"I'm both excited and a bit daunted by this next project for a number of reasons. Firstly, it's HUGE! By far the largest piece I've ever done. I'm expecting it to take roughly 300 hours, maybe more. When taking on a project this size there's always a risk that something could go wrong towards the back end of it. Obviously lessons would be learned along the way but it's always nice to have something to show for it when you invest that much time.
Also, this will be the first wildlife piece where I'm working from my own images. I was lucky enough to meet the beautiful animals that I'm studying over the next few months. Being able to meet and capture images of your subject before drawing them really gives you a greater sense of emotional attachment to the project. The fact that these beautiful creatures will be relocated to their natural habitat in Africa next year only magnifies that!"
Watch Rob's progress through The Stables window for September's Last Friday's edition.