Kirby hates everything he does.

[Trilobite]

Great! I didn't picture Bramble as quite this beat up at the moment, but I like how this looks...good determined expression, and the crosshatching as wounds thing works very well here. Nice job with the mane, too! I'm not sure about the rear legs showing as much as they do, but everything else looks spot-on.

Also, I used to love that show, and the Splicer storyline was, naturally, a favorite.

[Bramble Rose]

Oh, good, for a moment i thought it was Bramble at 2:15! XD Love that show, too... *pauses ... glances over ath DVD shelf... * Hrmmm... I was somewhere on season 2 when my last marathon left off... and hey, good inspirations to work with. Since this thread has started, I've been curious if Jack Kirby isn't where you got your handle from ... XD Except if it was, Bramble'd probably have kirby dots floating around his horn right there! XD

Anyway! Wow. I've never pictured Bramble looking that tough! I actually think the rear legs look good for that perspective... wide to help brace himself. Agreed, I don't think that's how Bramble looks *just now*, especialy since Bramble's cloak turned back into the leaf-maille armor, but I can picture Bramble getting to that point, easily. Especially if he's growling out, "WHere is... my MOM."

I find it slightly difficult to find critiques of this piece, it's *extremely* good. Excellent use of expression, and the messed-up hair combined with all the battle damage makes him definitely feel like he's been through the wringer. If I had to nitpick, I'd say the ears are a little bit big, but it's not immediately noticable. And while you have the rose-clasp i *love* so much, and the collar is very good - the cape part of the garment has disappeared, and I think this picture could have even more going for it if you had the cloak floating up over his back dramatically.

[Kirby Krackle]

The majority of what I doodle (I honestly think that's what I'm doing, non photo blue or otherwise) is either a generic pose happening anywhere or my head canon. This particular shot is head canon.

Technical notes: I like the bigger sharpie better. I get better lines, especially since I scan huge and scale down to 5 to 8%.

Thirdly, heck yeah my screen name comes from Jack Kirby. Long live the king.

Finally, I've been thinking about drawing plot. Talk me out of it.

[Trilobite]

Ya don't need to draw it, and really, does it fit with what attracted you to MLP? I just think it don't.

There. Duty done.

[Kirby Krackle]

Leave it to the Paladin.

[Bramble Rose]

Drawing huge is a really old comic artist's trick. Good call.

And yeah, headcanon can often be best canon. Especially when stuff like this comes out of it!

[ApocalyptiCchaos]

These are very nice drawings you have here, good work on them

[Bramble Rose]

And I don't see why you wouldn't want to draw plot. Plot is very important to a story! it's the driving force behind the characters!

*rimshot*

[Trilobite]

Thank you, fillies and gentlecolts! We'll be here all week.

[Kirby Krackle]

So, recently, in the gallery, an image popped up that while similar to my idea of a Pony Paladin and blew it clean out of the water. Seriously. I'm trash compared to that. So, needless to say, the block came back for a while. Today I finally cracked and decided to improve on the Iromane design. I dug through many google images trying to find reference and find that delicate balance between "the party's tank" and "girl". Somehow, that translated into "Ponies in socks".

I'm a pervert.

Also, I forgot her cutie mark.

Also also, I really do hate everything I do. But her face is cute.

[Trilobite]

Sweet! I think the pose really nails what you were aiming for here, along with the expression. She looks refined, not haughty, but the armor communicates a weight and serious intent through a very solid-looking design. Having design elements--like the insignia of the Order and the stylishly curved lines, also helps bring across the fact that she may be a paladin, but she is also a lady.

[Bramble Rose]

I know the image you are talking of. Yes, it was quite good - but you are *NOT* trash compared to that. But you certainly did improve upon your Ironmane design! The cloth underneath the armor is so natural to my mind - it's needed to keep from chafing - that I never even realized it was 'ponies in socks'. But it looks magnificent!

I would mention one teensy-tiny little thing, because ... that's what I do is nitpick. *^_^* The leg-guards, I love the design! Very simple, easy to keep drawing, but looking both utilitarian and decorative at the same time. My suggestion for them, though - the two hooves on the ground, the upper straps for the leg guards go around their calf... but for the one raised leg, the upper strap goes around the knee. The leg guards are at different sizes. I'd suggest 'raising' the tops of the leg guards for her planted legs, so that the top 'circle' is at the knee instead of the calf.

[Trilobite]

Ooh--it's your drawing, of course, Kirby, so do whatever you want, but that sounds like it might be functional and good-looking--the perfect match as far as Ironmane is concerned.

[SkyshotSwift]

truly magnificent Kirby. I don't know which is better! Personally I like Ironmane the most, and the armor really did turn out well. I don't know why, but it matches her face. I love to draw and dream up armor for ponies to if you have any that you like might you mind sending some to me? I always love new inspiration!

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

I think you're a little bit too hard on yourself. Sure there's always room for improvement, but if you cant pick something out of your art that you like, how are you going to build on it and improve? I like Paladin's armor, and honestly, even the royal guards seem to understand that its not typically worth the effort to cover the entire body with plating. There's a nice balance between protection and freedom of movement, so long as she is facing her foes head on, or from the front shoulder.

[Trilobite]

A lady never shies from a necessary task.

[Kirby Krackle]

So. It's me again. Hating things. What I'm hating today is a preliminary character design for... well, dang it, his name is in the picture. Meet Dr. Preposterous, an OC/Alter Ego of mine today brought to you in Pony flavor. Why pony? Because, assuming I can put together the scenarios, he... may be the lead antagonist of a ragtag bunch of heroes that I put through a dice-rolling ringer. This version is an Earth Pony with a Prometheus drive, wanting to steal the gifts of the gifted using his mad engineering. I don't want to give away too much, but he has very big plans for an AU Equestria. Very big plans indeed.

Done in Sharpie and mainly to find placement. Some stuff needs to be moved around. Armor with more detail. Etc etc etc. Since it's only a first draft, I don't hate it too much initially. Oh, and not shown is a cape. All villains wear capes. Expect it to drape over the Jet-Wings, with cowl to cover the horn.

[Kryptchild]

Oh Kirby, that pony's design is simply preposterous!

[flutterscotch]

Kirby, I think you are horrible and should go hide in a cave full of spiders. SO THERE.

[Kirby Krackle]

Kirby, I think you are horrible and should go hide in a cave full of spiders. SO THERE.

That's pretty much my house right now. So many egg sacks...

I need to put a saddlebag in that design some how.

[Trilobite]

Techy-looking packs up the upper rear legs?

[Kirby Krackle]

It's tempting as it is to add full head to hoof power-armor, I suppose I'm still stuck in the FIM aesthetic mindset, which is why his rear is bare. Though, the more I think about it, a Cutie Mark is definitely something that would go on a criminal profile sheet. I also thought about adding a visor, though the ancient Grecian helmet never stops looking cool to me.

Functionality vs Rule of Cool.

In the meantime, I work on writing motivations and world building. What happens when Prometheus meets Icarus?

[flutterscotch]

Don't worry, Kirby, I will stop you once the pouches and tiny feet start to appear in your design. I got your back.

[Bramble Rose]

*laughs8 very sleek looking design there, Kirby!

[Kirby Krackle]

Equestria as a whole is not a luddite society, despite the cure-all that is both magic and prayer to the

Princesses. There is technology but it exists primarily to build machines for entertainment or convenience,

depending on the field, or to do a job too delicate or complicated for an everyday Unicorn. In the common eye

however, the sciences are written off as something the isolated nerd does. Magic as a whole is much more

common and embraced.

The realm of Astronomy, while not taboo, is more of a hobby than a true discipline. The realm of the heavens

is left in the capable hooves of the Sun and Moon Godesses, benevolent and everpresent. Texts on the subject

are either mass market and outdated, mixed with speculation or Astrology or currently accurate and only

available in Canterlot libraries. Space travel is absolutely unheard of.

Forethought, a middle-aged Earth Pony, brilliant in the fields of engineering is bored with his everyday

tinkering. His desire for the sciences came from looking to the stars at a young age and to the stars is where

his mind frequently wanders. On off days (or rather, nights), he would be either building a better telescope or

looking through it, self-publishing his findings of Celestial bodies and donating them to any organization that

would have them. His efforts were barely rewarding. Research did answer his questions about the cosmos, but

they also brought about more questions, demanding more research. It slowly began to consume all his time and

resources, believing fully that the future of Ponykind depended on their understanding of the heavens. But they

called him mad. The Sun and Moon and Stars belonged only to Celestia and Luna, his peers would say. So he went

to Celestia and Luna, the highest authorities. They called his motivations misplaced and his theories preposterous.

"Preposterous" became spite manifest and his theories twisted. He would steal the domains from the Sun and Moon

goddesses. He would travel to space. But to accomplish such a feat of engineering required funding and any

prospective investor would now just laugh in his face. So instead he found the money with thieves and gamblers

and the desperate. A criminal empire began its construction, unknowingly working towards the Doctor's ultimate

goal.

Because I had no time for drawing today.