Helloagain, good mares and gentlecolts! I apologize for my long pause in postingthese interviews, for which I have no good reason. However, they are still verymuch a thing!
Today weare having a good chat about art and ponies with dm29. You likely know him fromthe comics he makes, as well as from the fairly distinct vector artstyle he hasand for the fact that his ponies normally end up sillycute and adorable as allget-out. I had many things I wanted to ask him about, and he has graciouslyanswered my questions. Look below the break to see what he has to say about doodlinghabits, facial features, ships and prestige classes!
For starters, how did you get into making artwork to begin with, and howhas it been going for you since? I've been into little drawings and then fanartbefore I discovered vector art. I only picked that up in design school. Beforeponies, I was into Sonic the Hedgehog and the Powerpuff Girls. MLP artworkbecame an outlet of expression, more commonly for putting the characters insituations impossible for the show's young audience (not that kind ofsituations!). I don't remember how it caught on, buteventually I guess people saw my work. I think it was "Internet isTraumatic" that fired it off. It had a message, an impossible situationand humour. I'm still amazed I'm actually here where I am today. I was never expectingmuch of my art when I began. How did you discover and get into ponydom?What are the things that made you like pony and even make fanart of it?
I got my first tablet over a decade ago,before I knew about vector art. I'm a doodler, especially in school, so it wasa bad habit. Then I made the habit into something useful and only on my freetime. I used to pen a webcomic, but that has been on hold for the longest time.Vector art is just so much cleaner than lining on Photoshop, which is alsopartially due to my inability to actually draw well.
The second thing was Twilight Sparkle on thefirst episode. A voice like that would be Tara Strong. And then the openingcredits dropped Lauren Faust's name, whom I know did stuff with her spouseCraig McCracken, and I was immediately pulled in. The messages and thecharacters came later, after a few episodes, and I decided this show wasn't badcompared to its other generations. And I went on from there.
I got into MLP: FIM discovering it on YouTube by chance, back in May 2011.You don't commonly see full episodes of protected shows on there, so itsavailability there helped the fan numbers grow. I've always enjoyed Flashanimation for its sharp lines, the same ones in vector graphics, so it clicked.But I didn't start art until December that year.
Do you have any artists or artstyles you consider an inspiration for yourself?If yes, can you name any?
Otherwise, my artstyle tends to stick to nearshow-accuracy, so I guess it was the episodes that did it. I've been told Ideviated from this "style" that I've somehow made my own personalstyle. I do like the works as shown on the IDWcomics, though. Andy Price's stuff is killer. Outside of writing, Katie Cookhas some extremely adorable artwork and styles, too. What are the works that you are most proudof, so far?
Well, there's just so many I enjoy but I cannot specifically name because Idon't really reach out. But the bigger names like Pixelkitties in the samemedium as me is a must to shoutout. I admire the complexity she puts in herstuff. Other people include those responsible for my favourite characters inart, like Sketchit26's Teen Cadance and Shining Armor over on tumblr.
There's also that phony " Gathering all the characters in my repertoirefor a Holiday compilation is also fun to do, like last year's
Two Equestria Girls-related pieces with the Main Six. The originalLife in Canterlot High pony companion one, and theSlumber Party onecelebrating Rainbow Rocks.
What do you like the most about drawingponies?
Adding to that, I like the audience I get withmy comics, which brings back the joy of being able to spread around humour likewhen I did with my non-pony webcomic. You have a special style that is somehowunmistakable due to your specific take on features, above all your trademark“small mouths” but also the proportions and the posing of limbs and heads. Fromlooking at your past works, it seems to have evolved directly from the pointwhere you started. How did you come to develop this style to begin with, andwhat influences how it evolves?
The ability to put ponies together however I want, away with theconsequences. Self-expression. A distraction. Cute, amorous, adorable,heartwarming and humourous situations. The temperature dips and rises soquickly when ideas come in.
I gotta say that referencing the ponies on theshow, the way they are animated and coloured was how I began. I did models outof the characters, and layered the hooves, face, mane and body as I'd imaginethey would rendered in Flash. Specifically with Twilight Sparkle first. Icreated the first wonky-looking model and released it as an Illustrator test.
As for the smallmouths thing, it has been completely involuntary. I've had small mouths for thelongest time. My webcomic characters had that.
And I think I left it in future ponies because... anime, I guess. Big eyes,small mouths. I also keep it that way to portray the level of expression, likehappiness, disappointment, anger or sadness. You have a selection of characters that youtend to draw the most, such as Cadance, Shining, Twilight and Flash Sentry, aswell as Rainbow Dash and Soarin'. For all intents and purposes, I consider themyour favourite characters to depict. How did you come to like them the most assubjects of your artwork? Which of them do you like to draw the most of all,and why? I love the Shining Armor character because hewas portrayed as an endearing bigger brother. Without any real friends,Twilight Sparkle's days in Canterlot was probably only fun with Shining Armor,and Princess Cadance as the foalsitter. The same thing happened with Twilight andFlash. Studious as she is, I wanted a time to come where she had a stallion inher life. Unfortunately, canon Flash, pony and human, was no more than thecastle pillar he was and a clichéd tap-water hero. So I know what people aretalking about when they treat Flash badly. It's probably the thing with canon ships andpairings. With some exceptions, like FlutterMac and Spike X Sweetie Belle. One of the most frequent themes of yourworks is shipping, particularly two specific pairs: Cadance and Shining Armorand Twilight and Flash Sentry, as well as the occasional RD and Soarin'. Now,shipping can be a divisive thing, and people tend to have different takes onit, so I want to take the opportunity and ask you – what’s your take onshipping in general? Now, the more specific questions – what areyour views on Cadance and Shining Armor as characters, as well as theirrelationship? What inspires you to dedicate so much of your art to the two?
Probably because I like Twilight Sparkle andthe immediate ponies around her, which for some reason isn't the rest of theMane Six. I actually had just enough time to vector the Mane Six before TheCanterlot Wedding, when Shining Armor came along.
If you like a particular ship, canon or not,it's yours to enjoy. Ships and pairings are about love and friendship. Ihaven't drew as much flack having Flash and Twilight as I did for Cadance andShining Armor. I don't ship the pair to annoy, I do it because I see potentialin the two.
Shining Armor is a loving stallion who watches out forTwilight and Cadance. He puts himself on the frontlines in the eye of fear,worthy of his position as Captain.Princess Cadance has gotten more screentime than Shining Armor so I stick to her canonical character, adding a morepowerful groove towards the part of her that lives on the power of love. Butthese are just the way I see the two.
The pair got theirlove story told in comic form. And I loved that to bits. I'm currently planninga second illustrated short story involving the two and I like coming up withnew ideas for the royal couple loving antics.
The other ship you often draw that I wouldlike to hear your take on is the one between Flash Sentry and Twilight Sparkle.With how acutely some seemed to react to it in the past (and even now), it’d beespecially interesting to hear your reasoning as to what drove you to adopt itas one of your most frequently seen ones. Could you share it with us?
Flash and Twilight was to me the same effect ShiningArmor had on her. Like a brother, a proper love interest was the other thing Iwanted to see the character grow into.
But like I mentioned, canonically, Flash Sentry isn'tall that interesting. So I decided to make him my own character instead ofmoping about how bland he was.
Most of this was before EQG:RR, and I was more intoPony Flash than Human Flash as he was less established. You can probably sayI'm trying to give Hasbro ideas.
My brand of Flash Sentry and Twilight has drawn praiseand people come to me with mindsets changed or saying "I don't like thisship, but this is pretty cute".
Anything you wish to mention about otherships you’ve depicted? Something that drew you to them in particular?
I've dabbled with a bit of Sweetie Belle and Spike.I'm not quite the fan of "Sparity" and I think the filly and dragongo well together. The age thing.
Rainbow Dash and Soarin'... They're so cute together.
As a person who actively makes both “normal” artwork and comics, could you tellus more about how the two compare to one another? What are the relativedifficulties and easy sides of normal standalone pictures and comics? Do yourapproaches to making them differ or are they the same?
My work is mainly segregated into quick-ones,background-ones and comic blocks. With the occasional (poorly-done) animation.
I jot down ideas in keywords on my phone when an ideacomes in. Sometimes, it's called "emergency art" when I want tofrantically push out an idea for my audience after a new episode, which airs at11.30pm in Singapore, before I sleep. New episodes also help in the ideasdepartment. It can get a little dry on hiatus.
The ideas I keep gets made into art with or without abackground. Sometimes, it's just because I want something depicted so I get itout of my system, like Shining Armor and Twily sharing cookies. Those don'ttake too long to come together. The more complicated art is usually reservedfor release on the weekend.
Comics are just art with backgrounds to tell a story,which I pen and script the dialogue before I go into the art so they tend totake more time.
Another thing you do quite frequently isdepicting the Equestria Girls forms/counterparts of pony characters. How doesit compare to making their pony forms? What’s easier and what’s harder aboutthem?
I was more reluctant to vector their humanoidforms, until I did the series with human models with those wee little foals inone picture. Then the rest of the Main Six followed, and then some. Thehumanoid models definitely were more complicated than the ponies, due in partto their clothes and my lack of ability to create human forms well. Fingers arehard.
Do you have any plans for humanizingCadance and Shining Armor, or humanizing other pony-world characters not yetseen in Equestria Girls?
Oh, I actually have done Cadance and ShiningArmor after I was disappointed to not find their counterparts in EquestriaGirls. But besides them, the show and other fans have characters like Chrysalisdown pretty well. Were the Wonderbolts present in the humanoid world? Perhapsthem. They'd make a good soccer team.
For those who wish to start out vectoring, Ican personally say there is no shame in referencing and tracing things from theshow when you're starting out. Once you get the hang of it, develop your ownstyle or tone. Respect the wishes of artists who don't want their work copiedout of. It's always better to ask than be branded a thief later, howeverunintentional.
You’re one of the most productive ponyvector artists around. Do you have any important advice from your own personalexperience with vector-making? Any recommendations for those seeking to startout in or improve on their vector art skills?Unless you decide to make ponies afull-time profession, watch how much time it can take or being absorbed in itcan take a lot out of you, like any other hobby.
What is Shining Armor’s paladin’s prestige class/archetype/whateverit is called in the current Oubliettes and Ogres edition?Wifethrower Valiant.
Thank you very much for agreeing to thisinterview, dm29! It’s a pleasure to be able to learn more about your workdirectly from you. Any closing words for our audience?
Thanks to all my fans and followers so much,for without whom I will not be where I am as an MLP Fanartist today.
