Greetings. This was the picture that most grabbed my interest from today's Drawfriend on EquestriaDaily. Choice of color in art is like choice of words in a speech. When it comes to the particular colors an artist can choose for coloring any specific body part or background element, it's borderline impossible to declare that there is a single hue that can be called the "correct" one to use, even when coloring a character with a pre-established color scheme. In this sense, it can be said that the color used anywhere in the picture has many "color synonyms" that could be use to express the same color with a different tone.



For instance, Celestia as a character is a predominantly white-furred character with a brightly-colored, multi-toned mane consisting purely of colors from the cool half of the color spectrum. She is far from a warm-toned character based on her original design. Yet this picture has an overwhelmingly warm tone, pushed heavily by that bright red background, in a way that does not actually change Celestia's color scheme. The background sets the tone and gets the ball rolling like the thesis statement of a term paper. Then we have the tone set by the color synonyms you chose for Celestia. The first point of interest is that none of Celestia's fur here is actually white. In fact, the only parts anywhere here that actually appear white are her eye and the gleam effect from her jewelry and mane. Celestia's fur, however, tainted by the bright warm background, is a pinkish assortment of hues ranging from a bright pink to a dark, dark maroon or purple sort of color. The effect makes Celestia fit in with that heavy background while still looking as though her original colors have not changed. There's a similar effect going on with Celestia's jewelry, but since yellow is already a warm color, there's not much in the realm of color variation that needs to be done. Then finally, there's the super colorful mane that steals the spotlight by surpassing the background altogether, effectively conquering it and maintaining its original colors. While the effect done to the fur could have been done to the mane as well, the effect you've done here makes Celestia's mane seem less pedestrian and more powerful. Her hair glows the same regardless of the conditions surrounding her.



Putting color aside for the moment, allow me to take things back a tick to the basics. This picture wouldn't be half as good without a solid portrayal of horse anatomy that carried through the linework to create an interesting walking pose. Her form is so transparently on display. I can see right through her down to where she's fleshy and where she's bony. Furthermore, capturing a walk mid-step that looks both entertaining and realistic is a difficult balancing act, and you pulled it off well. You've got the leading hoof going forward, the rear back leg pushing her forward, the single hoof toward the center supporting the whole body, and the other back hoof about to offer some support as it comes in for a landing. Each leg serves an independent purpose and is coupled with some great delineation between leg and foot. The way you captured that furthest back hoof is the one that impresses me the most. It feels as though she could kick that back shoe right off if she wanted to.



If there's anything I could offer in the realm of improvement, it would be that Celestia's expression could be much stronger. She walks forward with a small smile, but I know nothing about what she's thinking or feeling other than sort of generically being content. It's clear that the main investment into this picture is the pose, the gait, the colors, the shading, and the realism, so the neglect of an expression is wholly forgivable. Similarly, the background is intentionally minimalist to serve a purpose of setting a tone, so there's certainly room for improvement there as well. But as you can see, in both cases, there's mostly just room for improvement in the realm of adding more rather than changing what exists.



This is an excellent drawing of Celestia with a nice painted feel to it and a crazy good use of color. The silhouette is quite impressive as well, with the only real bit of overlap occurring with Celestia's head with her mane. The legs, the wings, and the tail all stand out as their own individual body parts. Even the horn and crown stick out as visible through the silhouette. It's a great package deal here, and I hope you manage to keep recreating your success. Make the most!