Art critique thread (SFW)

And as a continuation the previous post, i have drawn more lanky hoerses
 

 
 
Basically trying to find the appropriate middle ground for maximum adorable because i find slightly hoers bodies cuter than totally show-accurate ones
 
Lanky horse and malfunctioning Maud for a side by side comparison of hoers-like and a more show-accurate body type:
 

 
^{The legs area all kinds of borked but you get the idea}
 
Thoughts?

@PaskaNaakka
 
On bottom right sketch, the left foreleg isn’t bending the right way.
 
I really feel you should play with and get a feel for FIM proportions before really experimenting. If you want to make the limbs longer then do a few studies on the alicorn princesses (not twilight) to get a better feeling for what is appealing when a FIM pony is more horse-like.
 

 
Alicorns:
 

@Post-it  

 
This i’m aware of, even said so in the post :V
 
I like to think i’ve got a reasonably good grasp of the FIM body shape, i’ve been drawing them for a while now. _{^{Not to mention looking at them almost every day for several years}}
 
Just to test that, here’s a quick sketch of RD and Flutters in dynamic poses ^tm. No erasing, no reference pictures.
 

 
If there are any glaring issues with the proportions or something, let me know.
 

 
 
I also had a good long session trying to refamiliarize myself with the fineries of equine leg anatomy after the shamefur dispray of the previous drawings.
 
To start with, a quick horse sketch from a photograph to get the general idea of the joints and so on  

 
Then a bunch of practice with legs and joints from different angles, and trying to reasonably fit them on a pone  

 
Full on hoers legs on pone:
 

 
And pone legs on hoers, just for a giggle:
 

 
And finally, a middle ground between hoers and pone, as presented by twalot. Compared to more show accurate proportions shown on the left, the head is smaller, the legs are thinner and longer (and have actual hooves), the body shape is slightly more horsey and less rubber duck-y, the muzzle is slightly more horselike but not quite as much as say, the alicorn princesses or the saddle arabians  

 
Wew, that’s a bunch of pics for one post

@PaskaNaakka  

 
My bad.
 
I recommend finding references for what you want out of your pone. If you have a favorite artist who does what you like then you could make a study out of a few of their works. I make studies all the time from other artists whom I like or if someone just makes a piece that I find interesting Ill make a study out of it. I try to figure out what I find appealing about what another artists does but also try to figure out what I don’t like about it. In a way your exploring your own psyche more than anything.
 

 
The above imagine, for example, is a study of another artist. I try to find out what makes their work appealing. I don’t claim them as my own. These aren’t the kind of shapes I’d use so I feel like I don’t really own them. In the end it was a good excuse to mess with color a little and to practice some basic shading.
 
I feel there’s this crippling taboo when it comes to using reference and I wish I knew where it stems from. It’s good to work from imagination but at the same time a person has to develop a standard for themselves so they’ll know what looks right and wrong immediately.

We still doing this?
 

I can post my recent practice.
 
I’ve been practicing full body more and more and trying to get a feel on how to distribute weight and balance.
 

 
Messing around with ear shapes and trying to really nail what I want out of my pony heads.
 

 
Any thoughts would be welcomed.

@Post-it  
Your Gilda is really cute, but I’ve never been totally sure about your muzzle style. Something softer would imply a more feminine form. Try drawing a stallion or a colt to experiment.

@Post-it  

 
Did a quick redraw of the pone for practice
 
You may want to tone down the butt a little, the rear half of the body looks way wider than the front  

 

 
Now, personally i think the biggest obstacle to my progress seems to be my inability to stay focused long enough to do anything more than quick pencil sketches. Lineart and colouring really test my patience for some reason. So i decided to practice just those. Still no tablet, so it took a bunch of mousework which killed my wrist. RIP wrist.
 
 
Also backgrounds. I must do backgrounds.
 
@Itsthinking  

 
Remember perspective, young padawan
 
Let the 3d flow thorugh you
 
May mspaint light your path:  

@PaskaNaakka  
Thank you. I knew something seemed off about that leg.

@Itsthinking  

 
I’ve never been sure about it either.
 
@PaskaNaakka
 
I’ve been messing around with body shapes too but thanks. If it doesn’t look appealing then its something that may not be working.
 
Also lining, coloring, and backgrounds are their own separate facets of fine arts. Dont feel pressured to jump into it. Some people study art their entire lives for that reason. Im prepared for a lifetime of this hobby.
 
Personally I’ve put color theory and backgrounds on the backburner but I’m in no hurry to learn either. I tend to keep things sketchy because lining requires time and its time I would rather spend diving into another study or sketch. I wouldn’t recommend it though since this is just my method. I find it odd that some artists dont know how to sketch at all.

Some quick lineart practice
 

 

I am practicing my human drawing
 
 
I can’t draw crossed arms to save my life T-T

 
What did I do wrong?

 
Working on a sketch of anthro genderbent Pipsqueak. Any suggestions?
 
(and no, removing the Van Halen logo and/or arm hooves doesn’t count, though minor changes to both are welcome)

@Kirb  
The head is way too small.
 
I’m a real amateur when it comes to anthro so I can’t really give anymore advice…

@Kirb
 
You should really get familiar with human anatomy before tackling any kind of pseudo-anthro characters. Figure and gesture drawing can go a long way along with human anatomy study. Gesture will make your poses less stiff and figure drawing will help with anatomy. Knowing how the underlying skeleton fits together while taking into account the superficial muscle groups are key to making your characters look more life-like.
 
I stress that it’s important to at least put some effort into learning anatomy, whether it be pony, horse, or human. It can really make your works come out a lot better. You don’t have to put a lot of time into it. I’d say at least take 15-30 minutes a day just studying some anatomy. Make it a daily thing and be consistent. It’s hard to see results right away but over time it adds up.

@Latios381  
Thanks for the advice, I’ll make the head about 10-20% larger than its current size.
 
@Post-it  
I’ve actually drawn a lot of anthro before now. I guess I’ve just gotten out of practice. (I’ve been sick lately and haven’t been in the mood to draw anything.)  
Regardless, thanks for your suggestion. I should get back into that habit.

@Kirb  
I’ll be blunt: you can draw full ponies pretty well, but your anthro needs more study of the human form. Maybe at least when you draw pony related stuff, keep it pony.

Posting some studies since I haven’t shared in a while. I’m really getting a feel for breaking down bodies using ellipses in perspective.
 

 

Why not? I am practicing my human drawings:  
 
 
And my ponies:  
 
 
How do they look?

@Post-it  
That is a really good practice to do. Really helps you visualize form. Meanwhile, I’m trying to break things down:
 

 
 
@megablaster7  
Can you draw me like, a page full of circles of varying sizes? And a few boxes?

@Itsthinking  
Ok then

@Itsthinking  
To be fair, I mostly only draw these pics because I can’t find anyone good who will do it for free. :P
 
Any thoughts on the concept itself?

I think I’ve spent too much time on portraits and not enough on bodies.