Birth of a Hog Part 1

Today I thought I would give some insight into how I go about designing and executing a large animal close up painting like my new Raging Hog.

In this photo you can see my initial sketch. This is the culmination of several smaller thumbnail idea sketches. At this point I have worked out the basic forms and values, and this will be my guide as I complete the final piece. A grid pattern was later added in order to transfer the 8 inch sketch to the 4 foot canvas.