lol, 9 years late and only saw it because of the new comment.

a lot of people will get a sketchbook but because they suck they will not use it because they need a good idea, and will end up not drawing because of that and it acts as a bit of an endless cycle of needing to draw, not drawing. the advice to just draw, is just that just draw, stop asking how and just do it. what I recommend is a bit more structured, get some news print, its paper that has 0 archival value and will likely not survive muck longer than you dying, so there is no ‘I have to make a masterpiece’ mentality, and I tell people to draw realism mixed with contours and shadow mapping. that means that they draw from a photo or something, they have a direct way to compare and self critique, and by mapping shadows, they are working on values without pissing copious amounts of time polishing turds, by the time they out grow this they will have a better understanding on what to do next so self search.

“Everything I did I did to make you proud! Tell me how proud you are, Celestia! Tell me!! TELL ME!!!!!”

@alidan  
First of all, that’s lousy advice to an aspiring artist, or anyone trying to learn something for that matter. If I’m a pro at swimming, for example, I can save a new guy a lot of headache later on by giving him REAL advice about how to avoid bad habits and such. “Just do it” makes a nice poster perhaps, but it doesn’t count as instruction.
 
Secondly, what’s that got to do with hoarding the scroll like it was anything other than shiny paper? There was nothing sacred about it, which MUST be true since they let him see it at the end anyway.

@Background Pony #5EC3  
it only gives you something if you actually understand it, think of it more like a carrot at the end of the stick and a constant test at the same time.
 
the closest thing i can relate to it would be an artist being asked how do i get good, and they respond just draw, doesn’t matter what, just draw. you dont understand the value of what they tell you to do till you already are at the point that you tell other people the same thing.

@alidan  
It’s hard to explain because it can’t be explained. The scroll contained nothing dangerous. Let’s not forget that Tai Lung DID eventually get to look at the scroll, and what advantage did that give him? If they wanted to be all ceremonious about someone becoming the “Dragon Warrior” to make it seem more special, that’s all fine and dandy, but pretending that the scroll contained a closely-guarded secret was a plainly silly thing to do.
 
@Bryon  
If you piece together various factors from the movie and, if you like, Sunset’s short origin story in the comic, I think you’d have to conclude that she’s the type who was too talented for her own good, perhaps becoming convinced that power is a virtue unto itself, thus leading to her opinion that she simply deserved to rule. In straightforward terms, her problem was simply pride, which of course led to this.

Honestly, I do see the similarities with Sunset and Tai Lung, with some differences as said; like Sunset fighting for something tangible, even if the reasoning to WHY she wanted it never became clear even if I got speculations. With Tai Lung, he got drunk off his own power and presumed the Dragon Scroll could make him more powerful, but he couldn’t understand the meaning behind it.

@Millennial Dan  
showing everyone it and having it meaningless in and of itself would have been pointless too. there is value in withholding it… this is really hard to explain without falling into bs and other fictional things though.

@SquiggyBomb  
Sure he was. The concept conveyed by the scroll, in its needlessly mystical fashion, could just as easily be taught person-to-person. Withholding it was meaningless.

@Millennial Dan  
Tai Lung wasn’t tricked at all. He just didn’t understand the true meaning behind The Dragon Scroll.

@PonyPon  
Unfair or not, it really calls into question the wisdom of that crazy tortoise. They should have just let Tai Lung have the dumb thing, seeing as he would have gained absolutely no power from it.

@Millennial Dan  
I think that was kind of unfair to the guy, to be honest.

@RIG  
Um, and that was different from Tai Lung how? These two are pretty dang similar, except Sunset was at least fighting for something tangible. The leopard guy was totally tricked by his teachers into thinking that stupid scroll was important somehow.

Man Tai Lung was such a piece of shit! I love him!  
Kung-Fu Panda was great!

uh…no, your case was more complicate, Tai Lung.  
she was just a power hungry bitch, since day zero.