Got Legs?

I was reading a book the other day that had some six-legged Snowcats. I wonder if the author was trying to do a kind of homage to the Princess of Mars books by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I also remembered a somewhat similar book cover by Michael Whelan that had a multi-legged lion-like creature along with the usual scantily dressed Martian female. Anyways, I didn't like the Snowcat that was on this particular book cover, "Rebel Ice"...it wasn't as well done as the humans. So I decided to do my own concepts. Surprise!

I figure part of why I didn't like the artist's cat was that the body appeared to be too short to allow much freedom of movement of the extra pair of legs. Also, while the artist did use a snow leopard as a reference for the cat which fit the climate (mostly) that they were in, for the type of action required for the animals in the story (they carried riders and equipment on occasion), there did not appear to be enough size or strength to enable the cats in the illustration to do what they needed to do. Not that there ever was an explanation for why the critter needed six legs in the first place...it never used them for carrying stuff or grasping. I know, I'm fussing. But these questions did inspire me to do my own studies. :)

For my cat sketch, I decided to bulk up the shoulders for added stamina and strength; lengthen the torso to allow for larger lung capacity and space for extra vertebrae on the spine for a second set of shoulder bones and legs, while still leaving room for intestines and other viscera. Fun!

Later, while wandering around on the web, I happened to discover a rather interesting blog - "The Blackwing Diaries" by a story artist named Jenny Lerew. My thanks to the Seward Street blog for finding it and passing it on to the rest of us. :)

And for the final leg of my evening chat, my dear brother-n-law, Jim. He was injured in a driving accident last weekend when an oncoming driver veered into his lane and slammed into him and his truck. Lots of ouch to all. Surgery is definitely required, and recovery will take some time. I wish him the best! Hang in there, dude!

In the meantime, after the surgery I do look forward to having him as my new stationary subject for character studies while he's on the road to recovery. ;)

JK!!