After padding through the gooey clay for what felt like hours, Absol breathed a sigh of relief as she felt solid ground with her paw, spitting out some clay in the process. Her exhausting journey was not without its close calls. Despite submerging at least a couple times, she trudged forward, refusing to succumb to the mudflat. Although safety was in the grasp of her paw, her captor was not willing to let her escape that easily. All of that clay caked over her face and soaked into her fur posed a significant challenge. Weighed down and drained, Absol let out a long groan. She could feel the gentle tug of the mire, slowly sucking her back into its depths and calling for her one last time. Would this mark the end of her exploration?

...

I decided to try using multiple shading layers for the shadows and highlights to see if I could achieve better contrast. Also, I wanted to give the clay some tackiness by showing it stretching it around Absol's head. I found it especially difficult trying to shade something so viscous, so more practice is necessary.

- Jen