Interlocking Rabbits Sculpture

This is a two-part portrait I was commissioned portraying best rabbit buddies Thunder the Flemish Giant, and Lightning the English Lop.

The Lop has a habit of draping himself over the Flemish, so the customer requested an interlocking sculpture that was two separate pieces.

I had never attempted anything like this before, so it was a bit of an adventure. 

This is how I approached the piece....

I started out by sculpting Thunder, who was to be the base of the sculpture.

My handsome subject, Thunder

And yes, I apologize for the initial shape (and no, the flesh colored clay doesn't help any, lol).

For this piece I had to use up my scrap clay as I waited on my new shipment of the usual white.

I used my same basic process, but I decided to make his coat shaggier, so I layered over the original bake. (If you would like a tutorial on how I sculpt my rabbits, go HERE.)

He made several trips through the oven, and looked pretty bizarre from the dark beige clay, so I was eager to get him painted.

I had to wait until I was finished sculpting the English Lop, because I needed to use his body to prop him up during baking. 

I wanted Lightning to keep his shape during baking, but to prevent them from fusing together I gave Thunder a little foil saddle.

The ears were a very involved process....

I would sculpt a little, bake, sculpt a little more, then bake and so on...

.... until finally I was satisfied with them. I continued to bake him propped up on Thunder to make sure they would still fit together.

On to paint! Thunder is blue, so I layered varying shades of bluish gray and lightly brushed on some white highlights.

Lightning's coloration was much more complex. He is a blue tort, and depending on the lighting, his coat would look anywhere from fawn to pale blue. 

So it took a lot of mixing and slapping on paint until I decided it looked right.

Varnished and done!

Overall, I'm very pleased with how this one came out. Hopefully it gives you some ideas and inspiration in your own work.

HAPPY SCULPTING!