...to Market???

What is the first animal barn you head to at the fair.  I have one friend who always starts with the pigs. 

6B pencil, white China marker and watercolor paints on Strathmore 400 series tan paper.

The first time I really understood the role of pigs in the agri-industry was when we lived in Iowa.  My first year in teaching, we made the annual field trip tour to the various farms in the community:  beef, hog, and chicken.  It was quite an eye-opener.  It was much clearer to my why people became animal-rights activists and vegetarians.  I won't go into the gory details here, however.

Stories like Charlotte's Web and Babe brought the pig to a new place in the lives of young children and helped reveal their intelligence and organization.  For example, contrary to popular myth, pigs define a dining location and a bathroom location within their pen - they are distinctly separated.  Babe displays his talents as both a communicator and a herder while Wilbur receives full credit for the collective talents of the rat and the spider in selecting a descriptor and for Charlotte, the web spinner.  Babe is the celeb who elevated to species.

The fair is the place to see hogs and pigs at their best.  The 4H babies there have been socialized, pampered and cleaned to reveal the best of the best.  The animal barns are the best place to see time shine.

Pig quick sketch with black-line addition using a black .5 Micron pen.  Click on image to enlarge.

I have decided that the best way to improve my quick-sketch skills is to be persistent in sketching daily.  The end results are hit and miss, to me, and I still have a strong tendency to go too far - so....also working on knowing when to STOP.

Quick sketch with addition of background color.

 I quickly added a little background wash and like the result - this is the time to STOP!!!