Yep! That's right! Craddock is riding THE Snowbird Aerial Tram! On a beautiful bluebird day in the Wasatch!

So yeah, let me just say I adore this commission, for many reasons!
First of all, this is my first commission where not one, but TWO artists are responsible for the finished product!! The reasoning behind this is I originally wanted a Utah local to draw the commission, since I had a very particular vision in mind. I wanted to get Craddock in a real-life location, yes, but I was not interested in a photo draw-over. I wanted something that still kept the particular aesthetic and feel of the Wasatch mountain range, where the Snowbird resort lies, but wasn't simply copying the terrain. I wanted something new but familiar, and I felt that only a local would understand what I was going for. So I found Vixen who was excited at the idea, and wanted to draw the background. . . But wasn't quite comfortable drawing Craddock himself. But I still took her up on it! And she really did get what I was going for, taking the IRL scene and stylizing it in her own way! And I'm very happy indeed with her take on it!
But then I had a beautiful scene, with no dragon! So, I called up an IRL friend of mine that I knew was very adaptable and knowledgeable, Rude Bird Studios! And once again I physically cannot be happier with my decision. She intentionally modified her own style to better fit the style that the background was drawn in, and she honestly did a wonderful job! I guarantee that you didn't know this piece had two different artists until I mentioned it!! She even added extra touches to the background itself to make Craddock fit better on top of it!! And I mean, just take a look at how much she adjusted her style for this: This is my other commission from Rude Bird Studios. Hard to believe the same artist drew both dragons, but she truly is just that adaptable and talented.

Oh yeah, I have to talk about the other reasons why I love this piece!
I am currently working as a lift operator at Alta Ski Area, the resort neighboring Snowbird, and honestly can be considered one and the same resort in many ways. So getting Craddock drawn in the same area feels amazing! And easily the most iconic sight in the area is the Snowbird tram. And not only that, it happens to fit a dragon on top of it surprisingly well, hah!! How about that! And of course, I absolutely love this IRL area - The Wasatch - for skiing. It is an almost unanimous sentiment that this area gets the best snow in the US, and the terrain is not only downright beautiful, but also just so happens to be nearly ideal for skiing just about everywhere!! So it feels great to pay homage to such an idyllic place.

Thanks for listening to me rave about this piece, which combines basically all my passions into one! And I'm giving one more shoutout to the combination of artists that helped bring this piece to life!
Huge thanks to Utah local Vixen who did an excellent job at capturing my vision of the scene!
And another huge thanks to Rude Bird Studios for seamlessly incorporating Craddock himself into the piece!!