Artist Training Grounds - Wonderbolts Academy Edition

I hope you got your art equipment ready! As was promised, today's Artist Training Ground challenge will be based on the Wonderbolts Academy episode.  I'm going to roll with a tier system for those of you that are new to this.  Feel free to jump in on any, but Spitfire wouldn't deal with artists that aren't willing to challenge themselves, so choose wisely!

Tier 1 - Training Grounds Initiate
Draw a pegasus at the Wonderbolts Academy.  He or she can be training, doing laps, sleeping, whatever you damn well please!  The only rule: it must be a pegasus, and they must be at the academy.  Uniform optional.

Tier 2 - Experienced Training Grounder
Draw a non-pegasus pony learning to fly at the academy.  With the influx of new technologies in Equestria, ponies everywhere have been innovating new ways to fly! Earth ponies are building wing saddles and aircraft, while Unicorns are perfecting their wing creation magic.  How you want to go about it is up to you!

Tier 3 - Training Grounds Veteran
Your non-pegasus pony is the top of their class! He or she has been nominated for this year's Wonderbolts selection.  Draw the celebration, how they fly, and their honorary Wonderbolts suit!  Can you handle all of this in just a day? I'd recommend starting with tier 2 if you think you will run out of time!

Deadline?
Submissions close at 11:59 PM PST on Wednesday, December 19th (Tomorrow).  For the sake of the training ground, this is a strict cutoff!  Procrastinate wisely. 

Where do I submit?
Head on over to this page and click "Drawing Training Ground - Wonderbolts Academy Edition", and fill in all the sections to submit. 

If you need help with finding the URL of an image, head on down past the break for a tutorial on that, as well as a re-link of the drawing tutorials from earlier.

Now grab your pencils, mice, markers, ballpoint pens, or whatever else you want to draw with, and get started!  Good luck!

Spitfire VA Supposedly Not Changed

There has been much speculation since Wonderbolts Academy that Spitfire's VA has been changed since her last appearance. Understandable considering the new and gruff tone she adopted during that episode, but it might just be a case of her putting on a tough act according to some new information.

According to a tweet by Kelly Metzger posted about a month ago, she is the voice of Spitfire on MLP. While she is referring to The Best Night Ever, considering she mentioned that she is Spitfire in the present tense as early as a month ago lends some credence to the claim that she played Spitfire in Sonic Rainboom, Hurricane Fluttershy, and in Wonderbolts Academy. Not definitive proof, but worth speculating on.

Thanks to Whatshisgame for the bit of info.

Link to Tweet in Question

Update: She also did Hurricane Fluttershy, but did not do Sonic Rainboom.  The more you know!

Desktop Ponies - Piles of Updates

A long time ago in a pony fandom far far away, a little program going by the name of Desktop ponies emerged that could plaster an army of ponies all over your computer to wander around and get in the way of your mouse pointer.

Fast forward to today, and the program has a whopping 149 characters spanning all three seasons. It's also much less resource intensive, allowing you to have a ridiculous amount of ponies even on a mid-range PC.

Head on down past the break for their full press release and information on what has been added over the years, or hit up their forums to comment on their sprite work (that has been used in a multitude of pony games)

The most obnoxious laptop ever

Update: Site Died, Alternate link here.

Music: Crystal / Beware of Sombra / The Shadow King

We have two vocal tracks and some psychotrance instrumental stuff this time around! find them all below!

1.) Freewave + Evdog - Crystal
2.) Beware of Sombra (Beware of Darkness)
3.) Sonic Rainboom - The Shadow King

Story Updates December 18th

Stories! updates! yay~

Comic: Fix it / Pinkfinity

Slow day? Slow day.  We have a Madmax comic, followed by some Pinkie physics.  Click for full as always1

Meghan McCarthy's New Episode Tease

Meghan tossed up a little teaser for us all about the upcoming episode on Saturday over on her Twitter page.  For the sake of spoilers, I'm tossing the screencap after the break, or you can just head over there and check it out for yourself!  Feel free to discuss away in the comments. 

Drawfriend Stuff #658

It may be a pain in the Luna to animate clothing on ponies, but they look awesome in robes and stuff.

Have some a

Source 1
Friendship is Magic

Artist Training Grounds - Episode Edition Starts Tonight!

So you want to be an artist do you?  Tired of using Pony Creator puppets as your OC everywhere you go? Looking for an upgrade? Or maybe you secretly think Snips and Snails need more fan art and want to do something about it?  It's time to push yourself! It's time for the Artist Training Grounds!

This one is going to be a bit different than usual, and not officially cut into the training ground of 2013.  As mentioned in the post from last week,  once a week on Tuesday, a prompt will be posted up at night for you all to invade based on whatever episode came out that week.  The deadline for your drawings will be the following Wednesday at midnight.  That means you have just one day to bust out a pony, be it on a napkin at a restaurant or a 6 hour marathon digital drawing.  It's all up to you!

What is the Artist Training Grounds? 
The ATG is a 30 day event  we run once a year, where everyone with a pencil or mouse and mspaint is invited to draw something!  The entire point is to learn the skill, or improve your current ability.  It doesn't matter if you have lived in an anti-art hermit country for your entire life and don't even know how a pencil works! It's time to learn!

But I don't even know where to start!
Neither do most of us, but we do it anyway though! There are an unlimited amount of ways to learn to draw, from developing your own style right out the gate, to referencing other's work (my personal favorite).  This community also pumps out a bunch of tutorials.  Head on down past the break for some of those!  Remember: It's OK to reference! Almost everyone does it!

When does it officially start? 
Expect prompt number one and specific information on how to submit your drawing at 10:00 PM PST.

You have half a day to get your tablets out of storage, install your programs, set up your scanners, and sharpen your pencils!  And once again, guides can be found after the break. 

Last Chance for Brony Thank you Fund Calendar

The calendar charity event over at Brony Thank You Fund is on it's last run.  If you still want to pick it up, head on down past the break for a list of features!

If you want to get one of the Brony Thank You Fund 2013 "Life in Equestria" calendars in time for the New Year, this is pretty much your last chance, with the holiday mail rush in full swing.  The calendar features art by Autobotgirl, Lily Trader, John Joseco, Fetchbeer, Pixelkitties, Mr. Kitties, Tsitra360, AleximusPrime, Hinoratio, Toxic Mario, Hezaa and Egophiliac.  It also lists voice actor and staff birthdays, convention dates and the Equestrian holidays.  A $20 donation ($25 outside the US) scores you one, with all proceeds going to fund the Derpy Hooves Animation Scholarship at the California Institute of the Arts.  Go to http://www.bronythankyoufund.org/?q=2013calendar to make a donation.

PMV: Impact / One Last Letter / Little Talks

Dubstep PMV's are always a little on the blinding side. We have one of those in the first, some Brony Dance Party style stuff in the second slot for those that like that animation style, and finish with a normal PMV! Check them out below.

1.) Impact (PMV)
2.) [PMV] One Last Letter (Feat. Bronyfied) Revamp Edition
3.) Little Talks PMV

Music: Terrors in the Everfree / Beyond Her Garden (Dj Gestap trance remix) / Changeling Queen

We start this off with some creepy ambiend instrumental music,, followed by a Beyond her Garden remix, and finish with a bit of vocal blues! I think that's the first time Changelings haven't been dubstep or something else dark sounding. Check them out below!

1.) DJ Chaos Light - Terrors in the Everfree
2.) WoodenToaster - Beyond Her Garden (Dj Gestap trance remix)
3.) Changeling Queen (ft. Cracking Lazr) Blues Rock Original MLP Music

Comic: Lightning Dust Origins / CMC Convessional / Forward Progress / Raindrops Fallin on Her Head

Comics!  We have everything from sad to ridiculous in this one.  Click for full!

Galacon Seeking Volunteers

We are going to change up reports on European conventions to give you all a better timeslot for your actual audience!  During EQD's usual open period (when it is night in the USA), European convention updates will be posted.  As the scene out there grows to match the convention going community over here in the states, hopefully this will help give it a bit of a boost!

Tonight, we have an update from the people running Galacon. It looks like they need to fill some volunteer slots for their 2013 event.  Head on down past the break to check out all the information on it!

Nightly Roundup #529

Luna's most certainly busy tonight stalking the dreamscape for nightmares to squash before they become too big of a problem. Hopefully she has been keeping your dreams safe and happy!

Time for the news, check it out after the break.