My Ten Favorite MLP Pieces Of Artwork · 10:34pm Aug 15th, 2022
If someone asked you to pick ten of your favorite My Little Pony pictures, could you do it?
A few months ago, I was going through my folder of saved MLP artwork to weed out pictures that no longer interested me. Considering how many pictures I had, it took a while, but I eventually managed to whittle it down to a manageable number:
While reorganizing my folders and artwork to make things more easily located in the future, a thought occurred to me: Why not go through all the pictures I've saved and try to pick out my favorites?
Then I thought, "If someone asked me to pick out my ten favorite MLP pictures, could I do it?"
For the past month, I've been going through every picture I have of the Mane Six, background ponies, Celestia, Luna, scenery, random pictures, funny pictures, pictures where humans were featured, and specific artists I follow, all in the quest to find my favorite pieces. I managed to pick 100, then whittled it down to fifty, then twenty, and finally down to ten, using the criteria of, 'the pictures have to be safe for work, and artwork that you would feel comfortable showing your friends and family.' It was difficult, and there were some really tough decisions on which pictures to leave in, and which to leave out, but in the end I managed to pick those ten pictures. Along the way, it was quite interesting to learn more about what I enjoy the most in MLP art: scenic, atmospheric pictures that elevate our favorite flash cartoon into artwork that treats the show, its world, and its characters into pieces that wouldn't be out of place framed and hung upon the walls of a fine art museum. In other words, take something intended for children, but elevate it to something that could appeal to adults (and not in a sexual way; ewww!).
With all that said, here are my ten favorite pieces of pony artwork that I believe showcases the best of what our fandom can accomplish. And, if you're looking for music to set the mood, may I suggest this piece?
10. "Library" by Plainoasis
I've always been a sucker for colors on the golden shade of the spectrum, so a library with a bronze, brass, and black color scheme immediately caught my eye. But not only is the library itself beautiful, but the enormous statue of Celestia (look closely and you'll see a pony at the very tip of the horn's shadow) implies that this is a place filled with knowledge and wisdom that Celestia invites you to read and pursue under her approving gaze.
9. "Heavy Rain Warning" by Maggwai
At first glance this picture is a more humorous mood piece (poor Derpy), but I like how it implies that, even if you live in a peaceful, safe land under the care of a benevolent, magical monarch who's loved and worshiped by her subjects doesn't mean that life is perfect. it's still going to rain, your belongings are going to wear out, and occasionally you're just going to have a bad day.
8. "Take Anything You Need" by Urbanrooster
Out of all the evil characters from G4, I think Starlight Glimmer is the best example of evil really being about the anger, loneliness, and rage of those who have been hurt by life and want to lash out against it. But even if you do succeed in your task, inevitably you are going to die. The world will continue on without you, you will have wasted your life making the lives of so many others so much worse, and all of it will have been for nothing.
This picture, to me, shows the moment when Starlight realizes that. The question is, what will she do about it?
7. "The Last Defense" by JohnJoseco
John Joseco was one of the early fandom's most famous artists, and he's done a lot of pictures over the years. But in my opinion, this piece is his best. I love the idea of Celestia and Luna alone in space, facing off against something that's coming their way. Is it the shockwave from an erupting sun? An unknown entity seeking to destroy them? Something else? And are those asteroids they're standing on, or the shattered remains of a ruined Equestria? Are they saving others, or the memory of what has been lost? There's so much story implied without any words, yet it's ambiguous enough to let the viewer come up with their own story. Whatever may be happening, this is a perfect example of taking characters from a children's cartoon show and turning them into something epic.
6. "Fountain" by Amberluvsbugs
When it comes to pictures of ponies interacting with humans, the fandom seems split into three camps: those that like it, some that loathe it, and others who are indifferent. I'm on the pro-human side, and that's why I like this picture so much: from the carvings in the walls, we can infer that in this universe, ponies and humans live together, and this statue commemorates the moment when the two first met. The alicorn is enormous, but the human isn't afraid. Rather, they're in awe. It's a beautiful fountain, one that I'd be happy to have and pose in my home if it were real.
5. "The Project Ascension statue for Rehan" by Littlepolly
To further build upon the last picture, this shows another statue in a world where humans and ponies live together in peace and harmony, and where Alicorns, rather than being just the rulers of ponykind, are also willing to watch over, protect, and guide humans as well, accepting them as their subjects without prejudice or xenophobia. That's a world I would love to live in, as I think many of us would.
4. "Premonition" by Bra1neater
LOOK AT THOSE CLOUDS SWEET CELESTIA THEY ARE AWESOME.
Sorry, where was I?
Of all the artists in the MLP fandom, I adore bra1neater's style the most. They have a gift of taking our beloved colored cartoon horses and recreating them in the style of the very best fine art the world has ever produced, and in my opinion this is their greatest piece: the atmosphere, the mood, the translucent feathertips, the sheer scale of it all is stupendous. Out of all the works on my list, this is the one I feel could be hung in an art museum.
3. "Painter in Equestria" by Hunternif
There were a lot of scenery pieces that didn't make this list (like this one and this one), and picking just one was one of the hardest parts of my task. In the end, 'Painter in Equestria' won out because not only does it show an idyllic, early-afternoon Equestria that's safe and peaceful, but also a place where humans and ponies can, again, live together in peace and harmony, where we, the viewer, paint everyone's favorite human-obsessed pony while Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy play nearby, and another human relaxes in the shade. It's an Equestria that's as close to Paradise as can be.
2. "Sky Picnic" by Grissaecrim
No matter what art is produced depicting Equestria, the background ponies, all the species that inhabit it, and the events that take place within its realm, none of it would exist without Twilight Sparkle and her friends. They were the ones who introduced us to this magical world, the bedrock upon which everything else is built. This picture, for me, is the perfect representation of their friendship: the six of them enjoying time together in a peaceful void, content to just be themselves away from the world and its problems. It's an image of them at their happiest, one that I like to come back to again and again.
Nine pieces of artwork chosen out of over 3,300. As stated above, it was difficult narrowing that many pictures down to ten, as well as figuring out what order they go in... and yet, picking my favorite picture, the one that I like above all others, was surprisingly easy. From the moment I first saw it, I fell in love with the picture. The composition, the color, the mood, the atmosphere, everything about it was perfect.
So, what is it?
1. "Fair Winds" by Plainoasis
When you take away the colorful art, characters, world-building, and the like, 'Friendship is Magic' is, at its core, a story about leaving behind harmful ways of living and choosing to become part of a community. It's about those who have been lost finding their way back to a better way of life, and in my opinion this picture, out of all the ones ever produced by the MLP fan community, is the best example of that. Starlight Glimmer, who started out as a villain, eventually learns the magic of friendship and abandons her harmful ways, eventually becoming a main part of the cast. Here, in Paradise, she offers that same chance to Chrysalis; Starlight knows what it's like to be a villain, and that you can come back from that dark place. Chrysalis can enjoy that, too, if she chooses... but her decision has not yet been made.
'Friendship is Magic' is a story about choosing to abandon what is harmful for something good, and in my opinion this picture embodies that idea. It is beautiful, it is meaningful, and it is my favorite pony picture of all time.
Those are my 10 favorite pictures... now, what are some of yours? Could you narrow down your favorite pieces of artwork to just ten? Which one would take the coveted number one spot? Sound off in the comments below.
Images 9, 4 and 3 are also among the 1,300 images that I've downloaded into my main MLP art-by-others folder. Last year, in the absence of a Brony Thank You Fund calendar and short of enough of my own stuff, I selected 13 artworks, cropped to better fit the landscape format. I didn't just choose what I like the most, a calendar selection demands variety (I used to do this for a living). The variety being: dominant or background colour, single subject, groups, close up/distant, and action/static. Each month feels fresh, different from the previous month. (And then the printers messed up and printed October and November with the same image. 9_9)
This image has been my wallpaper on my laptop for years: https://www.deviantart.com/huussii/art/Out-of-the-Ashes-a-New-Story-To-Be-Told-454909657
This was hard to narrow the choices down.
Here are some of mine:
"Rainbow Dash" by
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I love how dynamic this is. I feel it captures Dash's athleticism rather well.
"Into Everything" by Swaetshrit
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This one one of the first pony arts I ever came across. It certainly is rather striking.
"Surprise Scootaloo" by That1And Only
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This one brings back memories of younger me running up and hugging my da in the airport when his flight returned home.
"Sandbox" by Holivi
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More reminders of happy family memories. This time it is me growing up with my (much) older brothers and nieces and nephews.
My current favourite is a three-way tie.
(It is essentially the same picture theme, so I say it counts!)
"Dinky Bedtime" by Equestria-Prevails
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"Derpy2" by tomatocoup
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"Bedtime Stories" by MoonlitBrush
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Derpy is best pone. She certainly has been portrayed as a bit of a doofy klutz ("I just don't know what went wrong!"), but overall, her ebullient optimism, and loving, nurturing care for her daughter is her most defining characteristic. As Significant Other mentioned, "I have always enjoyed that she has most consistently been attributed as a caring, competent, and loving mother par excellence by fans."
There is a reason she has her own [Equestria's Best Mother] tag on derpibooru.
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Good choices! I'm rather fond of that Vinyl Scratch one, too!