EASTER BUNNY

 

In class I started by showing the skeleton of a rabbit, discussing how it is different or same as other animals, and comparing it to the human body. Notice these things about a rabbit's body:

1. The eye sockets are huge and nearly at the top of the head. The upper part of the socket protrudes.

2. The nose bone on the skull is quite long.

3. The forelegs bones are similar to our arms, and they travel on their feet, unlike dogs and cats, who travel on their toes.

4. Hind feet are quite long. Notice how they support the body at rest, and the curve of the springy hind legs.

5. the spine is curved in one direction, unlike the human spine and that of horses and some other animals. 

This week I'm working on this cute little guy, just in time for Easter. I am emphasizing ways to make an animal look furry and alive.

Below is the sketch, taken from a photo I found on Unsplash.

Below is shown the first two or three steps. First, wet the entire body, but not the face or ears yet. I used raw sienna, burnt sienna, and French ultramarine blue, but you can use the colors you like. 

I wet the entire body. When I want the illusion of soft furry edges, I WET to the edge, but I don't paint to the edge, but let the paint travel and create a softer edge. I laid down an overall color of raw sienna, with burnt sienna in some darker areas and French ultramarine in shadow areas. While it was still shiny wet (not puddly, just shiny) I added some kosher salt and some popcorn salt. I let that dry on its own so the salt can react. 

While waiting for the body to dry, I painted pink inside the ears and around the outside lilning of the eye.  I also put in the pink in the nose. After the pink is painted and dried, I painted the iris blue. This part of the eye is very round and leaves very little white visible. Then I darkened the pupil, also very round, and more visible at the top of the eye than at the bottom. This part should dry rather quickly.

Then I painted the face and outer ears with the same colors as the body, this time salting only with popcorn salt.

TIP: If your paint dries before you can salt it, drop water droplets onto paint that has lost its shine. That will give tiny blossoms similar to salting. Also, don't throw gobs of salt on this. You don't want it to be like sandpaper.

Close up of eye and start of ears below.

Begin to make the effect of fur around the face. To do this, put a little darker paint underneath the chin,

then, with a small pointed brush, pull some of the dark into the dry face to make it look like fur.

This is done under the chin, on the side of the face, and in the right ear.

Gradually add some darks to the ears in areas where you see dark. There is also a ridge above the eye and below the ear that is dark. This is where the skull around the eye protrudes.

Back to the bunny body. Wash over the body with some water on a large brush. This serves to even out

some of those salt marks and make them look more like natural fur. Start to paint the dark shadows you see underneath the rabbit, around his hind leg, and on his back. Play with the color until it is what you want. 

Will finish this next week.