Blue Rabbit Paint Job

Painting my pieces is just as important to the creative process as the sculpting is, and it often takes an equal amount of time.

When you first set out to paint an animal, you soon realize the depth and complexity of their colors.

A blue rabbit, for instance, isn't just blue.

When you look at him, you see varying shades of bluish gray that change depending on how the light hits him.

So to begin, I try to identify the medium shade and start there.

I experiment by mixing black, white and just a hint of blue. (I actually didn't intend to mix it THIS much, but my toddler decided to "help.")

The first coat goes on. And I continue to add layers until the overall hue begins to look right.

In the meantime I start on the eyes.

I paint a black base and then mix up a bright brown for the iris.

After a few layers of brown, I begin to work on the pupils. Taking my finest brush, I very carefully begin to fill in the pupils. This takes a lot of practice, and always takes me several tries to get right.

I mix up a pale pink for the inner ears, and then work on the all important eye highlights. This is what really brings the personality to the face!

To finish off the coat, I blend a little white on the tips of the hair with a dry brush. This is where that deep texture really comes in handy!

The highlights really give the fur depth and visual interest.

A closeup of the white blending under the chin.

The final touch is varnish. I use a gloss varnish for the eyes and matte for the body (although Basic's matte varnish still has a bit of shine to it).

ALL DONE!

To see how I sculpted this rabbit, go here: