Both pieces are missing major body parts. The man needs arms, neck, and head. The pig needs the bridge of his nose, pig belly, the third hoof, ears, and tail.
I decided that before I finish the last body parts, I need to attach the pig to the man. That is the only way to know where I should position the final pieces. Once the pig is in place, I can put the man's arms around the pig. I can then manipulate the position of the pig's legs, head, and how big his abdomen is.
The first step is to clip the pig to the man where I want to weld him.
It is important that the piece balance. It is standing on its own. The piece is about the physical energy of rescuing livestock; in this case, a pig. The pig would be uncomfortable being hoisted up, so he would be fighting or trying to wiggle out of the man's grip. I also want the man’s face to be seen from the front, so the pig is off-center.
I welded in between the pig and the man small pieces of rebar as spacers. These spacers will give me room to wrap the lath on the man and lath on the pig. The lath will hold on the plaster.
I won’t attach the lower half of the pig until after I adjust the position of the pigs legs.
Before start bending the pigs legs and head around I will attached the mans feet to the base.