detail: rabbit family by Ruth Dolan

This is looking really good Ruth - can't wait to see the finished work! Just love those ears!

Ruth, such adorable bunnies. Reminds me of the little Bunnykins mugs I had for my children when they were small, How do you find working in coloured pencils? How do you manage to keep them sharp, I have yet to find a good way. Kind regards ~ Anni

They look really great! Looking foreward to seeing the whole work. What paper are you working on ?

Thank you all for your comments. Anni, I have just bought a rotary pencil sharpener (manual) which adapts so simply to take most sizes of pencil. I use Colorsoft and Polychromos pencils, plus some Cumberland Derwent pencils (which must be at least 40 years old now) With the exeotion of the odd 40 yr. old one, they sharpen to a perfect point. You know when to stop turning as the spindle just runs free as soon as you have your point. You can also adjust it for sharp pont or blunt. It may a slight hole in the budget but no way do I rgret buying it, I find it great. (And no, I don't get commissison on sales!!) Hi Avril, I'm working on Daler Rowney Finegrain Heavyweight Cartridge, 140 lbs. I just have the background to deal with now, and then it should be finished.

Lovely Ruth! I'm sure the finished painting will be wonderful! Looking forward to it.

This is really lovely Ruth, you could almost stroke their fur. Look forward to seeing the finished painting.

Thank you for the information on pencils and sharpener. I do not use coloured pencils a lot, but would like to do more, so this was really interesting.

After all those wonderful admiring comments, I can't find anything to add !!! It will be perfect when finished, I am sure of that. They are so lovely and lively. Bravo!!!

This is so lovely and such an unusual compostion that I would be tempted to leave it as it is with the white paper as background. I think anything else could detract from the gorgeous bunnies.

Thank you all so much for your comments. Thea...I am debating the background, and uncertain what to do....I like to relate animals to their environment, so perhaps ferns....grasses....I don't really know, but am doing some practice runs!!! (to further confuse myself?) Or maybe just an anonymous sort of faded out background? Not rushing into anything.

Interesting comment about the rotary sharpener,because there's a question about this on the forum just now. Your drawing is wonderful as it is - I don't know what it is about b. rabbits: they are, let's be honest, a perishing nuisance in the garden, but individually are oddly appealing, and you've absolutely caught that appeal. I'm afraid my landlord shoots them, unless I happen to be in the vicinity and "accidentally" develop a nasty, hacking cough....He warns me that his aim is getting uncertain; he might catch me one day. I tell you this so you can testify at the inquest..... It's a lovely drawing as it is; I can quite see you might want to add to it, but actually - I'm not sure it can be improved.

Hj ruth your rabbits are really lovely .as for background i think the rabbits are the main focus so a blurred back drop would be better,it wont detract. Linda