Artistic Flutty

"Finally" I get to criticize a piece with Fluttershy in it... must... resist... the urge... to be... overly... nice <img src="e.deviantart.net/emoticons/b/b…" width="15" height="15" alt="" title=" (Big Grin)"/>

Lets start with the vision, shall we? I must say that the general concept is very befitting - simple, which compliments Fluttershy's character as a whole, since she was never about flash to begin with. Gentle and beautiful, undoubtfully playing homeage to the central piece of the work.

It's always hard to invent something "new" these days... at least without it being "out of line". On one hand the setting you've chosen for Fluttershy here isn't used as often, on the other the general outlook has been done (and Fluttershy doesn't specifically strike me as a painting type... seems more like a Rarity thing). Still, the concept has that certain "spark" that do drag you in with its subtle surroundings.

The technique you used is overall nice; the coloring gives one the impression this was actually an oil panting of sorts... which is why Fluttershy's eyes are quite striking - by comparison they seem to be done in a completely different style; while the rest leaves on thinking it was done with paint, the eyes themselves give the impression of being done with markers. Now combining styles is not necessary a bad thing, however it should be done in a way the viewer doesn't realize he/she is looking at two, different techniques. To that end I find those eyes a flaw of this piece.
Some, minor nitpicks could be made further like the fact that, while the sun is shining from behind Fluttershy, the glitter in her eye would indicat the light source is actually in front, and while such things are difinately fauls which you should look out for in the future, they're not anything grant... mostly things only those that would REALLY look for them could notice.

The impact fares much better - as wrote before, the peaceful surrounding greatly compliments Fluttershy's character and the simplicity of the background only furthers that feeling. For a pony that generally dislikes attention and overall flash such enviroment is very well-suited.
The coloring also sets the viewer in a right mindset - it's not intrusive nor powerful, but gentle, keeping the calm mood of the piece as a whole. Mostly bright hues plays a marvelous tribute to the shy pony.
And, while with Fluttershy that's not out of the ordinary, one can't help but think "this is cute"; a feeling capture dsplendidly by this piece as a whole, even more so as it stays very true to the source material with seemingly minor details (which, yet, some artists, have a tendency to forget) like Fluttershy using her mouth to draw, in stead of hooves, for example.

While minor faults can be pointed, the feeling one gets from this piece is undeniable. And, in the end, with art, it's bringing feelings to the surface what counts.