Another bunny painting! Besides cats, rabbits are my favorite animals. So adorable they are! Recently I have been seeing a number of them hopping around in the farm field far across from my window. They make my day. This painting happens to be quite spontaneous because as you see below, it started from a scrap page from my sketchbook on which I had wiped off some excess paint, gradually turning it into painting a cute bunny whilst experimenting with various techniques.
The Beginning
The excess paint in question was some metallic green gouache by Holbein. Not only are they pricey to begin with, but I I don’t like to waste good paint! I somewhat began doodling hearts around the page when I was wiping them on. Later I figured I could turn them into leaves and hence something flowery again. Then speaking of leaves, I ran into the idea of creating a few imprints with some loose leaves at home (I never pull them off plants!). I have done that before for another painting and loved the result so much that I tried it again. This time, in fluorescent pink paint by Amsterdam Acrylic. How cool is that!
Painting the Bunny!
And what was the first thing that comes to mind? A rabbit of course! After having sketched one by pencil, I traced over it with some purple oil pastel. The background was then colored in Hansa Yellow Light, and once dry, I painted the flowers using some India Ink (Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bombay Ink series) in orange and salmon shades with the centers in light blue gouache (Hobein). After that, I glazed the bunny with a thin layer of Quincridone Pink acrylic ink (Sennelier) carefully skimming around the flowers. The eyes were then filled in with some Iridescent Violet ink (Daler Rowney), followed by the whites of the eyes with Shimmering Blue Pearlescent ink (Daler Rowney). So far, so cute!
Finishing it Up
Just when I thought I was done, though, I found that more could be added. The area around the ears for instance looked a bit empty, but then again I didn’t want to draw in more flowers as that would make the painting too busy that the pretty pink leafy imprints would be outshined. It’s been some time since using some stencils with Ranger’s Distress Ink, getting me thinking that would be quite suitable for this purpose. How about a similar color to give a subtle hint of patterns? Here I went for Mustard Seed, being careful not to spill the stenciling onto the bunny. Thankfully it worked well, and now I think I am done!
How pretty that all looks now. First starting off again with some scrap paper with leftover paint, I do enjoy recreating and experimenting. The warm background amid the cooler shades of the bunny also worked rather well I must say. Once again, the leaf imprint further turned out beautifully especially with this vivid shade of fluorescent pink. I shall definitely be taking advantage of nature again and be exploring more possibilities!
My Kawaii Quarter 