Drawponies Scandal Day 3 - The final word on #traceponies




By now you're probably all aware that The Artist Formerly Known as DrawPonies was officially caught red-handed. Everyone who believed him to be faultless was proven wrong when he admitted in his "Message From Drawponies" that he traced artwork.

This has brought about 2 simultaneous waves - one of disgust and anger, and another of blind forgiveness.

Let's take a look, at where we stand now.
DeviantArt version of message
Facebook Version of Message

After over 24 hours of hiding, renaming Patreons, and quietly trying to sweep the situation under the rug, pressure finally forced Neil Wacaster to address the public, on the now-proven accusations that he traces artwork and presents it as his own.



In his statement he says "While I have done hundreds of original art pieces, it is true that some of my art has been traced from the show".

What follows is an apology that while many fans are accepting with blind abandon, others are seeing as a half-hearted "PR stunt" akin to that of a politician.

"He's not sorry he did it, he's sorry he got caught" says one Anonymous commenter.


A cursory look at both the Deviantart message and the Facebook message reveals two very different mindsets about the issue. Deviantart has shown itself to be more forgiving than Facebook, where the situation began in the first place. On Facebook, even some admins of the Drawponies group were outraged to the point of resignation.


Understandably too.
According to the original thread while Neil was caught tracing live on-screen, one of the rules of the Drawponies group itself, was that tracing is not allowed, and could result in being banned.

One user named Skylar says "I'm also quite positive all who are commenting are gonna be banned...just like the last thing that happened".

"Not so!" claims Drawponies in his "apology".

"Deleting negative comments and banning people for criticism - My volunteer moderator team and I did not delete negative comments made in the last few days. Claims that we did are false."

Drawponies asserts that the moderators did nothing to censor negative comments.

Which would be great, if not for the pile of screencaps we have in storage, sent to us from members who had their comments disappear, and even messages from former admins who took it upon themselves to UN-censor some comments.



Does this mean that Drawponies is lying, even in his own apology?
Well let's take a look at the clause that follows it.

"Adapting to Night as traced work - Adapting to Night is an example of work that is created completely from scratch. Many of the characters, objects, and backgrounds used in the series are referenced from the show, but not traced or copied."


Oh, and 2 for 2!

"None of the artwork that I will have at conventions will have show assets, and any work with traced assets will be discontinued entirely."

Gee TracePonies, after both of your claims were shot down in mere moments of you making them, we think that your followers are going to have a hard time swallowing THAT promise too.

So, a good number of the fans he let down, pissed off, and were made fools of (like the guy who went on EVERY social media outlet to claim that Drawponies has never traced) are still upset. How is the rest of the community faring.

Sethisto at EQD let him off with a slap-on-the-wrist because TracePonies promised to never do it again, and it's not EQD's place to hold anyone accountable (especially when EQD has been promoting his art for a long time). The commenters however were not as forgiving. Below, are the top comments on EQD.



Conventions also have been less forgiving, as they certainly have a lot to lose by being associated with a known fraud.


Everfree Northwest has officially dropped him as a guest and a vendor. Word on the street is they may not be the last to do so.


So what's the next step? Do we just accept his apology and go back like things never happened?

Not likely. Some followers are demanding refunds, others are reporting him. Still others plan on helping him improve on his drawing skills.



Will he change his bio?


And will he address the laundry list of other grievances that his fellow vendors and artists have with him? For instance, this account that was left on our comments section yesterday
Password: nix


It's hard to say what the future will hold for TracePonies. He's got more eyes watching him now than ever, and rightfully so. People continue to send us in examples of work he's traced, and new images making humor of the situation.


So.
Just to recap.
He lied about tracing.
He made money while lying.
His group punished others for tracing.
That group claims he lied about not censoring.
That would mean that Drawponies lied in an apology.
And now it's all out in the open.
What happens next is up to you.






And we think we'll let THIS guy have the last word.


Comments (182)

  1. Final word .
    This fandom is the life
    *sits back smoking a Cuban cigars with some tequila*

    ReplyDelete
  2. You all mothafuckas need Jesus

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How can Jeeebus be real when our brains aren't real

      Delete
  3. Fucker deserves to be banned from cons. I saw him there and I knew his work was just crappy vector tracings from day one. I guess I should've said something but I didn't want to get involved.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Everyone suspected his art was just vector tracings, but we never had any hard evidence until now.

      Delete
  4. you know what else is wrong THIS

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ox4F-E4a-s4

    this guy needs some serious help!

    ReplyDelete
  5. No one cares yes but... It's done. There. He apologized, but he's fucked over the vendors' and his fans' trust because of this. It'll take a long time for everyone to trust him and his team again.

    Atleast he didn't decide to leave the fandom or stop drawing all together. Just no more of selling traced bullshit, damn. Do your own original shit.

    ReplyDelete
  6. From here on out it's just a matter of how many conventions will ban him, if not from vending then from at least being a special guest panelist that has the nerve to do 'How to Draw Ponies' panels. Convention staff, if you're in the middle of talks for how to handle this, let me tell you the things that could happen if he remains a vendor/special guest at your con:

    - His customer base has dwindled down significantly, meaning way less demand in the vendor's room.
    - Vendors will not only continue to gossip about him, but may also try to steal customers from his table. (This would be because he has done the same thing at multiple conventions for the last two years.)
    - Some vendors will boycott your convention. Sure, they can be replaced, but their opinions are shared with their fans. Other people outside the vendor community may boycott your con as well.
    - People besides vendors will come up to his table / panel for the sole purpose of harassing him ("Where's my refund, asshole?") and possibly even pranking him in a way that breaks con rules. This means more unnecessary work for your security team, and bad memories for those that are still his fans witnessing what's going on.
    - Some people may even go as far as finding out what hotel room he's staying at and pranking him there... or worse. I'm not saying going this far is even close to justified, but a few people in the fandom are fucking nuts. Even if you can 100% guarantee his safety on the con floor, whose to say what the actual hotel security is like, especially if he stays at a non-convention affiliated hotel.

    Overall I don't think you have anything to gain from letting him stay besides keeping the paperwork the same. While this might stop being a current topic in a week this fandom has a pretty good memory... don't let them associate Drawpony's shot reputation with your own PR.

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    Replies
    1. if he vendors he will still do is business tactics like always. Trust me I know for a fact he will still do this.


      Now only that trust me, we vendors will not forgive him so easily....it will be VERY awkward when he will be there cause a lot of us hate him....

      Delete
    2. Figured the vendors/artists that will be the last to forgive him, because it's them that he fucked over while building his massive con empire.

      Delete
    3. ^^^ tru dat. I don't blame them. I don't think anyone does. For years those vendors were voicing their concerns about DP's business practice, but mostly kept a tight lip amongst themselves because of DP's fanbase and the bronies back then were so damn rabid. Who the hell wanted to deal with a backlash from his rabid fans and bronies? Now that his fans finally admit it, those same people who called DP out but were chased off by this fandom's rabid idiots are coming out of the woodwork.

      For the people still defending DP and the tracing and selling of someone else's stuff, soooooooo sorry we vendors had a hard time dealing with the fact DP sold those traced works at an unreasonably high price. Yeah we're soooo sorry we had concerns he was ripping people off.

      Delete
    4. >but a few people in the fandom are fucking nuts.
      ahahahahahaha, fuck off.

      Delete
    5. Out of curiosity, how can vendors steal customers?

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    6. When most vendors are doing their job, they're sitting behind their tables and only talk to customers they either personally know or ones that are browsing their wares. Sure, sometimes they'll attract more attention to their booth with sexy cosplay, music, or lit up displays, but as long as they're following the convention guidelines it's all good in the neighborhood.

      Drawponies however goes waaaay over the line by having his assistants walk up to customers that are busy browsing other tables and having them advertise and lead them over to his table. All this happens right in front of the other vendors, and each time it's interpreted as a big fuck you.

      A lot of vendors know and chat with each other and if the word 'competition' is ever used, it's usually in a friendly way. We're basically our own little niche community within the fandom. While we all want to earn money, it's not the end all be all, and a good half of us are just happy to break even. Evidently Drawponies never got the message, but that would probably be because no one in the vendor community has been friends with him in the last year.

      Delete
  7. Non-mobile Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/drawponies/posts/365097490350824

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  8. Something I still don't quite understand is whether people already knew or accepted that Drawponies was tracing. Evidently, lots of people suspected that he was tracing, but didn't have the hard proof to back it up. Some of his fans, if they didn't already know, then they certainly didn't seem to care when it came to light. There was a comment in one of the other articles that says that Neil had outright admitted to tracing in one of his con panels. And if Neil was trying to hide the fact that he was tracing, then why did he blatantly do it in the middle of one of his livestreams?

    It almost seems like he and his fans were okay with the tracing, but just wanted to keep sufficiently low-key about it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Or in denial. Paying for stuff or just idolizing someone makes most not want to believe they did wrong.

      "And if Neil was trying to hide the fact that he was tracing, then why did he blatantly do it in the middle of one of his livestreams?"

      That is still the most baffling to me. Maybe he did it on purpose.
      ...
      ..
      .
      Maybe hes on a self destructive path.

      Delete
  9. I'm upset with drawponies but I don't feel that bad for people that bought from him. You wanted to buy art that looks just like it was traced from the show. Now that you know it was traced doesn't mean the art is different. It still looks the same. You got what you wanted.

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  10. This made my day.

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  11. lmfao it's so funny and pathetic how people are now defending this fucker and what he did as a vendor. OH TRACING IS SOOOOO HARD I DARE YOU TO TRY IT!!!1111 THEN COME BACK TO ME WAAAH WAAAH WAAH. Fuck off lol. Tracing is the most douchey thing one could do. It's the most looked down practice in the illustration and art world, and it's not gonna change anyone's mind. If you trace, give credit where credits due, or fuck off.

    And if you manage to capitalize on someone else's original work like saving an image someone drew and then putting it on a shirt AND not notifying the original artist of what you're doing without their permission, you deserve whatever your fucking karma owes you.

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  12. neil wacaster? more like steil wacaster
    #tracegate

    ReplyDelete
  13. I was once admin there for a short time but after this stunt I resigned... I became admin to help make DP a fun and friendly place for all members and to show their art off, Not to be a human shield for someone not worth their brass. When I first joined it seemed like it was just a group for drawing ponies and Neil was never hardly on so I never even connected it till I was admined. When I saw his first attempt at an apology it was so cold and calculated you could tell it was fake.....

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    Replies
    1. Amen! And not just that! His whole admin team on the DrawPonies art group on FaceBook had no idea! They are trying to fix things and now none of the group members seem to cut them any slack! The admins that left already were the more social of the bunch! Mary Elizabeth Grossman Clark was like Fluttershy! She was so quiet and polite! She would ask nicely and Torrie was pretty awesome too! She was more firm and to the point but she was fair! The other admins are trying to fix the group, not Neil's reputation!

      Delete
    2. Wait! Are they not coming back ever!!! Like never EVER!! Torrie and Mary have to come back!!! D:

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    3. Dude! Miss Mary is the sweetest person ever! She really wants to help and I genuinely believe that she was not there for just the members but for the whole fandom! She is so humble and people have used her as a door mat! Plus she's a REAL artist!! Torrie seemed to be more accepted by some members due to being friends already but I don't know much else about her. IMO they should be back admining!

      Delete
    4. Wow! I didn't realize Me and Torrie were missed!

      Delete
  14. That final word by Matt was that slow burning ether. I could feel the disappointment radiating off the screen.

    Traceponies, you are beyond done, my boy.

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    Replies
    1. Matt, here (Using my G+ account creds). Yes, a slow, hot burn. Even though I never particularly cared for his work, finding it quite banal and simplistic, I couldn't help but admit that he was popular. Of course, I had suspected he had been tracing for some time, but I've always firmly believe in "innocent until proven guilty." Accusations doth not make the crime, and all that.

      Still, it is delicious. Especially when so many other talented artists are over and over again accused of tracing, when they don't, and here he is, doing that shit! The thing of it is, tracing doesn't help grow an artist's skills, at all. Yes, a beginning-level artist may trace to get basic (and I mean *basic*) structures or poses down that they may be having problems with, but you never actually *improve* by tracing -- no muscle-memory coordination is built up.

      *That* is why artists, true artists, each develop their own signature "look." I'm not saying all "show-accurate" artists (especially vector artists) trace; far from it. But there are some obvious tells, and Neil's work was full of them (I'm not going to go into the details, here, but suffice it to say, they were there).

      Also, and this is the thing that *really* tipped me off, a good artist *improves* over time, and you can *see* that improvement. Hell, even Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, etc ... they had innate talent, yes ... but they constantly improved until they were able to create their masterpieces.

      Look at dennybutt, tsitra360, baron-engle, ka-samy, noben, assassinmonkey, silfoe (some of my very favorites), etc. Look at their early stuff. The innate talent was there, rough, but THERE. And it's constantly improved. Now, look at Neil's stuff ... always the same. Lazy backgrounds. Proportions not correct. Vanishing points and scale off. Shadows and lighting haphazard. Real cut-and-paste. The only "art" that looks good is ... anything traced.

      It's sad, really. And that's where the slow burning, *smoldering* anger comes in. Neil, you could have *improved*, over these last THREE years. Instead of being greedy and sending an army of bots and trace artists to grab cash, hand-over-fist, you could have *improved* your work even more ... just think what you could have done with actual, real, *original* work.

      And now, Hasbro has even more impetus to look into Brony artists. Even more reason to send C&Ds to protect their IP, because some naive artist tried to emulate Neil's "style," and got caught.

      *Sighs*

      I don't have any more energy for this. I certainly hadn't expected to become the side-topic because H-N picked up my FB rant. But, I'm also glad that the message (not me; I'm a nobody, and am intent on remaining that way), the MESSAGE got out.

      In the meantime, love, tolerate, and shine Celestia's Light in all the darkness!

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    3. I personally draw pone art, and I draw relatively closely to the show's style - but even then I've credited my references - and these references aren't even traced.

      Delete
    4. If you're not directly copying you probably don't need to credit, but it's certainly an admirable way to do things.

      Delete
  15. This whiny faggot from Derpibooru's comments and forums is defending him with all of his might even after the tracing part was confirmed.
    https://derpiboo.ru/profiles/518c33587f123b123500037f
    http://jarkes.deviantart.com/
    http://comments.deviantart.com/4/22314511/3810123960

    ReplyDelete
  16. You know, back at Grand Brony Gala, Ivan warned me about DP. Didn't really specify why, but he certainly seemed hesitant to heap any praise on him.

    This entire incident has made me realize why.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Evan Higgins (FortePony)21 April 2015 at 18:09

      I hope he gets removed from the Guest and Vendors list for GBGIII.

      Delete
    2. At the very least removed from the guest list and banned from doing the "how to draw ponies" panel.

      But yes, I don't think he deserves to be a vendor after this either. I've already notified Arlene, and I hope the rest of you that are going to the con do too.

      Delete
  17. This is not over for Neil. Forgiveness is one thing, but precedent is another. One of the replies in the Tumblr apology discusses the idea of Hasbro restricting–or cutting off completely–interaction with the show staff and others because the fandom silently supported Neil's illegal activity by not speaking up about it. Forget that this allegedly took two years to come up. What matters is that it's happening now and I would rather this one person be held accountable than have the fandom worldwide be punished for the actions of a few. To use a countryism, we can't have one bad apple ruin the whole bushel.
    What the fandom should do now is be ready to support Hasbro if they decide to take legal action against Neil. Not just because Hasbro is in the right to protect its properties, but because the fandom will look good from a business perspective. Hasbro is nothing if not a business and may reward the fandom for its integrity and loyalty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, the worst thing that can happen now, is that Hasbro gets lazy if they decide to 'solve' the issue, and just completely nukes the freedom this fandom's artists have at conventions and on the internet.

      Delete
  18. Articles like these literally make me sick. You're only encouraging hatred from the other bronies. Bronies aren't supposed to be about hatred. What the fuck ever happened to love and tolerance?! The amount of cyberbullying that has been going on towards Drawponies and the mods is fucking ridiculous. Everyone needs to calm the fuck down and learn to let go.
    This fandom is going to hell. Literally. I have heard of so many terrible things that have been going on within the community recently and it makes me SICK. Let's think before we act, people. Let's be better than the other assholes in the world. And if you all can't do that, I'm out. I'm done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Love and tolerance started as a sarcastic joke on 4chan. You want to know why people are being so hard on him for profiting off of tracing? Because not only did he take away money from stupid customers and beginning artists, but most importantly he could have ruined the way Hasbro views fan art sales at conventions from here on out.

      You think this fandom is going to hell? No, just the Drawponies community.

      Door is to your left if you can't face the facts.

      Delete
    2. Get back to us when you've been ripped off for YEARS by some douche who had done the douchiest thing that's frowned upon in the art community and KNEW it was wrong but didn't stop. And also when people who called him out for years about his tracing were chased away and harassed by his rabid fanbase and rabid bronies. Get back to us on both those things, otherwise FUCK OFF.

      Delete
    3. two wrongs don't make a right faggot

      Delete
    4. Please, even the show itself has displayed that if someone does something heinous, you have to call them out and punish them accordingly. And that's what we're doing here. "Love and tolerance" (which was never really a thing anyways) can only go so far.

      Delete
  19. 10/10 would bang that admin named Torrie she is a hottie

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    Replies
    1. She is indeed! I would love to gallop across a field with that there mare!!

      Delete
    2. woah hold on now thats my mom youre talking about. back off

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    3. Yes quite she seems like the type who likes to ride bareback *whinny*

      Delete
    4. Funny I heard she didn't like kids and you must be really young since she is around my age

      Delete
    5. Here come the white knights, gripping their fedoras tightly.

      Delete
    6. >that's my mom you're talking about

      nice milf

      Delete
    7. The MILF is strong in this one.

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    8. what is going on in this particular thread???????????

      Delete
    9. Normal horsefucker things.

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    10. Talking about the hot former admin in DP, Torrie

      Delete
    11. I'll show her some "DP" hurrhurrhurr~

      Delete
    12. Hi. Torrie here.

      What the ever loving Frick lol

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    13. Yeah I'm Torrie's friend here, this is kinda messed up guys like c'mon.
      Even though she's BANGABLE AS FUCK you should be discussing these types of things in public.

      Delete
    14. http://prntscr.com/6wlhq1
      "mom"
      fucking family RPers
      too bad they both look like good artists. I think they should fuck

      Delete
    15. I... Um....


      Which friend are you? >.>

      Delete
    16. I'm sure they'd bang IRL in a heartbeat.

      Delete
    17. Suddenly I'm so glad I wasn't the bangable admin XD

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    18. I'd never bang him omg. Pls no. Stop. K thank

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    19. Anon Admin I would bang you!! You as smooth as silk XD

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    20. i want them to bang! incest is wincest!

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    21. ^they arent related. just roleplaying fags

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    22. chitty chitty bang bang

      Delete
    23. if he wont bang her I will! his loss! I'll bang him too!

      Delete
    24. I'd bang Mary! She's more my speed! No offense Torrie! I think you are cute and all I just think Mare-y would be a good fit for me :D

      Delete
    25. mare-y or torrie? hmm. whats the boy look like? he cute? maybe an orgy?

      Delete
    26. What?! She is a real milf! And she is so comfortable to talk to. Deviously sensual and all

      Delete
    27. yeah I love her sexy role plays

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    28. Oh man! I can only imagine what she said!

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    29. I heard she's a lesbian. thats so hot, I should become a girl!

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    30. Mary isn't a lesbian.... Is Torrie?

      Delete
    31. lesbian or not I am free to fap!

      Delete
    32. well i mean

      she has a husband

      so

      can we stop

      this is a. very creepy and b. ...still very fucking creepy

      Delete
    33. I don't want to do bad things to them but they seem like the kinda girls would would be fun to hang out with! Shoot pool, swimming, movies, paint ball.... Maybe even so fishing and tubing

      Delete
    34. Um. This is getting weird. Mary has a husband and a baby. >.>

      And in reguards to my ' Son' it isnt an Rp thing, moreso i just care about the kid in a familial way?

      Delete
    35. breast feed your son on video for us

      Delete
    36. Ewwwww!!!! He is friggin 2 you pervert!

      Delete
    37. casey and torrie sitting in a tree
      yeah that has a nice ring to it

      Delete
    38. two year olds dont have facebooks. how old is torrie? whats the age difference? they should bang either way because incest is wincest! she can be a cougar!

      Delete
    39. Hope you assholes know that the boyfriend is reading this. Just saying. Already got dibs.

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    40. :I I. what. No. just no.

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    41. is the boyfriend her son? XD

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    42. I really like looking at her google profile

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    43. Enjoy the google profile that hasnt been updated in years. Idont even use this one anymore. idk why it defaulted to it but whatevs.

      No boyfriend isnt son. jfc.

      Delete
    44. This is her actual boyfriend. Not Casey. And a lot of you are creepy basement dwellers at this point.

      Delete
    45. are y'all okay

      Delete
    46. boyfriend + son + mom = yes

      Delete
    47. I think they have Mare Tail Fever XD
      Down here in the South that is a thing

      Delete
    48. It is best to let this die methinks, dear. >.>

      Delete
    49. http://www.facebook.com/hardc0r3gore
      http://www.facebook.com/eric.moosekian
      http://www.facebook.com/c987642
      what a cute family

      Delete
    50. haha you just hacked them! good job m8!

      Delete
    51. what the fuck is going on lol

      Delete
  20. At least the group isnt going to complete shit!

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  21. Arent there new admins in the group or something?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes but the group members aren't all being a help and are still causing a fuss in Dramaponies... I mean DrawPonies

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    2. It seems to be doing better there though, thanks to the admin team!

      Delete
  22. Theres a new guy in there I spoke to when he became an admin.. forgot his name though..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sky is a chick I though. There was some Adam dude but he was in and out like that

      Delete
    2. Yeah! He was bashed in a post one night and the next day was made an admin. I didnt know what to think of it at first but.. whoever made him an admin did the right thing! I messaged him to see if he was okay and at first he seemed really shy.. But once I started asking questions about the group and how things were going to be, he didnt hesitate to be completely honest and tell me everything he knew. I have a good feeling about this! Finally an admin is there that I dont fear!

      Delete
    3. He's no longer admin though

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    4. Sky uses male pronouns.

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    5. Sky is no longer admin?!

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    6. I wasn't sure which pronoun would be the correct to use so I asked around

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    7. Is Sky still an admin??

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    8. Yes Sky is still an admin <3

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    9. I just messaged Sky, yes he is. I think that person was referring to that Adam guy that isnt an admin anymore.

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    10. I was about to flip out, he's so sweet!

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    11. I spoke to sky when the posting wasnt allowed in Drawponies and he explained everything to me, he spend maybe an hour messaging me, letting me know that the admin team was doing all they could to restore order. And that they were going to try to reform the group into just an art group, not a fan page for Neil anymore.. I have no idea where Sky came from but Ive never had an admin be so thorough with me before and making sure that i was happy and content!

      Delete
  23. To be realistic... eh good enough. I don't care if his apology is genuine (surprise, most apologies in life aren't), and good luck getting refunds on his merchandise now. And there will always be some demand for this kind of cheap fanart, whether from DP or someone else.
    But if he's invited to fewer conventions, and enough of his fans don't trust his reputation anymore, then that money can go to other artists who deserve it more. I'm okay with that.

    ReplyDelete
  24. You guys used a screenshot of me bashing him on DeviantArt for your news?is that why I got a llama badge?Lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes it is! Llamas for all!!

      Delete
  25. >inb4 suicide from the realization everyone hates him

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  26. Hi, Torrie here.

    Id like to say my bit as to what i think about this whole situation. What Neil did was deplorable. He wasnt honest and upfront and exploited those who enjoyed they work they thought was his. He is claiming the comic has no traced elements, which we know is nothing but a lie. He is getting what he deserves.

    Concerning the facebook group Drawponies. I stepped down because of the drama and i in no way support neil. I never honestly did. Ido care about the group, it is a great art community, filled with great artists. I feel for the members that have had to suffer because of this drama. I told the current admin team that i will return once Neil is booted from his seat of power there, and the name is changed, or at least all ties are cut. The group has enough scars as it is. Him being there will only make it worse.

    Thank you for covering this well, Horse News. Its a shame EQD didnt give two shits.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I finally figured out how to get on here. I really wish you would come back as an admin cause Im positive you could influence the group in a positive way, but i understand your feelings about Neil. I dont support what he did either nor will I defend what he did. Its one thing to use tracing as a learning experience.. but not when youre selling to make profit. I hope the us admins at Drawponies can turn the group around for the better and hope that Neil truly understands that what he did was not okay. I dont know if his apology was sincere or not, but thats not my problem, what Im focusing on is getting this group back to normal so everyone can be happy again :)

      Delete
    2. Torrie I agree completely! And once it's all over I would gladly come back if the admin team would have me!

      Delete
    3. Im sure they'd have you back, Mary dear. Ive given the each of them a bit of my mind as of late, idk how warm the recpetion would be tbh. I took my censor off the moment i stepped down. >.>

      Delete
    4. Hey, aren't you that chick that starts shit with people for lulz? What's your OCs name again? Chromia?

      Delete
    5. No, My OC is not Chromia. Although i have heard of it.

      I generally don't start shit.

      Delete
    6. Don't hate on EQD for not pursuing this further. They're around for show news and anything good that happens in the fandom. Hell, it was probably a lot of effort to simply acknowledge the #TracePonies scandal. They did what they should've done, and I couldn't be more proud of Sethisto, Calpain, and co.

      Delete
  27. As a former admin of Drawponies, I can confirm that the group itself has been more or less a trainwreck since mid last year when I began involving myself in it. I learned the admins' ways of doing things and tbh a lot of what one admin in particular did was very disgusting, but it seems like they genuinely want to change the group and steer it away from what it once was. I don't think it can shake off what happened without a complete overhaul, but we'll see what the future brings. I wouldn't mind going back if the group was turned around, but they've tried before and didn't get too far, so who knows..

    ReplyDelete
  28. The way theyre going about it now i think will be different. THey dont get to get Neils approval on everything.


    If he is kicked, that is. If he isnt, it'll be the same old BS

    ReplyDelete
  29. I just hope that now that this is over bronies can fuck off the Horse News comments section. The autism in these comments skyrocketed ever since this event.
    >inb4 "muh sekkrit club"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. >complains about bronies commenting on a brony-dedicated website.

      If you have autism but your're a bit less special, don't call out on it. <3

      Delete
    2. >brony-dedicated website
      horsefucker, actually, no?

      Delete
  30. If you read the apology in his Facebook group, the wording is very manipulative and tries to shift the blame onto his fans. Every comment calling him out on it was deleted by the admins.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. that is not true, None of the admin staff have removed or hidden a comment. You must also remember that Neil himself has the power to hide and delete comments. Has anyone even thought it was him doing it

      Delete
  31. that is not true, None of the admin staff have removed or hidden a comment. You must also remember that Neil himself has the power to hide and delete comments. Has anyone even thought it was him doing it

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonthony!AppLeJAcK.21 April 2015 at 17:00

    Where the fuck did my comment go

    ReplyDelete
  33. Based LikiWeaks, please teach us how to steal articles!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Anonthony!AppLeJAcK.21 April 2015 at 17:05

    http://prntscr.com/6whi3a
    >professional my little pony fan artist
    >professional

    >iconic character art
    >traced images of the show
    >iconic
    the twitter banner/top image or whatever of his twitter, is a trace im pretty sure

    same with his icon

    Speaking of fraud....
    I'm looking through US, UK and Australian law to determine if he may be in violation of laws regarding fraud and scam.
    Presenting services (in this case, "original" art) under false pretenses may in fact be against the law, rather than just a scummy thing to do (though regardless, it IS against copyright law since it infringes on Hasbro's intellectual property without their consent.)
    Relevant US codes are 18 U.S Code § 1341 and § 1346 (specifcally the latter "the definition of scheme or artifice to defraud" being "includes a scheme or artifice to deprive another of the intangible right to honest services.")
    Relevant AUS law would be Australian Consumer Law (ACL) which prohibits "relevant to scams include:

    misleading or deceptive conduct"
    Specifically going on to say:

    False or misleading representations

    It is unlawful for a trader to make false or misleading representations about goods or services when supplying, offering to supply or promoting goods or services. It is also unlawful to make or use false or misleading testimonials. This includes claims about the age, quality, sponsorship, approval, price or benefits of the goods or services. For instance, many scams trying to sell ‘miracle cures’ may make false representations about the benefits of their product. This is likely to breach the ACL.
    The US authority to contact would be The Office of Consumer Litigation of the Civil Division of the Department of Justice.
    Since it would involve "Interstate Commerce" and specifically electronic transactions it would fall under mail and wire fraud, which has a potential five-year maximum prison sentence in addition to the relevant fines.
    An important sentence in the code would be "Whoever, having devised or intending to devise any scheme or artifice to defraud, or for obtaining money or property by means of false or fraudulent pretenses," (would be a fraud.)
    - such person shall be fined not more than $1,000,000 or imprisoned not more than 30 years, or both.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

    Drawponies, you are hereby forgiven.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Go suck your own dick and break your neck in the process.

      Delete
    2. Nah. Not physically possible. Besides, I have a girlfriend for that.

      But thank you for reminding me why you shitlords are beneath me.

      Delete
  36. Hey, I see me in one of the screenshots....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Evan Higgins (FortePony)21 April 2015 at 18:15

      Hey, I see you in one of the screenshots.

      Delete
  37. Why good stuff never happens during hiatus?

    Also thanks Horse News for the entertainment

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're the guy with the funny Sea Swirl comics.

      Delete
  38. I can honestly say that I'm disappointed. I'm not mad because I didn't invest much money into his work, but honestly, where is the originality? I was working a con table with a friend in '12 where she was selling prints for the con, and he just happened to have 3 that looked almost exactly the same. The only difference was that they looked ripped directly from the show, and now it appears that it may have been so. I've seen his work by hand, and it's amazing. Why he felt he needed to waste his talent with tracing is beyond me and is very disappointing. It takes a lot to forgive and based on these two-faced apologies that seem to dance around the pile of **** that he's in, is making exceedingly hard to take him seriously. Neil, if you see this, please do yourself a favor and quit pussyfooting the **** that you're in and take it like a man. Who knows, you might actually be forgiven one day if you own up properly.

    ReplyDelete
  39. I think that the fact that he traced publicly in his stream might mean that he actually didn't know that tracing is wrong. I don't know what is worse, tracing while fully aware that it is wrong, or tracing and not knowing that it is wrong.

    ReplyDelete
  40. I'm going to cum on my Vinyl Scratch drawponies mouse pad and upload it. Y'all are ridiculous.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Rumor has it that horse-news.net is violating a specific Terms of Service and there are rumors that this website WILL be taken down.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. [Citation needed]

      Delete
    2. There are rumors you suck cock, Anon.

      Delete
    3. Gr8 b8 m8, I r8 it 8/8.

      Seriously though, if you want to start shit at least don't start shit where an administrator of HN can easily shoot you down. Go whiteknight somewhere else.

      Delete
    4. Hey, two can play that game!

      "Rumor has it Neil secretly enjoys inserting live kittens up his butt and masturbates to their wriggling as they suffocate in his ass chute"

      Delete
  42. Man fuck Drawphonies, fuck the admin team. I was in that group for a day, and all I saw was ass kissing, power happy admins, and other stupid shit. I hope they take that fucking group down.

    ReplyDelete
  43. The whole DP group is full of hypocrites, thieves, liars, and popularity pandering. They'd ban you if you had an admin blocked, because heaven forbid you feel comfortable there, and that rule alsoiolated Facebook TOS, if you were a lesser known artist you got ignored due to the big names, people bitched about EVERYTHING there. The whole group is a mess, and honestly, I left it back in January, and never looked back.

    ReplyDelete
  44. You know who else I swear traces? DM29, AKA the one major flashlight shipper, every picture he "draws" is just a slightly modified vector, too bad his fanbase is just a big a group of dicksuckers as traceponies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's a difference between using a pre-defined vector library and tracing.

      Delete
    2. True, but people also pay money for that autist to draw them terrible pictures, not to the degree of traceponies but it's still hardly what I call "art".

      Delete
  45. Who fucking cares anyways?

    ReplyDelete
  46. Not surprising that DeviantArt would be more forgiving. That site has ruined so many artists through coddling them.

    ReplyDelete
  47. If you do want more proof here a video of a commission he did and traced https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9pQLuTMnNz0

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's just a grey background with a sketch he's inking over :/
      Idiot <3

      Delete
  48. Secondary headline: "Pony Drawfag Gets Caught, Pony Artfags Get Collective Jimmies Rusted; Everyone Else Laughs

    ReplyDelete
  49. Who votes on Torrie and that Sky admin gettin it? ~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Have you gone through Skys profile pics? DAMN

      Delete
    2. Id bang him

      Delete
    3. Um. can you guys not? Thanks.

      Delete
  50. White Knights of Artist's with Disabilites

    Artists with Disabilities can help each other prosper creatively and professionally by networking with each other and sharing resources. We also need to stand up for each other when anyone of us faces disability discrimination.

    Stop Cyberbullying !

    My friend who is a professional artist with disabilities, myself who is a professional artist with disabilities, and my husband who is legally blind professional artist all have been under attack by cyberbullying who have been threatening physical harm and death threats to all of us. Nobody deserves this especially artists with disabilities who often have to work 2-3 times harder than the normal artist to make a professional career out of their art. Help us spread the word that threatening to kill artists with disabilities is unacceptable.

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/WhiteKnights4ArtistswithDisabilities/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. GTFO with that autism.

      Delete
    2. Really? It's harder for people who can't see to work in a visual medium? Next you're going to tell me how few deaf-mutes are voice actors.

      Delete
    3. Really? It's harder for people who can't see to work in a visual medium? Next you're going to tell me how few deaf-mutes are voice actors.

      Delete
  51. For me he is just a fucking idiot, and I hope he will never be in a Con again

    ReplyDelete
  52. He actually traced his art? That's fucking weak.

    ReplyDelete
  53. When his original hand-crafted 'art' looks like this, you can see why he resorted to tracing.

    http://drawponies.deviantart.com/art/Evil-Twilight-Sparkle-with-a-Trout-519015337

    Maybe it's not the fame but the shame.

    ReplyDelete
  54. TO THE MOOOOOOOON

    ReplyDelete
  55. Dino Game
    "The Dino Game's retro graphics bring back so many memories of classic video games.

    "

    ReplyDelete
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    ReplyDelete
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