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Description
Part 1: MS Paint Base Tutorial Pt 1 Part 2: MS Paint Base Tutorial Pt 2
Finished base from the tutorial: www.deviantart.com/elementbase…
Base Creation FAQ: sta.sh/02al38o8j01t

Additional advice:

1. Remember to save frequently while you're basing! You never know when you might realize too late you royally messed up or if your program might crash unexpectedly and lose all your progress.

2. Don't use the same colors I use for my bases! Your base could be mistaken to be one of mine! Try to come up with your own colors or use colors from the show!

3. Following the topic of coloring, don't use super bright neon colors like the ones you trace with to color your finished base. It can deter artists from using your bases because the colors are

too bright and overwhelming for their eyes. Neon colored bases don't look as nice as ones that have more calm colors.

4. Specify which episode and season your base is from when you upload it. People might be curious where you found the shot.

5. If you don't want to deal with as many colors on the base later on, invert the color before you start tracing. It can result in fewer colors showing up on the Bitmap file later on.

6. Pay attention to the colors of the characters. Certain colors don't work with tracing certain characters. I have a list below featuring the main characters of the show and what colors to not trace them with.

7. For your first bases, you should make a few of Twilight. Because she has both horns and wings, those first bases will provide you with already traced wings and horns for characters that don't have them in future bases while you're still learning how to draw them. Horns are easy, but even after 200+ bases I still have trouble drawing wings.
8. If you're worried about storage space on your computer being taken up by a bunch of empty files, try making a two canvases, one normal PNG file for tracing, and a BMP file for clearing colors. You can paste your screenshot into the tracing file, then after it's traced you cut it and paste it into the BMP file, then once it's done you can create a new file for your base. Instead of having 3 new files for each base, you'll only have one for the base itself. I do something similar to this even though I don't need to worry about storage space because it feels more organized and creates a lot less trash for your Recycling Bin application.
9. Pace yourself! Don't expect to make perfect bases at first, and don't work with any scenes that are too complicated. Screenshots with multiple characters or with things majorly obscuring a character's body like large clothing will be much harder on you and your developing skills. You need time to get used to the anatomy and structure of the bodies of the characters your tracing before you can replicate what may be hidden by clothing or other characters. I had a lot of trouble with a couple of my earlier bases because I decided to tackle a few Gala screenshots. It was stressful xD
10. Take your time with creating your bases. Most people appreciate my bases because of their good quality, so you should aim to have high quality bases as well. Bases that have good quality are ones that are going to be used more. No one likes to use sloppy bases. Don't cut corners and be patient while making your bases. Make sure the lines are even throughout the base and don't look unnatural.

A little bit of tracing color advice for the main characters to avoid coloring trouble in the future-

Twilight Sparkle: Don't use magenta for the body outline.
Pinkie Pie: Don't use magenta for the body outline or bright blue for her iris.
Applejack: Don't use red or yellow for the body outline.
Fluttershy: Don't use yellow for the body outline.
Rainbow Dash: Don't use red, yellow, or bright blue for the body outline.
Rarity: Any color works with her.

Starlight Glimmer: Don't use bright blue for her body outline or dark neon blue for her eyes.

Spike: Don't use green for his scales.
Princess Celestia: Don't use yellow for her crest and crown or bright blue for her body outline.
Princess Luna: Don't use dark neon blue for her body outline or bright blue for her iris.
Princess Flurry Heart: Don't use bright blue for her body, diaper, or iris outline.
Princess Cadence: Don't use yellow or magenta for her body, crest, shoes, and crown outline.
Prince Shining Armor: Don't use bright blue for his body outline or iris.
Applebloom: Don't use red, yellow, or magenta for her body outline.
Scootaloo: Don't use red or yellow for her body outline.
Sweetiebelle: Any color works for her.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me whatever you need to in the comments!

P.S.
If you make a base using this tutorial, please let me see it! I'd love to see what you make and I'll add it to my favorite bases collection!

Description
Part 1: MS Paint Base Tutorial Pt 1 Part 2: MS Paint Base Tutorial Pt 2
Finished base from the tutorial: www.deviantart.com/elementbase…
Base Creation FAQ: sta.sh/02al38o8j01t

Additional advice:

1. Remember to save frequently while you're basing! You never know when you might realize too late you royally messed up or if your program might crash unexpectedly and lose all your progress.

2. Don't use the same colors I use for my bases! Your base could be mistaken to be one of mine! Try to come up with your own colors or use colors from the show!

3. Following the topic of coloring, don't use super bright neon colors like the ones you trace with to color your finished base. It can deter artists from using your bases because the colors are

too bright and overwhelming for their eyes. Neon colored bases don't look as nice as ones that have more calm colors.

4. Specify which episode and season your base is from when you upload it. People might be curious where you found the shot.

5. If you don't want to deal with as many colors on the base later on, invert the color before you start tracing. It can result in fewer colors showing up on the Bitmap file later on.

6. Pay attention to the colors of the characters. Certain colors don't work with tracing certain characters. I have a list below featuring the main characters of the show and what colors to not trace them with.

7. For your first bases, you should make a few of Twilight. Because she has both horns and wings, those first bases will provide you with already traced wings and horns for characters that don't have them in future bases while you're still learning how to draw them. Horns are easy, but even after 200+ bases I still have trouble drawing wings.
8. If you're worried about storage space on your computer being taken up by a bunch of empty files, try making a two canvases, one normal PNG file for tracing, and a BMP file for clearing colors. You can paste your screenshot into the tracing file, then after it's traced you cut it and paste it into the BMP file, then once it's done you can create a new file for your base. Instead of having 3 new files for each base, you'll only have one for the base itself. I do something similar to this even though I don't need to worry about storage space because it feels more organized and creates a lot less trash for your Recycling Bin application.
9. Pace yourself! Don't expect to make perfect bases at first, and don't work with any scenes that are too complicated. Screenshots with multiple characters or with things majorly obscuring a character's body like large clothing will be much harder on you and your developing skills. You need time to get used to the anatomy and structure of the bodies of the characters your tracing before you can replicate what may be hidden by clothing or other characters. I had a lot of trouble with a couple of my earlier bases because I decided to tackle a few Gala screenshots. It was stressful xD
10. Take your time with creating your bases. Most people appreciate my bases because of their good quality, so you should aim to have high quality bases as well. Bases that have good quality are ones that are going to be used more. No one likes to use sloppy bases. Don't cut corners and be patient while making your bases. Make sure the lines are even throughout the base and don't look unnatural.

A little bit of tracing color advice for the main characters to avoid coloring trouble in the future-

Twilight Sparkle: Don't use magenta for the body outline.
Pinkie Pie: Don't use magenta for the body outline or bright blue for her iris.
Applejack: Don't use red or yellow for the body outline.
Fluttershy: Don't use yellow for the body outline.
Rainbow Dash: Don't use red, yellow, or bright blue for the body outline.
Rarity: Any color works with her.

Starlight Glimmer: Don't use bright blue for her body outline or dark neon blue for her eyes.

Spike: Don't use green for his scales.
Princess Celestia: Don't use yellow for her crest and crown or bright blue for her body outline.
Princess Luna: Don't use dark neon blue for her body outline or bright blue for her iris.
Princess Flurry Heart: Don't use bright blue for her body, diaper, or iris outline.
Princess Cadence: Don't use yellow or magenta for her body, crest, shoes, and crown outline.
Prince Shining Armor: Don't use bright blue for his body outline or iris.
Applebloom: Don't use red, yellow, or magenta for her body outline.
Scootaloo: Don't use red or yellow for her body outline.
Sweetiebelle: Any color works for her.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me whatever you need to in the comments!

P.S.
If you make a base using this tutorial, please let me see it! I'd love to see what you make and I'll add it to my favorite bases collection!