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AssasinMonkey β Spike of the Games
Published: 2014-05-04 06:50:20 +0000 UTC; Views: 37675; Favourites: 1566; Downloads: 1191
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Description
Episode Art, so big! or well. GamesWhat a game. Spike beating something with lots of Spikes.
Was not sure where to go with this initially during most steps. From the initial sketch figuring out what to draw to begin with.
That ice though, that crowd, those ponies (and Gryphons!)
Kept it simple XD and even with getting distracted by funny Kallisti stream calls, it didn't take as long as I expected... probably because I kept it simple and rough. (Don't zoom in!!!)
Had to put the Gryphons in, they were not visible during the event but ok. The ones who were visible actually were the Princesses! Celestia and Luna (briefly) that is. Don't know if Cadance was behind them but I put her there too hehe.
Burn, Ice, Burn!
Approx Time: 8 hours
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Comments: 136
The epicness of this image really stunned me. I was not expecting something of this magnitude in such a small amount of time.
The crowd look perfectly blurred taking our attention away from that to allow us to focus else where without thinking that we may have lost something. I think that perhaps there should be a little more spontaneous colour within the crowd as ponies tend to stand out due to their candy colour, though one could argue that such colour (say bright green) would ruin the colour scheme and thus the image. So all's well that ends well.
The detail within the characters is brilliant. The especially rough texture in the gryphons really caught me as suitable, due to their apparently coarser nature. (as far as we know in the show) This was a great look to the gryphons compared to the softer looking fur within the ponies (as can be seen in our close up clue friend). The attention drawn to the main feature of this piece was done cleverly as each and every character stares at, and in the direction that it wants US to look. There is no character running away and looking in a different direction. This image definitely has focus. That was amazingly done.
One thing about the princesses though is that they seem a little too close and due to their size in this drawing, seem as if they are positioned under the iced cloud in the danger zone. If they were a little further back the sense of depth may be better. But it's just nit picking here.
The iced cloud looks beautiful with it's lighting and sharp edges and points creating both beauty and deadliness at the same time. The randomness of the outward pointing icicles was well done. It is easy to get this wrong and make it look uniformed in shape. Nice work.
The flames underneath look powerful and fierce. Their flow and saturated colour gives it a "central" feel to the image. The way the fire is draws also gives it the appearance of movement and flow as it stretches outwards to engulf the ice. Contrasting the massive flying ice berg with the tiny yet strong 'Spike the dragon' hand the 'nostalgic award' to this image.
Not too much could be done here to improve it. Should be happy with your work!
Looking forward to more fantastic pieces in the future.
Sincerely,
Soulyman
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Great to hear the initial reaction and also a good breakdown of the different aspects.
I also kinda wonder how the crowd would be with some extra colours or perhaps even vibrancy. Admittedly I cheaped out trying to get it out of the way, sticking with just a couple of shades
Perhaps it helped keep the background "calm" while still appearing diverse enough.
The characters were a fun touch to add. There were several that I just had to add. The princesses for what exactly what you described and the Gryphons because they also just needed more attention hehe. Where the Gryphons added a nice extra aspect of the fur/coat which I didn't even really think about consciously too much at first.
Also now you mention it, it does seem like the princesses are right in the collision course XD
Didn't exactly think about that aspect so I had not noticed it. Which shows a nice other way to look at a piece which. Things like that make me not mind nit picking 
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Even though I thought the episode felt rushed and could have been a two-parter, or more, at least they do show that when the lives of their people are in danger, Celestia and Luna do act and attempt to save them personally. That proves right there that they care deeply for their citizens and will save them when the situation calls for it, no matter what others say about it.
Your version of what happened after reviewing the episode and studying it more carefully when the threat occurs, is very impressive. I like how you included Cadence and the gryphons as well. And the way that you have Spike unleashing his flames on the cloud while everyone watches in amazement, shock, and awe, is just incredible. This is one, awesome, piece of artwork!
I can't wait to see if you do something for the finale.
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Wow! Whenever I saw this as the header in Equestria Daily, I knew that I had to head to the drawfriends immediately and find out who made this! I am loving the vastness of the piece as well as the way that you crafted and poured so much detail into the the expanse of the environment! I can feel the life here and it is amplified by the lights and the immense croud! The character design is very iconic and I love the way that you are able to capture the essence of each character in the background with all of the smaller details! I also very much love how everything has been coupled with the soft textures and wispy linework as well which adds to the effect of having a large crowd present! The character design is also very refined and I like the fact hat you did not let that part of the design wither due to the the piece being very large! I am also very much loving the lighting and shading contrast here! As I said before, this is what helps to bring this piece to life and it works extremely well coupled with the brilliant color work as it adds both depth and movement! The centerpiece here which is spike is presented very well and I feel as though I am drawn to that point! This is a very fantastic piece of art and I would vvery much love to see much more in the near future! Great work! Kind regards, Princess Luna
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I'm blown away by the atmosphere in this one. The distance blurring is the strongest part of this image; it really helps sell the enormity of the location. And the itty-bitty-ness of Spike compared to the floating glacier.
I've yet to see the episode this is from (dumb internet) but this is really making me look forward to it.
The vibrancy of the colors on the glacier is my second favorite aspect of this piece. The brushwork on it captures the translucency on the top and sides well, then the place where the fire impacts spreads blends with the blues of the ice without overselling itself.
As it's a re-image work from the most recent episode, I can't say there's much original thought behind the concept. But as I've said, I've yet to see the episode, so for all I know this is actually a radical re-interpretation/dramatization of what actually happened.
Either way, props to a stellar piece!
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Wow! this scene reminds me of the tournament games from RWBY!Β
Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β
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I am so happy that this happened. I always had the feeling Spike was living in the mane 6's shadow, but no he saved everyone from king sombra and from the giant block of ice. His friends cheered for him and Cadence honored him
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Very awesome! I'm not sure what else to say. It's just awesome.Β
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This was awesome, but I was a bit disappointed. This was the Equestrian Games. It would've been freakinΒ awesome to see the character that know and some that never saw compete in the games. That would've been epic!
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Isn't he sending all the water to Celestia?
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No; his fire is green when he is sending things to Celestia. Β Very important detail.
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Oh! I never noticed that! Does it take more concentration to send or to burn?
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Now that; I cannot answer, as it is never said. Β But it is seen as green when he is sending the lettersand it is orange when he was melting the ice in the show 
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Perhaps that's why it disappeared so quickly
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But Celestia is in the stadium sooooooooβ¦
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Hmmm... Pretty amazing, but, it could have used a bit of steam, maybe?
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I think a lot of water might be more likely, or well I think the properties of ice tend to handle ice quite well, which would've made the melting of this take ages in the first place with fire hehe. But yea I haven't really had a situation like this in real life.
I guess things are off in general with the concept, unless Spike's flames are teleporting it elsewhere!
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for some reason, all i could think of from that scene was the human torch's catchphrase "flame on!"
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I'm a big fan of Spike but I swear that the poor little guy can't seem to please ANYone in the fandom. Β This episode is looked at mostly for what it isn't than what it actually is. Spike getting pretty good character development, saving the day, and delivering a good moral. Though I could do without the Cloudsdale Anthem. I'm pretty sure if the episode focused more about the games, most of the fandom would have been bored by it. Especially since the arc only focused on ONE event. Bottomline, this is the case where we should put aside what we want in an episode and take a look at some of the good things an episode provides.Β
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youtu.be/cgNGtGI-XbM
I found this tune befitting.
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Woooaaahh!!! This looks so badass and aaawesooome!!! 
The spiky ice, the fire, the background, everything looks great!!! Excellent job!!!
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Spike versus Spike. HA. I feel like there should be more steam, but it works as is.
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Woo hoo~ 100th comment XD
This picture protraits the episode so well that I'm awed right now. Great strokes and techniques! This is really good
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dang nice , took a bit to long to find an epic pic of that scene.....
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This looks simply amazing!Β Fantastic work on this.
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I have to admit: This depiction of how Spike took down the frozen cloud is just amazing. I love how, unlike in the episode, you included Cadence in the picture along with the griffins.
This is an amazing piece! Much better than what we saw in the episode...which should have been made a multi-parter to give some of the other main characters some more character development, especially the Royal Sisters.
Haven't seen Celestia since the season premiere, and haven't heard from her since Castle-Mania.
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Looks like there was quite the spike in action.
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kind of sad we got to see so little of the gryphons in this episode; the world could always use more griffins! XD
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Did Cadance commission this for the Crystal Castle?
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