How I Draw Ponies... NOT

Well, someone asked me about how I draw ponies.
To be honest, I actually don't know how I even draw them!

The process of drawing in a certain style comes through almost instinctively. Therefore, I don't need to bring a reference sheet around with me.

"BUT THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!"

I'm sorry to say this, but that's how I roll.
Sad, but true.



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The journey from drawing ponies like those in the show to drawing ponies like my OC Melissa shown above took a little more than 7 months, and it all began when I stumbled upon this deviation:
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Around the same time, I had a growing fascination for the Saluki, a breed of dogs whose running is aided by the aerodynamic shape of the body. In addition, the evolution of horses suggests that horses may have longer legs in the future. (Source: [link])



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Let's step aside to analyze the average horse.
From aesthetic view, the legs are too thin and the snout is too long.
The belly is aesthetically too large and is inefficient in aerodynamics.
The skull is too small to contain a human-sized brain.


Now let's look at these ponies from MLP:FiM.
Their skeletal structures are compact and the positions of their joints can vary.
They have no defined cheeks or snouts as well, excluding the Princesses.
The wings on Pegasi are too small for sustainable flight in reality.
Once again, the bodies of these ponies are aerodynamically inefficient.



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One day, I thought to myself:
"What would the ideal pony look like in reality?"

This began Operation Fleur de Lis, named after the pony that inspired me to start the project. The primary focus of this project was to gradually introduce realistic equine anatomy into the ponies from the show while keeping them characteristically simple and cute.

Although most of my drawings still remain in my sketchbooks, below is a rough timeline of my drawing style of ponies:

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Over time, the snout was extended and the cheeks became more refined. The neck was elongated to make grazing at the ground level easier. Joints became more defined in the legs and shoulders; joints in Pegasi wings were also defined. For faster galloping, the legs were lengthened and the waist was thinned. The thinner waist reduces air resistance and provides additional space for the hind legs to move around.

However, there are parts of the anatomy that would be impractical to recreate in reality. The size and shape of the eyes are for aesthetic purposes only, rendering them too large for the skulls. More often than not, Pegasi wings are depicted as being too short for sustainable flight. For non-Pegasi ponies, the shortened length of their backs would not be suitable for human riders, whereas the wings on Pegasi would make riding physically impossible.


Operation Fleur de Lis is not over yet, and it still continues to be improved upon today!



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"SO HOW EXACTLY DO YOU DRAW PONIES?"

Once I draw more of them, I may gather enough angles and perspectives to compile a proper tutorial. The anatomy for my current drawing style isn't stable yet, but this will eventually be remedied through practice.

In the meantime, why not try out these tutorials made by other deviants? I used them to develop my current drawing style, so these might be useful if you want to learn in nearly the same way that I did:

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Other than that, practice drawing from observation!
It's a good way to learn from experience while building it at the same time.