Best of Etsy Bunnies

I love rabbits. But weirdly enough, I hate cartoon rabbits. I mean things that look like this:

I know, it's a cartoon and not supposed to be realistic, but still. So ugly. I've discovered that there's a lot of ugly rabbit stuff on Etsy too. But in honor of Easter, I sifted through all the weirdness and brought you some super cute stuff. Enjoy!

Tiny Wool Felt Bunny by julieblanchett - $25 each

Follow the White Rabbit Ring by UntamedMenagerie - $9

The Front Porch fine art photograph by CreateLoveLaugh - $35

Leaping Rabbits Mobile by ARTISANIEeurope - $216

Tiny Knitted Brown Bunny Brooch by iroirocrafts - $14.40

Cute and Simple Bunny Necklace by MDsparks - $12

Hay Saver Box by SaveABunny - $65

It's a sad fact that, a few months after Easter, animal shelters tend to receive a high influx of unwanted rabbits. People purchase these rabbits as Easter presents without realizing how high-maintenance rabbits can be, and abandon them once the novelty has worn off. If you're interested in donating to a charity this Easter, I would suggest SaveABunny, a non-profit rabbit shelter. I have visited their shelter in person and the rabbits are very well taken care of - spoiled, even. SaveABunny also has an Etsy shop!

(By the way, please don't forget to vote for my drawing so I can win a scholarship!)

We Are...

I first heard this quote in a sermon at church, and my husband immediately wrote it down on a piece of scrap paper. I designed this poster in Photoshop, printed it out, and hung it next to my desk. (If you like it, you can download the full-res version by clicking on the image above and saving it to your computer.)

This quote inspires me to work hard on my art, even when I don't feel like it. Although I love drawing, I also love to be lazy. Sometimes I'll think to myself, "I should be drawing," and then I'll think, "or I could play video games." This poster reminds me that if I continually make the decision to procrastinate, I won't be an artist; I'll be a procrastinator.

The second part of the quote goes, "excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." I recently discovered a great illustration of this. There's a kid at my school whose paintings are absolutely phenomenal. "He's a prodigy," I said to a friend. "He's not a prodigy, he just works hard," she replied. "I asked him what he did for his birthday, and he said 'I painted.'"

And that's why he's amazing.

Do you have any quotes that inspire you?

Painting Pretty Dresses

This was some homework I did for one of my oil painting classes. The assignment was to copy an "old master" portrait. I chose a pretty portrait by the unbeatable John Singer Sargent. Above is my painting, below is the original:

I did some research on the girl in the painting. Her name is Catherine, and she was one of seven children. This portrait was painted when she was 22 years old; sadly, she died two years later. I guess she must have liked singing or music, since Sargent chose to portray her with one hand on the piano.

My husband says she looks like a man. :P

I got a B+ on this assignment. The painting now sits happily on my dresser, along with two porcelain birds from mudpuppy, pinecones we picked up on our honeymoon, and art by Lois Van Baarle.

Help me win a scholarship contest

Character Design Sketches

Here's something different from the stuff I usually post on this blog. These are some sketches from my character design class. We spend about 3-4 hours just drawing quick sketches from live models in costume. We've had a lot of awesome models in fun costumes, so it's a really enjoyable time.

Right now all my sketches are of girls, because we've only had a male model once, and I was having a bad day that day so none of those drawings are worth sharing. Girls are more fun to draw anyway.

That drawing on the right is not upside-down. The model actually stood on her head, perfectly still, for 3 minutes. I was freaking out about it, saying, "guys! guys! look!" The teacher, completed unfazed, calmly looked over and asked her, "yoga?" "Yeah," she replied.