• Member Since 6th Dec, 2011
  • offline last seen Apr 13th, 2015

Conicer


Just a plain user here with a penchant for stories, roleplay, computers, and SCIENCE. Also looking into writing my own stories too! Just as soon as I fix my horrendous English... Oh, and I do art too.

More Blog Posts9

  • 533 weeks
    Happy holidays to you all! And I come bearing gifts!

    Welp! It's time to make my bi-yearly blog post again. First of all, let me say that it has been a pretty exciting year, and it's truly an honor to have experienced it with you all. Thank you for being such an awesome company! Now what is a little festive cheer without a little spirit of giving? :raritywink:

    Read More

    20 comments · 793 views
  • 565 weeks
    Random knickknacks the right side of my brain tends to regurgitate

    So, I've been finding this request unusually amusing:


    Celestia misses Twilight.

    And on a whim, this somehow popped out:


    :trollestia: "Don't listen to what she says. You are the best Twilight."

    Read More

    16 comments · 579 views
  • 571 weeks
    The art queue is currently closed!


    "I WAS NOT READY FOR THIS!"

    Read More

    5 comments · 437 views
  • 583 weeks
    I've updated my request guidelines!

    Hey there! Just giving you a heads up, I've just updated my requesting guidelines, which you can find here. If you are thinking of requesting sometimes in the future, be sure to read it.

    Read More

    2 comments · 542 views
  • 589 weeks
    More cover art, gobble gobble!

    Fore those that don't visit my deviantArt page, here's another batch of my cover arts for your viewing pleasure. It's a huuuuuge one this time around! ... I think my blog archive is going to crash everyone's web browsers if I keep going like this...

    Cover for Sprinkles

    Read More

    3 comments · 652 views
Jun
24th
2012

Requesting Guidelines · 6:40am Jun 24th, 2012

This is a general guideline on how to make a request to me. Please note that this might not apply to other artists.

To make a request, simply PM me here on Fimfiction or Note me on deviantArt with your request. Generally I just require three things in your request:
- A summery of your story (can be different from your ordinary story summery if you want to provide additional details)
- A link to your story, preferably to a relevant chapter or scene (if your story is not finished, I would appreciate at least a link to the rough draft)
- A detailed description of the cover you want me to depict (can be of any length, but I tend to like those with more detail)

A sample request can go something like this:

Hi there, Conicer. I'm Ayejay277 and I'm here to request a story cover. You see, my story is called "Twelfth Neigh" and it's a romantic comedy about Rarity shipwrecked on a previously undiscovered isle during a business trip. Various circumstances led her to masquerade as a stallion as she tries to garner the favor of its local rulers, Lady Platinuh and Duke Puddingheh, in an attempt to escape the island. Puddingheh is madly in love with Platinuh and hires Rarity as a messenger for his love message. Unfortunately, Platinuh misinterprets Rarity's intentions and falls in love with her instead, believing her to be a fabulous stallion attempting to court her. The rest is, shall I say, a ship wreck of love triangles and hilarity.

You can find the story here [link].

I'm requesting a cover that depicts Rarity trying to polity decline Lady Platinuh's advances in Platinuh's room. The room should be medieval in appearance, with Rarity disguised as a stallion (simply draw Rarity eyelashless) and Platinuh's in the foreground (a reference generated in Ponycreator can be fond here [link]). Platinuh's is trying to kiss Rarity, with Rarity trying to hold her off with her hoof. It should be portrait with an aspect ratio of 3:4 with the minimum resolution of 1200x1600.

The relevant scene can be found here [link].

Thank you!
Ayejay277

If you are unsure whether I'll accept your request, you can just simply state a summery of your story (and preferably a link to it). If I'm interested in your story, then I'll say so, and you can send me the rest of the request.


Please understand that I'm rather selective about the requests I accept. Though if I've rejected your request, you have the option of taking a commission from me (in that case, please indicate it in your message to me) or take a look at all the other lovely artists that are accepting cover requests.

I like to keep the current number of requests in my queue around 4 - 7 requests. Depending on how much work there is, my acceptance rate will scale accordingly. If I have an overflowing queue, that will mean longer response times those at the end and an increased risk of myself burning out at the seer scale of the work. As much I hate to do so, I need to triage the requests I get according to my interest in the idea.

This is a slightly modified version of what I've told Magnum-opuS about what ideas are more likely to make it onto my queue.

Theoretically I would like to evaluate simply based on whether it's a good story. That in of itself is highly subjective, what interests me doesn't necessary interest others and vice versa. So here's all of my biases, preferences, and whatnot laid bare: Mainly the Comedic, crazy, and utterly Random stories goes at the top. If your writing can make me laugh, I'm definitely taking yours in. The rest of my preferences in genera go in this order:
Adventure > Alternate Universe > Slice of Life > Dark > Sad > Romance > Science Fiction > Crossover > Tragedy > Human

If your picture requires the character(s) to make very funny faces, that's a huge plus. I tend to shy away from requests that involve Sex or Gore.

Oh, and if your story has any of these ponies as a main characters, I would be more likely to take the request. :raritywink:
Twilight Sparkle
Princess Celestia / Princess Luna / Princess Cadence / Queen Chrysalis
Rarity
Applebloom / Sweetie Belle / Scootaloo/Babs Seed
Fluttershy
Rainbow Dash
Daring Do
Applejack
Pinkie Pie
Spike
Cheerilee
Spitfire

I tend to not like reading stories featuring the following characters. Please understand that I don't hate them, it's just that I don't have very much interest for their characters unless they are exceptionally done:
Prince Blueblood
Octavia
Vinyl Scratch
Trixie

I'm very apprehensive about stories with ⚠ Original Characters ⚠ as the main characters. The story has to be particularly exceptional or contain an interesting concept for me to accept them.

If your request doesn't need a background, coloring, shading, or inking, please say so. I will likely choose yours purely based on the fact that it's quick to do. Likewise, if you request something that takes a long time to do, I will not be so enthusiastic about taking it. Things that takes a long time are usually pieces with more than three characters, a landscape depicting cities, and comics or paneled covers.

So yeah, that is my particularly biased rubric of evaluation. :derpytongue2: But as always, there are exceptions. As long as your request is interesting enough, I will find some way of squeezing it into the end of my queue. So please, feel free to toss your story at me and see what comes out of it.

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to message here or note me on deviantArt at anytime. :twilightsmile:

Report Conicer · 13,910 views ·
Comments ( 43 )

Hm... In the future I may just come crying to you like a foal wanting a drawing of a pretty picture.

505305
If you have an idea for me, then you may as well submit it now. If I find it interesting to do, then it'll get you an earlier place in the queue and give me a wider berth to plan out the picture. Ideas are like slow-cooked potato stew, yes? The longer you let them simmer, the more delicious the outcome. :pinkiesmile:

505984 I would if I had a fic and idea.

506004
Fair enough. I look forward to hearing back from you then! :twilightsmile:

506029 Funny how things work out. I searched for an artist for the cover image for my longest going story for months. Found one, sort of, and finished working things over yesterday.

Then I find you:facehoof:

Sometimes the internet hates me.

506047
While I'm quite flattered that I'm your preferred artist, I just want to inform you that I'm only of average skill within this community. If you want the absolute best for your works, I suggest you take a gander at the Art for Fanfiction group, which lists far more skilled and less busy artists than me. Though you're still welcome to submit an idea to me at any point in the future. :raritywink:

506149 I've seen some of your work, and it's pretty damn good. Besides, I don't look for anything fancy, just something that looks good and gives a visual.

I wish you can do a request pic for my main story.:ajsleepy:

713610
As said, these are just guidelines. They don't absolutely determine whether I accept your request or not. If you like, you can send me the link to the story you want me to look at. I'll read at least the first chapter, and if I like it enough to do a cover, then I'll send you a PM saying that I'm interested. :pinkiesmile:

713645
I think it's best if I PM you later, it's pretty late where I am. But I'll be sure to talk about it when I get back to you.:twilightsmile:

Oh my gosh that picture... :rainbowlaugh:

Also,

This is a slightly modified version of what I've told Magnumopai about what ideas are more likely to make it onto my queue.

The link doesn't work.:moustache:

All in all, I like the way you've chosen how you want to do things. It's very efficient.:twilightsmile:

713926
Heh, thanks for the complements and the correction. I didn't know a user can change their own name. :derpytongue2:

Hey can you do humanoids for a sci fi tic I'm making?

762987
You mean like anthropomorphic characters or homo sapiens in particular? I'm not particularly fond of doing either, but I'll over look that if I like the story enough.

You might want to take a look at other artists though, since my humans aren't exactly top notch.

763027 Um.. it has a bit of both the ponies are anthropomorphic and humanoids aliens and a regular human in the mix.:twilightsheepish:

763087
Well, I'm always up for a bit of a challenge. :rainbowdetermined2:Can you give me the premise of your story, a sample of that story, and a description of what you want me to do for the cover?

763105 Sweet. do you want me to pm you?

763132
You can put it here if you like, but I'd prefer a PM if possible.

I really hope my request comes in. No matter the wait.

I will say there is Gore, but only in blood shedding battles. No sex.

Conicer, you jerk! How DARE you show me not just one but TWO amazing pieces of art that directly relate to stories I might write in the future! Seriously though, if you color and flesh out the sketch you posted on my blog entry it would be a strong contender for that fic's story image. Right now the only strong candidate, actually.

848117
Are you sure you want it finalized without any revisions or suggestions? Since I deal in the trade of art production, I can make the cover exactly to your specifications with your input. It's also much easier to change the contents of the picture while it's still a sketch. Celestia help the client who wanted to change the posing, scenery, and camera angle of the picture after it has been finalized. :pinkiecrazy:

848204
No! Wait! I'm not sure of anything!

Sorry, I didn't realize you were offering go quite that far to help. Let me sleep on it?

848278
Sure! Let me know when you have the specifications hammered down. And I actually offer the revisioning thing to all requests I take. If it's worth doing, then it's worth doing right. :raritywink:

It is rather impolite of me, but could I ask for a new remade poster for my fiction ? :ajsmug:, my current one lacks color at the moment :derpyderp2:

894407
It really depends on what the story is in question and what exactly are you requesting. As said, for now I'm currently swamped, but I think I can give it a go if it doesn't take much time.

894466 Could I just send the standard issue request described above for you to decide ? :eeyup: I don't mean to put any pressure anyhow :unsuresweetie:

894482
Definitely! Though there might be a delay for me to get to evaluating it though.

I have a hypothetically hypothetical inquiry.
You say that you really don't like OC's as main characters, but does that mean that you're alright with OC supporting characters?

895759
It really depends on how you handle them, but yep I don't really mind if there are OCs as some of the secondary characters. :raritywink:

895269 Naturally. Thank you for the attention :eeyup:

Awesome outline of your request guidelines! ..... *goes to think of cover art to request for, even though the wait time is 2 weeks for when the request queue is open again*

It seems their free too!

AWESOME.

Aw No Vinyl and Octavia?

1359201
Sorry to disappoint, I'm just not too fond of reading stories with them in it. That doesn't mean that they can't be great in their own right, of course, it's just that I have kinda kookie tastes in my readings. Please feel free to disregard them. :twilightblush:

I'm thinking about requesting an art piece for a story, but I noticed that you have a dislike of gore. My story makes use of gore to to help flesh out a setting (it is a horror story) but it's mostly implied or used sparingly. Would you still be willing to consider my request if my story has those elements?

1883911

My story makes use of gore to to help flesh out a setting

Heh, I see what you did there. :raritywink:

And of course I'm willing to give it a listen. As long as there's not a ludicrous amount of gore, I'm fine with it. Do mind that I am quite busy at the moment, so my standards for acceptance is slightly higher, but do request away! :twilightsmile:

I have some general questions for you about your art. What program do you use to make it. How long did it take you to get used to drawing ponies? How long did it take you to develop your own style? How long does it take to draw the outline of a pony? Do you have any tips about drawing ponies?

So far, I can only draw ponies that are eh/okay/mediocre/passable. I can make vectors that look good, but I'm tracing those. I use Inkscape, but that's not good for drawing backgrounds or things that aren't vectors. I want to improve my artistic skills when it comes to ponies. I can draw most things just fine, but I have an incredibly hard time drawing ponies.

I would like to have ponies that look good and to be able to make show realistic ponies without wasting 7 hours, for one pony.

What sparked this is that I just came up with an idea for a comic. I wrote it out and have it planned, at least partially, in my head. It's just that ponies don't come naturally enough for me to dive right in to a comic.

Thanks for listening.

1927592
Hey there! Glad to meet a fellow artist that's striving to improve their artistic skills! :twilightsmile:

Now, I'll answer your questions in order:

What program do you use to make it?

I use several programs in my pipeline, they're all completely free if you want to get them. I mainly use GIMP for general painting, though I also recommend MyPaint and Krita for those purposes. I also use Inkscape for vectors and Blender3D for 3D projects.

One piece of hardware that I use with them that I consider indispensable is a tablet.

How long did it take you to get used to drawing ponies?

Perhaps about a month or so, almost the exact same time I took being converted into a brony. :scootangel: I had some previous cartooning experience, so it didn't take too long to adapt my style.

How long did it take you to develop your own style?

Oy, this is a tough question. Let's say that my style is continuously evolving, and you can see from my gallery on what direction it took. :raritywink:

How long does it take to draw the outline of a pony?

On a good day, I'd take about 10 minutes to sketch it out. Depending on it's cleanliness, I can just use the sketch as the outline, or spend an additional 10 minutes to clean it up.

Do you have any tips about drawing ponies?

Now this is a simple question with an extraordinarily wide range of answers, so much that I can spend a very long time talking about it. So I'll turn this question on its head and ask you: What do you want to know about drawing ponies? What particular aspect are you having trouble with? This way, I can give tips that's most helpful to you. Oh, and a sample drawing of yours would be awesome, since that'll help me assess your technical skill.

Anywho, I wish you the best on that comic! :twilightsmile:

1934877 I use Inkscape now for vectors, but it still takes me far too long. I used to use Disney Create, which isn't even a real program. I'll check the ones you mentioned out. To make a hand drawn sketch it takes about 10 minutes also, but it's still not that good. My digital pony outlines could take hours. I have no style right now because I haven't even gotten a hang of the show's style yet. Here's my deviantART gallery. The first one is one that I just made to show more accurately how well I draw ponies. It was made quickly, so it's not as good as it could be. The next five are just traced vectors.

Basically, what I want to learn is how to draw good-looking ponies relatively quickly and with ease, or at least easier than it is for me to draw them now. I can draw decent ponies, but none that I can truly call "Good," and mean it. That's a lot to ask for, though.

I know I have at least some artistic talent, seeing as how I have (not to gloat, for it is fact) 4 art awards. I don't know why ponies are so hard to draw. Most things are easy, but ponies are not. My parents are artists, but neither are into ponies, so I doubt they'd work with me to teach me how to draw ponies.

When I look at them on the show they look so simple, so easy to understand and draw, yet when I actually try to draw one I fail.

Thanks for answering my questions. It gives me a rough estimate as to how long it may take for me to master the art of drawing ponies.

I have a fic in the works that may need cover art once it's actually released. I love your art style, and your guidelines are reasonable. I'm not super hopeful as to whether or not it will be accepted, but I figure it's worth a try.

I'll keep you in mind as I continue writing. In the meantime, keep up the great work, man.

Well I've read your standards but I'm still thinking about requesting if you would do a cover art. I do have some of your likes, Adventure and Twilight but I have two of your dislikes as well. BB and an OC. What's your current schedule look like right now?

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