Let the Race Begin

It had not taken long and with the help of her cousin Ama, to get Kava unharnessed from the Troika. The two women put the other two mares on long leads and attached them to the trailer with feedbags so they could relax. Beka took her time harnessing Kava for the Sulky race; she wanted to check every buckle twice. She had gotten a feel for maneuvering on the ice and snow of the lake during the Troika show, and she knew that a weak buckle could cost the race for her. Feeding the mare a treat for standing still for so long, Beka then hooked the racing cart up to the mare and led her to the starting line, there were a few other sulky racers already there but there was still time before the race.

The clouds and snow from earlier in the day had cleared up leaving the sky with only a few light wisps of cloud scattered across the darkening sky. Beka watched the sun as it crept closer to the horizon. It was beautiful, the sky colors of blue and purple. She loved watching the sun rise and set over the lake. The brilliant colors spread across the ice and snow reminded her of home. Though now in her mind’s eye, she wondered if those long ago soldiers had taken the time to admire the beauty of Lake Chudskoe.

Beka chuckled to herself as she rubbed Kava’s nose one more time before she gathered the driving reins and settled herself in the seat of the cart. Holding the reins in one hand she pulled her balaclava up and her snow goggles down. Securing her grip on the reins she watched as the other racers prepared themselves. “Let’s show them Kava,” she whispered a smile crossing her lips, “let the race begin.”



<sub>I have to say I loved the challenge this event has given me. It has helped me not only draw more consistently but has helped me with working out how different harnesses should look. And I love working with colors and shading I normally wouldn't do and finding I love to do the subtle contrasts. This was my favorite for the shadows and highlights. A Sunset is the best thing to test one's abilities. I used This Picture for a reference on the color gradient for the sky and snow. Though I did use a little photo manipulation with the clouds and enjoyed the flashback to high school photeshop class. But everything else in the background was drawn by hand.


Art, Kava, and Beka (C) to me. ReaWolf
Russian Grand Prix (C) to Templado</sub>