Bunny with Carrot Cake

When thinking about the design for a bunny jar, I wanted a shape that wasn’t prone to breaking. That’s why I decided on big floppy ears that drooped downwards instead of ears that stood up tall. It also seemed more proportional and sturdy.

Carrot cake was an obvious choice and was my favourite part of this jar. The texture of the cake was conveyed through the smattering of oranges and browns while the pristine icing decorations were solid blocks of colour. I took great care in subtractive painting such that all the little dots of colour didn’t overlap to prevent bubbling.

Making a simple rectangular prism required sharp cuts and pinching along the edges. Clay tends to round out so the 90 degree edges took time to create.

For the main colour of the jar, I went with a very pale pink. Since my pink underglazes were quite dark or saturated, I started with a large amount of white underglaze and then gradually mixed in more red, peach and brown. Using a slightly darker shader of pink, I dotted 3 whisker freckles on each side of the snout.

In the picture above, the green band along the lid is wax. This prevents glaze from adhering to that area and fusing the jar closed during the firing process. And finally, don’t forget the fluffy white tail! This was the easiest part as it only requires rolling up a ball of clay and attaching it — no painting required since I’m using porcelain clay.

For future bunny designs, I want to experiment with ear shapes that stand up without making the jar vulnerable to damage. Maybe the ears can be upwards but angled. Or the ears can be shorter. Again, this design might benefit from a jar that is smaller in circumference near the top similar to the large blue penguin jar.