FA+
Shop
3260
Views
Views
74
Favorites
Favorites
Category
Artwork (Digital) / General Furry Art
Species Housecat
Size 971 x 750
File Size 133.5 kB
Report this content
More from RailRide
[ (01/21/2025) Number 32 in the 'over 3000 views club'
[Number 9 in the over-2000 views club]
The origins of this pic date back to sometime before FA:United 2007, when as an exercise in mental mas...(uh nevermind) I crafted a sketch of some girl about to bog down in too-deep mud on her mountain bike. It was never completed since it wound up running off the top of the page.
I later re-did the pic using my Tatiana, but there was a problem--for some reason I drew her sitting. Maybe it was because I didn't plan the sketch out properly and there wasn't room overhead. No matter--I don't know if it's even possible to churn through mud this deep (plenty of YouTube videos show cyclists slowed greatly by axle-deep water), but I did know that there was no way you were going to get the torque needed to get through a mud bog without standing on the pedals. So that sketch also languished for many years.
It's been a long while since I depicted a character really getting down and dirty, and this one is positively grimy. I took the original figure sketch, which was in a standing position, and traced it onto tracing paper to make room at the top. I then penciled the rest there. That's where much of the (unintentional) texturing came from in this pic--pencil shading on tracing paper.
As a concession to the real difficulty of biking through mud of any real depth, I detailed the mud such that it's supposed to represent a prepared bog, just watery enough not to support tire tracks or footprints, but thick enough to not look like a puddle of muddy water. It may still be impossible to do this in real life (that bike is going to need some serious mechanical TLC after she's done with it) but Tatiana still looks awesome powering through the bog with that confident grin, getting absolutely covered in mud and not caring, and looking like she might make it through. Or get hopelessly stuck (her back wheel is dug in deeper, and looks to be spinning a lot more than the front). If this one is well recieved (oh, who am I kidding?), maybe I'll do one of her getting stuck saddle-deep :)
Technical:
I decided that inking this would sacrifice too much detail, so I made it a "sketchy color" piece, puzzling out several layers of texture, color, highlight and shadow to keep the detail I put into the pencils while laboriously cleaning the crud out of the rest of the image. The trees were borrowed from Mud Scout Kira as a time-saving device, but that led to a puzzle that I had to sleep on before hitting on a way to add them to the backdrop without showing through the layers over them--the flat colors, shading and highlights have Multiply-mode transparency to allow the pencils to show through (the trees did too, till I figured out how to delete the portions overlapping the above layers). I think I saved considerable time over just inking the pic (like in 'Over the Knee'), though it doesn't feel like it.
Pencil on tracing paper, scanned and colored under Micrografx Picture Publisher 8 & 10. 6 layers not including attributions, 150MB at full size.
[Number 9 in the over-2000 views club]
The origins of this pic date back to sometime before FA:United 2007, when as an exercise in mental mas...(uh nevermind) I crafted a sketch of some girl about to bog down in too-deep mud on her mountain bike. It was never completed since it wound up running off the top of the page.
I later re-did the pic using my Tatiana, but there was a problem--for some reason I drew her sitting. Maybe it was because I didn't plan the sketch out properly and there wasn't room overhead. No matter--I don't know if it's even possible to churn through mud this deep (plenty of YouTube videos show cyclists slowed greatly by axle-deep water), but I did know that there was no way you were going to get the torque needed to get through a mud bog without standing on the pedals. So that sketch also languished for many years.
It's been a long while since I depicted a character really getting down and dirty, and this one is positively grimy. I took the original figure sketch, which was in a standing position, and traced it onto tracing paper to make room at the top. I then penciled the rest there. That's where much of the (unintentional) texturing came from in this pic--pencil shading on tracing paper.
As a concession to the real difficulty of biking through mud of any real depth, I detailed the mud such that it's supposed to represent a prepared bog, just watery enough not to support tire tracks or footprints, but thick enough to not look like a puddle of muddy water. It may still be impossible to do this in real life (that bike is going to need some serious mechanical TLC after she's done with it) but Tatiana still looks awesome powering through the bog with that confident grin, getting absolutely covered in mud and not caring, and looking like she might make it through. Or get hopelessly stuck (her back wheel is dug in deeper, and looks to be spinning a lot more than the front). If this one is well recieved (oh, who am I kidding?), maybe I'll do one of her getting stuck saddle-deep :)
Technical:
I decided that inking this would sacrifice too much detail, so I made it a "sketchy color" piece, puzzling out several layers of texture, color, highlight and shadow to keep the detail I put into the pencils while laboriously cleaning the crud out of the rest of the image. The trees were borrowed from Mud Scout Kira as a time-saving device, but that led to a puzzle that I had to sleep on before hitting on a way to add them to the backdrop without showing through the layers over them--the flat colors, shading and highlights have Multiply-mode transparency to allow the pencils to show through (the trees did too, till I figured out how to delete the portions overlapping the above layers). I think I saved considerable time over just inking the pic (like in 'Over the Knee'), though it doesn't feel like it.
Pencil on tracing paper, scanned and colored under Micrografx Picture Publisher 8 & 10. 6 layers not including attributions, 150MB at full size.
Category Artwork (Digital) / General Furry Art
Species Housecat
Size 971 x 750px
File Size 133.5 kB
This looks so super-awesome! I don't know if it would be physically possible either - I have a feeling it wouldn't, not on a bicycle at any rate. Maybe if Tatiana were riding a motorcycle, she might have the horsepower to actually get through mud that thick.
There's a thought for if you decide to do a sequel pic. :)
As it is, I'm pretty sure that she's already pretty well bogged-down in this picture - like you said, the back wheel is dug in further than the front, and visibly spinning faster too. And not only that, but the spokes on the back wheel appear to have been warped already by being forced through the mud; I wouldn't be too surprised if the wheel buckled completely. Also with her speed dropping, she'd easily fall over in the mud, and there's no way she'd be able to keep her slippery feet on the pedals.
All in all, physically impossible....but absolutely BEAUTIFUL! ^____~
There's a thought for if you decide to do a sequel pic. :)
As it is, I'm pretty sure that she's already pretty well bogged-down in this picture - like you said, the back wheel is dug in further than the front, and visibly spinning faster too. And not only that, but the spokes on the back wheel appear to have been warped already by being forced through the mud; I wouldn't be too surprised if the wheel buckled completely. Also with her speed dropping, she'd easily fall over in the mud, and there's no way she'd be able to keep her slippery feet on the pedals.
All in all, physically impossible....but absolutely BEAUTIFUL! ^____~
Been There done that! Loved the results!
It depends on your momentum when you hit the mass, if you're going too fast you're goners,(hitting it is like hitting water too fast, the momentum stops, and you keep going) going too slow, and ya get stuck real quick. A quick downshift just as you hit the mass and get into it and you can go for a little bit, but if it starts getting this thick, she's gonna really have to be buff, have balance, luck/unluck, and a short crossing, or all momentum is lost, and the rider goes Kersplut! As for keeping the feet on the peddles ( while I can't discern her shoes,(for obvious reasons) some riders of this style of mtb use clip in peddles, so they don't slip off in the up/down direction and give force on the downstroke as well as the upstroke.)
Railride, this is just awesome! I love the fact that you kept her bike in the style of a classic mountain bike, no shocks, pure rigid (purple like mine, though mine is darker tinted) She's got guts that one does! I remember you mentioning the history of this piece once before some time ago, good to see it finished!
It depends on your momentum when you hit the mass, if you're going too fast you're goners,(hitting it is like hitting water too fast, the momentum stops, and you keep going) going too slow, and ya get stuck real quick. A quick downshift just as you hit the mass and get into it and you can go for a little bit, but if it starts getting this thick, she's gonna really have to be buff, have balance, luck/unluck, and a short crossing, or all momentum is lost, and the rider goes Kersplut! As for keeping the feet on the peddles ( while I can't discern her shoes,(for obvious reasons) some riders of this style of mtb use clip in peddles, so they don't slip off in the up/down direction and give force on the downstroke as well as the upstroke.)
Railride, this is just awesome! I love the fact that you kept her bike in the style of a classic mountain bike, no shocks, pure rigid (purple like mine, though mine is darker tinted) She's got guts that one does! I remember you mentioning the history of this piece once before some time ago, good to see it finished!
Yep, I did that on the earlier pic as I didn't see any other way to keep her tail out of the rear wheel. Sure she could hold it up, but that takes effort and attention, both of which could lapse during a ride, with inconvenient results :D. I also put in a tail flap at the back of her shorts, and modified the helmet to shield her ears, reasoning that there would need to be some extension to protect them. It'll be easier to see in a forward or 3/4 view than here. I may eventually draw her posing in this outfit so the designs are more visible.
I do like the harness touch though, great engineering there. I did notice the tail catch, I'm sure bike shorts and such a tight fit overall would prove to be rather awkward to long-tailed creatures. I did take notice of your "furgonomics" A few years ago I attended a session at a Convention that dealt with the ergonomics of the furry set, was quite an interesting take on adaptation for furs.
Sounds like the voice of experience :) How deep have you been in and still gotten through?
It's not reflected too well here, but Tatiana's got what I call "sprinter's thighs". She has immense leg power.
While they're not visible, she is indeed wearing cycling cleats. I modeled them on these before I covered them with mud. I might draw her modeling them in a clean condition--they're just nicely aggressive-looking.
I got the impression that a hardtail bike would be much more useful in the slop. The color is based on some Hunter wellies I'm going to draw her wearing at some point in the future.
It's not reflected too well here, but Tatiana's got what I call "sprinter's thighs". She has immense leg power.
While they're not visible, she is indeed wearing cycling cleats. I modeled them on these before I covered them with mud. I might draw her modeling them in a clean condition--they're just nicely aggressive-looking.
I got the impression that a hardtail bike would be much more useful in the slop. The color is based on some Hunter wellies I'm going to draw her wearing at some point in the future.
She's actually just a little bit deeper than I got. For me the surface got to just below the hubs and wasn't near as thick, and the muck I encountered had about an inch of water on the surface.
I knew what I was in for when I took that particular path. That particular trail was frequented by 4by'ers during the weekends and always left big nasty mud filled ruts. So I cruised down the trail at mid gearing, let up and coasted till right near the edge, downshifted, to the easy gearing (aka granny gear) started pedaling again as the front tire met it, I stayed on the surface for just a second before the momentum parted the path in front of me (front tire was a hybrid tire better at street than trail, back tire was a heavy trail tire, loud and obnoxious on the road and/wider than the front) So the front tire cut in a little quicker, and sank readily into it. The mud slowed me down real quick, and by that time I started to feel my shoes kiss the surface with each down-thrust. I did stand up in the pedaling position, and things got real slow, but with the gearing that low I could stay upright and still go pretty slow. The speed of entry still gave me that characteristic rooster-tail look of mud up the insides of my thighs, to crotch, and up my backside to the back of my jersey. But in the space of a few bike lengths I went from medium pace to a downright crawl with the mud now slurping at my ankles with every push forward. I made it to the very end and exit of the rut, but at that point I had no choice but dismount as the buildup from all the slop did a few things. 1 the brakes, 2 the gearing, 3 the traction, 4 Wow it was such a workout of only about 30 feet, but dang my legs just burned physically from the strain of moving a suddenly much heavier bike through that muck. So I stepped out and into the muck, and had to wrestle the now immobile bike from out of the slop. In the end, I had to sit at the edge of the rut, take my shoes off, and I used my socks to clean out the gunk that had built up between wheel and brakes, and did my best to clean out the gearing. My tires also had to get a good wash down as the mud so adhered to them that the looked like big bald balloon tires that were then completely traction-less. It took me FOREVER to get that bike cleaned up, me too for that matter.
I agree on her choice of clothing, and I wish I would have followed her style. I have changed my clothing choice since that ride. I never used to wear cycling shorts the likes of hers, I always wore baggy cargo shorts and a t-shirt. No, never again, no way. Examine the mud pattern on her, and you'll understand Also about those shoes, the iZumi's are awesome! I've got a pair from a few years back, oh and their gloves are awesome too, got this little catch on one side of the hand that makes it so you can take them off without ripping the edges up like on other gloves.
As for hardtail in the mud. I'm a little biased to a hard tail bike, the full suspension bikes I've ridden (mind you they are cheap wal-mart crap) are just to flexible and I don't like the lateral flex they seem to have. Some full suspension bikes have a lockout so you don't loose your peddeling force for climbs and such. It turns the suspensions off and on (freekin expensive bikes those ones are)
I think I can speak for the rest of the populace here commenting, that they'd love to see how this ends, If she makes it, or if she takes the plunge, what her ever messy fate will be.
I knew what I was in for when I took that particular path. That particular trail was frequented by 4by'ers during the weekends and always left big nasty mud filled ruts. So I cruised down the trail at mid gearing, let up and coasted till right near the edge, downshifted, to the easy gearing (aka granny gear) started pedaling again as the front tire met it, I stayed on the surface for just a second before the momentum parted the path in front of me (front tire was a hybrid tire better at street than trail, back tire was a heavy trail tire, loud and obnoxious on the road and/wider than the front) So the front tire cut in a little quicker, and sank readily into it. The mud slowed me down real quick, and by that time I started to feel my shoes kiss the surface with each down-thrust. I did stand up in the pedaling position, and things got real slow, but with the gearing that low I could stay upright and still go pretty slow. The speed of entry still gave me that characteristic rooster-tail look of mud up the insides of my thighs, to crotch, and up my backside to the back of my jersey. But in the space of a few bike lengths I went from medium pace to a downright crawl with the mud now slurping at my ankles with every push forward. I made it to the very end and exit of the rut, but at that point I had no choice but dismount as the buildup from all the slop did a few things. 1 the brakes, 2 the gearing, 3 the traction, 4 Wow it was such a workout of only about 30 feet, but dang my legs just burned physically from the strain of moving a suddenly much heavier bike through that muck. So I stepped out and into the muck, and had to wrestle the now immobile bike from out of the slop. In the end, I had to sit at the edge of the rut, take my shoes off, and I used my socks to clean out the gunk that had built up between wheel and brakes, and did my best to clean out the gearing. My tires also had to get a good wash down as the mud so adhered to them that the looked like big bald balloon tires that were then completely traction-less. It took me FOREVER to get that bike cleaned up, me too for that matter.
I agree on her choice of clothing, and I wish I would have followed her style. I have changed my clothing choice since that ride. I never used to wear cycling shorts the likes of hers, I always wore baggy cargo shorts and a t-shirt. No, never again, no way. Examine the mud pattern on her, and you'll understand Also about those shoes, the iZumi's are awesome! I've got a pair from a few years back, oh and their gloves are awesome too, got this little catch on one side of the hand that makes it so you can take them off without ripping the edges up like on other gloves.
As for hardtail in the mud. I'm a little biased to a hard tail bike, the full suspension bikes I've ridden (mind you they are cheap wal-mart crap) are just to flexible and I don't like the lateral flex they seem to have. Some full suspension bikes have a lockout so you don't loose your peddeling force for climbs and such. It turns the suspensions off and on (freekin expensive bikes those ones are)
I think I can speak for the rest of the populace here commenting, that they'd love to see how this ends, If she makes it, or if she takes the plunge, what her ever messy fate will be.
Sounds like you did better than these folks especially that one guy :D (you'll know who).
Since we're already past reality with this one, I'm thinking of just letting her keep churning (it is rather liquid mud) till she plunges in over the tires. That'll stop her :)
Since we're already past reality with this one, I'm thinking of just letting her keep churning (it is rather liquid mud) till she plunges in over the tires. That'll stop her :)
On a note regarding what you call "sprinters's thighs" I'd presume your reference shot would be the likes of this:
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/625582/ Aka the Race at C-Ace. I think that particular shot would be of a great reference to her physical form regarding both her fitness and shape, especially while wearing such a outfit she is in that shot.
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/625582/ Aka the Race at C-Ace. I think that particular shot would be of a great reference to her physical form regarding both her fitness and shape, especially while wearing such a outfit she is in that shot.
Damn straight! The Preston Railroad/Timberline trail up at Tiger http://www.dirtworld.com/trails/trail.asp?id=243 Some of the best stuff in the Seattle area. One rider notes not to go after a rainstorm, heh, they're no fun. Its all fun to get a little dirty, hell alot dirty!
Yup I had the stereotypical Skunk stripe going for myself , and the outsides of my legs were clean, insides not so much. The middle of your backside, all the way from helmet to seat is this streak of muddy muck, but most everywhere else is clean-ish unless you hit smaller not so deep water puddles, then you just get wet. I had both going for myself. I used to wear bright colorful ride wear, lately I've opted for earth tones as that is what all cycling jerseys will devolve to as I ride throughout the season. I'm not afraid of getting down and dirty on the trail!
Whew, top notch work on this one...when you go all out on the mess, you sure don't fool around! This is absolutely wonderful and slimy...she's quite the disaster from the trek and I love the look. This drake for one, is giving a vote to see just how bad she gets in the end!
Thanks for showing me this picture at the convention, though I don't use my FA for much this artwork I feel deserves favoring because of it's extensive detail, multiple layers, and use of photographic elements to show depth and space; plus its just an overall entertaining picture.
This isn't the middle of a race, the mudpit is the race :D
(And she's got sprinter's thighs)
You ought to see the sequel I'm working on...she's actually on the edge of a pit in the bog. A split second later, she slides in and almost completely buries the bike, (of course ending the run).
(And she's got sprinter's thighs)
You ought to see the sequel I'm working on...she's actually on the edge of a pit in the bog. A split second later, she slides in and almost completely buries the bike, (of course ending the run).
Thanks! It took an insane amount of time to color :)
If you haven't seen it already, here's how she ended her run
If you haven't seen it already, here's how she ended her run
Comments