Hagler-Hearns: 'The War' - Part one

On April 15, 1985 (my dad's 35th birthday and four days before my 14th), undisputed middleweight champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler ventured into Las Vegas, Nevada to meet the challenge of WBC junior middleweight titlist Thomas "The Hitman" Hearns in a much-anticipated defense coined, "The War." What transpired was seven minutes and 52 seconds of brutality and violence that went down in history as one of the greatest battles in boxing history, resulting in Hagler stopping Hearns in under three rounds. Absolutely and equally destructive and beautiful.

So when I earned a commission from a friend depicting one of the most famous scenes in boxing history, I was more than happy to oblige. This particular piece is done on 10" X 13" cold press watercolor paper and will ultimately be finished with watercolor paint and black ink - but, as I was working on my layout (in 2H graphite with my trusty leadholder), I got a little carried away.

As you can see, a (what should have been) simple, loose layout took on an identity of its own when I started filling in areas in which needed a certain amount of depth so they would look right to me at the moment. Next thing I knew, I was completing a full-blown piece before the final piece. I don't blame you if you're a little confused.

Long story short, I spent way more time on this than I should have but it turned out really cool and I had way more fun than I'm typically entitled to.

I posted some of the steps in the process (not a tutorial but just to show one and all - especially boxing fans - how things were looking) on my Instagram account, so go ahead and pop on over there if you missed it (no pressure)!

Stay tuned in a few days for the finished result. I'd totally appreciate it, Howlers!



Questions? Comments? Complaints? Hit me up at coyote@coyoteduran.com. You can also follow me at twitter.com/CoyoteDuran, instagram.com/coyoteduran and facebook.com/CDCreationNation.