Destroyer Dash

Vision - This piece, while another of your Pony Kantai works, is very different from the others and brings a new perspective and scope to the lineup. This is a much more dynamic and action packed piece and i can see you using a large array of new techniques that really give this a life of its own within the series. Wonderful job and congrats on trying something new and nailing it!

Originality - While you have been doing a series of Pony Kantai this one stands out for many of the reasons ive already listed in the Vision section. The scope and design of the piece is incredible and you can almost feel the impact from the debris effect to the expression on rainbows face. I also like how you tied in certain aspects of her outfit, like the color matching torpedo tubes and anchor bracelet.

Technique - Like your other pieces in this series your proportion and lighting are spot on. The shadowing of Rainbow over the battleship and the blast lighting are spot on and i especially like how it frames her wing. The detail on the ships are well defined and the small pones on the ship in the foreground are one of the fun details i like as a theme in your pieces. You also do a great job of defining the scope of the picture with the water being blasted into the air and the ship in the background. One of the things i love most about this piece is how your trying something new with the explosion and destroyed ship mechanics as its blasted. The flying shrapnel and the feathers being dislodged from her wing from the blast. This gives the piece a much more dynamic and energized feel than ones you've done in the past and really brings it to life as an action piece. The water and splash effects are quite beautiful and really convey a tense action environment. The only critique i have on the piece is the smoke coming out of the ship in the foreground being a little to undefined and possibly adding a little more detail to the water coming off of and effected by Rainbows raised hoof. The smoke from the explosion has sharper border and well defined edges and i think the ships smoke would've benefited from a slight addition of the same effect. Not so much as the blast smoke but still a marked difference from the ship in the background. As for Rainbows raised hoof, if she was pulling it up quickly in an instinctual reflex to the impact there would be a greater amount of water disturbance both in particles flying up from the ocean and most likely a little wake created where her hoof was before. I know these are small things but i always like to give some area to reexamine and improve upon but overall this is the best piece I've seen you do so far and the level of detail and skill really show.

Impact - This is where i think your this piece shines the most. The energy conveyed in the impact of the blast to Rainbow and the debris make your art jump out at the viewer. Her expression is primal and fits the moment and her cover(hat) being blasted off her head is a nice touch. The expressions of the small ponies on the battleship in the foreground are great, especially the one hanging out the gun emplacement and your use of shell impacts throughout the background as well really make the scene look both expansive and dynamic.

Final thoughts - This is an outstanding example of your skills you've mastered, such as proportion, scene scale and lighting. You've also made massive leaps in new techniques, the most prevalent of them being them being the explosion elements and debris effects. I hope you will find this Critique useful and that you continue to improve and hone your skills. You are truly a gifted artist and i cant wait to see what you do next.

Sincerely,
NialloftheNine