This is 183rd in a series spotlighting pigs from the Big Pig Gig Public Art Project taking place in Cincinnati, Covington and Newport. Find past pig profiles and even details - and vote for your favorite pig - at Cincinnati.com/bigpiggig

        His work appears on the covers of national magazines, but when it comes to creating a pig, C.F. Payne discovered that he was a novice.

        Mr. Payne, 46, of Evendale, painted the murals at the Playhouse in the Park and illustrated children's book, The Remarkable Farkle McBride, written by John Lithgow. Mr. Payne will sign books at Borders Books Saturday, and at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra concert at Music Hall on Nov. 11. His illustration of Joe DiMaggio appears on the cover of today's New York Times Book Review..

        Sponsor: Blanche F. Maier for Cincinnati Ballet.

        This pig's pen: Fifth Third Lobby, Fountain Square.

        You were inspired by: It was one of those things that just popped into my mind while I was playing around with some sketches. I saw a nutcracker and I saw the Big Boy and, wham, that was it!

        What's the pig idea? I know that the Maier family is very involved with the Cincinnati Ballet's Nutcracker, and they own Frisch's, so it was a natural. It's just a giant pig nutcracker with a Big Boy bib and suspenders.

        Completing the project took: It has to have 80 to 100 hours into it. Some of the time was caused by my own incompetence with the medium.

        What's the matter?: I used what they recommended. Technically this is so different from illustration. This is sculpting. I felt like somebody who just learned to drive a car trying to climb into the cockpit of a 747.

        Your high on the hog was: I found the most fun was developing a good idea. The physical part was new, different and a little bit frustrating. When I went downtown and saw all the other pigs, I realized there are a lot of really incredibly creative people in this town.

        Pig peeve: You have very little time working with this fiberglass stuff. There's so little room for error.

        The materials cost: $250.

        If your pig starred in a movie, who would you cast to play the role? Danny DeVito would be good.

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