Finished

First Base

8" X 15"

Original Oil

Part way through this painting, I was again wondering why I would paint not one but two leopards on this scale. Now that I am finished it is one of my favorite paintings.
You can see I lightened and softened the "hip" shadow on the female. With only slight variations in coat color, getting the right value was critical.  There were a number of times I went back to areas to either lighten or darken them. I saved the male's tongue and whiskers for last.