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Description

PREVIOUS • NEXT

So look me in the eyes, tell me what you see
Perfect paradise, tearin' at the seams
I wish I could escape, I don't wanna fake it
Wish I could erase it, make your heart believe

IMAGINE DRAGONS - BAD LIAR

HCL VIENNA

Date: April 2019
Placing: TBD

Horse: FHF Kissed the Kat
Rider: Bea Pemberton
Stable: Iron Horse Stud
Representing the team/riding as an individual: Team

Versions w/o jump pieces: No Music , No Jump

Storyword count, 1000
    To be completely honest, Bea was a nervous wreck. She was riding in the last seven riders and having spent all day watching everyone else have a hack at the course did little to settle the nerves. She practiced breathing, taking deep breaths and sucking in as much oxygen as she could. Excess carbon dioxide in your lungs contributed to anxiety and the breathing helped.
    She had a normal amount of butterflies, maybe slightly more because HCL was the biggest show she’d ever been in, but her anxiety wasn’t from the show. She couldn’t help but roll each conversation over and over in her head, things she’d said, things Ezra had said. Of course, it wouldn’t help her situation now and there was no point in worrying over it.
    Picking a thread in her jacket Bea rolled her neck uncomfortably, her Monarch colors not quite suiting her yet. Oliver stood patiently beside her, nibbling on Sashimi’s tail, his hoof cocked and eyes drooping as they waited their turn to ride. They’d warmed up a bit and Bea would have to take the young stallion back out to sharpen his focus before their sound in a few minutes.
    Elisabeth had just finished her round, Aeronautica wasn’t the world’s greatest fan of the fountains on the grounds, and despite having a small freakout earlier in the day, had handled the fountain jump, complete with running water, like an old pro. Maur and May had ridden earlier in the day, not long after April and Apollo had ridden their individual round. May had not been happy, and the pair had finished with five faults. Bea didn’t press too much, but Maur had seemed rattled as they rode off.
    “Hey, stranger, ready to shed your cocoon?” Harley slid up beside Bea, elbowing her in the gut and she chuckled. He was wearing carefully hand stitched mash-up of Monarch and Nightingale gear, proudly repping both his friends.
    Oliver brightened up and nickered, dropping Sashimi on the ground in the process, though the stallion was more interested to see if Harley had any treats hidden away. To his disappointment, the man did not.
    “Something like that,” Bea said with a nervous smile, breaking her gaze away from the clock to meet her friend’s eye.
    “Relax, you’ll do fine,” Harley assured, handing her his team flags so he could stoop down and rescue Sashimi from the ground. He offered the stuffed shark to Oliver and the horse happily took it. “He’s chill, just try to focus on that.”
    --
    Oliver’s gait was sharp and springy, his neck upright and his ears pricked forward. Bea half halted gently, reminding her mount to focus on her and murmuring a comforting “good boy” as Oliver’s ear tilted back, paying attention. His head dropped a bit and he leaned into her as they cantered around the ring, seemingly unbothered by the brightly painted obstacles. For such a young horse, Bea couldn’t help but feel a shine of pride. Countless horses today had ducked out a fence or seemed positively wired.
    The buzzer sounded, indicating their round had begun and Bea pointed Oliver’s nose between the timer standards and towards the first fence. The fences were huge and intimidating, Bea had been stunned at first when they’d walked the course. They’d jumped this big before, but something about the creative combinations and loud fences made them seem even larger.
    Bea took another deep breath, reminding herself to breathe as they pair shot over the first fence. Oliver tucking his feet up neatly despite his small size and striding away with purpose. So far so good.
    Her head cleared as they continued, Oliver, finding his stride as they settled into a rhythm. Bea angled him towards the next fence, the Monarch oxer, positioned carefully along the side of the arena, a reward for horses who didn’t try and run out the corner of the arena as they had seen so many times that day. Oliver’s ears flicked, his strides lengthening as they prepared for the jump. Bea counted quietly, one...two...three...and a half… They popped over the fence easily, checking themselves as they moved towards the next fence, a simple vertical, in line.
    Bea wasn’t too worried about the fence and she was already making plans for once they were over it. She knew they were taking it slow, possibly too slow, but they were riding clear and that had to count for something. The next fence was one of the several Cadeux verticals, largely open with only a few poles, it had been throwing horses for a loop all day. There were two approaches, the safe route would be to go around the Strauss jump, line up straight and get over it. However, that also meant taking more time. Bea opted for the alternative, already angling Oliver as they cleared the first vertical.
    As they landed, Bea reined her mount in, sitting back in the saddle and letting him slow so they could make the sharp turn. Oliver flicked his ears, already eying up the Strauss vertical.
    “No,” Bea scolded, opening her left hand and touching with her heel to drive the stallion past it. He sank onto his haunches as they spun through the dirt, bending around her leg to make the turn. Bea swore she could hear the wind whistle as they charged past the jump standard.
    They had a few short strides to straighten out and she prayed Oliver wouldn’t get spooked. There was so much space between the poles and the little Cadeux house on the ground, it made it hard for the horses to judge the distance. That part was up to her. Driving with her heels and asking Oliver for more speed Bea began her count. One...two...The stallion didn’t even blink, grunting with effort as he picked himself up over the fence.
    “Goooood boy,” Bea spared a moment to give her mount a pat on the neck, Oliver responding with a self-entitled snort.

Comments

asdlfjasldfjsldkjf IM DONE. IM FREE. I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE. *Flings self into abyss* might come back and tweak the story or expand on it later. Oliver is best boo. Also Bea's jods are tan but lighting makes them look darker :")

I had the most shitty week last week and haven't had any time to make progress on this. I've been so stressed, depressed and exhausted I almost gave up and dropped out completely. But I'm glad I finished. I did it.

I am so insanely proud of this background and the composition, I tried to use the techniques I'd been practicing and I'm amazed to see how far I've come since I started.

so much love and appreciation for the bestest team, NimblePickle , SammyTheFloof , MrsIvory and LundyEmerald , for putting up with my whining, crying and jokes.

Thank you so much to Aliyska and Silent-Avarice for the further help and support, and to buckuroo and CapNRCubey for helping me keep my sanity. SORRY FOR IGNORING EVERYONE WHILE I SLAVED OVER THIS.

I have 6 hours to do all the homework I procrastinated so I'm going to run away and do that and nurse my wrists. Love you all and see you all again soon.

artwork + IHS characters, oTapirus

OKAY. LETS GET DOWN TO BUSINESS to defeat the huns.

Drawing Process + WIPS

Pose Ref - general shapes eye to hand
2.7 Neptune's fountain (main fountain ref) - eye to hand
2.5 Gloriette view (main building/bg ref) - eye to hand
2.6 Gloriette (detail ref) - mostly used just to check details
HCL VIENNA | Obstacles - general inspiration for jumps
Jump Ref - eye to hand

the following images were used as shading/lighting refs:
Jump Shading Ref
Horse Main Shading Ref
Horse Shading Ref 2
Gloriette Shading Ref
Fountain Shading Ref
Fountain Pool Ref

Description

PREVIOUS • NEXT

So look me in the eyes, tell me what you see
Perfect paradise, tearin' at the seams
I wish I could escape, I don't wanna fake it
Wish I could erase it, make your heart believe

IMAGINE DRAGONS - BAD LIAR

HCL VIENNA

Date: April 2019
Placing: TBD

Horse: FHF Kissed the Kat
Rider: Bea Pemberton
Stable: Iron Horse Stud
Representing the team/riding as an individual: Team

Versions w/o jump pieces: No Music , No Jump

Storyword count, 1000
    To be completely honest, Bea was a nervous wreck. She was riding in the last seven riders and having spent all day watching everyone else have a hack at the course did little to settle the nerves. She practiced breathing, taking deep breaths and sucking in as much oxygen as she could. Excess carbon dioxide in your lungs contributed to anxiety and the breathing helped.
    She had a normal amount of butterflies, maybe slightly more because HCL was the biggest show she’d ever been in, but her anxiety wasn’t from the show. She couldn’t help but roll each conversation over and over in her head, things she’d said, things Ezra had said. Of course, it wouldn’t help her situation now and there was no point in worrying over it.
    Picking a thread in her jacket Bea rolled her neck uncomfortably, her Monarch colors not quite suiting her yet. Oliver stood patiently beside her, nibbling on Sashimi’s tail, his hoof cocked and eyes drooping as they waited their turn to ride. They’d warmed up a bit and Bea would have to take the young stallion back out to sharpen his focus before their sound in a few minutes.
    Elisabeth had just finished her round, Aeronautica wasn’t the world’s greatest fan of the fountains on the grounds, and despite having a small freakout earlier in the day, had handled the fountain jump, complete with running water, like an old pro. Maur and May had ridden earlier in the day, not long after April and Apollo had ridden their individual round. May had not been happy, and the pair had finished with five faults. Bea didn’t press too much, but Maur had seemed rattled as they rode off.
    “Hey, stranger, ready to shed your cocoon?” Harley slid up beside Bea, elbowing her in the gut and she chuckled. He was wearing carefully hand stitched mash-up of Monarch and Nightingale gear, proudly repping both his friends.
    Oliver brightened up and nickered, dropping Sashimi on the ground in the process, though the stallion was more interested to see if Harley had any treats hidden away. To his disappointment, the man did not.
    “Something like that,” Bea said with a nervous smile, breaking her gaze away from the clock to meet her friend’s eye.
    “Relax, you’ll do fine,” Harley assured, handing her his team flags so he could stoop down and rescue Sashimi from the ground. He offered the stuffed shark to Oliver and the horse happily took it. “He’s chill, just try to focus on that.”
    --
    Oliver’s gait was sharp and springy, his neck upright and his ears pricked forward. Bea half halted gently, reminding her mount to focus on her and murmuring a comforting “good boy” as Oliver’s ear tilted back, paying attention. His head dropped a bit and he leaned into her as they cantered around the ring, seemingly unbothered by the brightly painted obstacles. For such a young horse, Bea couldn’t help but feel a shine of pride. Countless horses today had ducked out a fence or seemed positively wired.
    The buzzer sounded, indicating their round had begun and Bea pointed Oliver’s nose between the timer standards and towards the first fence. The fences were huge and intimidating, Bea had been stunned at first when they’d walked the course. They’d jumped this big before, but something about the creative combinations and loud fences made them seem even larger.
    Bea took another deep breath, reminding herself to breathe as they pair shot over the first fence. Oliver tucking his feet up neatly despite his small size and striding away with purpose. So far so good.
    Her head cleared as they continued, Oliver, finding his stride as they settled into a rhythm. Bea angled him towards the next fence, the Monarch oxer, positioned carefully along the side of the arena, a reward for horses who didn’t try and run out the corner of the arena as they had seen so many times that day. Oliver’s ears flicked, his strides lengthening as they prepared for the jump. Bea counted quietly, one...two...three...and a half… They popped over the fence easily, checking themselves as they moved towards the next fence, a simple vertical, in line.
    Bea wasn’t too worried about the fence and she was already making plans for once they were over it. She knew they were taking it slow, possibly too slow, but they were riding clear and that had to count for something. The next fence was one of the several Cadeux verticals, largely open with only a few poles, it had been throwing horses for a loop all day. There were two approaches, the safe route would be to go around the Strauss jump, line up straight and get over it. However, that also meant taking more time. Bea opted for the alternative, already angling Oliver as they cleared the first vertical.
    As they landed, Bea reined her mount in, sitting back in the saddle and letting him slow so they could make the sharp turn. Oliver flicked his ears, already eying up the Strauss vertical.
    “No,” Bea scolded, opening her left hand and touching with her heel to drive the stallion past it. He sank onto his haunches as they spun through the dirt, bending around her leg to make the turn. Bea swore she could hear the wind whistle as they charged past the jump standard.
    They had a few short strides to straighten out and she prayed Oliver wouldn’t get spooked. There was so much space between the poles and the little Cadeux house on the ground, it made it hard for the horses to judge the distance. That part was up to her. Driving with her heels and asking Oliver for more speed Bea began her count. One...two...The stallion didn’t even blink, grunting with effort as he picked himself up over the fence.
    “Goooood boy,” Bea spared a moment to give her mount a pat on the neck, Oliver responding with a self-entitled snort.

Comments

asdlfjasldfjsldkjf IM DONE. IM FREE. I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE. *Flings self into abyss* might come back and tweak the story or expand on it later. Oliver is best boo. Also Bea's jods are tan but lighting makes them look darker :")

I had the most shitty week last week and haven't had any time to make progress on this. I've been so stressed, depressed and exhausted I almost gave up and dropped out completely. But I'm glad I finished. I did it.

I am so insanely proud of this background and the composition, I tried to use the techniques I'd been practicing and I'm amazed to see how far I've come since I started.

so much love and appreciation for the bestest team, NimblePickle , SammyTheFloof , MrsIvory and LundyEmerald , for putting up with my whining, crying and jokes.

Thank you so much to Aliyska and Silent-Avarice for the further help and support, and to buckuroo and CapNRCubey for helping me keep my sanity. SORRY FOR IGNORING EVERYONE WHILE I SLAVED OVER THIS.

I have 6 hours to do all the homework I procrastinated so I'm going to run away and do that and nurse my wrists. Love you all and see you all again soon.

artwork + IHS characters, oTapirus

OKAY. LETS GET DOWN TO BUSINESS to defeat the huns.

Drawing Process + WIPS

Pose Ref - general shapes eye to hand
2.7 Neptune's fountain (main fountain ref) - eye to hand
2.5 Gloriette view (main building/bg ref) - eye to hand
2.6 Gloriette (detail ref) - mostly used just to check details
HCL VIENNA | Obstacles - general inspiration for jumps
Jump Ref - eye to hand

the following images were used as shading/lighting refs:
Jump Shading Ref
Horse Main Shading Ref
Horse Shading Ref 2
Gloriette Shading Ref
Fountain Shading Ref
Fountain Pool Ref