MLP OC

Unicornarama
Medium: digital painting

I finally drew my little winged fire unicorn character in the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic style! I designed the original character to represent myself online so as not to show my face in profile pictures, etc., so it's made to represent things I like and things that represent me.

The original character is a winged unicorn/alicorn (because it wasn't meant to fit into the MLP universe), but for this drawing, I just made her a simple unicorn because I don't want to presume that I'm somehow better than everyone else, that I've reached a higher plain of understanding, etc. I chose a Unicorn rather than an Earth Pony or a Pegasus because both Earth Ponies and Pegasi are associated with physical abilities, such as great strength, stamina, speed, etc., none of which that I have. Fluttershy is an exception to that rule, but I didn't want to make myself an exception. I'm definitely a thinker, and any physical talents I have are small-scale coordination, like art, not full-body coordination. I think a Unicorn works best for that!

The colors are simply my favorite colors (pink and orange), so no real self-analyzing there. I kept the fire mane and tail from the original design even though regular MLP ponies don't have special manes and tails. It was the key part of the original deign, so I kept it. I guess if I didn't paint it as fire, it would just be regular hair, but in those colors. The fire represents how I'm passionate - sometimes too passionate - about issues I care about. There are a few things in life that I'm "on fire" for!

The cutie mark represents several things. Obviously the heart symbolizes love, because everything I believe comes from a place of love, even though some people might have difficulty seeing that, especially if they're already opposed to what I believe before we even begin. For example, I oppose animal cruelty because I love. I believe all people should consider adoption first because I love. The starburst around the heart represents purity, so in this case, pure love. I believe love (including romantic love) can be pure and should not rely on physical intimacy to sustain it. Physical intimacy is a wonderful way to express love, but I do not believe it should be a crutch for love. The sparkles represent clarity. I believe in keeping a clear mind at all times for all things. Logic and rationality are very important to me, and while everything I believe is rooted in love, I view the world through a lens of rationality. Essentially, the cutie mark symbolizes truth and love.

South American Guard

South American Guard
Medium: digital painting

Just in time for summer, here is South America's guard! We have Kion the jaguar (the fiercest), Fuli the vicuña (the fastest), Bunga white-nosed coati (the bravest), Beshte the tapir (the strongest), and Ono the toco toucan (the keenest of sight.)

Kion of course had to be a jaguar (what other animal was there for him?), but the others were harder. South America has a lot of birds, jungle, and mountainous animals, but not much in the way of fast runners or exceptionally large, strong animals. I decided to go with a tapir for Beshte because they're sturdy and tough, and a vicunga for Fuli because they're plains/mountain-dwellers and can run reasonably fast. Herbivores that live out in the open must be speedy or they'll be killed off by predators. As always, Bunga was the hardest. Bravery is subjective. I decided to go with an animal that often hangs around humans, because in my opinion, an animal must be pretty "brave" to live so close to humans. And a toucan was a must for Ono, because...toucan!

Ocean Guard: unicornarama.deviantart.com/ar… 
Asian Guard: unicornarama.deviantart.com/ar…
North American Guard: unicornarama.deviantart.com/ar…
Arctic Guard: unicornarama.deviantart.com/ar…
Australian Guard: unicornarama.deviantart.com/ar…
South American Guard: unicornarama.deviantart.com/ar…

Non-Verbal Learning Disorder

NLD
Medium: oil on canvas

An oil painting depicting non-verbal learning disorder. NLD people are very literal, so much so that others often misunderstand them by reading unintended meaning into their words. To an NLD person, understanding normal human speech is like constantly trying to crack a code. Interacting is exhausting, and while many NLD people truly love others, they usually need significant amounts of time alone to “recharge.” NLD people often hold views which many people consider to be contradictory because of the associations normal people make with those views. However, NLD people look at the views themselves rather than what people generally associate with them, and thus their views are not contradictory at all, but rather complimentary, like the colors in the painting.

Traditional Artwork

'Tis a Head
Medium: charcoal on paper

For Karissa
Medium: gouache on unprimed canvas

Goldfish
Medium: oil on canvas