The Jackalope sculpture was made using roughly two pounds of plasticine clay, mounted over a copper and aluminum foil wireframe, on a wooden base. The concept of the sculpture was to create a piece that captured specific sizing and ratio, as well as practice with creating a project from conceptual sketches, wireframes, and then final sculpting and details.

The design of the sculpture was first inspired by Blupees, which are mystical owl-faced rabbit-like creatures from the game Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The overall design of a Blupee is similar to that of a jackalope, so moving towards a more recognizable creature in folklore was my new direction once I moved past the conceptual phase.

I was also deeply inspired at every stage of the design by my pet rabbit, Darwin, who is a Holland Lop Rabbit. Jackalopes are often depicted with short, upright, pointed ears. But I’m a biased fan of the floppy, long style of ears.