The first time I got to sketch Barbara’s chickens they were these cute little chicks. Now they’re full-grown laying ladies and hilarious to watch as they run about with their tiny bird brains. Barbara has built the most amazing Chicken World for them in her yard, where they can run free and eat bugs and organic greens, safe from predators (raccoons are a big problem here), or snuggle in their cozy nesting house.
The last time we sketched in her garden I sketched Gertie from the front. Here she is from the back. She is a wonderful, loving, and very furry pooch. Then I started trying to sketch the bunny Barbara was babysitting for her daughter. The bunny was so twitchy, didn’t hold still and so fluffy as to be seemingly amorphous. But I knew there were some basic shapes in there somewhere so I kept trying to find them.
In the sketch above I finally did find the basic shape of a bunny. In the first attempts below, not so much. (I love that phrase “not so much” even though I’m sure it’s become passé by now, along with “Really?”, “You think?”, “How’s that working for you?” and “Meh.” Don’t know where those came from but I still like them for their sarcastic yet humorous tone.)
Above are the first attempts at the bunny, in which I became totally frustrated but didn’t give up. I’m glad I got to draw him since shortly after our sketch night he passed away from a recurrence of a serious illness he’d fought several times before. I hope he has found a home in bunny heaven as nice as the one he had with Barbara’s family.
Jana Bouc, Artist 
13 replies on “Barbara’s Chicks All Grown Up and Bye-Bye Tate the Bunny”
Great sketches! We just raised some little fuzzy bird brains into full grown but not laying yet bird brains. Their bodies grew, but it’s hard to see if their brains are much bigger or more efficient. Fun to watch, though!
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They are delightful creatures! You can’t help but be happy around chickens! Jana
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I’m glad you got to sketch the bunny too. He’ll be missed I’m sure just as my little dog who just died from a rattlesnake bite. Your drawing of the dog here helps me to know how to draw mine from the photos I still have of her. And your bunny sketches look pretty good to me.
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I’m so sorry to hear about your little dog getting bit by a rattlesnake. It’s so hard to lose a pet, especially so suddenly. Having a handmade picture helps. I have a painting of former beloved cat that always makes me happy when I see it. I camped for a summer where there were rattlers all around. We carried big sticks to fling them off the trail if necessary and I made sure my dog stayed on the path between me and my friend. We were lucky, no bites, though one of the girls camping with us almost sat on one. Jana
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AWESOME!!!! Your sketches are adorable! You inspire me to put more of a sketchy edge to my work. I’d love to see more work like this. Maybe a scene at the barn with a bunch of animals congregated together at a picnic??? 🙂
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That’s such a cool idea. But what would those picnicing animals be eating? People? (Ewww…sorry but that’s what popped into my head, since our picnics/barbeques involve eating them!). Jana
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LOL – no, gross. Ummm…. maybe a huge bundle of veggies! OR to step beyond and outside of the box – have them eat lots of different kinds of candy: Cotton Candy, huge lollipops, licorice, ice cream cones, etc 🙂
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OK! Candy and ice cream it is! If you draw it, please let me know and I’ll come see. Your digitally painted portraits are amazing by the way! Jana
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Oh, lol! I thought you might paint it! Well, maybe we both can and see how each of ours turns out 🙂
Thank you for the compliments! 🙂 ♥
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Love your animals, esp. the bunny!
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And of course I was thinking of you while I was sketching, oh queen of chickens you! Jana
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Great sketches, and it is next to impossible to draw things that won’t hold still!
Loved your little aside about “not so much” . That “meh” keeps appearing in people’s blogs, and I have never heard a person say it nor do I know it origins. Is it a bloggy fad??
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animals are not always the most cooperative subjects … but you got some good drawings from the critters anyway
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