I just love stuff that makes me smile. It doesn’t take much. I am a pretty simple person. My dogs muddy and running through the house doesn’t make me irate, it makes me giggle. When my children spill their dinner [plates on the white carpet I chuckle. I like to be happy. I like to smile. I think that is why the work of today’s feature got me. I saw it and started smiling. The whimsical little characters were dancing across my screen while a smile did a jitterbug across my face. I hope the work of Something Bunny makes you smile as it did me… enjoy!
Something Bunny
1. Can you tell me your name and a little about yourself and your studio/creative space?
My name is Lea and I've often been told that I have type A personality; "a high-achieving workaholic who multi-tasks, drive themselves with deadlines, and are unhappy about delays" (courtesy of wikipedia). It may not always be a good thing but here's where my art comes into play. My illustrations and the whole concept of "Something Bunny" came out of my need for a relaxing creative outlet. My studio is a small cozy den plastered with inspirational artwork and photos. My desk is littered with pencils, pens, erasers, and sketchbooks amongst my laptop and tablet.
2. If there's one thing that defines you, what is it?
I'm not sure if there is exactly one thing that defines me, but I do think that my silly and happy nature best defines my personality and my art. My passion for art and love for all things sweet, silly, and simple drives me to create the illustrations you see today.
3. Do you have a family and if so what role does your family play in your art?
I have a wonderful supportive family and a boyfriend of four years. My mom is the artistic one and although she doesn't draw or produce fine arts, she dabbles a lot with crafts so I think that's where I got my artistic side from. My dad has always been supportive of me pursuing an arts education (when it was a possibility for me) and my sister has always believed in me.
4. Where do you live and what is it like?
I live in Toronto in Canada and for the time being I love it here. It's especially lovely in the spring/summertime when the weather starts to get warmer and walking around the city is much more pleasant. My favourite past times include visiting the Royal Ontario Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario (free on certain nights), riding bikes at Center Island, and so much more.
5. Where did you learn your medium?
All of the Something Bunny illustrations were created in Adobe Photoshop with a Wacom tablet from start to finish. I had come across other artists' works that were created digitally with paint software and graphic tablets and was instantly interested in how the tablet worked. I started working with a Wacom tablet a few years earlier and the first tablet I owned was a blue Wacom Graphire 2 that I had gifted myself for my own birthday. It does feel different from traditional media (e.g. paint, graphite, etc.), but after using it for awhile you get used to the feel of a tablet and coordinating your tablet pen movements to the monitor.
6. What are your goals with your work?
If there is one thing I hope to achieve with my art it is that I can share my love for all things sweet, silly, and simple with the world through my illustrations. Etsy may be a small start to achieving this goal, but nonetheless it is a start and with small steps I hope my art will grow organically by itself and take me wherever it does through this growth.
7. How did you come to selling online?
I came across Etsy in 2007, specifically coming across miniature cupcakes that I thought were the cutest thing. At the time I didn't think much about selling my art online and I didn't even sign up for an Etsy account. It was only after a few months later when I stumbled upon Etsy again that I started to browse through all the wonderful artwork in Etsy. Eventually I decided to give my own shop a go and I signed up for an account. I couldn't sustain my shop very long because of time commitments I already had when I first started, but I vowed to re-open my shop one day when I felt I was prepared. Here I am today, about a month old into a grand re-opening and it's been wonderful so far.
8. Where all do you sell?
I don't have any formal outlets where I sell my art but I have done art commissions in the past for customers who had seen my work and were interested in a custom illustrated portrait. I only became more serious with selling prints of my artwork when several of my friends encouraged me to do so. Eventually I would like to set up my own website (alongside Etsy) and also expand to outside venues.
9. What is the best piece of advice you can give other artists?
The best advice I could give to my fellow artists is to always, always, always create art. If art is your passion and it is what you love to do, you will never be able to let it go or squash it down. The more you create, the more you will grow as an artist and ultimately as a person.
10. Why do you think that buying and selling handmade products benefits society?
In a world where everything is massed-produced and waste is abundant, I believe that buying and selling handmade creates a personal touch to things and creates less waste. The fact that an item is made by a person and not by a machine greatly increases the value of it and it is usually cherished more dearly than massed-produced things.
11. Your shop name and your links?
Etsy Website:
Something Bunny
Blog:
http://somethingbunny.wordpress.com/
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/somethingbunny
Such cute artwork!
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