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Medical Update
Posted 8 months agoA quick update on my medical recovery.
The infection that took me out of commission is cleared up entirely. I do have a few remaining checkups to ensure the infection isn't coming back, but for the most part there I'm in the clear.
The surgical openings that made sitting not an option have all healed enough I can once more sit on my butt and stare at a drawing tablet again without discomfort.
But I do still have a lingering blood clot in my right wrist, a leftover from having an IV in a bad spot for a week straight, that is limiting how long I can draw without pain. Thankfully this is also recovering quickly, and sketches and light commission work will resume this coming weekend (Dec 21, 2024), and I should be back to full time arting once more by Christmas.
The infection that took me out of commission is cleared up entirely. I do have a few remaining checkups to ensure the infection isn't coming back, but for the most part there I'm in the clear.
The surgical openings that made sitting not an option have all healed enough I can once more sit on my butt and stare at a drawing tablet again without discomfort.
But I do still have a lingering blood clot in my right wrist, a leftover from having an IV in a bad spot for a week straight, that is limiting how long I can draw without pain. Thankfully this is also recovering quickly, and sketches and light commission work will resume this coming weekend (Dec 21, 2024), and I should be back to full time arting once more by Christmas.
Commissions Update
Posted 10 months agoCommissions are still open, prices have been updated and additional commission types have been added. Slots available are now unlimited.
Price Updates :
Flat Color Badge/Bust : $35
Shaded Badge/Bust : $50
Flat Color Full Body : $75
Additional Character : +$50
(Very complex markings may incur additional charges, open to negotiation on a case-by-case basis)
References
Simple Reference : Single full body image, flat colors. Intended to be used as a basic reference image. Text descriptions only are okay. : $50
Full Reference : Full body flat colors. Front view, rear view, face closeup, color palette, brief text description. Text descriptions only are okay. : $150
Price Updates :
Flat Color Badge/Bust : $35
Shaded Badge/Bust : $50
Flat Color Full Body : $75
Additional Character : +$50
(Very complex markings may incur additional charges, open to negotiation on a case-by-case basis)
References
Simple Reference : Single full body image, flat colors. Intended to be used as a basic reference image. Text descriptions only are okay. : $50
Full Reference : Full body flat colors. Front view, rear view, face closeup, color palette, brief text description. Text descriptions only are okay. : $150
Rats and the Plantigrade and Digitigrade Debate
Posted 11 years ago I have seen for years, this constant back and forth conflict among furry artists, as to whether or not rats are a plantigrade, or digitigrade creature. Art of rats tends to swap back and forth randomly, and comments on pictures of rats are claiming 'you're wrong' on plantigrade and digitigrade artwork in equal numbers. I have rats, I've watched them very closely. And I'm trained in veterinary medicine, and animal anatomy. And even I couldn't give you a straight answer. So I decided, in my never ending pursuit for knowledge, to fix this gaping hole in my understanding of my favorite little critter.
At first, I did what everyone else does. I went to the internet. Wikipedia lists rats on both the plantigrade and digitigrade pages. And Wikianswers has conflicting information as well. Even a deeper search came up with both answers. So I started doing something more demanding. I started sifting through science journals, anatomy reports from animal physiologists, veterinary sources, biology and anatomy reports, old medical experiments in animal gait types, and more close observation of my own little ratties in person. And through all this, I can finally definitively answer the 'are rats plantigrade or digitigrade' question.
Yes. They are.
That's right, rats are both. Rats have a digitigrade skeletal structure, but a plantigrade gait. But only sometimes. At low speeds rats are plantigrade. This is especially true in domesticated rats that have been bred for decades for a specific gait type that's best suited to small, enclosed living spaces like cages and houses. In wild rats it's less pronounced, and some wild rats are fully digitigrade though this is only true in certain locations. BUT...there's a but here. All rats at higher speeds, the human equivalent to a light run, become digitigrade. As they move faster they lift higher off the ground and no longer move on the sole of the foot and the heel is lifted, just like a typical digitigrade animal we're all familiar with. So one could say rats are a dynamic digitigrade creature. Which yes, is a thing.
But it gets better. Rats are also ricochetal. Meaning, they're like kangaroos, and hop. Different types of rats in different places may display this more or less than others, but again, it's true in all species of rat. In cases where extreme speed, a sprint, is necessary, rats will hop. On all fours, but still hopping. Wild rats also use this gait as a threat display, and there are numerous videos online showing this. And in case you're wondering, kangaroos are also dynamic digitigrade ricochetal animals. Low speed they're plantigrade, and they get progressively more and more digitigrade as they speed up, until they start hopping at sprint speeds. Though 'roos are built for the ricochetal gait and for them at least it's very efficient. Rats not so much, which is why it's only used briefly and in extreme situations.
Of course it gets more confusing when you start talking about bipedal rats. Like us furries. See, rats who have their forelimbs removed at birth, and are forced to live their lives as a bipedal creature, at first have a very hard time of it. Their feet aren't made for a plantigrade upright locomotion. But after a year or so, or roughly 35 to 40 years for a furry, their feet shortened, and they became quite comfortable as plantigrade. So even when scientists created a more upright posture, fully bipedal rat, it was still both. It began digitigrade, and gradually became plantigrade. And it still hopped in ricochetal fashion at high speeds. So at least that stayed the same.
So to put it simply, for everyone to see, and end the silly debate, here you go.
Rats are a dynamic digitigrade creature capable of short bursts of ricochetal locomotion. They are plantigrade at low speeds, digitigrade at high speeds, and hop when sprinting. Artwork depicting anthropomorphic rats in either gait type, is correct.
At first, I did what everyone else does. I went to the internet. Wikipedia lists rats on both the plantigrade and digitigrade pages. And Wikianswers has conflicting information as well. Even a deeper search came up with both answers. So I started doing something more demanding. I started sifting through science journals, anatomy reports from animal physiologists, veterinary sources, biology and anatomy reports, old medical experiments in animal gait types, and more close observation of my own little ratties in person. And through all this, I can finally definitively answer the 'are rats plantigrade or digitigrade' question.
Yes. They are.
That's right, rats are both. Rats have a digitigrade skeletal structure, but a plantigrade gait. But only sometimes. At low speeds rats are plantigrade. This is especially true in domesticated rats that have been bred for decades for a specific gait type that's best suited to small, enclosed living spaces like cages and houses. In wild rats it's less pronounced, and some wild rats are fully digitigrade though this is only true in certain locations. BUT...there's a but here. All rats at higher speeds, the human equivalent to a light run, become digitigrade. As they move faster they lift higher off the ground and no longer move on the sole of the foot and the heel is lifted, just like a typical digitigrade animal we're all familiar with. So one could say rats are a dynamic digitigrade creature. Which yes, is a thing.
But it gets better. Rats are also ricochetal. Meaning, they're like kangaroos, and hop. Different types of rats in different places may display this more or less than others, but again, it's true in all species of rat. In cases where extreme speed, a sprint, is necessary, rats will hop. On all fours, but still hopping. Wild rats also use this gait as a threat display, and there are numerous videos online showing this. And in case you're wondering, kangaroos are also dynamic digitigrade ricochetal animals. Low speed they're plantigrade, and they get progressively more and more digitigrade as they speed up, until they start hopping at sprint speeds. Though 'roos are built for the ricochetal gait and for them at least it's very efficient. Rats not so much, which is why it's only used briefly and in extreme situations.
Of course it gets more confusing when you start talking about bipedal rats. Like us furries. See, rats who have their forelimbs removed at birth, and are forced to live their lives as a bipedal creature, at first have a very hard time of it. Their feet aren't made for a plantigrade upright locomotion. But after a year or so, or roughly 35 to 40 years for a furry, their feet shortened, and they became quite comfortable as plantigrade. So even when scientists created a more upright posture, fully bipedal rat, it was still both. It began digitigrade, and gradually became plantigrade. And it still hopped in ricochetal fashion at high speeds. So at least that stayed the same.
So to put it simply, for everyone to see, and end the silly debate, here you go.
Rats are a dynamic digitigrade creature capable of short bursts of ricochetal locomotion. They are plantigrade at low speeds, digitigrade at high speeds, and hop when sprinting. Artwork depicting anthropomorphic rats in either gait type, is correct.
