Back to the ear

The ear on the right side of the lion's face is what's going to give this picture real 3 dimension. It's going to be the part that sticks out the farthest from the background. By having it stick out this far, it will help make the lion's head look like it is turned. So, at this point, I took the scalpel and sliced the ear loose all the way back to where it would be attached to the head.

As you can see here, it's cut through the leather and into the putty below. This scar will be filled in with a thin layer of putty. The back of the ear will also be shaped with putty.

To get the putty to stick to the ear, I first coat the leather with rubber cement.

Putty is applied to the back of the ear to give it shape, and to get it to stand up. Putty is also used to cover the scar in the leather where the ear was cut loose. Then when the putty has dried for awhile, the hairing knife is used to put texture over the putty helping to hide the scar.

Then a little water is added to the front side of the ear so that it softens up a little and I can shape it.

And here is how the ear looks now.