Elements of Harmony: Loyalty

Yet another Human Dash in anime style, this piece at first glance wouldn't seem to differentiate itself much from the crowd. However, while still sexualized more than my preference, this Dash wears a unique costume relative to the norm, has a fairly unique hairstyle, nad is nicely contrasted with her pony self in a matching style. Good use of shading with both color and lines add a sense of depth befitting the epic look such artwork often strives toward. The anatomy does leave something to be desired, but less so than most of the anime and artwork that has influenced this artist.

The effect of human on pony, while not terribly unique, is used to good effect here. What's also very interesting is the contrast in their moods: Pony Dash is vulnerable and sad, while human dash is fierce and eager. Given the traditional associations of little girls and horses, this is not really an earth shaking revelation until one reads between the lines. THe adult woman here is strong, and the (similarly adult, but less obviously so) pony is vulnerable and weak. The artist is, intentionally or not, suggesting that Rainbow Dash's brashness is a sign she has grown up from her weaker self, which is a contrast to the common fandom assumption that Dash's brash behavior is a sign of immaturity. This artist is suggesting that being an adult is having the strength to stand up for your beliefs, and to put on a brave face even if you don't feel it. That's worth something, and makes me willing to take the time to write a "novel" of a critique on Yet Another Human Dash Picture.

In terms of designing human dash, while I cannot actually dock any points for the choice, I do question the use of sweats with a hood for a flying character, and of tight clinging of the the joggers to the crotch. I don't know anyone who would actually work out in something that tight in that place unless their workouts are purely for show. Still, if this is supposed to be highly fetishized, I guess that works. The same goes for Dash's rather ample bust, but that is not quite so dramatic or seemingly unrealistic.

Technique wise, I have few complaints. I can see a few places where the shading is not perfectly even, as if the artist couldn't quite zoom in enough. I find the shading and reflection on Pony Dash's face a bit unusual, especially given the fact that ponies have fur, given my anomalous depth perception, I don't feel comfortable really docking points for that. What I am willing to dock half a star for is Human Dash's anatomy. There are some subtle problems in the contours of Dash's breasts. While this is common in real women, I doubt it's intentional; if the artist were making reference to the Amazons, the difference would be more dramatic I'm sure. In any case, if the artist was trying to make that reference I apologize. I also find that relative to the size of her hips, the space between right leg and left where they join the body is slightly too small. Part of this is because of the width of her thighs, but part of it seems to be hip joint placement as well. The contour of her left leg, viewer right, also seems a bit off. The bump on her left arm, seemingly meant to suggest muscle, has too high an amplitude or eight from the baseline of her arm to look like muscle. A bulge in the jacket over muscle, maybe, but the rest of the sleeves are tight. I also have concerns about the arch of her spine, but I am not good enough with anatomy to really vouch for them.

I have enjoyed looking at this piece, which is more than I can usually say of this particular trope of MLP fanart. While this piece isn't going in my favorites, it has piqued my interest enough that I will be looking at what this artist has done with ponies I like more. I am glad to see pony artists who are wiling to combine subtle experimentation with superior drawing skills.