other pictures as well, and yes I know I do draw a great deal of Rarijack (though after thinking on the matter further I realized my last picture of them was Baff's commission, and before that it was one back in December. So I guess it isn't so bad!). I was initially worrying a bit about the close cropping on that picture but as Harwick picked up on, I was going for something a little different in mood, and hopefully people agree it wasn't a bad decision.
Thanks so much again for all the feedback; it's much appreciated as always~!
@Kein
Good evening dear! Well you are quite correct and to date, I haven't drawn Princess Celestia or Luna... it's not that I dislike either one of them but I'll admit that as of yet, I haven't been inspired to do any fanart of them. Unless it's a commissioned artwork (or a gift) I tend to just doodle whatever little silly ideas pop into my head and usually those consist of scenes involving the Mane 6... perhaps eventually I'll get around to drawing one or both of them though.
As always, I thank you very much for your interest in my work. ^_^
@CaineScroll
Dearest, you've gone and moved into your dorm already? I had no idea that was something that was taking place any time soon! I'm sorry to hear that it hasn't been an entirely enjoyable experience so far, but hopefully once you get a little more settled it will be better, and in any case that's terrible exciting for you isn't it? ^.^
Thank you for your commentary on the pictures! Honestly I'm surprised that you and zhoomcar both have drawn comparisons to my 30s Rarity commission with the Fluttershy piece, because I personally don't feel they have a whole lot in common other than they feature ponies with alcohol (well obviously. Though I guess what I meant is I feel the mood and stories behind each respective picture could not be more different, and in fact I'd say Fluttershy was more akin to this). The Rarijack, again was something of a requested scene (not that I wasn't perfectly happy to draw it), and as Twilight came about as a result of my aimlessly doodling while I took a "break" from working on my upcoming commission, I'm only glad she came out as nicely as she did. I make the doodles for fun more than anything, of course.
And lastly, of course I must offer you my most sincere thanks for your sweet words regarding the Spitfire picture, as well again for letting me know about Katie's birthday at all. I'm only sorry I missed the actual event but hopefully she enjoys the gift all the same. ^_^
@Kateasaurus
Yay! There you are darling, I am SO incredibly happy to hear that you liked the picture! To be honest I have been thinking about making something for you for a while now, but after hearing I'd missed your birthday I knew I had to do something as soon as possible, commissions or no. And you were quite correct about Spitfire in that recent conversation we all had; the poor girl really does need more representation in non-saucy fanarts, so I wanted to do my part to remedy the situation!
You are very welcome for the picture, and indeed there's no need to thank me at all; I'm only thrilled to hear that you like her. ^_^ Thank you also for the kind words about the other pictures, as well... if I can make your morning better at all thanks to some simple pony-fanart, that's a wonderful thing indeed!
@TheBaffMan
*politely feminine brohoof* You know I'm happy to do my part, my friend. Always a pleasure~! <3
And short or no, thank you so very much for taking the time to leave your thoughts! It's funny that you mention the Spitfire pose, because honestly (after I finished the picture, of course) I thought exactly the same thing, and realized it was probably because of the way that Spitfire is standing with one front leg crossed over the other. Applejack's signature pose, indeed. But it was not at all an intentional thing and I'd actually sketched several different poses of Spitfire before deciding to finish that one, of all of them... ah well though!
In any case thank you again for taking the time to comment, and I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the selection. More artwork to come soon enough, I hope! *^_^*
@Harwick
Oh Harwick darling, I so ADORE your posts! Because once again you have managed to pick up on exactly what I was going for with each of these pictures and that is so incredibly gratifying for me to hear!
I'm glad you like the colors in the Spitfire picture because I actually went back and added a lot more red and purple shades in, after deciding it looked too one-dimensional otherwise. And while I originally intended for it to be sunset, you present a very valid point (you can tell I've never given much thought to the notion of early morning athletic training sessions) about why sunrise might make more sense. It's a good thing that it's easy enough to leave that matter up to personal interpretation!
I'm glad you enjoy Fluttershy because honestly, I had far too much fun making that picture, and "realization pupils", exactly! That is indeed exactly what I was thinking of; I imagine that somebody just gave Twilight a piece of bad news or made some sort of snarky comment that landed a little too close to home, and this is the reaction seen a mere moment later. I'm glad that you at least enjoy her because I certainly thought of you when I was working on her.
Lastly regarding the Rarijack, as I said you touched on exactly what I was going for and I can hardly express enough how much I appreciate hearing that. Especially because I was wondering if the close cropping of the image was really the right choice. I wanted to do something a little bit different with this picture though and as you say, figured it was the best way to make for a more intimate scene... I'm so happy you like it! *^_^*
Again, I value your feedback immensely and it's always a delight to read your comments, thank you so much my friend!
@PonydoraPrancypants
Ponydora, my most esteemed friend! Such an unexpected delight to see you commenting on my most recent selection~! =^.^=
I am so immensely pleased to hear that you like the pictures, though while I appreciate the generous praise I have to wonder if you do not give me more credit than I might deserve. While I very, very much value the skillful application of proper color and lighting in a piece I don't know that I'd say my control over said elements is effortless; I only wish that it was honestly! In truth I am always striving to better myself in this arena but if you think the attempts were convincing, and tasteful in the Spitfire picture I can only offer my most sincere thanks... even though you're always saying you're not an artist you nevertheless possess a fine aesthetic sense, of course, and the compliments are much appreciated.
"Fluttershots", bwahaha. I know I probably ought to be ashamed of myself for drawing such a thing but again, that line always stuck with me and I had told AbsoluteAnonymous (the author) that I would like to illustrate the scene someday (oh, and that story is not bad at all by the way, though it's a relatively short oneshot and if you were not able to deduce by the title alone it's a Rarijack. Which you also probably could have guessed seeing as how the author used my fanart for the cover art). I'm so glad you feel that I did a good job with her expression, body language and such because of course, those are all things that I value highly.
The Twilight picture could probably be determined to be the first four all at once, honestly, though I had no definitive backstory in mind that led up to the image, and in regards to the last picture I can only say I'm very surprised you like it so much! As well as feel that it doesn't have to be as decidedly shippy as I was originally thinking. I guess you and Harwick are right in that hoof placement/body language/etc. really can make all the difference in the world, but regardless of romantic content I'm just glad you enjoyed the artwork. As well as consider Applejack's mane to look delightfully brushable (she really does have a great mane doesn't she? I know I can't possibly be the only person who thinks so).
Apples, sweet stuff and marshmallow fluff... you are now beginning to name some of my many weaknesses one by one. ^_~ Thank you so much for leaving me such lovely feedback as always, because I hope you know it means a great deal to me!
@jodyjm13
Dearest Jody! As always it's such a welcome pleasure to see you commenting on my blog. ^.^ Especially seeing as how it's especially late where you are and you're doubtless tired... I really do thank you for taking the time to comment on my latest despite these things.
I'm so happy to hear that you like all of the pieces. Your comments on my Spitfire image contain some pretty high praise indeed, and as with the others I'm just thrilled that you like the colors, since I really wanted to create a warm, rich setting for Spitfire that would compliment her equally warm and rich color scheme and personality. You have guessed right and I did intend the upper pegasus to be Soarin' (I'm not sure if you noticed, but if you look closely enough you can see the reflection of the pink sky on his goggles), and yes as I said to zhoomcar the bottom was intended to be Derpy, though such a thing wasn't really made clear and mostly, was done for my own personal amusement.
I'm glad you also enjoyed the drunken Fluttershy picture and found her entertaining, despite the fact that such a thing is so out of character, and again (as with Harwick, as you are also wont to do) you touched on exactly what I was going for in the image with her looking appropriately bitter and haggard, while still remaining humorous and cute for how inappropriate her behavior is. The fact that you like the Twilight picture is of course a welcome thing to hear (I always think of you whenever I draw her, as well), and I'm thrilled that you approve of the Rarijack and also feel that it's easy enough to interpret it however one might wish. And in fact, I have to say that I really like your proposed little scenario that might have led up to the scene (it makes so much sense with Applejack's ears being the way that they are, why didn't I think of that myself? Or maybe I did and I just didn't realize it...), and in fact that shall now be my own personal headcanon-backstory about what transpired before the events of the picture. Huzzah.
Oh and lastly of course, I really must thank you for not only praising my work and self, but also for so graciously encouraging me to devote a little time to making some personal artwork in addition to a pair of long-overdue gifts. You know what I mean. I really do appreciate it immensely, and as I said above Commission #8 should hopefully be forthcoming in the very near future. ^_~
Hmph. Of course, since I only have time to comment now, everyone else has already said anything that I could have. Such is the plight of the last commenter, I suppose.
"I've been kicking around this idea for ages now but after a recent conversation on my previous post about said pony, and after learning that I'd missed my friend Kateasaurus' birthday"
Not to mention her appearance in the latest episode...we really have gotten a lot of Spitfire lately, haven't we? Since I have been calling for it myself, I can't complain a bit.
I'm trying not to take credit for others' observations, but I will say that I also agree with Harwick; the use of color in the first picture really makes it more eye-catching. Along with the background, it helps to put you in the scene. When I see those bright oranges in the sky, it feels like I see bright orange clouds all around. I would expect nothing less dramatic from a pony like her.
It is funny to see Fluttershy all dressed up for the Gala, flowers in hair while she instead spends her time in a bar to herself. I have not read the story to know more about the context, but it seems she did not have an exactly dreamlike Best Night Ever. In fact, she looks as if she was the bride in a disastrous wedding. If the garden animals will not be her little friends, she will have to improvise.
Your previous responses remind me of how many "Twilights" we really have here. Does one Rarity naturally attract hordes of Twilights? The shippers must be informed. Her hair is droopy, making contrast to her stiff and pointy horn. Twilight looks troubled about something, but not something that she has had the chance to think over. There is so much emotion in that expression. Instead of questioning what could have caused such feelings, I find that I immerse myself in them to relate to the situation from what we know about it. This drawing is not about treating Twilight cruelly and feeling sorry for her from distance. What happened has already occured, and the most we can do is take in the moment and what she feels during it.
This might be the first close-up drawing we have seen from you. The proximity to the camera makes the mood more personal, and leaves more room for fine details. Applejack's hair (specifically the top part) is likely the deepest, most realistic rendering of any drawing you have made and shown us here (and subsequently, of any drawn MLP fanart I have ever seen). Rarity's expression looks much like one I might imagine you having. Even when Applejack's eyes are so smooth and relaxed, Rarity cannot help but use her eyebrows to express her less simple feelings, as is the norm for your depictions of her. The shading you used to show shape and form here is masterful. It looks like it went halfway between "doodle" and "commissioned painting" as your commission did, but in an almost entirely different way. I expect that it was due to the fact that this was a gift. You never do let your quality decline. Overall, this makes for quite an intimate scene.
I will avoid getting into emotional analysis, as clearly I am very late for that... It must be great to have a friend like you, so willing to put forth some time and effort to make something for someone else. It must also be great to be that artist, and have the ability to make all of your friends happy simply by doing what you enjoy. If only we were more an art community than an artist fandom; we could all devote artwork to eachother, and we would think nothing of it. Alas, there is a distinct lack of ability and time for each of us. At least we can be grateful that we went through a whole birthday entry without anyone announcing their own date of birth and crossing their fingers.
I don't think I'll get used to this fast pace in productivity, but I'm sure I'll enjoy it more that way.
they're all so cute! my favorite is fluttershy though.
Alright, this is awesome. I'm gonna follow this blog thing, and congrats- you are my first besides Equestria Daily which doesn't really count. Plus you made fanart for one of my favorite authors(AA :D).
I was wondering, since you seem to do commissions based on your other posts, if you could do one for me. I can't seem to find your email, and I don't know what your asking price is, but I'd really like something that shines like the rest of your awesome drawings.
Thanks,
B_C
@Anon
Dearest! I really hope you won't trouble yourself over being "late" in your comments, nor should you worry that you have nothing to add after everyone else has shared their thoughts; I honestly think your reply was one of the more insightful and well-written that I've received.
First off, of course thank you very much for all of your kind praise of my work! You already know that I appreciate it and am very happy to hear that you liked them all. ^_^ I really enjoyed reading everything that you had to say about each piece and in particular, your thoughts on Twilight and the Applejack/Rarity pictures. Because knowingly or not, you picked up on much of what I think about when I'm in the process of creating these pictures. It's kind of funny to me that you mentioned Rarity's expression being one you could imagine me having, because in actuality, that might not be too far from the truth... **blush** Or at least I should say it would be the same if she is feeling what *I* know I would be feeling in the same sort of circumstances. It goes back to what I've touched on before, in that I really think the key to doing successful character artwork/portraits/etc. is to be able to put yourself in a character or subject's place and imagine what they must be thinking and feeling, and then channel those impressions directly into the work as you're creating it. You very much have to put a bit of yourself into the work, imagine your subject as an actual thinking being with feelings of their own, and be good enough at reading body language and such to be able to do this effectively. I guess in other words, you have to be good at acting through a character. Perhaps only because I seem to be skilled at reading people in actuality, and have a very vivid imagination I've always placed particular emphasis on this in my artwork and value it in others' in turn.
Otherwise, many points of your post entertained me and made me laugh ("the shippers must be informed"), and yes that whole Fluttershy scene was way too ridiculously entertaining... if you have the occasion I really would recommend your reading that story, or the beginning at least so that you can see where I gleaned my inspiration from (and as I said to Ponydora above it's a relatively short oneshot so shouldn't take too long to read if you were interested. It also happens to be one of my favorite Rarijacks as, no surprise, it was written by the same author whose story Favo recently linked me to on the other thread and I think she writes the pairing very well).
Thank you so much again for all of your kind words dearie, and I hope you know it is my pleasure to be able to bring others happiness through doing what I enjoy. Which also, I hope goes without saying, includes you as well. ^_~
@TomTheRock
Hello there dear, long time to see! Thank you very much and I'm so happy you enjoyed all the offerings this time around! Fluttershy does seem to be my most popular piece out of this bunch (or going by the Tumblr/Reddit/Ponibooru reception, anyway), and as I said above I had a tremendous amount of guilty pleasure working on her... ridiculous as the idea is, it's just too funny not to love I think.
@Bellum_Civille
Well hello there! Thank you so very much for your generous praise of my pony-art, as well as for the follow as I sincerely appreciate both! I will agree that I'm a fan of AbsoluteAnonymous' work (you don't happen to know her do you? Because I'd like to let her know about my little tribute to "Diamond in the Rough", though I suppose I could just make a FIMfiction account as I've been considering doing anyway). I recently read "The Games We Play" and found it to be an excellent character study and a very enjoyable read.
I must thank you also for your interest in my work, and in answer to your question yes I would certainly be willing to discuss the possibility of doing a commissioned piece for you. The only potential issue is that at this point, I'm a little backed up with similar projects but depending on what it is you had in mind, I might be able to squeeze something in in the relatively near future. If you like I hope you'll feel free to contact me at fabulous.gaijin@yahoo.com, and we can discuss the matter further from there!
Thank you once again for taking the time to leave a comment and for your interest; it means a lot to me!
@WhiteDiamonds
I took a moment to read "Diamond in the Rough," which is, as promised, quite brief. I recognized the author as the same author who penned "Home Grown," which is a great short story that is both touching and believable - and my favorite "Rarijack" story. "Diamond in the Rough" is perhaps just a little light and saccharine for my taste, but then again I do bring a healthy amount of skepticism for intra-Mane 6 shipping to the table. There are certain visuals in the story that are great, and you picked one of them for the drawing above.
I still can't get over how much I love this Rarity and AJ drawing. I hesitate to say, because there might be something else out there that I should know about, but I do believe that this is my favorite Applejack ever. I feel like hugging someone just looking at this piece.
@PonydoraPrancypants
Oh, and I feel like hugging you for saying something so incredibly generous and lovely to me! Thank you! =^.^=
And heh, it's funny that you say that about "Diamond in the Rough" because right after I posted my reply to Anon I went back and reread the story (it had been several months since I read it last... in fact when I wrote my comments to AA on the EqD thread and promised a drunken Fluttershy fanart, it might have been the last time). I'll confess that it wasn't quite as good as I remembered it being but I guess that just goes to show what my standards were given the other Rarijack stories I'd previously read. It's really a shame that I'm not very confident in my own writing because if I was, I doubtless would have tried my hand at writing my own fanfiction for the two of them; Goddess knows I've devoted enough thought to the matter of how and why the pairing could work, anyway.
I hope nobody thinks (and AbsoluteAnonymous none the least if she somehow chanced to read this) that my above sentiments mean I retract what I said about the story being well-written, just that you're absolutely correct about it paling in comparison to her more recent work "Home Grown". It really goes to show how much she's grown as an author in a relatively short amount of time. Especially considering that apparently, she's only sixteen years old... I really think her writing shows a great deal of maturity and introspection considering that fact.
@WhiteDiamonds
Apparently, she already knows.
It was actually my assumption that they were your intentions, and I commend you for them. Your artwork expresses emotion unlike most any other I have seen on EQD. You utilize visual art to say much with no words. I have always thought that I could show complex emotion in a character the same way (hence why I speak so much of silent comics), but of course, I haven't had the chance to draw anything with any sort of emotion to express. I also tend to think that I have a vivid imagination (if you hadn't already realised, with my constant lifelong dreaming), and I hope I will prove it once I can start making completed pictures. I'm afraid that even then, though, I could never meet your standard of drawings per roundup. Maybe it's just because I don't tend to have ideas for small "doodles", but certainly my inexperience makes your standard sound impossible. It could stretch out each entry for months. (I wonder, how long does it usually take for you to finish a doodle, any time spent paper sketching included? I was also wondering, did you use anything more than the Marker tool for any of these? I guess you had the brush on a small size to keep everything so smooth and add so much detail? I'm finding that the Marker does not put full color down, even with Density at maximum. I'm thinking that the Pen/Pencil tool would be easier for smooth, black parts like eyelashes, but you seem to be able to draw in full black with the Marker.) Your skills (Is WhiteDiamonds practicing analysis? *gasp*) would be tested against me. I have but two facial expressions: Poker face, and unamused poker face. I would rather think that this does not impair my ability to show others' emotions, though the characters' expressions usually are whatever first comes to mind for you. The reason why I don't tend to express emotion is not because I don't know how to (they're only words, after all), but I second-guess myself and how I feel about something too much and decide that it would be safer to say nothing. You, on the other hand, are clearly a very expressive person, but your artwork has many subtleties that make them more believable than any poker face or smiley face. We can understand what the characters are feeling because this is not how a cartoon character shows emotion. This is how real people show emotion. I am reminded of how your mother always told you that you should be an actress...and now, you are one. (Or a director, perhaps.)
I think that 16 years old is older than you think. It's just that the majority do not act their age, which makes us all look bad. Really, at this point, age shouldn't make a difference in writing ability. It just depends on fluency and personal skill. (AA's profile led me to a Rarijack group, but it seems that she writes a bit more than just shipping.) I know that you have no time for such a thing, but creative writing is an art. Like drawing, it takes practice (unless you're like me, and you are too stubborn to practice) and the observation to learn from the work of others. If you did, then I'm sure many of your followers would read it...so maybe it would be best to do so under a pen name (a fancy way of saying "with another account"). Unless, of course, we recognise you by your graceful writing style. It seems you have no luck in this situation. Still, I'm sure I would be tempted to try it if I didn't have easier options like visual art to work with instead.
@WhiteDiamonds
Yes, I've moved into my dorm, and I finally got my internet connection up and running tonight! Everything's still a little alien to me, to be honest, but I'm sure the feeling will disappear over time.
I think that the fact that those two pictures both feature ponies and alcohol alone is enough to form a resemblance in any case...that, plus the dark background along with the somewhat ominous aura present in both of them (though for completely different reasons), it's actually pretty easy to see why zhoomcar and I would jump to that particular conclusion.
Really, the more Rarijack you draw, the more compelled I am to actually make a picture of it...however, I have a bunch of projects (not commissions, though I may be reopening soon) lined up so it might be a while until I finally make one. I am, however, looking forward to the moment!
As for Katie's birthday, it's no big problem. Always happy to help a friend! =D
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