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Artist's commentary
MLPFIM Mane 6 Anthro Versions
This is a set of fan arts I did for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (MLPFIM). I redesigned the 6 main characters (the Mane 6) into their anthropomorphic versions.
When I was designing costumes for the Mane 6, I deliberately used the same colors as their original design. I think they looked more consistent with the original design in this way. I also tried to design the costumes according to each of their personalities, but I did not have a lot of experience on tailoring at the time, so I ended up with mostly generic, athletic, or casual style clothing.
I think the fundamental concept of the redesigns was solid, although I could use better art skill. The eyes are way too big, the facial structures look kinda weird, the costumes are too simplistic, and the poses are stiff.
I also drew some other MLPFIM fan arts after this, but those were created with too many distractions in mind. I don’t like those pictures very much, so I decided to remove them from my gallery.
Individual Pictures
For those who had no idea of the original MLPFIM, I will describe the Mane 6’s personalities below each picture, based on my own understanding and interpretation (Season 1 to 3 only):
Twilight Sparkle is a purple unicorn. She is the main character of the Mane 6. The leader of her country places great hope on her and sends her to a remote town to gain political experience among the grassroots. Twilight is exceptionally intelligent and knowledgeable, and she has a strong sense of duty. But she is also terribly naive and disconnected from the reality, and she frequently causes nonsense because of this. As a neurotic perfectionist, she loses her mind when the most trivial thing doesn’t work according to her plan. She is supposed to represent the quality of friendship/leadership in the story.
Rarity is a white unicorn. She is a drama queen who is obsessed with beauty, comfort, and luxury. She often makes a fuzz about the smallest dissatisfaction, but this is more like a character she plays, and she can be quite adaptable. She is supposed to represent the quality of generosity in the story.
Pinky Pie is a pink earth pony. She is a hyper, extremely sociable party maniac. But if people rejected her, she deflates all positivity and turn 180 degrees into a mean, desperate sociopath. She is supposed to represent the quality of laughter in the story.
Applejack is an orange earth pony. Her family runs a farm for generations, and she is a stereotypical rustic cowgirl. Applejack is the most mentally stable of the Mane 6, but she is also blunt, unrefined, and extremely stubborn. She often over-stretches herself to not show her crack. She is supposed to represent the quality of honesty in the story.
Fluttershy is a yellow pegasus. She is a hippie animal carer. She is extremely shy and often talks softly, but she can explode into rage mode if people pushed her over the line. She is supposed to represent the quality of kindness in the story.
Rainbow Dash is a blue pegasus. She is a care-free, self-glorified, thrill-seeking tomboy who likes to show off her flying speed. She is often reckless and inconsiderate of her actions. She is supposed to represent the quality of loyalty in the story.
A Short Period As a Brony
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (MLPFIM) is a popular cartoon series released in 2010, and it was the 4th incarnation of the My Little Pony franchise, featuring tetrapod characters like the ponies. The show was intended for children, but it quickly gained popularity among the adults for its characters and writing. Almost every artist I knew at the time was drawing fan arts of the show. I resisted it for a whole year because of the art style and title, but I capitulated in 2011 and watched the first few episodes. I thought the first episode was mediocre, but the later episodes got increasingly fun to watch, so I was hooked.
The adult MLPFIM fans called themselves “bronies” (especially the male fans). Being a brony artist, it was naturally for me to draw some ponies, too.
I stopped following the show relatively early at the end of Season 3. I took issue in Twilight Sparkle’s becoming an alicorn by being appointed as a princess. It made me feel rather uncomfortable, and I decided it was time to leave.
The MLPFIM community stayed strong and creative for many years. It also gave birth to projects like AzuraCast and Them’s Fightin’ Herds that I provided arts or drew fan arts for.