Creating "ponysona's" for other people? Help please!

[InkyMilk]

So here's the thing, I've decided that I'd really love to paint pictures of ponies for everyone in my immediate family as birthday gifts for next year. Now, none of them are as into ponies as I am, but I've finally reached the level artistically where I'd feel halfway comfortable gifting my artwork to someone, and I really want to create something personal and special for each person. So this also means that instead of drawing just any random pony, I'd like to create a "ponysona" for each person I'm painting for, so that it really represent them and their tastes.

Only I'm SO terrible at this kind of thing! Inkling, the unicorn in my avi/sig isn't really my ponysona as she is her own unique character, but if I had to choose any of my OC ponies as being representative of myself she would be it. And she took me months to create! I'm already feeling overwhelmed trying to think of where to even begin creating them for other people.

So basically what I'm asking for are any tips? I know the general idea of what to go off of-favorite color (though what do you do when you run into someone like my mom who adamantly insists she has no favorite color), hobbies, skills...but I feel like that's all so vague! I tend to like my ponies as being very monochromatic and themed, but I worry my own personal tastes might get in the way of what they might like instead. Eep, I'm at a loss!

[Griffin]

Well, have you thought about it this way - if your mum were a colour, what colour would she be? Or which colours does she typically wear? Have you checked which colours are associated with their astrological signs? Just throwing around some ideas to help you get started if going by their fave colour is not an option. 

Symbols tend to be more tricky, I think... I had such a hard time coming up with my persona's symbol! Hmm, what about taking some memory you share with the person as a starting point? Something that represents an event, place or thing that's meaningful to you two in some way. That would make the ponies truly personal.

[NinaMarie]

I'll tell you how I created ponysonas of my family. Some of them were easier than others.

It actually started with my dad. He can be a rough tough military man but he is just a big softie inside. My sister compared him to a cactus, prickly on the outside squishy on the inside. So I made him a pony with a cactus for a symbol. For his body color I chose a deep blue similar to color of the Air Force blue and made his mane and tail black and very short. So the cactus describes him and the coloring and hair are a nod to his Air Force career.

My mom was the hardest. It was sorta random and based on "this feels like her." Golden colored hair because her natural color is blonde. I picked a peachy color for the body 'cause it looks nice. And her symbol is a red heart with a fancy gold trim around it. Sort of represents all the love she's shown for me and her big motherly heart. All mine and my sisters close friends consider my mother a second mom.

For my sister she chose the colors (orange body, green hair) and the fact she wanted to be a winged unicorn. Her symbol just had to be a feather though. My mom was pregnant with her when i was 3, they decided to call her Heather but i couldn't quite pronounce the H and called her Feather. My dad made a cake to welcome my mom home from the hospital and it said "Welcome home baby Heather Feather."

So there are some samples. Like Griffin said for colors, use their favorite colors or something you can associate with them. And the same for symbols. Like an alternate symbol for my dad could have been woodworking tools because he is a carpenter. Or a cake for my mom because she makes beautiful wedding and birthday cakes for people.
I hope this helps a little.

[Marigold]

I've made ponies of my mom and sister and they had no say at all.  I just chose colors and symbols that made ME think of them. I think if I was making them with the idea of giving them the art I might think of things I know they like but it doesn't have to be a hobby.  My sister loves singing but I would never make a musical pony for her. 

[UrocyonFox]

It actually started with my dad. He can be a rough tough military man but he is just a big softie inside. My sister compared him to a cactus, prickly on the outside squishy on the inside. So I made him a pony with a cactus for a symbol. For his body color I chose a deep blue similar to color of the Air Force blue and made his mane and tail black and very short. So the cactus describes him and the coloring and hair are a nod to his Air Force career.

That is so cute!


As for pony creating I dunno about my "pony-sona sky-pin. I mean she's a little like me but I couldn't consider her a pony version on myself. I know the term ponysona is often used just to mean OC ponies as well.
When it comes to creating ponysonas you can also think of what things you like or are kind of known for. Growing up I had alot of facial piercings that I did with safety pins so a safety pin only seemed right for a cutie mark but I have lots of star tattoos and such so a star was needed. Rainbows are pretty sweet in my boox too so I just kinda mashed them all together and waaalaaa! (Mind you when I first made her the mark was the triforce)

So combining little tiny things you like can make up parts of your pony as well!

[ZennaBug]

I asked anyone I wanted to ponyfy what their favorite kind of pony was, though that wouldn't work with a surprise I guess.  With some, I've gone with favorite colors; others, I went with colors I felt were representitive of their personality.  Depended on aesthetics mostly.  I just sort of started doodling to see what I liked and then made the symbols with something that I thought represented them.  My sister has music notes and a cupcake, my mom is a merpony (she requested that to be a pain in the butt on purpose lol) so doesn't really have a symbol, my dad got a fish because he loves to fly fish, and my husband got cupcakes because he wants to be a police officer and I'm a jerk lol.

You know your friends and family better than most people, so I'm sure you can pick something.  Since they probably won't use them as much as we do here, you can even make the symbols representative of inside jokes if you want.  Something that will make them laugh.

Good luck!

[blackestbird]

When going about picking species, if you don't know which their favorite is, it's probably more likely that you know what types of animals they like, and can pick based off of that. I really love and am drawn to birds and cats, and especially love birds, and of course horses and ponies themselves, so I chose a pegasus for myself. They were always my favorite type of species, but it's also because I love birds so much. If they like good-natured, down-to-earth, loyal pups, maybe an earth pony. Cats in all their wonderful strangeness, are also associated with mystic~ kinda stuff, so you might pick a unicorn in that case. Birds, pegasus, maybe they love butterflies so you could go with a winger or flutter pony. You've got great tips for the other aspects, but that's how I think about species if I'm unsure, especially for non-pony people.

[NinaMarie]

Oh blackestbird it's the same for me! I chose pegasus for my pony because of a love for birds and I always wanted to fly like them. I initially made both my parent ponies earth but later decided with pegasus and alicorn daughters I change my dad to pegasus (another nod to Air Force) and my mom to a unicorn (just cause she's awesome and magical in the kitchen, with decorating cakes, and with a sewing machine .)
Yeah blackestbird has good advice on breed choosing.

[AnnaPommes]

another hint for bodycolors is: look at what colors they wear the most. your mom will have colors she wears often too. gotcha!
you can also give her a bodycolor according to what do you think represents her personality the best. maybe she is a real strong momma lion and fighting for her family, pick something warm and vibrant. is she more of a calmer type, the center and helps you to relax, how about something lesser saturated?
well, let`s see what i would do for my mom:
the bodycolor would be red, but more like a watermelon red, she can be very silly, so she would get freckles. hmm, maybe a unicorn, because this woman is noone ordinary, i tell you. and she can do magic, yes! (she actually helps people find themselfes on a semi-esoteric way, so it fits)
haircolor: for grown ups, i likely choose something close to thier real haircolor, my mom has black hair, soo i would go with a dark violett maybe. but that is something you always have to try out if the colors work next to each other.
her symbol could be a flying piggy, because she loves flying piggies and make impossible things possible.
because she is silly, she will get a greenish stripe in her mane.

fot the color theme,i always suggest 3 main colors. 2 in the same temperature, and one contrasting. for calmer personalities, use the contrasting color on litle details and use more and more space the more outgoing one is.
of course, you can always add more colors, but let them be variations from the main 3.
for example, look at zennas persona. she has blue and green and the third color is yellow. her mane shows variations of green with the two other maincolors in mind.  i think it works very well that way. ^^
it is very harmonic and the bubbles show her lively personality on the other hand.

then you could aslo pick up ninamaries persona for the vibrant and energetic type, see how well the contrasting color is placed, it doesn´t overrun you and it gives a good balance to the violett.
her cutiemark tells us about her hobby or what she can do really good and as she is a pegasus, i assume a free thinker and open mind.

for the calmer type, i really like griffins persona. she did choose a few natural warm colors, has natural real-horse-markings like the fade on the legs and the white part on the head. this really fits into the realm of medieval and celtic art and also tells me that she is quite down to earth. yes, she is a unicorn, she likes magic, also concerning the historical story context.
this again gets balanced out by her mane colors! the context-vibrant orange next to the olive green? they work super great as highlights on the brown mane and really gives her something individual.
her symbol at last combines her love for nature and mystics.

i hope noone feels stepped on thier toes because of the describing, tell me and i delete it.

hope that helps! *hugs*
i love your design of inky milk and did really enjoy drawing her!

[Griffin]

Aww, thanks emuel! That's a lovely analysis and very accurate, too! Those are some great tips you gave in regard to colours. I must admit my colour choices are rather intuitive and it rarely occurs to me to think about the colour wheel, contrasting or complementary colours etc. but that is a good point.

I also associate pegasi with positive, open, bubbly and energetic personalities; unicorns with contemplative, more introverted types; earth ponies with people who are down to earth, warm and practical. Sensitive, shy personalities could also be represented by flutters/wingers.