Equestria Daily

I don't know how I keep running into amazing Russian artists in this fandom. Their community is so creative it's scary.

Just in case you ever thought drawing was only something people were naturally born with, and surely your scribbles could never amount to anything, we have another artist who made some absolutely insane progress over the years. Atlas-66 started off drawing your typical beginner art stuff based on show vectors, and now he's busting out some of the most epic set-pieces in pony.

Incredible city-scapes, beautiful nature, wonderfully soft shading, and of course, an adorable pony style all make him a prime candidate for artist spotlight! Lets do that shall we?

Get the spotlight below! And as always, comment with what you like about it! Even if it's just a specific image in the gallery.

Q:) How did you stumble upon My Little Pony? What was your "origin" story if you will?

In fact, I am surprised that they also decided to interview me, so far, unlike other successful artists, I didn’t achieve a good result in drawing, I don’t think that I will be interesting to anyone, but I will try to answer the questions.

In 2013, I was sitting in a group dedicated to Fallout, where I started to see more and more often how the world is going crazy, they put incomprehensible multi-colored ponies on avatars, and they also offer ask you to watch the series. Increasingly, I came across crossovers with Fallout. I did not understand why they were spoiling such a beautiful game with these strange, multi-colored horses.
Then in the same year, on a winter evening, it just so happened that I decided to look, translated with subtitles. Others advised me to watch it only with subtitles, since our Russian translation does not fit the voices of the characters.

But it so happened that I watched at the whole season at once, unexpectedly. How did it happen? After a while I decided to try painting, it was hard to start because I did not study at an art school or anywhere else, without knowing the basics I also tried to draw characters. At first I drew a crooked pencil on paper, then I began to draw crookedly with a mouse while still studying the possibilities of Photoshop .

Further in 2014, I learned that there is such a thing as a tablet, I did not know that such a thing exists at all, as I drew without it. I began to delve into this topic, bought a Wacom Bamboo for $45. Anyway bad pictures came out, but much faster.

If that's interesting, here are my first pictures.

Q:) What is the process you usually go through when drawing something new? What tools and programs do you use?

Too little time has passed so that I can't accurately describe the process of creating a picture. I have not yet decided how I want to draw. Sometimes I open a white sheet and no ideas enter my head, and other times one idea appears after another on an ongoing basis and you do not have time to do everything at once.

I use Photoshop CC 2015 and a Wacom Bamboo Pen tablet.

Q:) Do you draw professionally? Or is this a side thing to another career or job?

No, it's just a hobby, right now I am not working, I make some money on drawings. Of course this is temporary until I find a normal job, for example, a toilet cleaner or sweeping the streets living in a box :)

So consider that this is a hobby, when it still brings a little money. Although initially I didn't plan to take commissions.

Q:) One thing that has always stood out to me about your art is the absolutely incredible backgrounds. Where did you learn to paint such amazing environments?

There is nothing so special here, just took a canvas, put paint and smeared it on the canvas - here’s your finished drawing.

Absolutely everyone can learn this.

Q:) You draw a lot more OC’s than canon ponies. Is that something you prefer to do? Or just something you are requested of and commissioned for most?

I originally painted more OC than canon ponies. I am often asked to draw OC ponies for commissions. They take a lot of time, so there isn't much left over for for ordinary drawings.

Q: ) Who is your favorite pony and favorite princess? And if it's different, who is your favorite pony to draw?

My favorite pony is Fluttershy, and also Twilight, Rarity, Trixie, Starlight Glimmer, and Octavia. Princesses are a difficult choice. Celestia and Luna are equally good in their own way. It’s a pity that they don’t have enough time in the series. I would like them to play a big role in saving Equestria.

In fact, it was most interesting to me from the very beginning to draw other OC ponies because each artist isolates the same OC pony in his own way and in his own style. It is always interesting.
But from the last one I liked to draw Fluttershy and Trixie.

Q:) What kind of challenges do you usually run into when drawing a character or subject for the first time? Has there ever been an image concept that completely stumped you?

This is an interesting question, because I, as one of the worst artists in the community, have a lot of problems. I don’t always manage to draw the right composition between light and shade, keeping the volume of the characters, and correctly placing the characters into the background. I did not study at art school and I don’t know the basics of drawing. I have to do everything by sight.

I'm trying to improve my drawings and achieve the same success in drawing as other artists. So far, unfortunately, I am very far from them.

I still don't think I have created something worthy. I still have room to grow and to perfection is still very far away, but I try.

Q:) Socks, sweaters, silly hats, swimwear, full body armor, ponies have worn it all. What is your favorite accessory to draw ponies in?

Socks are the best accessory, although I myself consider clothes on a pony to be a bit redundant. They look beautiful even without clothes. I rarely draw them because I think that I'm very good at drawing clothes. It's very difficult.

Q:) What do you like most about Friendship is Magic? What keeps you drawing so many awesome ponies?

This series is able to cheer up.

Q:) Do you have any tips for newbie artists looking to improve?

I have nothing to say, because I am a novice artist myself, who still has a lot to study. Listening to my advice is a bad idea because I make a lot of mistakes, and I do not always notice them. I need to ask others to consult.

But I can say what other artists have told me, for example, before embarking on drawing myself, to learn the basics. You need to be patient. Take a piece of paper and a pencil, open a drawing site and try to draw balls, cubes, cylinders with light and shadow. Draw from nature. Ideally, it would be a good idea to enroll in drawing courses, but if you also don’t have the money for it, then you can learn anything on the Internet for free.

You need to analyze someone else's drawings whose style you like, watch tutorials on drawing trees, sky, hair, etc. Watch records of other artists' streams and try to understand what interesting techniques they use during drawing.

I think I can’t give advice because I’m not drawing as well as I would like. It’s still too early.
Learn the program you are using to draw with. It’s more convenient for me to use photoshop. I feel at home there and it’s inconvenient for me to draw in SAI, although I know that the majority will choose it.

I always try to compare myself with more successful artists and try as much as they do.

Q:) Why do you think My little Pony Generation 4 has been so successful? What keeps you here involved in the community?

It appeared at the right time in the right place, it has already shown many good series like Star vs. the Forces of Evil and Gravity Falls. When MLP came out, there were few good TV shows, by accidental coincidence, it managed to become a whole cultural phenomenon, and this is not only a merit of Lauren Faust and her team.

I will not say that it turned out to be so successful due to high-quality flash animation, music, character design and the sincerity of the series. This reason has long been voiced by everyone who watches.

Spotlight Gallery

[1] Source

MAGIC! by Atlas-66